First Impressions

Now that we've been in Malta a few days, I can make a few observations. These may be subject to modification as we are here longer:

Malta is very European. Historically, it's a crossroads of cultures (which is the central point of our students' learning here), but modern Malta has a very European feel. One gets the impression that the Maltese are very proud of their E.U. membership.

The cities are old, the streets are narrow, the sidewalks (where they exist at all) are even narrower. There are very few straight streets. One tends to want to orient to the water, but these cities are all built on peninsulas, so there is water on three sides. We get lost a lot.

Malta is beautiful! The sea and the sky are very blue. Even though temperatures have been in the 50s to low 60s, the sun can be very warm. The photo above was shot just three blocks from where we live. But when the sun drops, these old, stone buildings can be very, very cold!

Cars are small, everyone drives too fast. Crossing the street is often a heart-stopping experience (but so far, our hearts have always started again on the other side). If you are crossing in a random place, God help you. If you are in a "zebra crossing" (pedestrian crossings are marked with stripes on the pavement) cars will charge up to you full speed, then slam on the brakes. Car shops doing brake work here must make a killing.

People smoke a lot more here than in the U.S. (also true across Europe). Sidewalk/outdoor cafes are popular, even in winter, because people prefer to sit where they can smoke. Indoor smoking bans are fairly universal in Europe. People would rather freeze than give up the cigarette.

Malta has the worst bus service of any European country we've seen. Almost every city in Europe has great mass transit -- busses, trams, trollies, etc. We've ridden them all and have been jealous of such cheap and efficient means of travel. Malta has only the bus, and it's terrible. The bus drivers tend not to be friendly. One talked loudly on his cell phone while driving. The bus we rode today needed new shocks really badly. Another bus stopped for 15 minutes before carrying on -- everyone but us got out for a smoke (even the driver). You also have to guess about the stops, because there's an electric sign that tells you the next stop, but it never works.

Maltese are not particularly friendly to strangers (perhaps because there are so many tourists here?), but if you meet them and have dealings with them, they are very nice people. Our landlady, Maria, is absolutely wonderful! She took off work to pick us up at the airport, she's taken us out to eat (twice), and she's bent over backwards to be helpful. People at the University with whom we are dealing are very nice and very helpful. But shopkeepers, people on the street, bus drivers (again), etc., tend to ignore us. If you have business with someone, you'd best make an appointment (even if the sign says "open," you can wait a long time if you just drop in, and they'll let you know you are being rude to interrupt). Even the tourist information office gives the vibe that you're interrupting them!

Maltese is spoken here. These islands were British possessions for 150 years, and the marks of that are everywhere. Though 90% of the people speak English, the Maltese language is heard most predominantly. The language is unusual and difficult to describe, but if forced, I'd have to say it sounds like Arabic spoken with an extremely strong Italian accent.

Pigeons swarm over and under the table at an outdoor cafe after the diners have left.

This island is for the birds. Between the seagulls and the pigeons, there are lots. Not very many songbirds or other small species, but plenty of seagulls and even more pigeons.

Almost everything is only open in the morning. At noon or one o'clock, businesses close -- some for the day -- some until three or four, when they reopen until six or seven.

But generally, Malta seems a pretty comfortable place. I think we'll have a good experience here. I would end here, but in Malta, every conversation ends at least three times. So ciao. Goodbye. Ciao. ByeBye.