What's a Good Salary in Malta? - Updated

...it doesn't grow on trees here in Malta!

It is always difficult to discover exactly how much people pay or get paid in wages.  Potentially embarrassing dinner party conversation, don't you know.  But I have done some digging around on the internet to try to come up with an answer for you.   A lot of sites ask people to enter their own wage and job type and work on estimates that way, but I'm guessing this attracts the type of person with a better salary, not to mention encouraging them to exaggerate a little, so I will try to stick to more reliable sources.

Malta, The Holiday Island - Public Holidays in 2015

Good News working folk!  Malta proudly boasts more public holidays than any other country in the EU.

Just so you don't lose track, here's a handy list (note that if a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday it is not carried over to Monday, so no extra holiday for us working folk).

= Day off Work!

= Bad News, the holiday is at the weekend.

Best Gyms in Malta - Updated!

Cynergi

Looking for a gym or fitness centre in Malta? Well look no further.

Malta is not known for it's healthy lifestyle, what with everyone getting into the car when they need to go to the shop down the end of the street, not to mention all that nice Italian food and pastizzi.  But don't worry, a couple of sessions down your local neighbourhood gym will wipe away all those guilty feelings, and make you feel like a better human.

I'm going to try and make the search a little easier by giving you a few suggestions.  I've listed as many gyms and fitness centres as I could find, but please add your suggestions below.  As you know, gyms are notoriously tricky when it comes to prices.  There are all sorts of deals and discounts which they don't necessarily like to advertise, so I will  give you an idea of how much money we are talking about here, even though all prices are subject to change:


Here's my list, alphabetically arranged by location from Bugibba to Zebbug:

How to Rent an Apartment in Malta

I have now rented apartments in three different places here in Malta - starting off in St Julian's, moving to Swieqi, and now on the Northern part of the island in St Paul's.  So it's probably about time I wrote something about the renting process, as the array of options can be a little overwhelming.  

Here goes...



Where?:  Most foreigners working in Malta will be doing so in or around Sliema.  For that reason, Sliema-St Julian's are the most attractive locations, and thus the most expensive.  You will save some money by basing yourself in Swieqi or Gzira, although you are sacrificing something in terms of your immediate surroundings being less attractive.  If you can handle the commute, you will get a lot more bang for your buck just about anywhere else in the country.  Like I say, we have moved to St Paul's and have no complaints and a much nicer apartment than the same money would get us in Sliema.

Malta: New Amsterdam in the Med?

'Christ Yes Divorce No'

What do Malta, the Phillipines and Vatican City have in common?  Answer:  Not much, really.

But up until 2011, they were the last three countries in the world where divorce was still illegal.

In June of 2011 a divorce referendum was held in Malta, notable for some pretty passionate debating on both sides leading up to the vote.

A sample Church pamphlet against divorce opined that:
"If battered wives are granted the right to remarry, so too will their abusive husbands.  If you do not vote it means you do not care about the family or your children."

(I think it's fair to say that not everybody agreed with this logic).

St Paul's Bay in Pictures

I wasn't overly complimentary about Bugibba the first time I visited.  Or the second.  But hey, opinions are made to be changed.  Third time is the charm, as the saying goes, and I have come to appreciate this town and to see the good rather than the not so much.  So here are the results of a coastal stroll Bugibba/Qawra direction, when the camera was pointed at what makes this place a really nice place to live:

Even a Stopped Clock tells the right time twice a day

Gluten-Free in Malta

Here in the western world, it seems like allergies of various kinds are on the rise.  And no, it's not because 'young folk are softer than when I were a lad...',  scientific studies seem to back this up.  Maybe it's because of the amount of chemicals we come into contact with every day.  Or due to the fact that we eat such a wide variety of foods from around the globe.  In the case of gluten allergies, there's a theory that that whole Neolithic period when people started growing crops and eating dairy products may have resulted in our digestive systems becoming somewhat messed up.  It could be all or none of those things.  I don't know, because in spite of what you may imagine, I am not a scientist. 

Winter Sunshine and Mauve Stingers

While much of Europe is getting battered by storms and enduring icy temperatures, this past weekend has seen balmy blue skies in Malta.  Twenty degrees at it's warmest here yesterday, and a few hardy souls are even risking a paddle in the water.  There are compensations to living on this little rock.

How to Get the New Maltese e-Residence ID Card

Evan's Building, Valletta

There has been a lot of confusion regarding the issuing of these permits, which are to replace the old ID cards. People were being told to set up appointments via email,and deadlines were extended and then extended again.  Basically the system was overloaded, with at lease 10,000 foreigners still waiting for their new card by the end of 2013.  In fact many people are still using the old cards, regardless of whether they have expired or not.  

However, I have taken the plunge and applied for my new permit, so here's how I did it:

What NOT to do?:
Do not try to make an appointment or to email. This will not help.

Where?:  
Go down to the Evan's Building in Valletta, shown on the map above.  Follow the signs for the 'Malta Experience' and you will find it easily enough.  Ask the nice gentleman standing inside the doors which queue you should join.

When?:  
Between the hours of 08.30 and 11.30 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday.  The earlier you get there the better.  

Top Ten Things to Eat (and Drink) in Malta

Humans like top ten lists.  (Especially the Men humans, they makes us feel as though there is organization and righteousness to the universe, which is always reassuring).  So here is my list of the top ten things - in very particular order - to stick in your gullet during your stay on the island:

1.  Maltese Sausage: Maybe it's because I've recently returned from a Muslim country where pork is hard to come by, I don't know.  But that first pasta with Maltese sausage just tasted absolutely delicious.  In fact they've been a favourite of mine since I first came to the island.  I don't know whether it's the garlic, the coriander or the rosemary, but they just taste great.  And speaking from my vast experience on the subject, it's a shame more local restaurants don't include Maltese sausages in their English breakfasts.

American Football in Malta

The superbowl was on last night, which for those of you who are somehow unaware of the fact, is the grand final of the American football season.  Unfortunately, it is not available on TV over here unless you have a satellite and can hook up to Italian Sky TV.  Melita used to broadcast NFL via ESPN, but that channel has bitten the dust and so Malta is now in the minority of countries in the world where you cannot follow the gridiron action.  Let's get this sorted out for next season Melita - there are enough NFL, baseball and basketball fans on the island to make it worth your while to provide a sports channel for us.

What Have I Missed?

Malta doesn't hit the international headlines very often, but one or two stories have flitted across my consciousness from across the globe.

The Great Passport Sale was of course a pretty notable one.  About 15 years ago there was a 'Cash for Passports' scandal in the UK which caused quite a fuss and cost some politicians their jobs. So Malta deciding to offer citizenship for a million euro (and change) to someone who doesn't even need to live in the country, does not exactly sit right.  What's next?  'Need a liver transplant?  Well you can apply like everyone else and take your chances, or just give us €75,000 to skip the queue'.  On the other hand, there were already visa exemptions available for people willing to invest money in Malta or start a business over here.  So maybe it's just the bare-bones, unadorned demand for €1.15 million in return for an EU passport that has annoyed everybody else in Europe so much.  I'm pretty sure a million euro will ease the path to citizenship in a lot of European countries, after all.

Back in Malta!

New year, new design, and it's great to be back on Maltese shores once again.

A new location base for HowtoMalta this year as well, as we have moved to the North of Malta, so you may expect a few more articles featuring places on this side of the island.

As always, we will try to keep you informed about what's going on in this beautiful island in the Med: news, views and reviews of whatever we come across. And as always it's good to hear from you too, so keep the comments coming.

How to get a Haircut in Malta

Well this one depends on your hair, and how much thought you give to it.

I'm a short-back-and-sides get-it-done sort of a chap, so bear that in mind when I recommend Franks shop in Sliema.  This is the conversation when I get my hair cut there
:

Frank*: (nods greeting)
Me:       "Hello". (sits on chair, no other customers yet)
Frank:   "Short?"
Me:       "Yeah, blade three back and sides, short on top"
Frank:    "..."
Me & Frank:  "..."

Get me out of here!

As you stroll through the back-streets of Sliema and Gzira, you will come across any number of small shops selling everything you never knew you wanted (and in many cases still don't). The majority of these establishments appear to be family run concerns, and seem to serve a dual purpose.  As well as putting the loaf on the family table, they often double up as a type of holding cell for reluctant teenage relatives.  These sons, daughters, nephews, nieces, cousins and family friends can only stare balefully out at the world from behind the counter which constrains them.  No they do not want to be wasting valuable hours of their lives in this pokey little stationery store.  And they will not pretend otherwise, certainly not to whichever individual may thoughtlessly come in off the street attempting to purchase something.  If continuing their telephone conversation or assault on Angry Birds on the i-phone fails to dissuade said customer, then they will reluctantly concede to take your money.  But they will not look happy about it.

Won't somebody help these unfortunate creatures and release them from their tiny prisons?

Malta v Italy: Football World Cup Qualifier

the 'South End Core' lead the singing

Malta and Italy have a strange kind of relationship.  Italy is kind of like the skinny-jean, funny hair wearing, cigarette smoking, strutting 15-year-old cousin that young Malta really wants to be, but can't quite pull off.  In purely footballing terms, this leads to most Maltese supporting Italian clubs like Juventus and Milan, and cheering the Italian national side on in all the major tournaments.  A lot of big country/little country neighbours have love/hate relationships, but Malta's is definitely more loving than most.   I saw one vox pop being conducted on the street by a Maltese newspaper asking Maltese people who they were going to support, a question which if it were asked on the streets of Dublin before a game against England would have led one to fear for the safety of the interviewer.

Anyway, all of which complicated relationship stuff led to a rare full house at the Ta 'Qali National Stadium for the visit of Italy.  The more optimistic Maltese fans were predicting a 1-3 loss, but they actually started quite brightly, buoyed by unambiguously vocal home support.  This lasted for around about 10 minutes. Then some sloppy defending led to a soft penalty award, which Mario Balotelli finished in that detached way he has of scoring unstoppable penalties.  Malta were unbowed however, and managed to put a couple of half-threatening moves together, one of which led to a penalty of their own.  Was this to be the moment Malta stuffed it to the Italian cousins?

Thanks Cisk!

The other weekend I indulged myself in an 8 pack of small Cisk beers.  While this may seem excessive to some, I like to do my part in maintaining the reputation of the Irish as enthusiastic beer consumers, and trust me, an eight pack of 330 millilitre cans barely qualifies as an aperitif in Dublin drinking circles.

Anyway, Cisk are currently running a promotion based around football, one of those things where you find a code on the back of the ring pull and enter it into a box on their website to see if you've won anything.  Generally with these type of deals you might win a foam beer holder or some such thing which barely seems worth the effort of opening the can in the first place.

Malta Elections: The Result

Happy

The weather was beautiful at the weekend, about 20 degrees, and lots of tourists took the opportunity to sprawl on a convenient beach.  I was enjoying the sunshine on my balcony, listening to an audiobook by David Sedaris.

From around 12.30 in the afternoon, Mr Sedaris' witty recounting of childhood misadventures became punctuated by the sound of blaring horns from passing cars.  These were not expressions of rage or frustration, but of joy, at the news filtering out from the vote counting house that Labour had won the general election by a landslide and would be in power for the first time since 1996.

"Malta is where Old People go on holidays". Discuss.

This may seem a surprising idea for some, but in Britain and Ireland Malta has long had a reputation as a holiday destination for the older traveller.  Much of this was fueled by the fact that for a long time British pensioners saw (and still do see) Malta as the ideal place to retire after their working days had done.  The British pound did quite nicely thank you against the old Maltese lira, and so the older folk were happily snapping up properties to enjoy their autumn years in the summer sun.  Having endured teenage and onward years in the British winters, this seemed like a pretty good deal.

Malta Elections: My Vote Goes to...

Of course I don't have a vote, not being a Maltese citizen.  But let's look at the options just the same...

In the Blue corner we have the incumbent Nationalist Party (PN or Partit Nazzjonalista if you prefer), and in the Red corner it's Labour (PL - Partit Laburista).  So which way to vote - red or blue?

I went to their respective websites, and here's what they promise: