Chasing after Fairy Tales

Saturday, February 25
• Arrived at 6:05pm
• Dinner & hookah bar in Sliema
Sunday, February 26
• Marsaxlokk Bay
• Carnival in Valletta
• Napped on our hotel room's balcony
• Dinner in St. Julian's
• Hookah bar in Sliema
Monday, February 27
• Shopped around
• Mdina
• Dinner & hookah bar in Sliema
Tuesday, February 28
• Departed at 11:10am

So it is true that we became regulars at the hookah bar! Our hotel was situated right across from the ocean and had a balcony overlooking the sea. Our first night in Malta, we were informed that the buses stop running at 11pm so we didn't want to stray too far from the hotel. That is how we ended up finding the hookah bar. We went down the road to have dinner overlooking the beach and realized that the restaurant also doubled as a hookah bar, which is how inevitably we became regulars.
While in Malta, we were able to explore the whole island quite a bit. We first went the the Sunday market in Marsaxlokk, which is by a bay surrounded by colorful boats. After seeing the market, we went to Valletta and were able to witness Carnival for the first time. Carnival was everything I expected it to be: vibrant, fun, and festive. It felt like a mix of the Fourth of July and Halloween. After getting a little too tipsy, we took naps in the afternoon and went to St. Julian's at night. St. Julian's is known for their party scene but after we had dinner of the bay, we went over to the bars and noticed no one was there. We decided to not go out that night and instead go back to the hookah bar.
The next day, Lauren wanted to visit some of the stores so we

shopped around in the morning. After shopping, we visited Mdina, the old medieval town that is still inhabited. This was by far my favorite part of the trip. We explored the whole town and had coffee in one of the cafes. I have never seen anything like this town before; still perfectly in tact, it gave me the chills and reminded me of every girl's dream to be a true princess. After spending the afternoon in the town, we went back to Sliema for dinner and ended the nigh back at our favorite hookah place.
This was the first time I traveled alone with Lauren and it was a relaxing experience. Lauren allowed me to plan the whole trip and we enjoyed every relaxing minute of it. I hope to go back to Malta one day to see the Blue Grotto and visit my very own kingdom.