So after seeing the tower in Pisa Arianna and I took the tram from the train station to the airport. We were really curious to see what RYANAIR was like since it is so cheap. However, as we waited to check we witnessed something ridiculous. There was this woman, barefoot wearing sunglasses literally throwing things around the building and against the walls, her cell phone, pens, shampoo, hair spray, pretty much anything in her possession. Then she was waving this water around and rubbing it on the walls like it was holy water or something. Soon she started walking around punching signs and trying to rip the fire extinguisher off the wall. At first it was pretty entertaining but then it was pretty scary since no one was doing anything not even the airport employees. Everyone was just watching. Finally, we got our tickets and were able to leave while this woman was still pitching a fit.

RYANAIR was a lot better than I thought. The plane was pretty big. There was a group of really obnoxious spanish soccer fans on our flight wearing jerseys and blowing this annoying horn. I'm not sure how I managed it but the second I sat down on the plane I was out. I didn't even wake up through take off. I woke up just in time to see the island coming up though. After we breezed through the airport we took a bus to Paceville, the town we were staying in. The drive there was so beautiful and so bumpy! The bus drivers are crazy and there are no doors on the bus. Since Malta was a British colony they drive on the other side of the rode. We really weren’t sure where to get off since nothing was really labeled and the directions to our hostel literally just said walk down past the Burger King. Real helpful huh? We end up getting off at the wrong spot but the weirdest thing happened. The number of our hostel was 35 so we found 35 on this street, even though it was the wrong one and it was a James Madison University building. So weird! Well we got back on the bus and eventually found our stop. Our hostel was so great! It was right in the center of Paceville, which is home to Malta’s best night life and we were right by the ocean as well. We had a terrace so we could sit out there and we were in a private room so it was just Arianna and I. Best part, all of this for only 15 euro! Crazy. So we got dressed and were ready for our first night out in Paceville!

We went to this restaurant called Amigos for dinner and to watch the soccer games. It was really good, we just got a few appetizers to split and drinks. It was also so cheap! After the game was over we started our night. We went to this place called Fun Bar and it was insane. It was a bar/club. The best thing was it was filled with Netherlands fans all painted and going crazy. Everyone was so nice and outgoing! We made a lot of friends and spent all night there and the place right next door called Havanas which was a dance club. It is seriously the perfect place for college kids to go. Unlike Firenze where drinks are so pricey and there’s a cover charge everywhere, in Malta there was none of that. You could get pitchers of your favorite mixed drinks for 10 euro then get a second one for free. It was bizarre. We stayed out pretty late and eventually headed back to the hostel.

We woke up on friday morning and found a little place to grab breakfast. Afterwards, we talked to the owner of our hostel about where the best place to go to the beach was. He told us to take the bus 45 minutes north to a place called Golden Bay. The bus ride was a wooping 47 cents and had the most beautiful views. It was worth the 45 minute drive. The beach was prettier than any island I have ever seen! Crystal clear water, cliffs and the softest sand. We literally stayed there all day laying out and swimming in the sea. We grabbed lunch at this place called Munchies Beach Shack. I had a mixed salad with tuna and this amazing basil and mint dressing. We took the bus back to Paceville and went home to shower and get ready for night number two.

Night number two was pretty much a repeat of the first night. We ended up eating dinner and watching the game at the same place because we had such a good time the night before. The only difference was we stopped in at a few other small places before going to Fun Bar and Havanas just to check them out but nothing was as fun as those. We even met up with some of the same people from the night before. All in all it was one of the best nights of my life.

On Saturday we just went to one of the local beaches before getting ready to leave for the airport. We tried to switch our flight to Sunday but RYANAIR has all these dumb rules, but hey what do you expect when you can get flights that cheap. Malta was such an amazing experience, one I will definitely never forget. If I wasn’t studying in Italia I don’t think I would have ever thought to go to Malta. It was so cheap and one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It was also so nice to travel with only one other person instead of a large group. We were able to do more and get to places quicker. It was seriously one of the best weekends of my life.