Gozo Island – September 27 & 28, 2008
(For more pictures of Gozo, see
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bourlingue/sets/72157607733303534/)
Second island of Malta; 30,000 people on, I’d say, one quarter the size of Malta Island. You reach it in less than half hour ferry ride from the northern tip of Malta Island. This is the country side, the place where Maltese from the big island come for weekends and holidays. A series of quaint villages – some more than others – well dispersed around the island. Each of them with its dominating church – the Parish Church of St-John the Baptist and its vast dome in Xewkija can be seen from just about anywhere on the island - it is striking! All made of the same material and of the same color, old and new construction: limestone offering a variation of soft yellows. Dry climate, not a tree in sight, agricultural land outside villages for cultivation of vegetables, wheat and barley, the occasional fruit groves, and, more and more, grapes (the wines of Malta were a very pleasant discovery indeed). Staying at the Grand Hotel, overlooking the harbour in the town Mgarr – great view from the room’s terrace.
Second island of Malta; 30,000 people on, I’d say, one quarter the size of Malta Island. You reach it in less than half hour ferry ride from the northern tip of Malta Island. This is the country side, the place where Maltese from the big island come for weekends and holidays. A series of quaint villages – some more than others – well dispersed around the island. Each of them with its dominating church – the Parish Church of St-John the Baptist and its vast dome in Xewkija can be seen from just about anywhere on the island - it is striking! All made of the same material and of the same color, old and new construction: limestone offering a variation of soft yellows. Dry climate, not a tree in sight, agricultural land outside villages for cultivation of vegetables, wheat and barley, the occasional fruit groves, and, more and more, grapes (the wines of Malta were a very pleasant discovery indeed). Staying at the Grand Hotel, overlooking the harbour in the town Mgarr – great view from the room’s terrace.
Rented a car (36 Euros a day flat – they don’t bother with mileage or gas charges as you can’t go very far anyway!) and Cynthia drove us around (driving on the “wrong” side of the road did not bother her, having lived in Singapore for many years!) The citadel (Il-Kastell) in Victoria, a large fortification complex, including the ubiquitous church, overlooking the town and the surrounding country, built during the Knights period, to protect the local inhabitants from Pirates’ raids – for a while people of Victoria and the surroundings had, by law, to come and spend the night in the Citadel, to avoid being killed or taken away as slaves by raiders. Toured several of the towns – never very far from each other: Victoria, Kercem, Santa Lucija, San Lawrenz, Marsalforn, Xaghra, Nadur, Xewkija, most inland. On the sea, the only sand beach of the island, Ramla Bay, on the north shore (we spent a sunny Sunday morning there – dark sand and a few people enjoying the cool air and lovely sight), and Dwerja Point on the west coast, a rugged scenery with a spectacular huge natural arch carved out of the rock, the Azure Window (which we saw at dusk).
Could not leave the island before visiting the megalithic Ggantija temples, the largest ones on the island, remnants of a civilisation going back to the 4th millennium BC. We learned that these are the oldest standing religious structure in the world, preceding the Pyramids and Stonehenge. A rock-pile complex quite impressive in size, considering how far back this goes – the locals of the time thought these 2 temples were built by giants, hence the name in Malti.
An island we may come back to...
Restaurants: Munich – Berlin – Malta
In Munich: Vianiolo, as guest of GEMA; Rue des Halles, with Cristina and Andreas.
In Berlin: Hashir, Turkish.
Malta: Bacchus in Mdena with Catherine & Claude. Zest, Hotel Juliani in St-Julians, great Asian food, with SOCAN & CISAC team. L-Ghonolla in Palazzo Spinola. Barracuda in Sliema with Ron & Marlène, and Eric. Paranga, with Keith H.; Rupino in Valetta; Fumia, lunch with Jos Dimajo. In Gozo: Ta’ Frenc’ & It Tmun in Victoria
Restaurants: Munich – Berlin – Malta
In Munich: Vianiolo, as guest of GEMA; Rue des Halles, with Cristina and Andreas.
In Berlin: Hashir, Turkish.
Malta: Bacchus in Mdena with Catherine & Claude. Zest, Hotel Juliani in St-Julians, great Asian food, with SOCAN & CISAC team. L-Ghonolla in Palazzo Spinola. Barracuda in Sliema with Ron & Marlène, and Eric. Paranga, with Keith H.; Rupino in Valetta; Fumia, lunch with Jos Dimajo. In Gozo: Ta’ Frenc’ & It Tmun in Victoria
