New Years Eve 2014

Last year at this time we were hunkered down in Rockport Texas enduring unseasonable, and in some cases, record breaking cold temperatures. It was a severe cold front coming down from 'Canada', of all places. This year we are in the sunny Mediterranean and experiencing very cold temperatures coming down from Russia. The temperature outside is 6 deg. and 'feels like' one degree according to our online weather forecast.We made our morning shopping excursion and have just seen hail falling, just a little, but still!!!

We hear a musical horn beeping throughout the neighbourhood. We realized it's the propane delivery truck either letting people know he's coming or as a protective warning against dangerous drivers and his volatile cargo. I think with this cold snap he is doing a booming business and nobody wants to run out over the New Years weekend.

We went out for a walk this afternoon. It is still very cold and windy but the sun is out. Most of the shops close from 1:00 til 4:00 but today they look like they're going to stay closed for New Years. We found a cafe on the "sunny side of the street" and quite sheltered so stopped for a cappuccino with our faces to the sun for a half hour and then continued our walk towards home. The sea is calming down but the wind is still blowing.

It's 3:00pm and there are a few diehards still walking the promenade. The best part of the afternoon is fading quickly and now we will wait to see what our neighbourhood does for New Year's Eve. I think it will be quiet.

2014 has been quite a year for us. I have gone from Texas to Italy to Malta between New Years eves. We ended our Rv'ing life style this spring with Bob's hearing loss and tinnitus, selling our Arctic Fox winter home this summer. The abrupt change to Bob's health really made us aware that we must live life now.

It is a long trip to get to Malta but now that we are here we have no responsibilities except to walk and explore this unique Mediterranean island country. No house or RV maintenance. Just shower, brush our teeth and go wherever, whenever we want.

For me New Year's Eve is always a time to reflect on the year and be thankful, look forward to the year ahead and say I Love You to all our family and friends.

We wish you all good health and happiness for the coming year.

May the ball drop peacefully wherever you are.

Love from Karen and Bob, xoxo

 

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A Stormy End to the Year

Awakened at 3:30 this morning to the boom and flash of thunder and lightning. Went back to sleep til 6:30 and it's still going on and even stronger. Bob is already up having coffee as the rain streaks down our windows and the sky lights up in front of us.

By 11:00 the rains and thunder have diminished somewhat but the sea is very turbulent even inside the breakwater. Huge waves crash along the rock wall sending water pouring into the inner harbour where the water is now going in every direction. Our little resident boats are just bobbing merrily on their anchors. Just when you think it might stop another squall comes in and we can't even see St Paul's Islands. We have our heaters going. I have a scarf/shawl around my shoulders:). Morning chores are done and the prime rib roast is ready for the oven. Good planning on our part to have a yummy dinner to look forward to on such a stormy stay at home day.

It only reached a high of 9 deg today. Apparently the water is 15 deg. Maybe we should have gone swimming.

We are cooking our special dinner on a schedule that has to do with the weather and not the actual New Year's Eve. Tomorrow is a sunny day so we would rather be outside exploring not inside cooking. Then we can come home to leftovers.....maybe beef dip with au jus and a special bottle of wine. It's been years since we've seen midnight on New Year's Eve so this year shouldn't be any different.

Sitting with full stomachs watching the last light of a very stormy day. The sky is clearing but the waves from distant shores on the Mediterranean Sea are still pounding our little Bay.

Happy holidays to Sherry and Dwayne as they head to Melague today for three months. It will be a bit warmer for them in Mexico than we are experiencing here, but we like the sunshine and cooler temperatures too.

 

 

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Riding the Buses

Today was a strange day. We didn't have much of a destination in mind so took the bus into Sliema and went into Tigne Point Mall to see if there were any after Christmas sales. The prices are so inflated in this dense tourist area that nothing was a bargain. I bought a sweater for €8 and I'll see if I really like it or not.

 

I really like it. It's warm in way that my wash and wear shirts aren't. It's looser rather than clingy and let's the air move through my clothing. I'm all about being warm right now. Layers upon layers, lol...

Limoncella, good for a shot or two but that is it for me....have had my "shot " for this year.

 

 

 

 

This will always be one of my favourite scenes. The skyline of Valleta. It will probably be like my love of doors and I will have many pictures from different angles and different lightings.

 

We decided to go over towards the west passed Mdina and Rabat to the Craft Village. One thing is for sure....never believe what one bus driver tells you about bus numbers and how to get somewhere. We were told to get the 202 or the 203 but were not told in which direction. After about twenty minutes we knew we were going in the wrong direction. So we get off and then wait for another bus. This is our view hoping the dark clouds won't rain on us as we wait again in St Julians.

After a half hour the same bus comes back on its return trip. It is only about 7km to the village but it takes us almost two hours to get there. It is a bust! There is a little village of really old Qonset hut type buildings with all things touristy.....it looks like someone has been to Quartzsite and brought a container back and now charges €10 for a string of Quartz chips that I would have paid about 25 cents for in Arizona. We have been on so many buses today we are starting to have drivers for a second time.

HSBC Bank is the bank of Malta. It's quite funny to see the logo on every corner in every town. If it's not a full banking branch then it is either a bank machine or what they call an Express Bank Center. Here is Malta's Loomis truck delivering a container of something ....maybe they just insert a bank machine canister full of money into the machine. One thing is for certain every Maltese man, woman and child has a cel phone and uses bank machines.

Q

 

We are home, a quick supper...Bob had a pork steak and I had Lampuki, the Maltese version of a dorado or mahi, mahi, depending from where you are eating it.

We have a 'dining room table' but as you can see from this picture I have taken it over for my painting place. I have to keep my glass of paint water away from my wine glass or bad things will happen. As was expected I have way more supplies than I really need but who knew....it's always nice to have choices. I really am using most of what I have and then I have back up if I run out of pens or paints.

A few of the most common surnames, Gauci, Debono, Vella, Zammett, Agius...I was told by Mr Debono, from the War Shelters, that the family names are all old and they have a family crest belonging to each one. Going back hundreds of years the villages were so isolated that a whole village would have the same name....I don't think it reflects inbreeding but more the survival of the surname. Our apartment landlords are Gauci's and Debono's.

Tonight we were discussing how we feel after being here for 3 1/2 weeks. We are very comfortable in our apartment and have settled in to the routine of walking for our groceries and traveling by bus for our exploring. From my point of view it would be crazy to try to drive here. Just being on the wrong side of the street is confusing enough to catch a bus and drivers are very aggressive on one hand but passive on the other....I have not seen any examples of road rage like we would experience at home. People stop anywhere, put their flashers on and buses go around. They park facing the wrong way, don't stop at stop signs, back up wrong way on a street to get a parking space. It's crazy but it works for everyone. Today the bus couldn't make a corner because someone had stopped in the street to visit with people in front of a corner market. The bus driver honked and the fellow ran out waving and moved the car. Everybody's happy.

I may have a European gene or two in my blood bank because I love the attitude, the fast and slow pace of life, the mix of cultures. I just have to remind myself to keep looking at my surroundings and not starting to take it all for granted. Love Malta:)

 

 

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A quiet day

We're both feeling a little low on energy today. We have been on the go for several days trying to take in as much of the Christmas celebrations as we can. We went out early this morning to finish our shopping for our New Years dinner of Prime Rib roast that we are cooking. We are preparing for a few days of inclement weather now until the New Year. After we got home I walked down to our little grocery store that will deliver our water and ordered enough to last for the next few weeks til we move to Marsascala.

I took advantage of an at home afternoon and did some journaling. Our morning skies are always an invitation to try to capture the delicate colours.

A favourite building from our two visits to the ancient village of Selmun.

The skyline looking across Marsamxett Bay from Sliema to Valletta.

Our constant view of St Paul's Bay, a protected harbour, that at this time of the year only has about 12 regular boats at anchor. I know each and every one now after 3 1/2 weeks. There are three Luzzus, the traditional Maltese boats of bright colours with the good luck eyes painted on both sides of their bows. Tonight they all have their noses pointed west into the wind as it blows directly from the North African country of Tunisia. There were signs of the sand and dust in the air this afternoon before dark and the rains came.

Tonight we sit comfy and warm listening to the wind blow and the rain beat on our windows.

 

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A Living Crib

When we were at Selman Palace earlier in the week we had seen a posting about a live crib performance re-enacting Bethleham with Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus. We took a different walk down Mosta Road to catch the bus. The first bus went right by us...why we don't know. The next bus ends up taking us to Golden Bay instead of the Mellieha interchange. So we sit on the bus to be taken back. One more bus and we are on our way to Selmun. There we find we are just in time to follow local musicians and a speaker that is relating the stories of the village as we followed them through the ancient homes. We saw lace being made, clay figures created and hand painted, and a bakery. I recognized one of the musicians, a Mr Debono, our historical guide from the WWII war shelters near the Mellieha Church. It seems we have been here in this small area of a small island country long enough that we are now seeing people we have met somewhere before.

 

 

Our small local bus is no where to be seen so we start our walk out of the village to where we can catch our bus back to Mosta Road. Sometimes it works in our favour and buses are there waiting for us, other times, like now we just miss our bus. Then we wait 30/40 minutes.

We have decided because the weather is predicted to be cool and wet for the next few days we will cook New Years dinner at home. We stopped at the butcher shop and bought a 5lb prime rib roast. We have everything we need for a complete meal and then we will have food for lunches and another dinner left over.

We made it home as it started to rain. The sky got dark and by the time we were inside it was pouring. Good timing again.

The end of another day. The sky and weather always provides us with visual entertainment from our apartment windows.

 

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The Day After Christmas or Boxing Day

Today was the last day of our weekly bus pass so we rode to St Julian's. In small towns it's easy to walk on the roads because traffic is less and they just drive around you. In the bigger centres like St Julians, Sliema and Paceville there are wide promenades that make walking easy too. We have only seen St Julians from the bus as we go to Valletta. In this small country the coast is never more than a stones throw away so there is always water and boats to enjoy.

In Italy I was so entranced with the wonderful warm colours of all the buildings. Here the beauty is a reflection of ancient construction, some of which dates back to before the pyramids. The country is built of limestone. So it is always a variation of ochres, beiges, yellows....age stained. Then the sun shines on the stone and it glows with life. It is amazing how much everything can change with the varying light.

 

Doors and churches...no end of subject matter here. But you can see how the sunlight lightens up the buildings.

I need to attempt to paint this scene. There are so many different colours in the water and the stone.

Malta's Remax. Don't know if he's one man but 'Frank Salt' is everywhere. Example of a place to buy. Two bedroom, modern, open floor designed apartment with 1 1/2 baths, double parking garage only €224m ( $300m) ish.....not cheap to own a place here and they're not even houses, just apartments.

We did a neighbourhood shop and walked home for the afternoon. It is cool, windy and showery and I'm not in the mood to walk into Bugibba for my art class this evening. Two hours in a drafty upstairs studio for €11 and very little instruction doesn't make me enthusiastic to go,out after dark. I have Sketchbook Skool Bootkamp starting online beginning of January. As we sit looking outside the wind is blowing and it is raining sideways. I would have been walking home in this about now. I am so glad I am at home and warm and dry.

 

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Merry Christmas

After our long day yesterday we cracked open one of our bottles of Limoncella. It's tasty, but like any liqueur it can leave you with a bit of a hangover. Today was about eating. We cooked bacon and eggs for breakfast and prepared to go to Portabello's for our Christmas Lunch. I think families still cook dinner at home but it is also a tradition to go for a restaurant dinner that is a fixed menu and lasts all afternoon. Or as long as you can keep eating and drinking. We didn't come with anything dressy to wear but Bob had his long MEC pants and I have my black Cabelas pants. A black long sleeved Tshirt and a pretty scarf and I felt good to hang with the best of them, lol.

The owner made sure we had a nice table with a view. We were on the early side so it was still pretty quiet. Within the hour family groups surrounded us and the noise level escalated through the roof. Like Italians the Maltese are very animated speakers. They speak loudly and use a lot of gestures especially so as the wine flows. Our meal was wonderful and it was very entertaining to watch the dynamics of the groups, some of which I believe may have included four generations.

Me and my fancy go anywhere scarf.

Just to show how close to home we were. Our apartment is on the second floor of the row of blue balconies. No danger of having trouble getting home after a bottle of wine.

Tomato and mozzarella salad, Turkey, prime rib, roasted vegetables and tiramisu for desert with a bottle of wine and cappuccinos. Total bill €66 or about $90. As in Italy it is almost cheaper to drink wine than water. Our wine was €8 and our bottle of 'still' water was €2.80.

Presentation was lovely, the service wonderful and we even came home with our leftovers:)

 

 

 

Christmas for us is pretty much over. Now we wait to hear from home and all the excitement happening with the families as their day begins.

Boxing Day or 'the day after Christmas' is not a holiday in Europe. It is a British tradition that we as Canadians adopted. So tomorrow is business as usual and I have my second art class tomorrow evening.

 

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Christmas Eve Day in Gozo

Today we head for the opposite of Valletta. The bus to Cirkewwa where we get the ferry to Gozo. They run every 45 minutes during the day and take about 25/30 minutes to cross to the harbour of Mgarr. Our destination today is to take the bus to a few of the small towns away from the main city of Victoria. With our hop on hop off day pass we get off in Nadur. As the bus pulls away we are left on an almost empty, quiet street. We stand there looking around and both say, Yes! This is where we want to be.

These are mobile fruit and vegetable trucks. They travel around open like this and stop anywhere it seems. They might have designated areas but to us it just seems random. Not sure what a Quack Bar is but it's apparently a little early to find out.

We wandered streets til we came to the square. If you want to find the center of any town you just have to look for the dome or spire that indicates the parish church. It is noon and the bells start ringing. They are being rung by two young boys who wave to us as we take pictures. Our timing was off as Wednesday is market day but it's over at noon and everyone is packing up. Maybe we will come back next week.

I get a cappuccino and pastry while Bob goes to see inside the church. The weather in Malta is just as I had envisioned but some days it seems we spend too much time in the shade and I crave the heat from the sun. It's never too hot that I have to take off my jacket, maybe my scarf. But to feel the sun on my face is wonderful.

Many homes place Christmas Cribs, or Presepji Tal- Milied, in a window for people to view. We had seen a sign about a collection on display in the local community office, or Konsill Lokali. We found it almost by accident and were allowed to go upstairs to see them. There must have been 30/40 different designs, many of which were constructed by school children and/or local groups. This one is made of match boxes, some are made of tinfoil, wood, styrofoam, anything at all. Very beautiful and creative.

Another door for my collection.

On and off the bus again. We spend more time waiting for busses than actually traveling. Next stop is the seaside town of Marsalforn. We had lunch and a beer in the sun, a walk along the beach front before getting back on a bus heading for the town of Gharb and a basilica named Ta' Pinu. The day is getting late and we are visiting more out of the way communities so the busses are not running as often. We check when the next bus will come and the driver says in one hour. After enquiring from locals we are told it is only about a seven minute walk to Gharb. We follow a stone road down a hill across a small valley that shows us where they quarried all the rock for Ta' Pinu. The side of the hill also shows where people had dug into the cliff to provide shelter from bombings during WWII.

 

 

The view across the little valley to Gharb as the sun sets.

It is a beautiful, extremely clean and well maintained town but there is no one around. It is Christmas Eve after all. By now it is almost 5:00pm and getting dark. We are no where near the bus stop we got off at so we are looking for another one. We find a stop in the square in front of the church. We have 40 minutes to wait:(. The doors of the church are open and we sit listening to the mass inside. No complaints about the bus service. No matter where you are they run on time! We are happy. We have been gone since 10:30am and we are running out of steam. Our bus takes us to Victoria terminal where we wait another 30 minutes for the bus to the ferry. We've seen the better side of Christmas Eve today. This is a strong Catholic country and Christmas is a lot more that shopping. We've seen the churches decorated, the uniquely beautiful Cribs, heard many bells ringing and listened to Mass in Maltese.

A few last pictures.

Santa has no chimneys to climb here so he has to scale balconies.

A very long but wonderful day. Days like this are why we are here.

 

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