Needless to say, 2018 was a HUGE year for us that was full of exciting change!  The moment that topped it all off was our move overseas from Virginia to Sicily, Italy in February.  So much has happened over the last 12 months, I thought it would be fun to relive the best of 2018!

I really loved going back through all of my photographs from this year and reliving so many memories!  So, without further ado, here is a recap of my 2018 including some of my favorite memories:

 

The Best of 2018

The BIG Move

• 2018 started off with a BIG announcement that were moving overseas! The next month was completely insane as we shipped off all of our things, sold my car and our home, and made arrangements for our new digs in Sicily!  Once we arrived, we immediately moved into our Americanized-Sicilian townhome and patiently awaited the arrival of our car and household goods. That period of time was truly crazy!

 

Exploring Our New Home – Sicily

• We began our time in Sicily with some trips around the island. I (sadly) didn’t get around to blogging most of them, but here are a few of my favorites:
• Agrigento (photos below)
• Catania
• Taormina
• Syracuse & Ortigia Island
• San Vito Lo Capo & Erice
• Enna
• Caltigerone
• Noto
• and Cefalú

You can find “highlights” of all of these trips over on my Instagram, if you are interested: click here.

Exploring Europe

• Our first trip off-island was fast-paced, fun, and exciting! We ventured to Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast (Positano) during Easter weekend.  It was a quick trip FULL of hilarious stories.  From visiting catacomb after catacomb, to our friends’ car getting locked in a parking garage before our trip to the airport.  Our Naples trip was one we will never forget!

 

• Malta was GORGEOUS and a literal dream of mine. We traveled all over the main island, but would still really like to go to Gozo and Comino if we go back.

 

• Lyon, France (blog post coming soon!) for a long weekend was ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!! In particular, I enjoyed the shopping and the food, but I never got around to blogging this one. Whoops!

• In the heat of summer, we visited one of my old faves – Berlin. Berlin is always amazing, the food is always delicious, and the weather is HOT in the summer.  Nevertheless, it was refreshing to hang out with my friends Pauline and Michele again, and meet Pauline’s boyfriend, Ben.

 

• For our week long “vacation,” we flew to London for 24-hours (STAAAAAP, London, I love you!!!!!) and then to Dublin, Ireland, where we embarked on a 5-day road trip around southern Ireland. This was my favorite trip of 2018 for sure – the nature was just breathtaking and the people, so kind.   If you have ONE trip you could take to Europe, I’d recommend this one, hands down. See why I’m so in love here and here.

 

• For my birthday, we jetsetted off to Sofia, Bulgaria – a country I’ve wanted to visit for a long time!! I got to visit with my college buddy, Rashko while I was there, and my best friend Ashley’s college buddy, Niya kindly picked us up from the airport and sent me lots of information about things to do. It was a cool experience and I’m so glad we went.  Blog post on this one is TBD!

 

• In September, we flew to Munich to meet up with Ashley, John, Maddie, and Justin for OKTOBERFEST!!! I personally was not that excited about the actual festival before we went (I know, I’m so weird), but I actually enjoyed it and had a fabulous time!  The city of Munich was clean and beautiful, and the people were seriously, so kind.  Also, Bavarian food!!!!

 

• TWO DAYS after our Munich trip, we boarded another plane for Paris, France. What a romantic dream trip Paris was!! From sunrise at the Eiffel Tower to strolls around the Louvre, Paris was everything I thought it would be!! Unfortunately, I did acquire some unknown “life-threatening bacterium” (words of my doctor) at some point during this trip and spent nearly three weeks recovering.  As I’ve said before, the bacterial infection (as horrible as it was – truly effing horrible), won’t stop me from returning.  As a matter of fact, I’ve already booked my next trip!

 

• After Paris, we embarked on Barcelona, Spain (blog post coming soon!) for some R&R and more incredible food! We spent the majority of one day at the hotel spa (no regrets!) and the remainder of our trip jaunting around the city!  We also got to meet up with our friends Rachel and AJ and their parents for my first international photoshoot!!

 

• CHRISTMAS MARKETS IN GERMANY was another item on my “bucket list” that I got to cross off this year! We flew to Berlin for a quick weekend trip to visit Pauline and Ben and THREE of Berlin’s MANY markets.  It was a dream trip and we can’t wait to visit more next year 😉

 

We are heading to one more place before 2019, but I’ll wait to post about this one until we have actually returned!

Volcanic Eruptions

• We visited some of the other islands around Sicily. Stromboli (one of the Aeolian Islands north of Sicily), was our first island hop.  We ventured there for one night and a SEVEN, yes SEVEN, hour hike to the top of Stromboli volcano at night.  It was as exhausting and strenuous as it was enchanting!! We got to watch the volcano erupt many times, so it was worth it!!

 

• We got to witness not just one but TWO volcanic eruptions!! On Christmas Eve, Mount Etna erupted with plumes of smoke, over 130 earthquakes and two fresh new craters spouting LAVA! It was an unexpected Christmas surprise that has kept many native islanders on edge!

Time with Family

• Despite ALL of the above, my favorite moments of 2018 were with those I love. Being at home with Jordan, Birdee, and Chalupa was by far my favorite thing I did this year.  As all military families know, time (and holidays) together are not guaranteed.  I think this makes me appreciate every moment with them so much more.

 

My life has changed in so many ways over this past year, reflecting back on it all is really actually quite surreal. I think my biggest takeaway from this past year is that you never know where life is going to take you.  As a person who was extremely “type-A” for so long, stepping back and allowing life to take over a little bit has helped me to realize that sometimes the best things that happen to us are the unplanned ones.  I’ve also developed an even greater sense of YOLO (you only live once, right?!), that I’m a little bit overwhelmed with the fact that I will never get to see or do all the things I want to. So, for 2019, I aim to be more present in everyday life; to enjoy the little moments just as much as the big ones!

Living in Sicily certainly has its perks… like flights to Malta for less than 40€!

Prior to our move here, visiting Malta was #1 on my travel list.  Why, you ask?  Because Malta (along with Gozo and Comino) is an alluring jewel of an island that is beyond rich in culture, history, and charm.  Not to mention, the food and wine are AMAZING and completely underrated.  Malta is conveniently located in the Mediterranean Sea just south of Sicily.  Most people ask me if Malta is part of Italy or Spain.  The answer is… neither!  Malta actually declared independence from the UK in the 70’s! So, it’s its own country. Most people also speak English there (and Maltese), so it’s super easy to get around.

We were completely overwhelmed with the plethora of options for our adventures. Three days were definitely not enough to take in all Malta had to offer. So, I thought I’d create a little guide for anyone interested in making the most out of a breathtaking trip in the most remarkable place.

 

 

Things to Know

The attractions in Malta are quite spread out, as the island’s size can be deceptive. Distance-wise, you’d think traveling from point A to point B would only take 10-15 minutes, when in reality, traffic. And a much longer ride (especially if traveling by bus).

Public transportation is incredibly cheap (1.50€ for a two hour bus ticket) and easy to use. However, if you are in a hurry, it’s best you rent a car. We did not rent a car and occasionally spent an hour or so waiting for a bus. Sometimes the bus was on time, but full. Other times we had to stand the entire time on the hour-long bus ride to our destination or back. In short, I’d recommend renting a car (P.S. They drive on the left side of the road!).

Prior to booking a hotel, you should decide what “feel” you are going for. Do you want a resort vacation where you lay out on the beach all day? Malta has that! Do you want to explore historical cities and sites? Malta has that! Do you want to feel excluded from the rest of the world? Malta has that! Where you stay is indicative of what type of trip it will be.

 

**We stayed in St. Juliens at the Gold Lion Holiday. It was near this beautiful rocky shore and the bay (shown above) and all of the hoppin’ night life. And boy, was it hoppin!

 

Valletta

The capital and cultural and historical hub. If you go to Malta, you’re going to want to check out Valletta. The historical capital is well preserved with many points of interest to explore. We spent a whole day here and it was worth it. We did not stay in Valletta, as the hotels were over 200€ per night, which was a bit over budget for us! However, Valletta does host some luxurious accommodations in some historical places (I’m talking, 4-star and 5-star hotels).

Upper Barrakka Gardens

Public garden offering a panoramic view of the Grand Harbour.

 

War HQ Tunnel / Liscaris War Rooms

Under the Barrakka Garderns lies Malta’s best kept secret from WWII…a secret underground complex that housed Britan’s War Headquarters. Extremely interesting and impressive!

 

Casa Rocca Piccola

A Maltese Noble family’s 16th Century Palace. Definitely worth the $!

 

St. John’s Co-Cathedral

Super unimpressive from the outside, right?

But when you step in, BREATHTAKING!! The most impressive church I’ve seen so far, and it should be, as it is considered to be one of Europe’s finest examples of Baroque architecture. It houses nine chapels and some notable works of art including Caravaggio’s only signed painting, The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. Despite the massive number of tourists visiting, the church and Caravaggio’s painting are still very moving.

The ornate interior, with gold walls and painted ceilings that appear like carvings.

 

The intricate details are impressive.

 

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist and another ornate ceiling.

 

Valletta is a beautiful and historic city that we really enjoyed visiting!

 

Mdina

A fortified city founded in the 8th century BC, Mdina will wow you with it’s beauty. While Valetta was gorgeous, I was just smitten with Mdina.

 

Mdina Gate

The first thing you see as you walk into the city is the fortified wall and medieval gate.

 

Hand Blown Glass

Next, are some really cute glass shops. My favorite was Mdina Glass:

I really wanted to buy some adorable little glasses for myself, but alas, I packed too much and there was no room in the carry on!

 

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Like Valetta, Mdina’s church, St. Paul’s Cathedral, was also a sight to behold and worth exploring.

 

There was also an attached museum that we loved which had some panoramic views from the windows.

 

Old Town

Mdina has some of the cutest little doorways and streets!

Mdina also hosts St. Paul’s Catacombs, which we skipped because, after Naples, we are catacombed out.

 

Dingli

Definitely not an area to stay in, but views for sure!!

Dingli Cliffs

The cliffs were near nothing, but worth the 1.5 hour bus ride.  You can walk up and down the cliffside for quite a ways.  The view is gorgeous and despite the tourists, it’s very peaceful and serene.

 

Qrendi

Blue Grotto

The only reason we traveled to Qrendi, was for the blue grotto! We traveled there a bit later in the day, so we skipped the boat tour and just opted for the shore views (which weren’t half bad!!).

 

Mgarr

Għajn Tuffieħa Bay

Għajn Tuffieħa Bay was our destination in Mgarr. One of the most popular beaches is Golden Bay, but we were told by a local to try Għajn Tuffieħa Bay instead, as it is less crowded since there are a set of stairs leading down to it. I actually loved that there were stairs because

LOOK AT THIS VIEW!!!

The water was gorgeous, but maybe a tiny bit chilly for my liking.  There was a seaside restaurant there, where you could dine on the outdoor patio or grab some food for takeout.   We got a pizza and some beers to enjoy on the beach.  It made for a nice and relaxing day!

 

 

Food & Wine

 

Maltese Mama – For traditional Maltese cuisine, I’d make a reservation for dinner here! The traditional Maltese platter was a HUGE and amazing appetizer (shown below).  We felt like we didn’t need entrees after that one.  We also had the rabbit, which was also a very large dish and extra tasty!

Bianco’s – Great spot for a nice, relaxing dinner with great wine!  Order the fried cheese appetizer – you will not regret it!!!

Marsovin Wine – Their sauvignon blanc was some of my favorite wine!  Malta is full of amazing wine.  I’d definitely give Marsovin wines a try!

Cisk Beer – Maltese beer is light and refreshing!  Perfect for lounging seaside.

 

Things we wanted to do:

Like I said, 72 hours in Malta was definitely not enough time.  There were many things we wanted to do that we were not able to.  Here are a few:

Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum – Apparently this underground cavity and monument is THE attraction in Malta and is booked out for M O N T H S in advance.  Make sure to make a reservation a solid 3+ months ahead of time.

Ħaġar Qim Temples – Megalithic temples from 3600 to 3200 BC.  Sad we missed these!

Gozo & Comino – We really wanted to explore these islands, but we just did not have enough time (or a car).  I’d recommend a car for full exploration, as they both have their own attractions!