Sun, fun and friends

Since we finished uni, my housemates and I have been making the most of our time in Malta. And so have our friends and family!! We've had so many people visit us in the last few weeks it's been great fun.

The weather's been perfect for trips to the beach!!

Tigne Point, Sliema
Our local beach is just down the road from our apartment. There's no sand or pebbles just rock, it's good for chilling out for a few hours. There's even a cocktail van nearby that makes yummy cocktails from fresh fruit. On Monday I had a Strawberry Daiquiri, Friday a Long Island Ice Tea and a Strawberry and Banana Pina Colada on Saturday.

Mellieha Bay

Last Tuesday we headed over to Mellieha Bay for the day. This is a really nice sandy beach with really clear, shallow water. Perfect for people with kids. We took bats and balls and played games in the water.

The Blue Lagoon, Comino

We've done a few boat trips to Comino now, and on Thursday we took my housemate's friends there. The view is beautiful and the water is so blue. We swam from Comino over to a small island nearby and then through a cave. It was tiring, but well worth it and such a good experience. 

The first time we went, they we doing crazy sofa rides from a speedboat. It was so fast and bumpy it was like being on a roller coaster and we got absolutely soaked. IT WAS SO FUN!!

The island we swam to.

Spot the lizard.

I hear the weather was good in England last week!! Hope everyone enjoyed the bank holiday weekend. What beaches would you recommend from other parts of the world?

J :)

Lower Barrakka Gardens, Valletta

On Monday my cousin came to visit and on Thursday we went to Valletta for the day with my housemate.

After wondering around for a while we made our way to the Lower Barrakka Gardens. They are so beautiful, particularly when the sun is out and the sky is clear.

There are lots of pretty pink and lilac flowers around at the moment.

The perfect spot to have our sandwiches.

The lower gardens are quieter than the upper gardens, I'd like to come here to read at some point.

  I took this photo of a couple the first time I visited the gardens:

Opposite the gardens is a bell tower. Some plaques read:

"This bell tolls in memory of those who gave their lives in the Siege of Malta 1940-1943"

"At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them"

Many people don't know about the significant role Malta played in WWII. They sided with Britain and were heavily bombed because of it, yet they never gave in. In 1942 the whole country was awarded the George Cross for their bravery.

We ended our day trip at the Valletta Waterfront for cocktails. It's a hard life ;)

J :)

Make way for summer!!

So..

I've finished my university experience in Malta!!

I really can't believe how fast these past 8 months have gone. It seems like only yesterday I arrived in Malta for the first time, stepping off the plane into a new country, not knowing what to expect. Now it doesn't feel like I'm abroad at all, it feels like home and it will be weird to be back in England.

I have enjoyed every almost every minute (could have done without the coursework related stress) out here and I will miss Malta very very much.. However I look forward to making the most of my last five weeks out here and soaking up some sun.

Thursday evening my three housemates and I went out for a really nice meal at Barracuda in St. Julians. We'd been planning it and saving up for a while and it was a really special way to celebrate the end of uni. This weekend was also the last time it would be just the four of us in Malta, as the first of our family and friends arrived on Monday and now we'll have a full house right until the end.

#

Then on Saturday we went on a boat trip to Comino and went on a crazy sofa ride, which was awesome!! In the evening we ordered pizza and watched West is West, which was just as good as East is East.

In the next few weeks I'll be trying to visit as much as Malta as I can, so I'll be posting about what I get up to and putting up lots of pictures on my intagram.

So have you finished uni yet or do you still have exams? What are your plans for summer?

J :)

My week in pictures

Monday 4th  - Went for tea and cake in Mdina, after work at the dog shelter. The cakes at Fontanella  are well worth the  long bus journey!!

Tuesday 5th - Had uni in the afternoon/ evening.

Wednesday 6th - Ducks at the bus stop on the way to uni!! Then we had some friends round to make pizza and watch films, then went out for sushi in the evening. I had Vegetarian pumpkin sushi, vegetable dumplings (really yummy) and green tea.

Thursday 7th - Went to uni in the morning then came back for lunch. Our bus didn't turn up in the afternoon so we didn't make it into uni but we made a start on our coursework instead.

Friday 8th - Went to visit some friends in Gozo, and went to the Piano Lounge in the evening.

Saturday 9th - Ferry back from Gozo.

Sunday 10th - Sunbathing on our balcony. It was election day and the Maltese were very passionate about it - all day people went past in cars, playing music and cheering. In the evening one of my housemates and I decided to check out what was going on, and we ended up at an amazing street party.

So that was my week in pictures!! What did you do this week? Were there any special events by you?

J :)

Mum comes to visit!!

Last weekend my mum flew over from rainy England for a Costa and some sun (and to see me). Living so far away makes me really appreciate my family so it was nice to spend some quality time with my mum.

First stop was a Costa at the airport for lunch and then back to my apartment, where I live with my three housemates. I then made the mistake of going into Zara - whenever I go into a clothes shop with my mum I end up spending lots of money - I brought two tops and a cute jumper with whales on. Time for a Millies cookies!!

On the Saturday we got the ferry over to Valletta and spent the day there.

On Sunday we had a picnic at the beach. I made a pasta salad for us to eat but I forgot the forks so we had to eat it with our hands!!

J :)

Puppies at the dog shelter

Sorry my post is a bit late this week, my mum came to visit so I was busy showing her around Malta (I'll put a post up about it over the weekend).


My housemate and I volunteer at a dog shelter on Monday mornings and this week there were two puppies there!!

They were soooo cute and playful. It was definitely a two person job to clean out their kennel, as one person had to keep them occupied so the other could clean.

When I'm away from home I miss my dog a lot. Visiting the shelter really helps, especially when I get lots of hugs.

  

The beautiful view of Marsaxlokk, on the walk to the shelter. In the Maltese language, 'x' is pronounced as 'sh' so it's pronounced 'Marsa-shlock'. Its a really pretty fishing village.







J :)

Carnival weekend

The week running up to pancake day in Malta and Gozo is one massive party. I didn't realise how good these events were until I went to see them for myself. The floats were big, the costumes were bright and the atmosphere was amazing. The perfect way to celebrate the end of exams woop woop!!

Last Saturday I got the ferry over to Gozo for the first time; it is very different to Malta as it's more rural, whereas Malta is very built up. In the  afternoon/ evening I went to a dance show that was put on by classes from different schools. Each had a different theme such as seasons, films/ Disney and Native Americans. All the kids did really well; the younger kids were cute in their flower costumes and the older kids put on a funny performance based around the London Olympics.

Dance show in Gozo

Then it was time to get ready for the street party!! This was very much for older teens/ people in their twenties. I had never been to anything like this before; floats were going down the road, everyone was dressed up (some more controversial than others) and the bars were outside.

Monday afternoon I was waiting for the bus back home, after going to Marsaxlokk, with my friend when we heard music; we went to check it out and managed see the parade in Floriana (next to Valletta). These were stunning!! Massive florescent coloured floats were travelling around blasting music with people in elaborate costumes dancing on them!!

Parade in Floriana

All in all in was a great experience and I would highly recommend going if you get the chance - Malta certainly know how to celebrate.

We started our semester two modules at uni on pancake day and didnt get home till late (lectures here can be any time between 8am and 8pm). We made pancakes before we went and heated them up when we got back, then played a game of rummy-cub. Perfect end to a good weekend.

J :)

Year abroad in Malta

I'm living in Malta!!

If someone had told me a year ago that I'd be living abroad I wouldn't have believed them.

It was a really spur of the moment decision to come out here. I was sitting in a revision lecture last march when we were told there were still some spaces left for a study year abroad in Malta. Me and the three friends I was with just looked at each other, this sounded like such a good idea. After the lecture we spoke to the guy in charge and he said that the places were ours if we wanted them. So in under two hours we had decided to move abroad for a year! This is something I never imagined myself doing, and it seemed  really out of my comfort zone, but with my friends by my side I couldn't wait to embark on this adventure. 

Less than six months later we moved to this beautiful sunny island and have loved every minute of it so far (apart from the coursework and exams but then that is the reason we're out here, so can't complain too much).

After living out here for just over four months we have grown to love it very much, I will definitely be sad to leave at the end and will come back to visit as often as I can. 

Valletta, Malta's capital city.

J :)