I’ve been to many places in Europe. France several times, Spain a whole lot more and even up to Scandinavia for the obligatory trip to see the northern lights, but I had never thought to venture to the Mediterranean Sea and to a small island called Malta. Before this trip, I had rarely even heard of the island, except in my yearly watch of the Eurovision Song Contest, where Malta performed a very similar euro-pop song that fades into the sea of other very euro-poppy songs. 

However, this year this tiny island came onto my radar as a potential place to visit after watching a food program on BBC that was tasting the array of fresh seafood available on the island. Touring around the crystal blue coasts of Malta, I started to fall in love with the idea of it being my next destination. So without much hesitation, I pulled my phone out, eagerly typed the words ‘Malta holidays’ into my phone and booked the first package holiday to Malta that flicked up when my screen finally loaded (I’m cursed with terrible wifi).

Arriving into malta

Stepping off the plane, even though it was pretty early in the day, the heat nearly took my breath away. I had heard that Malta was hot, but nothing prepared me for the dense heat, even this early in the day. After seamlessly passing through security and picking up my suitcase, the first port of call was dropping my items off at my hotel so that I could start my day of exploring and soaking in the sun. 

Thanks to Malta being a small island, it only took 30 minutes to make it to my hotel in Valletta, my stomach grumbling and head ready to explore the city.

The afternoon

After checking in, throwing on some more weather-appropriate clothing and heading out the door, I decided to head out into the heart of Valletta, hoping for some delicious lunch and a chance to see the beauty of the city I had heard so much about.

The first stop was the main square, right next to St John's Cathedral, where a quaint cafe was serving popular local delicacies such as rabbit stew, accompanied by fresh sea food. It took a while for me to decide what I wanted as my first dish. After a while of debating and looking around at other people's food, I decided to go for my first choice, which was the locally sourced rabbit stew.

After finishing my dish and doing a bit of people watching, I thought it was the perfect time to visit the renowned St John's Cathedral, which is renowned for its opulent baroque interiors. From the outside, St John's looked like your average cathedral; however, the inside was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The detail on the walls and ceilings was incredible, and it wasn't just 1 room of it; it was multiple rooms with this extent of detail.

Still in awe of the cathedral, I thought I'd do a bit of exploring and walk the streets of Valletta and up to the Upper Barakka Gardens, not before stopping off at Valletta's famous jewelry shops to gaze at the titanium jewelry from Graziela which is so intricate and a local craft in Malta. 

Evening

The evening consisted of a lot of seafood. I had passed so many restaurants earlier on; I knew exactly where I was heading and what I wanted: a delicious seafood platter. Full and happy, I headed to bed dreaming of the day.