Walking/Pavements

felinefine81 wrote:

😁

Maybe the more realistic option is to give up walking!

You'll get used to it. Gozo is the same and we managed just fine after the first few days. Malta is... well it's all very, very busy. Even the smaller towns/resorts. You stop noticing it after a while. Unless you have shitty/loud neighbours. Then you move.

felinefine81 wrote:

Thanks everyone. matm911 you don't have to commute for work do you?

Of course I have to, 12 km every day ... takes me about 15 Minutes 

What you're describing sounds better but I'm sure I've read before that the commute from the south to central can be slow.

That's true, therefore I live and work in the South  The North has similar advantages.
If you work in the centre, you have to face a lot of traffic regardless where you live.
Especially in winter with flooded/blocked streets ... terrible ! (but for this weather I have my Land Rover 

felinefine81 wrote:

We went up into Naxxar tonight and I got a better feeling from it. Wider main street, pavements seemed better. Also more facilities in a smaller radius. It looked like you could get almost everything you need day to day without a car. It's a bit further to work though.

Checking bus routes etc tonight but will line up some viewings there I think.

Any thoughts on Naxxar?

Hi Feline,

I live in Naxxar and always thought we had it bad with a lack of pavements but I guess it's just the smaller side roads, main roads are fine for walking. We've been living here since December last year and love it so much that we don't ever want to move. It's dead quiet at night (I hate noise in any form), the people are lovely including my greengrocer who doesn't rip me off, there's a Scotts, GS, Miracle Foods and Maypole all within a short distance of where we live. Add to that frequent buses to Birkirkara / Valletta (where partner works) and 2 direct buses to Sliema (where I work) and we have the perfect location

It's definitely manageable without a car. Both bf and I don't like cars and have been living car free for over 12 years - best choice ever. Price wise Naxxar beats other locations as well, we're paying 900E for a 3 bed penthouse with a huge terrace overlooking Mdina and Mosta Dome. It's interesting to hear your views on Balzan & Attard - we often visit the San Anton Gardens and love walking through the Three Villages. Never noticed the lack of pavement much.

Haven't been too active in the forum here for a while but let me know if you have any questions. Been following your blog as well, it's great and reminds me of our move!

mantasmo wrote:

Be very, very careful when using sidewalks after rain. They can get extremely slippery (not sure why) - it's like walking on ice.

It's because of the fine grained concrete they use, without broken stones for good grip.
The water forms a slippery layer on the smooth surface.
This and the use of slippery tiles for stairs is a sign of bad workmanship ... but it was cheap for sure 

If you don't want to spend money for good quality, do not complain about bad quality 

To be honest, I personally appreciate that Malta is a country which does not make it easy to love it ... otherwise it would be even more crowded 
You cannot expect a high level of development and low cost of living. Infrastructure is paid with taxes, and as the majority only pays some 100 or 200 Euro of taxes every month, you cannot expect too much.
Things are changing fast here, the last few years I saw nice projects in public infrastructure and domestic/commercial buildings and restaurants/pubs made of high standard.
I can see the first results of the new (mandatory) building standards and renunciation of poor/bad/cheap workmanship 

Everything is possible, even here, if you 1.) have the information/open mind and 2.) willing to spend respective money.

@ felinefine81: buy shoes with slip-proof sole ... even sandals/flip-flops with good grip are available.
I threw away the 5 Euro plastic clogs and bought 40 Euro Crocs - you'll feel the difference 

matm911 wrote:

You cannot expect a high level of development and low cost of living. Infrastructure is paid with taxes, and as the majority only pays some 100 or 200 Euro of taxes every month, you cannot expect too much.

This is very true actually. I think that many actually pay 0 in taxes tbh.

Just one thing - Malta is not cheap. At least not any longer. It used to be much cheaper but prices are going up. It's one of the more expensive countries to live in if you enjoy good takeout food, eating out, coffee-to-go, want a decent office to work from, etc. It all adds up so quickly in Malta. It's only cheap if you cook at home, shop around for deals, work from home (in case of self employed), etc. It's very circumstantial.

Some places like Sliema have become ridiculously expensive and you really do have to watch what you buy and where. Which is a shame. A slice of cake in a half decent coffee shop can cost 4.5-5.5+2.5 for a coffee... when it costs about 3.5-4 euros total pretty much anywhere else. These relatively small price differences add up to a good +1000-1500/month so any tax savings are quickly wiped out... unless you make A LOT of money.

mantasmo wrote:

Just one thing - Malta is not cheap. At least not any longer. It used to be much cheaper but prices are going up. It's one of the more expensive countries to live in if you enjoy good takeout food, eating out, coffee-to-go, want a decent office to work from, etc. It all adds up so quickly in Malta. It's only cheap if you cook at home, shop around for deals, work from home (in case of self employed), etc. It's very circumstantial.

Some places like Sliema have become ridiculously expensive and you really do have to watch what you buy and where. Which is a shame. A slice of cake in a half decent coffee shop can cost 4.5-5.5+2.5 for a coffee... when it costs about 3.5-4 euros total pretty much anywhere else. These relatively small price differences add up to a good +1000-1500/month so any tax savings are quickly wiped out... unless you make A LOT of money.

Where are you getting your cakes and stuff from?  It's nowhere near that price for a piece of cake.  Costa Coffee is expensive, but aren't they all no matter where you live?

I don't find Malta expensive, coming from France it's a lot cheaper and after a recent visit to the UK I was glad to get back before I ended up poor.  I found it shockingly expensive there.

Sam4321 wrote:

mantasmo wrote:

Just one thing - Malta is not cheap. At least not any longer. It used to be much cheaper but prices are going up. It's one of the more expensive countries to live in if you enjoy good takeout food, eating out, coffee-to-go, want a decent office to work from, etc. It all adds up so quickly in Malta. It's only cheap if you cook at home, shop around for deals, work from home (in case of self employed), etc. It's very circumstantial.

Some places like Sliema have become ridiculously expensive and you really do have to watch what you buy and where. Which is a shame. A slice of cake in a half decent coffee shop can cost 4.5-5.5+2.5 for a coffee... when it costs about 3.5-4 euros total pretty much anywhere else. These relatively small price differences add up to a good +1000-1500/month so any tax savings are quickly wiped out... unless you make A LOT of money.

Where are you getting your cakes and stuff from?  It's nowhere near that price for a piece of cake.  Costa Coffee is expensive, but aren't they all no matter where you live?

I don't find Malta expensive, coming from France it's a lot cheaper and after a recent visit to the UK I was glad to get back before I ended up poor.  I found it shockingly expensive there.

Again it depends on where you are. Sliema waterfront is super expensive compared to pretty much anywhere else. There are cheaper places, but that's why I said that you actually have to watch the prices. You can't just walk into pretty much any place and walk out without feeling ripped off lol.

Yep both UK and France are very expensive. Malta is cheaper, but it's not cheap. That's all I'm saying.

BrightBug wrote:

If it's really a huge problem then Sweiqui might be better. It's a residential area so quieter but there are still supermarkets and shops in walking distance

I live in Swieqi and the paths are no better.  It's safe though, so walking on and off the road doesn't feel like you're dicing with death.  The traffic isn't fast and all around St Julian's feels safe with traffic because it's that blocked half the time the cars don't build up any speed. I walk along the coastal road most days towards Sliema, but to get to it I've got a five minute walk that consists of dodging the rubbish bags, a series of broken pavements, half pavements, no pavements, massive curbs and traffic coming from every direction.  You get used to it and what seemed like danger doesn't seem so bad after a while.

felinefine81 wrote:

... and then an online order?

If you manage to be at home when the delivery man comes ... they have the habbit, not to turn up as agreed ... how much time I've wasted to wait for a delivery ...