A week after I got back from Barcelona I moved to a bigger apartment.  While I loved my last place, and especially my landlady, it was time to find something bigger.  And OMG is this place bigger!  It has 3 bedrooms, it's closer to the waterfront, and there is a large kitchen with a formal dining room.  The master bedroom alone is probably bigger than my last apartment.  It's very light and airy, with large windows in each room.  There is usually enough of a breeze that I have to prop the doors open or they slam shut.  I don't have air conditioning, which is the only disappointing thing.  The reality is, I only need it for two to three months out of the year, so it's not that big of a problem.  It is possible to get a portable AC unit, so I may try to get one for next year.    The move itself went very smooth.  I had more stuff then I thought; oh my how it accumulates.  I had 2 people helping...

Barcelona was wonderful!  One thing about Europe - they have such great public transport.  Using Google maps, you can put in your destination and it tells you which bus or train to take.  We walked out of the airport, hopped on the bus and were soon on our way.  It didn't take long at all for us to notice how smooth the roads were.  In Malta, every road you drive on is filled with pot holes; the kind that swallow a small car.  In Spain, not only were the roads great, but the ride itself was smooth.  Not once did the driver slam on the brakes, take a corner on two wheels, throw passengers and luggage to the floor or any of the other crazy driving that seems to be the norm in Malta. I found our hotel using Booking.com.  I chose one in a central area that had great reviews and a very good price.  After I made the reservation I took a closer look at the reviews.  They were all positive, but I noticed an in...

It took 6 months and a great deal of aggravation, but I am finally a Maltese resident.  I'm still a US citizen, I just reside in Malta. That means I can now travel freely around Europe for as long as I want.  Normally, a non-EU citizen can only stay for 3 months in any EU country.  I will probably stay in Malta for the foreseeable future, but now I have options.  The day I got my ID card, I came home and booked a trip to Barcelona.  It looks like my blog will get interesting again! It's now the height of summer and just like everyone said, it is hot, hot, hot!  Europe is currently experiencing a heat wave and Malta is one of the hottest places with temps 95°+ (35 °) and high humidity.  This weekend it's supposed to be well over 100 °.  People are advised to stay indoors.  Great, I have no AC and one of my two fans just died.  The infrastructure here isn't the greatest and an islan...

There has been no news on my residency request, so I'm still stuck in Malta.  As far as being stuck, I really can't complain about the location.   Summer has finally come and it is glorious!  The sun shines almost every day and I live half a block from the sea in either direction.  On one side is the open sea.  There is no beach with sand, instead there is a huge rocky shelf that everyone lays out on.  My favorite location is the Roman Baths.  These are small square pools, just over waist deep, cut into the rocks.  There are steps leading down into them and since the water is still really cold, it's nice just to sit on the edge and dangle your feet in the cold water on a hot day.  An eel lives in one of the pools and it's interesting to watch him go about his life, along with the fish and crabs who live there also.  Since many of my friends live in the general area, it's a great place to meet and ...