Kifint, Malta? or, New People I Love (part one of many!)

Just a warning (not like it's a bad thing, it's a very very good thing!!), there will be more than one entry about Malta, because: We spent 2 weeks there, did TONS of stuff, and met some amazing people (most of whom are family). So, I need the space and time to write about this amazing part of our trip properly. Please be patient =]

Rita, our second cousin, was lovely enough to pick us up from the airport and drop us off at our hotel. Later that evening, she met us outside with a bag full of pastizzi ( my kind of girl!!) and Johnny, Ian, and Giada in tow ( more second cousins). In true Maltese hospitality ( the friendliest people on the planet, really!), we were served Cisk beer and talked as if we had known each other our entire lives. 

This is one of the many reasons that I feel so lucky to be a part of this family through my husband. I come from a very small family and was fortunate enough to marry into the biggest family I could have ever imagined! I still haven't met everyone, after 3 years of being together! And it's not from lack of trying! haha!

From left:Giada, Ian, Johnny, Rita, myself (my honey took the photo)

The next day, we were hungover, so we detoxed at the beach. I found some kitties hiding in the bush!

 These are like natural hot tubs from the ocean!

Sunday, we went to meet some family. This is Dave's grandfather (recently deceased) Nannu's brother Gianni. He's so funny and reminds me so much of Nannu. It's the cheeky Galea side!

Plenty of group photos coming! Us, Rita, Giada, Ian, Aunty Maria, and Uncle Gianni.

As you will see from this point on in our trip, we are always lucky to arrive somewhere when there is a local festival. This is a festa of a specific part of town. Here, people were chanting, the feeling was incredible ( I have goosebumps thinking about it!). 

Here, we met Alaya, Olivia, and Jason!

Lovely Rita!

Blue Grotto

Lovely ladies, all Galeas now!

We did a LOT of swimming, snorkeling, tanning, etc... In Malta, and I have to say it's the best in the world. 

More to come, don't you worry!

Syros, Greece

We decided to go off the beaten track and picked an Island recommended to us by a friend of my mother's (Thanks, Spyros!). We were not disappointed! 

Greek people are overall pretty nice, especially the owners of the place where we stayed, who picked us up when we arrived at 1am! Even with the language barrier, we managed to get along quite well.

If you're looking for a party island, this is not what you want. But, if you want to relax, soak up the sun, and not get overcharged for food, this is your place!

We hired this buggy:

See how happy he is? <3

We took it around and stopped by a few beaches on the island to snorkel:

We found this abandoned house which inspired me:

Paradise.

Goof.

I made a dog friend while I was sleeping

After 2 nights, one day, we were off to Rhodes. I would love to come back to Syros one day, though!

Short but sweet. Next time, Rhodes Island!

Marseille Part Deux

We stayed at Hotel Lutetia for 2 Nights. The afternoon we were dropped off by Ninou and Maxime, we grabbed some lunch at a Kebab joint, we got free Mint Tea (which I LOVE), and had lunch in the Vieux Port ("Old Port"). We decided that we wanted to take a boat trip to the Calanques, but they were fully booked for the next 2 days. The girl at the desk was nice enough to tell us that we could take a bus there instead, for cheaper and at our leisure. We realized that this was a better (and cheaper) option, and decided we would do that the next day.

So, for that day, we got ferry tickets to the Island of Frioul, via the Island of If, which is where the legendary Count of Monte Christo's (fiction) was emprisoned.

We snorkeled in very cold water, but enjoyed it. We had a romantic walk around the Island, and after deciding not to eat dinner on the island, we caught the ferry back to the mainland.

I spotted a Couscous Restaurant on the way back to our 2-Star Hotel, so we got takeaway from there. We again got free Mint Tea, this one was more delicious, and they also had Corne De Gazelle (Gazelle Horn), a traditional dessert that I really like. Despite my appearance, the young girl behind the counter, covered with a veil over her hair, was very friendly and non-Judgemental. This was really nice, considering most people look at me condescendingly, just like they would someone they assume is trying to pickpocket them, or a middle-eastern person they would assume is a terrorist (narrow-minded people). It was refreshing to see this entire family treat me as family. The food was inexpensive and delicious!

We watched some tv while eating dinner, and I found my childhood favourite TV show, Fort Boyard! I couldn't believe it was still on the air, but I was so happy. This prompted me to decide that I wanted to visit it while in France, wherever it was. ( It turns out we will be nearby in August!)

The next day, we walked to the Vieux Port, grabbed some croissants for breakfast on the way, and checked out the local fish market. They had some crazy looking fish! Lotte, the one that looks like a monster, is delicious! There were also eels and other interesting fish. It was a bit sad to see, but the fish were so fresh, they were still alive...

Afterwards, we hopped on the bus! After a 30 or so Minute bus ride and a relatively long walk in the heat, to one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen, the Calanques!

Look, a starfishie!!!

The walk back was PUNISHING. Over 2 hours, uphill, in hot sunlight beating down on your back. All in all though, totally worth it! Recommended to anyone visiting Marseille. But I'd suggest taking the boat if you can afford it.  =]

Be back soon with a post about....Venezia, Italia! Ciao!