Malta is a country located in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Italy. The Maltese archipelago consists of a group of islands, with Malta serving as the largest. It is joined by the islands of Comino and Gozo to the north, which are accessible by ferry or boat.
Following a great deal on a Ryanair flight, my friend Shaofeng and I made our way to Malta for a quick weekend trip. We arrived shortly after midnight and made way to our Airbnb in Sliema, a small town located on Malta's northeastern coast.
After a late start the next morning, we took a bus all the way to the northern-most part of the island to catch a small ferry boat to Comino. The boat driver took us through some rock formations beneath the island before eventually dropping us off at the Blue Lagoon, the main attraction of Comino.
Shaofeng immediately ordered the famous Blue Lagoon pineapple cocktail, a drink sold at stands everywhere around the lagoon. It is made from a pineapple with its top chopped off, then filled with pineapple juice and any alcohol of your choosing (though Shaofeng opted for the nonalcoholic version to keep his head in the game for our very busy day to come). I wasn't a fan of the drink, but I couldn't help myself in grabbing a sick photo with it in front of the turquoise backdrop of the lagoon.
We then explored off the beaten path a bit more of Comino, stopping at a vantage point for some photos, before heading back down to the lagoon to dip our toes in the water. From what I could tell, the island was mostly barren, covered only in rocks and small shrubs. I was honestly quite surprised to find not a single tree nearby to provide some much needed shade from the sun, especially given that there were no clouds in sight either. Down by the water, it felt like spring break in Miami with beach-goers a plenty! While the sight of the water was beautiful, I'd say it was a bit too hectic for me to consider the Blue Lagoon a relaxing vacation spot. In total we spent about an hour and a half on Comino before catching the next boat north to the island of Gozo.
In Gozo we ate a quick lunch and made our way to Victoria, the island's largest town located at its center. From there, we walked to the Citadella de Victoria, a historic castle that dates back to medieval times. We explored the narrow streets within, stopping to grab a photo in front of the Cathedral of the Assumption, then took a lap around the castle ramparts with a 360 degree views over the rest of the island.
For the rest of the day, Uber and Bolt became our friends. Without a car or motorbike, it would have been impossible to traverse the entire island. Our next point of interest was the Tal-Mixta Cave, a small and remote cavern that opened cliffside to the beach and bay below. There was an insanely strong blast of wind at the cave's entrance followed by complete stillness inside the cavern, which reminded me of a reservoir leading to a converging-diverging nozzle (a concept from my compressible flow course).
From there, we took a quick Bolt ride along the coast to the Xwejni Salt Pans. The salt pans are made up of thousands of sqaure holes dug into the ground along the coastline, that accumulate natural sea salt over time as ocean water fills the holes and evaporates. In other words, it's a way of naturally harvesting salt from the environment. Shaofeng and I walked along the salt pan filled coastline, stopping occasionally along the way to admire the strength of the waves crashing against the cliffside or to poke fun at the "NO BBQ" signs posted around.
It was just the two of us out there, with limestone walls to our left and the vast ocean to our right. If I didn't know any any better, I would say it felt like we were alone on an entirely different planet - quite a surreal experience. We walked west until reaching the Wied il-Ghasri, a long gorge with a river flowing inland from the sea.
Our next stop was at the Wied il-Mielah Window, a rock formation on the coastline that resembled a giant window out to sea. At first we couldn't find it, until we realized we were standing on top of it the whole time! There wasn't much else in the area, so our stay there was brief before we headed out to our final destination of the day: the Blue Hole viewpoint. It was at the western side of the island - perfect for watching the sunset. The famous Azure Window, a large arch there which once stood as gateway to the sea, unfortunately fell in 2017 (so we didn't get to see it for obvious reasons). I captured a nice timelapse of the sunset before Shaofeng and I were attacked by a swarm of mosquitos, ran for our lives, and finally caught an Uber back to the ferry station and a ferry back to the Airbnb on Malta.
Day 2 of the trip, we stuck around the main island all day until our evening return flight. We started the day exploring a bit of Sliema and later Valletta, the capital city of Malta. Walking through Valletta felt like a trip to the past. With most of the city made from limestone bricks, we definitely got an old town feel. The city skyline is best distinguished by the large dome atop the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which was best seen from across the harbor.
Also located in Valletta were the Upper and Lower Barrakka gardens. Each offered a small area of greenery and a nice view out over the Grand Harbour. Across the harbor we could see the Three Cities, composing of fortified cities built on peninsulas. This part of Malta became a popular filming location for many production crews over the years.
In the afternoon, we took an Uber to Mdina in the center of the island. Mdina was another fortified city dating back to medieval times. We explored the city briefly, walking through narrow alleyways and admiring some of the intricate facades found within. The most notable part was the bridge and main gate leading into city, which was featured as King's Landing in Game of Thrones.
We ended the day at the southern coast of the island, getting a glimpse from above at the Blue Grotto - a collection of rock formations and sea caves in the water below. We noticed small boat tours darting in and out of the caves, so on a whim, we decided to look for more info closer to the water. To our surprise, we managed to buy tickets and hop on a boat last minute. The tour went by quickly, but we got to see a bunch of cool rock formations and beautiful blue water in the caves under the island.
Afterwards, we made our way back to the airport and bid the Maltese archipelago a farewell. I managed to capture a few photos from the plane, which really put into perspective how small Malta is when surrounded by the rest of the Mediterranean Sea.
Overall, I'd say Malta makes for a unique destination. The variety of rock formations along the coastines were fascinating to see, and the weather, despite being so hot, was a welcome feeling of warmth. But I will say, I was not expecting the climate to feel so arid and desert-like; I thought the island would be a bit more tropical like the beaches I'm used to seeing in south Florida. With only a day and a half in Malta, I'll definitely need to come back and see more of what the island has to offer.