I Love My Neighborhood: Sliema, Malta

Welcome to another edition of “I Love My Neighborhood”, where I ask expats from across the globe to share the joys of local life they’ve found in their corner of the world.

If you’re just joining in now, check out the other cities that have been covered so far here.

Today’s guest post comes from Jess, a Canadian living in Malta. I was initially drawn to her blog because it is just full of gorgeous photos (I mean look at that food shot below), and then more so when I found out her fiancé is also named Mike, also works in IT, and also proposed this spring! They moved abroad with their two dogs in 2010, and now live in this gorgeous home they found while filming an episode of House Hunters International. For those who don’t know where Malta is, Jess has kindly provided a map:

Jess: Why I Love Sliema

Sliema is where old Malta meets new. Here you’ll find streets of honey coloured townhouses jostling for space next to tall condominiums, brand-new shopping malls springing up down the street from hawkers selling vegetables off the back of a dusty truck, and colourful wooden fishing boats docked next to luxury yachts along the rocky shore of the Mediterranean sea.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I have lived in Sliema for less than a year, but it didn’t take long to develop a long list of reasons why I love my neighbourhood.

The Views

From the shores of Sliema you can enjoy my very favourite view on this little island: the skyline of Valletta, Malta’s capital city. Pierced by church spires and domes, and surrounded by great rock bastions, it is unlike any other skyline in the world. To be greeted by this view every day makes me happy, in a beautifully simple way. And how many things can you say that about?

The Sea Access

Along most of the shoreline in Sliema there is public sea access, offering local residents a respite from the heat in the summer months. You can’t snorkel, swim, or sunbathe right off your doorstep in many cities, so this unique quality was a big selling point for my fiancé, who is a former competitive swimmer. And those beautiful golden rocky shores steal my heart like no other shoreline in the world.

Sliema’s sea access also has its uses beyond leisure activities. I recently started attending a postgraduate program at the University of Malta in Valletta, and also take advantage of Sliema’s sea access to commute to school by ferry! Certainly beats sitting in traffic.

The Food Scene

Maltese, Italian, French, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Irish, Argentinian, Turkish, American, Mexican, Indian, British, German, Kiwi, Lebanese — you name it, Sliema has it. Sliema is certainly the most cosmopolitan town in Malta, attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists every year, and its restaurant scene has adapted to meet the needs of diverse palettes and price ranges. I love that I can get the best pizza on the island, Maltese specialities like hot pastizzi and fresh hobz, the perfect pappadum, or a fresh orange juice (from local fruit!) steps from my front door. Variety is the spice of life, right?

The Promenade

Sliema is surrounded by a pedestrianized promenade that runs along the length of its shorelines. On any given day on the promenade you’ll find old men fishing, mums walking prams, lovers snuggling on a bench, sunburnt tourists puzzling over a map, rollerbladers and bikers and runners working up a sweat, dog walkers, sunbathers, and a nun or two.

On the promenade you can join the throngs of thirsty tourists drinking a Cisk (local beer) and watching a football game al fresco at a kiosk. Sliema is also Malta’s main shopping district, and you’ll find plenty of international brands and local mom-and-pops dotted along the promenade too. But during the summer, at night, is when the promenade truly comes alive. As locals and tourists pour into the streets to enjoy the cooler temperatures, the promenade becomes an extension of your living room, your hotel room, your boardroom or classroom. It’s that bit of outdoor space that everyone who lives in a cramped flat with no garden craves, and I’ll take it over a big manicured lawn any day.

The History

Although it is considered to be the most ‘modern’ area of Malta, Sliema is still steeped in history. It’s inescapable on this island: Malta has been occupied by just about everyone in the Mediterranean at one point or another for the past 8,000 years. The Order of the Knights of St John (also known as the Knights of Malta) “Europeanized” Malta, ruling the island from 1530 until 1798 when Napoleon’s army drove them out. In 1814 the British took over Malta and this little island remained a British colony until 1964. Sliema still boasts plenty of architecture and relics from these eras, including several military forts like Fort Tigne, Fort Cambridge, and Fort Manoel.

Many complain that Sliema’s ‘modernization’ is ruining these historical places, but the juxtaposition between old and new is precisely what I love about my neighbourhood. Sliema’s unique flavour comes from the neo-Baroque church stuck next to the Burger King, the modern shopping mall built above the 19th century British fort, the sushi place nestled beside the Maltese cafe, the French Baroque fort adjacent to the busy marina, the wooden luzzu plodding by the sporty speedboat.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

About the author: Jess is a Canadian writer and postgraduate marketing student. Jess documents life in Malta with her fiancé and their two small dogs on her blog Mike and Jess in Malta. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @jessinmalta. Her last meal would be thin crust pizza, wine, and a three-course Moroccan spread. In that order.

All images courtesy of mike-jess.com