Arrival

I arrived at Malta international airport at about 12:40 on Friday the 4th. Knowing that the hostel I'd spend my first 3 weeks in had kindly informed me which bus would get me directly to where I needed to be, I checked the bus stop signs and the Tallinja app, distrusted my hostel's wisdom and waited. The bus slowly made its way through the thick traffic, and I got out at the completely wrong station to miss catching my transfer bus. So I walked randomly in the direction the busses left, found another bus stop, caught another bus, and eventually made my way to the correct bus stop that my original bus (the one the hostel had told be to use) would definitely have gotten me to.

Quite beat, I arrived at the hostel and was handed a key by the hostess. After a short explanation I'd sorted out my belongings, precariously climbed and checked out my bed at the top of the bunk. With only ~31 hours since I'd last gotten any sleep, I abandoned the sanctity of my new home and set out to explore the area. The coast -- Exiles, leading into San Giljan -- is a lovely view, just down the street from the hostel. There's a park home to some of Malta's many stray cats, though less stray in a park filled with scratch trees, cat beds, carriers and food, and a giant cat statue overlooking the area. There's also chickens, for some reason.

Being a very touristy area, I did struggle to find some quick street food to take with me. The area is layers upon layers of fancy restaurants, most of which can offer a grand ocean view due to the way many streets layer vertically along the bay-side. I got myself a burger, and settled onto a bench to take in the view as well. Having spent almost 2 hours hunting for sustenance, the way back wasn't quite as pleasant. And while I know I'd already had a good chat with one of my roommates at some point that evening as well, all I remember is finally falling into bed at some point.