Lija, founded in 1594, is a village of 3,000 people. Along with the villages of H’Attard and Balzon, they make up the “Three Villages,” known throughout Malta for its historic architecture. Located between the medieval capital of Mdina and the current capital and port city of Valletta, Lija is about 8km (5 miles) from Valletta. It should be noted that Malta is about the physical size of Seattle. With a population of 450,000 people and about 350,000 vehicles, it’s not hard to envision traffic jams. Certainly, a primary reason for us to decide to ditch our driving when we moved here. That and some good public transport. We decided that we wanted to live in a residential area, as opposed to the commercial/touristic areas on the coast.
A real clue as to Lija’s residential/farming heritage is their motto:” Suavi Fructo Rubeo”. Translated from the Maltese: I glow red with sweet fruit. Not only are citrus trees grown commercially, many people have citrus trees of all types growing in pots on balconies and front yards all over the village.
As I said, orange trees are everywhere.
We needed a place to live. As we plan on buying an apartment/maisonette after we figured out the best, affordable location we decided to rent for a year in the area we thought would be our best choice. Right out of the chute, we found the ideal location for us. Three bedrooms (one for my famous British detective writer wife to write about finding out the perfect way to commit a murder: https://aklakelett.com/ , a good view as well as being close to a bus line, (actually two). Oh, and did I mention a great price! Yes, we did it. Just a few pictures to show you it is real: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AlfJxADd96zK6sImwi3JB3LA-R6lNg
Seattle to Malta 6,087 miles (9,796 kilometers)...... And a lifetime. 