Retired early and moved to the Mediterranean

I Catherine!

I'm new to the board (and a Katherine as well).

Malta looks like Greece only greener. I'm of Greek descent and even managed to obtain a Greek passport. Thank God for dual citizenship!

A few girlfriends of mine, who are childless, joke that we should buy condos in the same area in Greece and take care of each other in our old age. Maybe I should suggest Malta!

Did you ever consider the island of Crete? It's absolutely gorgeous and fun!
 
Catherine said:
Hi Akaisha :)

We feel that giving the kids the chance to live within another culture or cultures will really broaden their experience and we hope open some doors for them as they get older.  Our daughters have an adventurous streak and were very happy with the proposition from the start.  Our son, on the other hand, does not like change as much and so had mixed feelings.  His adjustment to school here was difficult at first.  However, we can see that the experience is challenging him to become more self-reliant, assertive, flexible, and tolerant and he is starting to really shine and find his strengths at school so it seems to be working out for him.
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Catherine,

What a wonderful education you are providing for your children. IMHO, travel is also a form of education. Maybe your son will suprise you and adopt a nomadic lifestyle at some point. In any case, at least he has been exposed to another culture.

I enjoy living abroad and your writings on Malta have inticed me to research the Mediteranean...

Lance
 
Somehow I missed this thread, likely because it started while I was on vacation.

DW and I actually spent a week on Gozo a few years ago. It is a beautiful place. Peaceful, pleasant, nice people, stable country, many interesting sights, and (IMO) pretty good food. It also has a unique culture, after having been controlled by Phoenicians, Ararbs, Siculo-Normans, Spanish, Italian, British and Gawd knows who else over the millenia. I can't imagine being able to learn the language, but that's OK because everyone speaks English and many/most have at least a passing familiarity with Arabic. Damn good beer, too. And the climate... 300+ days a year of sun! Only real issue is a lack of water.

I agree with you about the main island. Overpopulated, in a word.

I am somewhat surprised that it isn't harder to get long term residency in Malta, given all the political stuff around foreigners crowding out the Nnaties and the large diaspora that everyone seems to think will come back to the islands in their old age.

One caveat: Malta is a VERY Catholic country, with something like 98% of the population being Catholic. I would imagine that a lot of daily life revolves around the Church, and the mark of the Church is pretty much everywhere (like the daily newspaper column that was written by a Jesuit when we were there). That was fine by me (being a practcing Catholic), but might be a slight negative for some.
 
You are correct Brewer about the religion on Malta. My friend is a minister there and it pretty much comsumes his life. Everything there revolves around the church or at least most things. But he does love it there and I can't say I blame him coming from cold and rainy Scotland.
 
Outtahere said:
You are correct Brewer about the religion on Malta. My friend is a minister there and it pretty much comsumes his life.  Everything there revolves around the church or at least most things.  But he does love it there and I can't say I blame him coming from cold and rainy Scotland.
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Heheh, that reminds me of something funny that happend about 5 years ago. I was at Mass in April and the priest was someone I had never seen before. He absolutely raced through Mass, completing the bare minimum of what had to be done to actually consecrate the host and technically make it a legitimate Mass. I think we were done in 20 minutes (about an hour, typically). After ther service was over and all the parishioners were standing around with their mouths open in amazement, the priest apologized but said that he was from Scotland and when you got a rare sunny day with temps in the 60s you didn't waste any more of it indoors than absolutely necessary, so go enjoy the weather.
 
brewer12345 said:
Heheh, that reminds me of something funny that happend about 5 years ago.  I was at Mass in April and the priest was someone I had never seen before.  He absolutely raced through Mass, completing the bare minimum of what had to be done to actually consecrate the host and technically make it a legitimate Mass.  I think we were done in 20 minutes (about an hour, typically).  After ther service was over and all the parishioners were standing around with their mouths open in amazement, the priest apologized but said that he was from Scotland and when you got a rare sunny day with temps in the 60s you didn't waste any more of it indoors than absolutely necessary, so go enjoy the weather.
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Lutherans too... that's been happening in Pittsburgh since the 1970s on Sundays when the Steelers are playing good football. It takes a lot of time to drive down to the stadium and crack open a frosty beverage before kickoff!
 
Catharine! Thanks for sharing your photos and I am glad you are enjoying your beautiful new life! Annie 8)
 
Catherine, thank you for sharing . . . I perused the site you listed and was very interested after reading a quote regarding SCUBA diving, "Xlendi is a rocky inlet on the south coast of Gozo. It's a haven for scuba divers and snorkelers but has good facilities for recreational swimmers and sunbathers as well." Are there other SCUBA diving areas in Gozo? What is the water like, tropical, sub-tropical, etc.? Water clarity, good, fair, poor? Reef formation? Sea life - abundant, mediocre, poor? I plan on being a snow bird and have limited my search to Nicaragua, Panama, Mexico and a few Caribbean islands. However, Gozo sounds interesting, especially if you are a renter. I went to another site (which may be of interest to other snow birds) . . . Global Property Guide Home In any event, specifically regarding Malta/Gozo, the synopsis is:

Positives
1. Pro-landlord rental market
2. Moderate yields in Valetta
3. Low to moderate transaction costs
Negatives
1. Significant ownership limits
2. High rental income tax
3. Weak economic performance

I was particularly struck by this quote, "Tenant Eviction: Maltese law operates extremely slowly. Hugh Peralta & Associates estimate that a contested eviction could take between 690 and 1,915 days, and the enforcement of a judgment to collect rent could take even longer." Consequently, it seems that you have made the correct choice in renting versus owning (especially, if you plan on subletting/renting your property). Again, thanks for the info . . . Steve
 
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