It’s Sunday and we’re having a low key day. Christine needs to complete an assignment for an article that will appear in Plexus, the professional magazine for the transcription industry. TQAudit will be showcased, so this is a nice opportunity. Christine’s effort today is to get the assignment done by answering a series of questions that form the written interview that will appear in the magazine. We stayed in the flat this morning so she could work. I think this is the longest Christine has gone without actually doing something related to her business. It’s been nice that she has taken a break. But now she needs to get back to work.
I mentioned that we had a high wind warning yesterday. Well, that continues today and boy, it sure is windy. The surf is churning and the waves are crashing into the sea walls. Big sprays of water are flying everywhere. The wind makes a real eerie sound as is whistles through the apartment. The doors and windows don’t create a seal when closed, so the air moving through is quite ghostly. We get laughing and then imitate the sound, and then laugh some more. It’s been great being able to see the sea from our window and we spend a lot of time just looking out.
While Christine was working, I did a load of laundry and went up to the roof to hang the clothes on the line. With the high wind, I wondered if anything would still be on the line in an hour, but all was well and the washing dried and I retrieved our clothes.
We met our neighbor from the next door apartment. We had had an encounter with a gentleman on the street the other day when we were wandering around the neighborhood. We were trying to find the public library and we asked this fellow for directions. He didn’t know, but we struck up a nice conversation. He mentioned that he goes down to the seafront every morning and sits by this fountain that is across the street from our building. He then said he had a friend living in our building who lives on the 4th floor, our floor. And today we met this man’s friend, our neighbor, Suresh. This is his second home, his first being London. He has had his flat for 25 years. He gave us some information about the building and the other people living here. He was a very nice man and he said to knock on his door if we need anything. It’s nice to meet people and get to know a little about them.
After Christine finished her first draft, we decided to go for a long walk. We walked along the promenade watching the surf come crashing in. We explored some of the possible swimming areas that we might try when the weather gets a little warmer. Here’s a short video showing the surf today.
Christine wanted to find pastizzi. A pastizz is a traditional savoury pastry from Malta. Pastizzi usually have a filling either of ricotta or various types of meat and veggies. Pastizzi are a popular and well-known Maltese food. We eventually found a vendor selling pastizzi, so we got several kinds and found a bench to sit and have our lunch. The cheese pastizzi were really good. The pastry is like philo and so they are light and flaky with yummy ricotta filling.
We then went exploring in the neighborhood again. No matter if you have a map or not, it is very confusing to know where you are and which way to go. The streets aren’t laid out in a grid or any pattern. But no matter, we just enjoy going up and down the little narrow streets. I will say that you really need to be on your toes with the traffic. Most of the streets are one way and drivers go lickety split. The sidewalks are really narrow, not wide enough for two persons side-by-side, so you have to be careful not to accidentally step off the curb. Narrow streets, narrow sidewalks, fast drivers – a dangerous combination.
Since Christine’s family still owns property in Malta, we’re really interested in the ownership issues. I read in the Times of Malta that there are lots of vacant properties because people and families have left the island. Heirs don’t want the places, and so many are just rotting away. Another problem is that if you have rented out your property, it is virtually impossible to get rid of the tenants. There apparently is a survivorship right for the relatives of the tenants. That is the case with #38 Stella Maris, Christine’s grandmother’s flat. Christine’s family owns the flat, but there is a tenant. Christine’s family is unable to sell the flat because of the tenant, who may not even really live there. So things have been at a standstill for years.
I also read about another problem that the Maltese government has just addressed through legislation. Up until now, if a property is owned by several heirs, but there is not unanimous consensus on selling, then the property can’t be sold. The new legislation passed now says that the property can be sold if a majority of heirs (owners) consents to sell. Malta is a very small country with about 450,000 residents. But it is one of the most densely populated places on the planet and there is a terrible housing shortage. That’s one of the reasons for the new law – trying to free up properties for sale. The building going on around Sliema, and really everywhere we go on the island, is unbelievable.
Here’s what it looks like when a property can’t or won’t be sold.
This lovely old house clearly is being squeezed out by the high-rise apartments and condos going up everywhere. Who knows why the property hasn’t sold, but I truly hate seeing all these wonderful old houses get torn down. I hope they stick it out.
There now is a better appreciation in Malta for heritage sites and preserving the past. Now, if a developer buys an older property, like the one above, the façade of the building must be preserved. So then you see things like this.
Behind the building in the center of the photo is nothing but a big hole. The façade is being held up by large steel girders. So whatever the building will be, it will have the Romanesque façade that you see here.
This was another façade we saw along a narrow street being preserved and held up by steel girders. The front, street-side façade is the wall on the right. It would be interesting to come back and see how these building look in a few years.
So after wandering around the area, we thought we were close to home. Come to find out, we had walked back down towards the Sliema Harbor again, the opposite direction to where we thought we were. So back up the hill we climbed towards Balluta Bay. As I said, even with a map, the twisty narrow streets are hard to figure out. But it was a pleasant walk and we got our exercise.
This evening, we’ve had a nice quiet time at home, each at our computers doing whatever. We’re really loving getting settled in. It’s starting to feel like home!