Malta, and Food, and weather, and Life
It's now been over three months since I left England, and the time is finally starting to feel real, not like a dream. In the first few weeks I tended to wake up thinking what a pleasant dream I'd had, living in pleasant surroundings (if loud, thanks to never-ending construction), minutes from the seafront, in lovely weather. It's not happening that often now, though I'm far from taking it for granted. The feel of actually living a life instead of merely existing, the knowing that the devastating energy that is Newcastle now lies in my past, and above all, that inner feeling of peace that washes over me every now and then - what an incredible journey.
Some people don't like Malta -- because it's too small, too hot, too windy, too rip-offy where the locals are concerned, too expensive, and whatever other findings one could come up with. And I totally get that. It is small! August gets Very hot! when it's windy, it isn't just a gentle breeze, that's for sure! Do the locals rip you off? Not that much in times of the Great Hoax, and definitely no more than in England. Expensive? Uh, yes if you are a natural-fabric fiend and want to buy some silk. Because you either have to order it from the Continent, and they tend to ask the earth for shipping, or you order it from the US where you'll be charged the earth in import tax. But if you want to find vegetables that are in season and were picked just yesterday? Nope. I never found a kilo of just-picked, locally grown tomatoes in England for the equivalent of 2 Euros. Or pomegranates. Or or or. Even the chanterelles, which are imported just as they are imported in England, are reasonably priced. And don't even get me started on cigarettes. At a time when the Brits pay £12 a packet, we get 2 packets with change left over. Coffee? You've come to the right place. Affordable at every corner, and quality ranges from good to most excellent.
Home cooked with mostly locally grown ingredients
One of those seriously delightful streets of Valetta
Looking up from another cute street
A bar front in Valetta
On the ferry from Valetta to Sliema, with a rising full moon
Vegetarian dish at an event at St Georges Hotel
A previous fort, now a restaurant, on an evening stroll at Sliema seafront
Some people don't like Malta -- because it's too small, too hot, too windy, too rip-offy where the locals are concerned, too expensive, and whatever other findings one could come up with. And I totally get that. It is small! August gets Very hot! when it's windy, it isn't just a gentle breeze, that's for sure! Do the locals rip you off? Not that much in times of the Great Hoax, and definitely no more than in England. Expensive? Uh, yes if you are a natural-fabric fiend and want to buy some silk. Because you either have to order it from the Continent, and they tend to ask the earth for shipping, or you order it from the US where you'll be charged the earth in import tax. But if you want to find vegetables that are in season and were picked just yesterday? Nope. I never found a kilo of just-picked, locally grown tomatoes in England for the equivalent of 2 Euros. Or pomegranates. Or or or. Even the chanterelles, which are imported just as they are imported in England, are reasonably priced. And don't even get me started on cigarettes. At a time when the Brits pay £12 a packet, we get 2 packets with change left over. Coffee? You've come to the right place. Affordable at every corner, and quality ranges from good to most excellent.
It may get a wee bit hot in August, but the nearest beach is never far away, and jumping in the sea works wonders to cool you down. Also, after 8 years of feeling perpetually cold winter and summer, I'm happy to just absorb the excess heat to make up for the lost years. And today, a normal, glorious 21 degrees with sunshine. In November.
I'll leave you with some impressions of the area, mostly Valetta, the capital. And the local food.
Home cooked with mostly locally grown ingredients
One of those seriously delightful streets of Valetta
Looking up from another cute street
A bar front in Valetta
On the ferry from Valetta to Sliema, with a rising full moon
Vegetarian dish at an event at St Georges Hotel
A previous fort, now a restaurant, on an evening stroll at Sliema seafront
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