Malta Exchange

Saturday 5th February - First visit to Gozo

A group of us decided to adventure to the island of Gozo, just north of Malta. We took the bus from Sliema to the ferry terminal at Marfa Point and caught a ferry to Gozo. The ferry takes only 45mins and cost a meer LM2 (2 maltese pounds or Liri). We hadn't really planned what we were going to do in Gozo but as we got off the ferry a local taxi driver offered to take us on a tour of the island. We all piled into his white Merc and proceeded to Ggantija (don't ask me how it's pronounced) which is a prehistoic temple dating back to some 3000 years B.C.. We next moved on to the Calypso cave, overlooking Ramla Bay where we explored using our cameras to light a path (David had left his torch in the hotel) before having our lunch. We headed down to the beach, Ramla Bay, which is the only beach on the island, and decided to paddle in the med. No-one else on the beach looked even remotely interested in paddling but it wasn't too cold. From Ramla Bay we went to Victoria for an hour and walked around the citadel and cathedral. We finished our tour of Gozo by going to whats known as the Azure Window, which is a natural rock arch with the connecting rock being a fragile layer of fossilized sea creatures. In the same area were some amazing rock pools and also "the inland sea" where the sea travels through a cave into a bay. Had we enough time we might have taken a local up on his offer of a boat ride through the cave but we settled for a few photographs before making our way back to the ferry terminal. All in all the day cost only LM8: 50cents each way on the bus, LM2 for a return trip on the ferry and LM5 for the taxi tour. We finished our day by visiting another great restraunt, Piccollo Padre Pizzaria in Sliema, I had an interesting meal which consited of a rolled up pizza topped in honey and sesame seeds and containing mushrooms, onion, Motzarella (horrifically spelt) and Blue cheese, it was very sweet but worth trying.

Ramla Bay viewed from the cave (see diary)