Maltese Ways

Our flat on Triq Battery

I  quickly learned that in Malta, where the sidewalk is called the pavement, cars park on the pavement so you walk in the street not the pavement.  If a car approaches, you move onto the pavement to allow it to pass. In the old city of Valletta, the roads are barely one lane wide.  Most cars are not much bigger than those Smart Cars sliding through San Diego.  The common brands of cars are Fiat, Toyota, a few BMWs and Audis over in Sliema (La Jolla area north of Valletta).  Parking spaces for your car are as in most downtown areas a scarcity issue. The cars are packed so tightly in the few flat areas around town, that some cars can not move. There are a few horse drawn carriages posed around the fortress roads. This just added to my confusion of landing in Disneyland not Valletta during those first action packed Carnival days. 

There are bakeries, green grocers and butchers nearby. We are starting to make more purchases from them. Otherwise, twice a week we take the bus to Marsa to shop in the giant PAVI store…just like the big VONS stores at home.  As there isn’t a bagel shop to be found, Andrew has gone to eating cornflakes and milk for breakfast.  Other American products we have seen include: McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Subway, Burger King and KFC around the area.  Andrew has a colleague who brought us Malta oranges from his 60 year old tree that are tasty.  Malta strawberries are just coming in-big and sweet!! 

We were graciously invited out to  dinner by Andrew’s colleague, Marie and her Italian husband Stefano and their 5 year old tri-lingual daughter Lilli to their 400 year old farmhouse.  They spent two years remodeling the farmhouse into a 3 bedroom home with back terrace and garden.   They enclosed part of the terrace to form the kitchen and dining room. From the terrace, I am sure you can see the sea but as it was nighttime and raining we didn’t get that pleasure.

Their family room used to be the animal barn complete with rings on the wall to tie up your cow. In the guest room, Marie wanted to take out the tub in the adjoining bathroom. There was a small opening under the tub that once all the dirt fill was removed revealed a small chamber with 10 steps curving down to it that is now a bonus room-wine cellar workout area.

Our hosts made typical Maltese food. The appetizer was a hummus like broad bean puree. I have yet to learn what a broad bean looks like but hope to make this dish soon. Then, Stefano served widow’s soup made with white and green vegetables-no meats as a widow’s budget would not allow it.  Then a cheese pie with ricotta and spinach with a pastry top accompanied by potatoes and steamed ball like zucchini.  Dessert was both the carnival cake-a biscuit mountain covered in white meringue, chocolate dribbles with candies and the Lenten cake-almond and honey. 

Friday we entertained the other Fulbright scholar (waste management engineer from Iowa State) and his wife for dinner then went to the Malta Philharmonic Symphony at the Manoel Theater—one of the oldest theaters in Europe.  For $12 US we had the top row seats in the gallery.  Andrew’s head was 6 inches from the ornate ceiling but had a full view of all the musicians except the percussion section as the crystal chandelier blocked them from our sight. The boxes on the three levels below us were enchanting-small and intimate with just 3-4 upholstered chairs in each. The 50 plus members of the symphony played melodically until the last piece. The conductor had chosen one of his own pieces. I truly wonder if all the good notes/keys/chords/passages were used up centuries ago as I do not like the “dischords” that are incorporated into modern “classical” pieces  It was wonderful to walk home down the limestone stairs to our flat.  The following night, we ended up dining in the basement of the Theater with our flat neighbors from Mount Holyoke University and a retired couple who winter in Malta and summer in Provence.  It was just an absolutely festive evening with wine and conversation with content from many fields- art, art history, finance and even Richmond, VA.

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On the other shore of the Grand Harbour with our flat in the distance.