Shawn, Switzerland, and Sailing

“Excuse me, ma’am, are you okay? You look like you’re going to faint.” That’s what an elderly Maltese man told me while I was waiting for Shawn’s plane to land in Malta. Ha! On the 20th, Shawn arrived after a loooong day of travelling and was greeted by me…..crying like a fool. I was so beyond excited to see him after spending five months apart. His flights were easy and he arrived no problem, thank goodness. After leaving the airport, we travelled back to the University Residence where I live. We dropped his bags off and headed to Sliema for happy hour….it is buy one get one free for 5 euros. J We walked around the water and enjoyed the gorgeous weather before heading back to the residence.

The next day, we left for Switzerland. Sadly, the weather in Zurich wasn’t as warm as we had hoped, but it was still absolutely gorgeous. That night we learned that Switzerland isn’t for the poor. Or the middle class. Or even the rich, really. It’s for the MEGA rich. We were surrounded by Porches, Lamborghinis, Range Rovers, Mercedes, and the occasional Bentley. It looked like a movie set, too, with the old buildings and typical Swiss architecture. That night we had a pizza for 30 francs. Shortly thereafter we went to the grocery store to get wine for 3 francs. We learned quickly that the grocery store was our friend. We got bread and lunch meat and were able to eat lunch at the apartment for most of the days.

The next two days we explored the city center of Zurich. It was SO SO SO beautiful. There is a large river that runs through the outskirts of the city and old Swiss buildings line it. It looked like a postcard. The actual city center was full of big buildings and restaurants. It was nice to see stores that looked familiar for once – like Forever 21 and H&M. I didn’t shop in order to preserve Shawn’s sanity, though. We stopped for drinks right on the river later in the afternoon. Shawn had a beer for 8 francs (we both died inside when paying for this stuff) and I had a lemonade for 5 francs. Even though I would NEVER pay 5 francs for a lemonade again, it was absolutely delicious. Hands down the best lemonade I’ve ever had, although I’m guessing it was the price that made me think that. The food in Zurich was pretty good other than the outrageous prices. At one restaurant, Shawn ordered Chicken Cordon Bleu and was really excited about it. Unfortunately for him, the waiter brought out four chicken nuggets instead. He ate each one in a bite and was starving within twenty minutes. Check my pictures to see his reaction….

On our last day in Switzerland we explored Luzern. It was about an hour and a half by train. Here, we were able to see Lake Luzern and the end of the Swiss Alps. It was one of the most beautiful cities I had ever seen, and we both got lots of amazing pictures. We ended the day eating right on the lake on a balcony. The food was absolutely delicious. It was a really great way to end the trip. The next day we made it to the airport no problem and landed in Malta in the evening.

The next few days in Malta flew by. We explored Valletta, the capital, and ate at my favorite restaurant. Even Shawn was impressed with the burger, and that’s saying something. Valletta is really, really gorgeous. It’s filled with old buildings and looks extremely Mediterranean. Wednesday night we went to another one of my favorite restaurants to celebrate my friend’s birthday. We split the Maltese pasta and the Maltese burger. Both were delicious, but both of us preferred the pasta. Maltese sausage is DELICIOUS and I’m glad Shawn got to taste it in the pasta. On Thursday night we went out with all of my friends to Paceville (the clubbing district) and I was able to show Shawn the “mini-Vegas” of Malta. I think he was impressed with the size of the area but not the music….techo and rap aren’t really his thing. We had a great time though, and even enjoyed a EuroBurger after. (EuroBurger is equivalent to Wheel Pizza, if you get my drift.) We spent the next day walking around Mdina, the old capital, and ate at Fontenella Tea Garden. We had a view of the entire island from our table outside on the roof terrace – it was truly gorgeous. The beers in Malta are about 2 euros, so it was a pleasant change from Switzerland

On Saturday we took a full-day boat tour of Malta, Gozo, and Comino. It was definitely both of our favorite parts of the trip. We boarded the boat at 9:30 in the morning and it was already hot. Right before boarding, we went to McDonald’s to get hash brown squares…apparently they were “running a promotion” and we ended up with two free egg McMuffins. We knew it was going to be a great day after that. The boat took off around 10 and we cruised through the Sliema shoreline, around Buggiba and the rest of the island and eventually made it to Comino. The Blue Lagoon is here, and the water was finally (barely) warm enough to swim. Shawn jumped in a bunch; I watched and waded because of the jellyfish and the chilly water. We ate lunch on board our boat and enjoyed the open bar while at the Blue Lagoon. After a few hours, we began sailing to Gozo. We arrived in a secluded bay with deep blue, clear water. This time, I jumped in. It was freezing but so worth it. It’s the clearest deep water I’ve ever seen. I asked Shawn to swim as deep as he could and even when he was at the lowest point, I could see him crystal clear. He swam for awhile and I spent time drying off (re-gaining feeling in my body) under the sun. We then sailed for an hour and a half back to the Sliema bay. We were exhausted from the sun and crashed early that night. That was one of the best days I’ve had since coming abroad. We spent the rest of the time looking around the island, eating good food, and enjoying each other’s company. I am beyond glad I got to show Shawn where I’ve been living for the last semester. I already miss him, but it was a fairly easy goodbye since I’ll be home in 15 days. I loved every second I spent with him and can’t wait to be back in Kansas together soon!!

I took my first final on Monday and I think it went really well. I finished my final paper in another class and now have two finals left. I’ll leave the 18th of June and I am very ready to be back in America. I can’t wait to drive a car, eat my mom’s food, drink tap water, and take a shower with good water pressure. Until then, I’ll be studying like crazy for my two remaining finals.

Xoxoxox,

Megan