Notes on Gentrification

Walking the quiet inner lanes of St Julians, a neighboring town of Valleta (capital of Malta), I came across the below. It made my heart sink. Art, Design, Money, History. All so intertwined in the modern world.

A notice in the front, on the house shown below.

The view from the hotel I stayed at was spectacular. Low rise houses built of limestone, stretching as far as my eyes could see. But I know now, it is a matter of years (hopefully decades?) before more owners decided to trade their old houses for money and redevelop it into buildings or hotels. A part of me fully understands the need to redevelop, the population keeps growing, young adults no longer see the value in preserving big old homes, or probably no longer can afford the upkeep, or no longer care about flowering shrubs and olive trees in their courtyards?

The view from my hotel.

The house in the forefront was up for redevelopment, calling for buyers, developers and other interested parties.

I was sad to know that this beautiful flowering Sky-Flower will disappear soon. The old walls will be replaced with polished concrete, glass or steel.

And then I realized, I was standing on the terrace of a hotel, which was surely on redeveloped land, a house was mowed down to build this hotel.

A tiny town called Mdina, that houses less than 250 people

I say tiny town quite loosely, there's no way this is a town. 242 habitants call this their home.

Mdina was the old capital of Malta, and now, walking through the paved narrow lanes, admiring the houses with their beautiful doorknobs, manicured yet wild bougainvillea and a quiet that is both, eerie and peaceful.

As luck would have it, I did not think of taking a photo of the grand gate, which is one important reason why tourists visit Mdina. Well.

An artist drawing the baroque style architecture, I would presume.

Single or two floor homes, potted plants, perfectly painted doors and windows.

A gentle reminder to keep quiet.

We came across an old convent school. A local friend had actually gone to this convent, around 30 years ago. It was a special moment. As we peeked inside, an older nun came to the door, barely smiled, and then walked away.

The pink, generously cutting the monotony of the limestone.

Picture perfect homes.

Statues in random corners remind you that that is a 80%+ Roman Catholic Country.

Mdina has been a background for several movies in the past, unsurprisingly so.

Not hard to believe that movies and series alike, from Game of Thrones to Count of Monte Cristo have been shot here.

Fortified walls surround Mdina, you wonder how people lived here 500 years ago. Not much seems changed, eventually, it was the British that won (until 1979) to have a military base in Malta, as the country fought off Ottomans, Romans, Arabs, French.

We did have a lovely gelato at Fior Di Latte, probably the only gelato shop in this town, transporting us back to the present.

Malta - Blue, Limestone and Olive Trees?

 I came across an email from 2014, about an impromptu trip.

2 weeks ago, while talking to a friend, a last-minute trip to Malta was mentioned. Malta was not a country in my list nor radar, in fact, before the trip, I had little to no idea about this island nation, let alone the capital (of this I am ashamed).

This tiny island country has an incredible history, the bluest waters and the perfect streets to get those steps in. As you start observing the flora, you'll realize olive trees grow happily, just as the cactii grow wildly.

I was impressed that this cathedral, 500 years old, had the time, date and day of the work correct. This was the St John's Co-Cathedral built in the 16th Century with zero slave help.

Weed is now legal in Malta, a point of much debate among residents.

Narrow streets, limestone buildings and windows that reminded me of jharokas in Jaipur.

A sunset view of the city of Valletta.

Religious Fiests or Festas leading up to the main day of the feast. These are an integral part of Maltese culture, a ceremony and a celebration bringing in more people each summer.

Valletta was filled with stunning medieval architecture.

I'm so glad I got to see this baroque styled cathedral. Truly magnificent. Seeing Caravagio's paintings in real, the story behind it, praying, admiring and learning about the history, all very nice. This was one photo that did zero justice to how beautiful the painting and design actually was.

Really liked sitting in the narrow streets overlooking the water and downward sloping city of Valletta. Had a very nice sandwich in Grano.

One of the local craft beers called golden bay ale, 100% recommend. Went to Mdina, the old capital of this country. Built inside a fort, it felt like I was walking inside an old movie set, perfect essence of preservation. A cake and a beer in Fontanella Tea Garden is a great ending to a day.

Dragonara, one of few casinos on the island. Was my 1st time experiencing a live roulette table, it was not too bad!

Marsaxlokk is a traditional fishing village in Malta. Very cute seaside town lined with eateries. The day was so hot.

That is me, jumping off the top deck of a cruise boat in the crystal lagoon, off the coast of Malta. I was nervous, I jumped 3 or 4 times, the anxiety did not stop, neither did it stop me from jumping again. Definitely did not know I needed to that, but having done it, incredible!

Blue lagoon, Comino Island. Will I go back to Malta? I don't know. Do I want to? This last photo is the answer.

There's so much I learnt about the history of the island, from the interesting organization (that has an observer seat at the UN) called Order of St John of Jerusalem (a group of noble knights), how Napolean had an alleged affair that ended with him taking away the base of the Order (which was Malta at the time), the grand masters, the evolution of medieval helmets (at one point in history, helmets looked like daft punk helmets - well, almost), the unique influences that shaped the Maltese language, and also about the present of the island - the traffic, subtle despise toward tourists, the gaming industry, narrow winding roads, gentrification.

Something I had for the first time: Pastizzi filled with Ricotto, a fresh one is delicious.

I have to include a memory from a night at the Farsons Beer Festival. The beer and music festival was located inside a national park, the night boasted an almost full moon, and one of the venues was surrounded by tall trees, red lights and because the national park is close to the airport, we could see planes quite low. The singer played Brazilian samba music - it was honestly a good night.

For me, this night was magical.

This was an impromptu trip, as of July mid, I had no idea what the capital of Malta was. And now, my heart is full, with so many memories.

Mumbai for Work

There was a time, some 15 years ago, when I had the privilege of training sales across India (mostly Calcutta, Madras, Bangalore, Bombay, Hyderabad). I was so grateful, taking Air India flights, which at the time, had the best meals in the air, taxi to the airport paid for, staying in company guest houses which were fortuitously located in the nicest areas of each city, think Madras Boat Club and Banjara Hills.

After more than 1.5 decades, I did another work trip recently, again to Bombay. It was in mid-June, the rains were relentless, the hotel 5 star, the traffic was mad, the office visit amazing. I felt so much gratitude. Talking to colleagues from other parts of the world, discussing different problems, but also, essentially the same problems. 

A dish I tried out for the first time in my life: Pithla - It was delicious.

A relaxing swim in such cloudy weather, a little drizzle blessing

The view from our office. Cloudy skies and lush greeery.

I had the opportunity to visit a new factory site. There was the gentlest dog guarding the entrance. 

Just your average scene.

Bombay will always evoke a warm emotion, a knowing, that Bombay will always evolve, but the city will also always stay the same.

Nature in London, Spring?

I went last month to London: I was genuinely expecting spring. I carried cute tank tops, and maybe one jacket, just in case.

The first week of May, the low was 8 degrees, with strong winds. The second week was probably nicer weather. The 3rd week saw the heat wave at 34 degrees, and the last week the rain.

Such confusing weather. If this were a man trying to woo a woman, he would not even know what he wants.

Moss growing so happily.

I can't believe the lush green.

Hola.

I had to identify this, it is a Clematis, a double flowered variety, spotted growing in the wild. 

Poppy. 

An abundance of roses: they smelled wonderful.

Just your average magpie, Epping Forest.

Always love to see small weeds and plants growing in the unlikeliest of places.

I am not sure if these ducks patrol the Hampstead Heath park only during Spring, or is it year round?

An abundance of nature always makes me happy. Wildflowers growing like it is nobody's business. Moss thriving on old trees. Busy bumble bees, magpies staring at you, pigeons and crows coexisting, swans paddling briskly, a lone small fox, roses ready for inspection. But most of all, the old trees standing their ground.

Feels like on the edge of the world, Seaford, UK

A small town of 25k residents, Seaford is probably famous for being the base for the hike to the seven sisters cliff. It is a very cute town, a lot of elderly British people call this their home.

I do land up walking towards local churches and cemeteries, I find them beautiful.

Never seen this one before.

It was so windy and chilly on that day. One side is the English Channel, and the other, colorful cabins.

Walking on these pebbled beaches always feels like physiotherapy for the feet.

Hola.

What do you call a raven/crow meeting?

I found a small cabin/store where a young local woman was selling gelato. Hers was the only store for miles. Some smart supply-demand mapping!

It was quite a hike. The cliff was quite a steep walk.

The town of Seaford from above.

Wildflowers, limestone cliffs and the beautiful waters.

Finally, the seven sisters cliff.

Jotting down random thoughts.

We stopped here, The Grumpy Chef, for a Matcha. I recommend it.

It is such a familiar feeling to see that most towns have a library, church, post office, a town square, almost formulaic.

I probably would not go back here. I liked it, the view was incredible. But I did not fall in love.