Fried Oreos & the Fish Market

Well, I’ve officially been in Malta for a month! The time has gone by more quickly than I ever imagined possible. The weather is starting to get better…slowly but surely. I feel a little guilty about complaining about the 57-degree weather here when I know it is -300 back home, but I signed up for heat and lots of sun!! The last week or so has been really busy for me! Between an international dinner, a visit to St. Paul’s Bay, and exploring the fish market at Marsaxlokk, I’ve been going non-stop.

Last Tuesday night was an international dinner at the University Residence (where I live.) People from all over the world brought food dishes that were typical in their countries. The Americans got together to make a huge dish of homemade Mac N’ Cheese. We used three different types of shredded cheese and cream cheese. It was SO good. It tasted like home and made me really miss my mom’s incredible cooking. Other countries brought pasta (Italy), shepard’s pie (Ireland), “pink soup,” (Lithuania), pastizzi (Malta), and chocolate (Belgium) – just to name a few. It was seriously delicious and so cool to see the typical foods from other countries. Later that night, the Americans and the Scottish met up and decided to finish the meal with dessert. More fried Oreos and fried Mars bars were consumed than I’m proud to admit….but the calories were worth it. They were the most delicious part of the night by far. They ended up tasting like a melted Oreo inside of a pancake. Unreal.

Later in the week, some friends and I took a “girls trip” to St. Paul’s Bay, situated on the northwest of the island. Here’s some background on the historical landmark:

Saint Paul was shipwrecked on the isles, named St. Paul's Isles, which are situated in St Paul's Bay. According to the Bible, St. Paul was shipwrecked on an island, which many scholars have identified as Malta on his voyage from Caesarea to Rome. The Maltese people believe that it was St. Paul who laid the foundations of Christianity on the island.

It was a beautiful day when we went there, and we soaked up every second of the sunshine. We managed to get there right during siesta, so everything was dead and closed. It was nice to see things quiet and calm, but we were starving and wanted lunch. We wandered all around looking for any open restaurant and couldn’t find a thing. Then, we walked into an adorable Italian restaurant. The restaurant was closed, but the chef and the waiter decided to serve us anyway. We got to eat delicious pasta in a restaurant that we had all to ourselves. It was such a neat thing to do with the group of girls that I’ve gotten so close to.

Finally, on Sunday, a few of us travelled to the south of the island to experience the fish market at Marsaxlokk. (You pronounce it Marshashlok…so weird, I know.) When we left, it was beautiful out. Sunny and bright blue skies. But, literally the second the bus stopped to drop us off, it started to downpour. We were running through the streets (me with a grocery bag over my head) trying to find shelter. Finally we stumbled across a little restaurant that was right on the water. We decided to get brunch / wanted to get out of the rain. Little did I know that the restaurant would have some of the best food I’ve ever had! I ordered a pizza with tomatoes, baked potatoes, goat cheese, mozzarella, garlic, and sausage. It was only seven euros and it was FANTASTIC.

By the time we were finished eating, the rain had stopped and the sun was blinding and hot. The market was bustling with hundreds and hundreds of people and vendors. Food, clothes, shoes, and a million other things were sold at incredible prices. I got a pair of brown boots for…wait for it…. Five. Euros. The colorful boats that were sitting on top of the bright turquoise waters were stunning. The pictures don’t even do it justice. The fish freaked me out, but it is incredible to know all the fishermen had caught the fish they were selling earlier the same morning. There were baby sharks, octopus, massive shrimp, and just about every fish known to man. You could really tell the venders were passionate about their jobs.

My parents will meet me in Italy in less than a month now, and I’m so excited. I’m really not “home”sick at all, but I do miss the people back home a ton. Seeing my parents so soon will definitely help with that. In 12 days, a friend and I will adventure to Marseilles – in the south of France. It’s a stunning city and I’m excited to travel out of Malta for the first time.

Love and miss you all so much!

Xoxox,

Megan

#fishmarket #marsaxlokk #food