The English Thread in the Maltese section

[Ewri]

I don't know if this is a right place to post it, but I just attended a week long conference in your country and just wanted to tell you all that I really enjoyed it. The landscape was amazing and the people were very nice and friendly. Too bad that it was this time of the year and from what I understood it's the coldest winter in a long time over there.

You are right Petri6.

It's the coldest winter in a long time. Average temperature is about 2 degrees less than what it usually is at this time of the year.
Glad you enjoyed our country. Next time you're around and have some free time, we can meet for a chat or a coffee if you want

[Petri6]

I don't know if this is a right place to post it, but I just attended a week long conference in your country and just wanted to tell you all that I really enjoyed it. The landscape was amazing and the people were very nice and friendly. Too bad that it was this time of the year and from what I understood it's the coldest winter in a long time over there.

You are right Petri6.

It's the coldest winter in a long time. Average temperature is about 2 degrees less than what it usually is at this time of the year.
Glad you enjoyed our country. Next time you're around and have some free time, we can meet for a chat or a coffee if you want

Actually I was thinking about a meeting with you, but since this was actually more of a business trip than a holiday and the schedule was very tight (averaged about three hours of sleep per night), I had to decide against it. But next time when I have less of a tight schedule we can definately do it.

[Ewri]

I don't know if this is a right place to post it, but I just attended a week long conference in your country and just wanted to tell you all that I really enjoyed it. The landscape was amazing and the people were very nice and friendly. Too bad that it was this time of the year and from what I understood it's the coldest winter in a long time over there.

You are right Petri6.

It's the coldest winter in a long time. Average temperature is about 2 degrees less than what it usually is at this time of the year.
Glad you enjoyed our country. Next time you're around and have some free time, we can meet for a chat or a coffee if you want

Actually I was thinking about a meeting with you, but since this was actually more of a business trip than a holiday and the schedule was very tight (averaged about three hours of sleep per night), I had to decide against it. But next time when I have less of a tight schedule we can definately do it.

sure, and I was also away, myself

[ART]

An helicopter AB-212 of Italian Navy on joint exercise with a Maltese OPV (offshore-patrol vessel).

http://www.kappaelle.net/img/news/5/200 ... 008_03.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[O´Leipzig]

Thanks a lot to ewri for finding this bill: https://de.eurobilltracker.com/notes/?id=99127173" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; !!!

This is our first hit and I especially enjoyed it because we got to know each other at the meeting in Frankfurt this year.

Cheers from Mühlheim on the river Main /Germany.

O´Leipzig

[Ewri]

Thanks a lot to ewri for finding this bill: https://de.eurobilltracker.com/notes/?id=99127173" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; !!!

This is our first hit and I especially enjoyed it because we got to know each other at the meeting in Frankfurt this year.

Cheers from Mühlheim on the river Main /Germany.

O´Leipzig

I'm also happy for this hit; well I am happy for every hit which is the first maltese for the other user. And yes, I agree that a hit is nicer when you actually know the person.

[GWR7007]

Hi,

I'll be on the island of Malta with my English advanced course at the end of September (Monday to Friday, but arrival on Monday and departure on Friday so only 3 days). I don't know how much time I'll have for EBT, but I suppose that there'll be some time left. Therefore I would like to ask where I might find some EBT - friendly banks in Valetta, Gzira and Mdina. Are there counters? Are they willed to give out notes or change the sums (e.g.: 10x10€ in 20x5€ etc.) to people who don't have a bank account at that bank (I have to admit that I only have a bankbook at my local bank, so I'm not very flexible at all )?

As a coin collector: Do you know where I might get all Maltese coins (1cent to 2€) at once (and only paying 3,88€), without trying to receive them by shopping? What about special coins; can you find them in circulation, or not? How often can you find them?

To conclude: Could you please tell me, how many new Europa design you can receive by shopping etc, because I have some old ones, but don't want to spend them in my area in Germany with a percentage of at least 95% Europa ones? If there aren't a lot of new on Malta, I might spend them there (and maybe get some nice hits as well ).

Thanks for your answers

Bendix

[Ewri]

Hi,

I'll be on the island of Malta with my English advanced course at the end of September (Monday to Friday, but arrival on Monday and departure on Friday so only 3 days). I don't know how much time I'll have for EBT, but I suppose that there'll be some time left. Therefore I would like to ask where I might find some EBT - friendly banks in Valetta, Gzira and Mdina. Are there counters? Are they willed to give out notes or change the sums (e.g.: 10x10€ in 20x5€ etc.) to people who don't have a bank account at that bank (I have to admit that I only have a bankbook at my local bank, so I'm not very flexible at all )?

As a coin collector: Do you know where I might get all Maltese coins (1cent to 2€) at once (and only paying 3,88€), without trying to receive them by shopping? What about special coins; can you find them in circulation, or not? How often can you find them?

To conclude: Could you please tell me, how many new Europa design you can receive by shopping etc, because I have some old ones, but don't want to spend them in my area in Germany with a percentage of at least 95% Europa ones? If there aren't a lot of new on Malta, I might spend them there (and maybe get some nice hits as well ).

Thanks for your answers

Bendix

Hello GWR7007

First of all I hope that you will enjoy your stay in Malta.

Here is the answer for your EBT related questions.

Big banks like BOV and HSBC can be found in almost every city. They all have counters and will change for you. But I suggest that you do not present more than EUR 1000 in value every time. There are no banks in Mdina but there are both BOV and HSBC branches in Rabat, next to where the bus stops (bus stop called saqqajja) up the hill. You can also change at Banif Bank, which has only about 10 branches over the island. Aps Bank and the Central Bank will not change for you. Banks are usually open from 8.30 am till 13.30 or 14.00. You can also ask banks to give you some Maltese coins, but most of these will be from circulation and not shiny and brand new. Special coins are very very rare. When a new one is issued we have to buy them in rolls from the central bank paying EUR 80 or EUR 70 for a roll with a value of EUR 50. You can buy new single ones at Said coin shop in Zacchary Street, valletta and these usually cost EUR 6 or EUR 7 each.

We have very few EUROPA fivers around. A big chunk of our fivers, I estimate 80% are old ones. Atm's in Malta do not give out EUR 5 notes but only EUR 10, EUR 20 and EUR 50 notes.

If you need more info, please let me know.

[GWR7007]

Hello ewri,

thanks for your answer.

If you need more info, please let me know.

It would be nice, if you could give me some more information. You'll find my questions in this message.

They all have counters and will change for you. But I suggest that you do not present more than EUR 1000 in value every time.

No, I didn't plan to change more than 1000€ at once. I'd say, not much more than 100-200€. Do they charge any money for changing?

Aps Bank and the Central Bank will not change for you. Banks are usually open from 8.30 am till 13.30 or 14.00.

Thank you, then I know where I don't have to go . But the opening times may be critical. As I said, I will be there with a group and there has to be some cultural aspect during our stay, meaning that there'll be programme in the morning (e.g.: guided city tour of Valetta) and if banks are only opened in the morning hours, it could be, that I'll find the banks closed . Is there any reason why banks close so early in Malta? (In Germany, they are normally opened until the afternoon, but some don't have counters any more.)

You can also ask banks to give you some Maltese coins, but most of these will be from circulation and not shiny and brand new. Special coins are very very rare. When a new one is issued we have to buy them in rolls from the central bank paying EUR 80 or EUR 70 for a roll with a value of EUR 50. You can buy new single ones at Said coin shop in Zacchary Street, valletta and these usually cost EUR 6 or EUR 7 each.

I didn't expect Maltese special coins to be so rare .
I don't expect to get normal, brand new Maltese coins. If they are used, that might be okay as well.

We have very few EUROPA fivers around. A big chunk of our fivers, I estimate 80% are old ones. Atm's in Malta do not give out EUR 5 notes but only EUR 10, EUR 20 and EUR 50 notes.

That sounds good . Then, I'll take the old ones with me. I wrote the EBT-address on them. Would you say that they have a very shorter life as normal ? I am just asking, because some banks sort out more than others, then there are differences from country to country, and so on.

Just another question. I was asked by the French user "Wechsler" to have a look at the following notes (he collects notes of the printers H, G, P and E):
E009/X
E008/X
P019/X
E006/X
E010/L
P017/X
P016/X
E005/X

Can you find them in uncirculated in Malta or not?

Thanks again for answering my questions.

[Ewri]

Hello ewri,

thanks for your answer.

If you need more info, please let me know.

It would be nice, if you could give me some more information. You'll find my questions in this message.

They all have counters and will change for you. But I suggest that you do not present more than EUR 1000 in value every time.

No, I didn't plan to change more than 1000€ at once. I'd say, not much more than 100-200€. Do they charge any money for changing?

Aps Bank and the Central Bank will not change for you. Banks are usually open from 8.30 am till 13.30 or 14.00.

Thank you, then I know where I don't have to go . But the opening times may be critical. As I said, I will be there with a group and there has to be some cultural aspect during our stay, meaning that there'll be programme in the morning (e.g.: guided city tour of Valetta) and if banks are only opened in the morning hours, it could be, that I'll find the banks closed . Is there any reason why banks close so early in Malta? (In Germany, they are normally opened until the afternoon, but some don't have counters any more.)

You can also ask banks to give you some Maltese coins, but most of these will be from circulation and not shiny and brand new. Special coins are very very rare. When a new one is issued we have to buy them in rolls from the central bank paying EUR 80 or EUR 70 for a roll with a value of EUR 50. You can buy new single ones at Said coin shop in Zacchary Street, valletta and these usually cost EUR 6 or EUR 7 each.

I didn't expect Maltese special coins to be so rare .
I don't expect to get normal, brand new Maltese coins. If they are used, that might be okay as well.

We have very few EUROPA fivers around. A big chunk of our fivers, I estimate 80% are old ones. Atm's in Malta do not give out EUR 5 notes but only EUR 10, EUR 20 and EUR 50 notes.

That sounds good . Then, I'll take the old ones with me. I wrote the EBT-address on them. Would you say that they have a very shorter life as normal ? I am just asking, because some banks sort out more than others, then there are differences from country to country, and so on.

Just another question. I was asked by the French user "Wechsler" to have a look at the following notes (he collects notes of the printers H, G, P and E):
E009/X
E008/X
P019/X
E006/X
E010/L
P017/X
P016/X
E005/X

Can you find them in uncirculated in Malta or not?

Thanks again for answering my questions.

No the banks will not charge you for changing notes to notes.
IF you intend to change only EUR 100 or EUR 200 at one go, you have a 95% chance that the note will be put back in circulation unless the URL is too big and obvious.
The denominations you mentioned are all very common in Malta. We have very little new uncirculated notes but you can find many of those combinations in very good condition.

[GWR7007]

Hello ewri,

thanks for the information you gave me. I had some time to change some notes at banks, which were easy to find (except for the Banif bank branches which I didn't find). So in case you'd like to look for my notes, I'd like to tell you, or anyone else travelling to Malta in the near future, where I spent them:
80x (mainly old urled ones and some Europa ones) changed at Bank of Valletta, Republic Street 45 into without problems
Then, several notes at the hotel reception, in Gzira, Valletta and Mdina itself, and 3x into at the HSBC branch in Gzira (I took the home). Advise: Don't do it on a Tuesday or Friday; they have coin-changing-days then, means you're standing in a queue and nearly everyone has a bag of coins with him/her or needs approximated 2 kilos of them in 1-10 cent coins. And with two open counters, well, it'll take its time .

Another important thing to add for non-Maltese travellers: If you use the buses, first of all: don't travel in large groups, the buses will be full. It's a waste of time, waiting for an empty bus, if you don't want to spend the whole day waiting for a bus (exception: Valletta bus station, but only because most buses start their routes from there).
The second thing is: Be prepared to have coins, paying with notes bigger than on the bus itself is not appreciated, as drivers cannot give change (at least it happened to me).

Except from that, I enjoyed my stay, and I really love Kinnie. Unfortunately, its not available in Germany .

Maybe I get a Maltese in the future , if I didn't get any last week.

[Ewri]

glad that you enjoyed your stay here and that you did not find any problems with changing notes. The coin days... they are not the same everywhere. Where I work, we accept them every day and we have a separate queue for them.

The buses, yes, they are our weak point and Kinnie is our strong point, together with our pastizzi and twistees.

Now it's my job to find some of your notes.

[GWR7007]

Now it's my job to find some of your notes.

As I might have mentioned before, most of my old have the EBT address written in the lower left corner on the backside of the note. Then I spent some , and at the reception of the hotel. I hope, they spent them at a bank (then I assume HSBC branch, Gzira), and didn't give them to other guests. Well, we'll see.
Europa notes I brought from home were mainly special ones for Germany (N/NA, S/S, Z/ZB). They, of course, don't have the EBT address on them. Additionally, I entered some notes I received from my classmates, they were mostly V004/VA and V005/VAs, or U/U ones (U004/U, U005/U, U006/U).
Other special notes were:
N003B1 Y020
2 or 3 G/P Trichet
M009G5 V114 Duisenberg
P006I4 X066 Duisenberg
K007I5 T556 Draghi
J007/ S Trichet
P003C2 X155 Duisenberg P/X Duisenberg are rather common on Malta , but it's in quite good condition

I just wrote them down, so that you might find them easier . I spent some other notes as well, but they're not so rare that they'll be found that easy.

Furthermore, I found and saw some interesting notes/coins on Malta (they do not deal with the topic, but I wanted to report them anyway):
E009H3 G000, received from a classmate in Rabat, before he could spend it on the bus back to Gzira.
2€ 2009 commemorative coin, in Gzria, after buying 4 bottles of Kinnie and a bottle of water.
German 1 pfennig coin (pre euro currency) in the same shop, asking for Maltese 1 cent coins. Those Pfennigs will never die out ! Unfortunately, they didn't have any Maltese 1 cent coins and I didn't want the Pfennig as well. I have a whole bag of them at home .

[1971o]

Furthermore, I found and saw some interesting notes/coins on Malta (they do not deal with the topic, but I wanted to report them anyway):
E009H3 G000, received from a classmate in Rabat, before he could spend it on the bus back to Gzira.
2€ 2009 commemorative coin, in Gzria, after buying 4 bottles of Kinnie and a bottle of water.
German 1 pfennig coin (pre euro currency) in the same shop, asking for Maltese 1 cent coins. Those Pfennigs will never die out ! Unfortunately, they didn't have any Maltese 1 cent coins and I didn't want the Pfennig as well. I have a whole bag of them at home .

I were in Malta in september 2010 for two weeks and it was hard to find a 1 cent coin. Later on holiday I used to ask in every pub and restaurant if I may check the tip bowl for that, the answer was YES every time At the end I found one maltese 1 cent coin, very worn but that didn't matter to me!

You people in Malta are very friendly people and I enjoyed my stay there with all aspects, I hope I can come there again

[GWR7007]

Later on holiday I used to ask in every pub and restaurant if I may check the tip bowl for that, the answer was YES every time At the end I found one maltese 1 cent coin, very worn but that didn't matter to me!

I did so as well. The only difference was, that I was asked by a French user to bring him Maltese coins in good condition (if possible: looking unused) and getting the 1cent in nearly unused as impossible . So I had to ask him, whether he's willed to accept used ones, but he seems to be on holiday or so, and I didn't receive an answer.
But, I must have received ~8-9 1 cent coins in total, so still have some for me . As you wrote, people always looked for Maltese cent coins every time I asked them. Even change in Maltese coins wasn't a problem (after a polite question). It seems, that the Maltese inherited the friendly/polite behaviour from the Britons who ruled Malta.
And that's a difference: If you are in Germany (as I am), people aren't that friendly. Ask for coins and you'll get a no, or the shop assistants look as if they wanted to say, "don't even think of asking anything not related with the goods we sell".