Wandering to The Destination: Malta

Full disclosure, I went to Malta for the first time just a few days after I had learned that it was a country. I had been asking my French friend during our finance class where I should visit for Thanksgiving break because I would have a few days of break between classes. I think it safe to say that I picked up a lot more about culture and world geography that semester than finance. When my friend suggested that I visit Malta, my response was “What’s a Malta?” It sounded a lot more like a candy bar or some trendy nightclub than a place. After my friend’s brief explanation of the Mediterranean country and googling the clear blue water and history laden destination, I couldn’t wait to pack my bags.

While I was visiting and doing my typical research to figure out where I should go the next day (a fun combo of asking people in my hostel and googling), I learned about the Sunday Fish Market. Towards the south of the island country, the Fish Market was open weekly with a myriad of small booths faring fresh pastries, small chachkies and artwork, clothing, and of course some fish. The next step of my research was figuring out how to make it to my destination. A few days earlier, I learned how unreliable the buses could be after waiting two hours for a bus that never stopped to pick anyone up from the crowded bus stop. Following that lesson, I decided to skip the fickle bus and walk around three hours from Valletta where I was staying to the market in Marsaxlokk.

Beginning the walk, I had no expectations except to make it to the Fish Market. During my walk, I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. From the start, I was able to venture more intimately into the historic small neighborhoods with buildings far older than my native country.

While I was still a hop, skip, and jump away from my destination, I passed by a windmill. Upon closer investigation, there was a small door ajar, revealing a smiling worker inside. They taught me that the windmill was used to grind farmer’s wheat for many generations. As I climbed up the internal stairs, I reached a window that displayed the beige but beautiful small town from a higher vantage point.

Continuing on the walking journey, I dropped by a local bakery to grab a snack. I knew I was outside of the area that tourists usually ventured when the cute little old man baker only spoke in Maltese. Not knowing a lick of the native language, I opted to use some hand motions to choose my pastry and looked at the numbers on the cash register to know how many euros I needed to pay. Feeling the sunshine hitting my face, I munched on my homemade pastry that tasted like it was from a recipe passed down for generations.

A little bit further into my journey, I heard the distinct sound of bagpipes resounding in the distance. My walking route took me closer to the music and I soon spotted a parade of bagpipers marching down the street. It appeared to be a troop of boy scouts with their leaders. Maybe they were working towards a badge or maybe they were just bagpiping for a good time. I can’t know for sure, but I do know I wasn’t expecting to see that on my walk.

Bopping off to the tunes of some bagpipes and then switching to a Spotify playlist with one headphone in, I continued my journey. After not too long I could see glimpses of the vibrant yellow and blue boats bobbing up and down in the blue water.

Making my way to the water, I ventured through the fish market with various stands. Children played between the booths and locals shopped for their weekly groceries. Wonderful smells of fresh spices and baked goods wafted through the air with the occasional not so great smell of raw fish for sale. Unlike other markets I’ve traveled to in the world, no one here was trying to pull me in to try and sell me something. It seemed like for the most part, people knew what stands they needed to stop at for their errands and then leisurely strolled past others gazing into the variety of products, and occasionally finding something that struck their fancy.

In one of the booths, a woman smiled at me while handing me a classic Maltese pastry. The journey didn’t stop at the Fish Market like I intended. While at the market, I learned about St. Peter’s Pool which was only a short walk away. I ventured over after taking a quick break to soak in the view of the colorful boats. St. Peter’s Pool was a horseshoe shaped cliff opening up into the ocean. As I ate my pastry, I watched as some brave teenagers took turns jumping off the elevated rock into the clear blue below.

The jump into St. Peter’s Pool was deeper than it looks! (The pastry was just as tasty as it looks)

By this point I had walked for a while but the coastal paths of Malta drew me in deeper. I continued to follow an elevated path near the water and in turn received enchanting views of the sea and of the natural landscape. A marvelous breeze happened to hit at just the right time to make it feel like everything was right in the world.

Taking time to venture outside of the main tourist areas of a destination can lead to interesting experiences and surprises that could not have been planned if you tried. *It is important to note that this extended walking isn’t feasible in all destinations for safety reasons so it is a good idea to do some research on walkability during your visit.* Allowing myself the time and flexibility to walk around and explore the country provided a deeper exposure to and understanding of the culture and everyday life in this destination. Not only could this wandering lead to unique adventures, but it could also help to spread the economic impact of tourism across the wider destination. I cannot wait until I can take another long walk in Malta.

How Malta taught me to be a more Lovable Traveler:

1. Exploring more of a destination outside of the main tourist areas allows for a greater spread of the economic benefits of tourism.

2. Developing a greater understanding of a culture by observing and listening. To better learn from a culture, I can immerse myself in the everyday life and be open to what another destination celebrates, values, and displays instead of trying to only stick to what I am used to or comfortable with. After all, I think a country that has been around for almost 7000 years has a little bit of culture and history to share with my 22-year old self.

3. Being open to different destinations can lead to incredible experiences. If I had only kept my mind open for a Thanksgiving trip to a place I had heard a lot about in the past, I would never have discovered this gem of a destination.

4. Stopping at local bakeries is never a bad idea. Not for the local economy and people, and not for my happiness.