Here's the promised recap of my first two days in Malta.
I arrived in Malta early afternoon and stepped out of the airport terminal only to be greeted by brisk winds and a fifteen minute wait for the bus to arrive. Following that it was about an hour bus ride to the stop near my hostel, and an incredibly steep uphill walk to the hostel. However, I was greeted by a cheerful Slovak girl who checked me in partially, and showed my room, where we chatted amicably. I settled in and then decided to explore.
My hostel was located close to Balluta Bay in St. Julians which was incredibly beautiful, with incredibly intense blue waters and sky. I walked along the promenade that ran next to the bay, soaking up the sun and my new location. I browsed through some tourist shops, and grabbed an early dinner at a local Italian cafe. With food in my stomach, I discovered a small marina cove surrounded by nice hotels, and then the shore, which was a rocky beach, filled with tidal pools. While picking up bottles and trash (channeling my parents), I explored along the shore, picking up sea glass and shells and enjoying the wind, the waves and the scenery. It was perfect, as I was totally on my own and at peace with everything that was going on around me. After spending weeks surrounded by people constantly, it was just what I needed.
After exploring the rocky beach, I wandered back around to my starting point and went the opposite way for a bit, where I found a small sandy beach about fifty feet long, where I pulled off my shoes and socks. I waded in the cold but refreshing water, and stuck my feet in the sand, which was therapeutic. I also wandered through the small church (one of the 365 located in Malta) which was gorgeous before heading home to my hostel, via the uphill climb (it was the equivalent of about thirty flights of stairs - I kid you not). On my way to and from the bay, I would always pass a cat colony, consisting of several barrels and containers strapped to a tree that grew next to a wall, in which there was food and bedding for several cats that were always willing to be petted.
Additionally, the hostel that I stayed at also had a resident feline, named Cat Stevens. She was extremely friendly and I quickly became one of her favorite guests, as she learned that I was always willing to pet her and have her on my lap. It became a running joke with all of the other guests, as whenever I sat down, Cat Stevens would jump on my lap and fall asleep. However, after months of not being around animals, it was perfect to have a cat fall asleep on my lap for several hours.
That, combined with the wonderful family atmosphere at the small hostel, I was incredibly satisfied. My first night at the hostel was also an international dinner coordinated by guests and staff, and there were many different dishes cooked and shared, between a Slovak, Italians, Germans, Americans, Brits, French, and more nationalities. Everyone was very relaxed and friendly, and soon I knew many of the people's names (it was a fairly small hostel). Following that, I called it an early night and crashed.
The next morning I awoke without any idea of what I was going to be doing, and found that I thoroughly enjoyed having a lazy morning without having to deal with the needs of anyone else but myself. I had cheap but delicious breakfast at the hostel, wonderful scrambled eggs, baked beans and bread, made at the hands of the hostel owner, and wonderful human all around. Then, I headed out and rode a long bus to the capital of Malta, Valletta.
There, I wandered throughout the city, stopping to browse stores, viewing the waterfront (with cruise ships and oil platforms), wandering through the St. John's Co-Cathedral, which was the baroque style on drugs, and along the old streets and promenades, while munching on a a cheap yummy meat pie from a hole-in-the-wall bakery. I popped into the National Library of Malta, and ogled at the reading and research room. I also wandered into to the St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral where I chatted with one of the docents, a sweet British older man who was curious as to why I was traveling alone, and why I had come to Malta, as it isn't a top destination.
Deciding to call it an early day, I headed back to the hostel via one of Malta's many buses, which has an excellent network but shit timetable, as buses are regularly insanely late or early, and sometimes don't even stop at specified places, despite passengers waiting there. The rides are also long, crowded, and hot, as the routes that I frequented were packed with tourists. However, it was cheap, so I sucked it up and enjoyed people watching. During the late afternoon, after arriving back at my temporary residence, I watched the Julia Robert's movie Erin Brokovich, with some American girls who were killing down before their flight. It was highly enjoyable and Cat Stevens was curled up on my lap as well.
All in all, by the end of the day I had concluded that traveling alone was great, Malta was the perfect place to do so and the next few days were going to be wonderful.
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