Europe

. . . the world? Well, maybe a man with the most interests in the world(!). Frank and I met Charlie on our Maltese Rural Tour. It was such an interesting day!

: I’ve mentioned that Malta is tiny — just 17 miles long by 9 miles wide. Thus, farmland is limited. Farmers usually live in a nearby town and commute to their land.

: Plots of land are divided by these hand-crafted stone walls.

: Farmers often own scattered parcels.

: For Christmas, Nick and Maddie treated us to an Olive Oil Tour. It was a wonderful chance for us to get outside the city to explore the rural side of Malta. Christian from Merill Tours picked us up at our apartment.

: We found that this fairly small farm had much more than just olive trees.

: Pomegranates and carob trees. The dark brown pea pod of the carob tree is a sweet and healthy substitute for chocolate.

: Gotta love January daffodils!

: And January cherry blossoms!

: Fragrant herbs were everywhere.

: Christian introduced us to Charlie, the landowner. We learned that many Maltese have multiple jobs. In addition to his tour company, Christian is a musician and organizes events. Charlie is no different. In addition to raising all the different trees and plants on their farm, Charlie’s main passion is his work as a diver . . .

: and he is also a beekeeper . . .

: and he raises poultry.

: Charlie also just started raising snails!

: Another passion is splicing different plants together to create new plants!

: He learned how to do this by watching YouTube!

: Charlie’s wife Bella had a nice lunch waiting for us after our walk. We tasted their olive oil (delicious!), as well as some other local products.

: We enjoyed taking part in a tour that promotes conservation of the environment and empowerment of rural communities, especially land owners like Charlie and Bella. And it was fun to meet some new friends!

Where and why — two questions we’ve constantly been asked about Malta.

Malta is a small European republic south of Sicily. The archipelago sits smack in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, which made it a strategic hot spot in history (I’ll go into that in a later post).

Why are we here? Malta is a popular destination for expats and is often referred to as one of the best places in the world to retire. The lures: English speaking, low cost-of-living (comparatively), national healthcare, low crime rate, 299 average days of sunshine.

We wondered what it would be like to LIVE here. And that is just what we’ve been doing. Every day is a lesson in Maltese culture. We learn about the Maltese people through our everyday interactions – with the bus drivers, with the shop clerks and waiters, with the barber, with the people sitting next to us in the cafes. We learn about the food by seeing what’s available in the local grocery stores and at specialty stands, as well as when we dine at local restaurants. We learn about religion by visiting churches and attending Sunday Mass. We’ve even learned to navigate a small corner of the healthcare system when Frank goes for his monthly blood tests at the hospital.

Our apartment is a classroom. We learn about the European practice of limiting electricity consumption via the on-off switches on the outlets, the outdoor clothes line (no dryer), and the individual room-heating units. We are acutely aware of water conservation as we manipulate the flat’s sensitive rooftop water pump. Frank is all over the garbage and recycling routines. We purposely rented an apartment close to the national swimming complex so he could swim. That hasn’t worked out so well because the pool is outdoors. January and February temperatures average around 60, with even cooler mornings. Can you say pneumonia? So we do a lot of walking and a lot of exploring various sights and neighborhoods.

Some friends asked if we thought we’d get bored spending an entire month here. Good question when you consider Malta’s size. The country is just 17 miles long and 9 miles wide with a population of 432,000. But no, we haven’t gotten bored. The country has a rich history with much to see and do. We look forward to sharing more of marvelous Malta!

: Malta

: Our neighborhood

: Our apartment

: Two bedroom large apartment

: Our balcony runs the length of our house and around the front.

: View from our balcony

: Many houses are named rather than numbered, although that is changing. Names make it hard for taxi drivers as you can imagine.

: Malta is famous for the timber balconies (Gallarija) that extend out from their homes.

: Development is quite dense from town to town. Many buildings are being renovated and as population increases on the tiny island, there is no where to go but up . . .

: Floors are added above existing buildings.

: We’ve been watching this construction from our balcony, shocked that no one wears hard hats or harnesses.

: Our grocery store (second floor of this building) has most of what we need.

: Convenience stores, butcher shops and fruit stands are everywhere.

: You will find many pastizzi stands. A pastizz (plural pastizzi) is a traditional savoury pastry from Malta. Pastizzi usually have a filling either of ricotta or mushy peas.

: Pastizzi are quick, cheap eats.

: Our church in the town of Msida.

: We’ve found the buses to be clean and efficient. Because the island is so small, you can pretty much go anywhere on them. Valletta is ten minutes away by bus.