A Day on Gozo

Today we are all going to Gozo - me & Thomas, Dave & Deanne and Jessica & Graham. As usual we were up early and we had plenty of time to get ready since we weren't leaving until around 9:30am. We met Jessica and Graham at Birgu Center and they called for a taxi to take us to the north part of the island to catch the ferry over to Gozo. It cost about €50 and took about 45 minutes to get from Birgu to the ferry terminal. The drive (which was partially along the coast) was beautiful and relaxing. We arrived at the ferry terminal and made our way to the line. The ferry leaves Cirkewwa, Malta and goes to Mgarr, Gozo. The ferry from Malta to Gozo is free but you have to pay to come back. So we got in line (which was long) and we had about a 40 minute wait until we got on a ferry. Once on the ferry we found a spot to sit and then just enjoyed to views of Malta, Comino and Gozo as we made our way across the Mediterranean. As we passed Comino, Graham pointed out a fort. This fort was used in The Count of Monte Cristo. It served as the Chateau d'If where Dantes was imprisoned. The ride over to Gozo took about 30 minutes and once off the boat we made our way to the bus stop.

We took the bus to Xaghra so we could visit the Ggantija Temples. These are two temples standing side by side and are thought to be the world's oldest stone structures and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We paid our fees, got our tickets and then decided to walk through the museum before heading out to the temples. The museum is full of artifacts found around the site. When we finished with the museum we headed out to the temples and walked around the strucrtures. It was amazing to see such large stones stacked one on top of the other - truly remarkable building skills. We spent about an our here before getting to another bus and moving on with our day.

Once done at the temples we took a bus to Marsalforn. When we arrived here we decided to get something to eat. We stopped in and ate at Murella Restaurant. We had a delicious and relaxing meal and just enjoyed the views of the water. After lunch me, Thomas, Dave and Graham took a GoTo car and headed out to the salt pans. Meanwhile, Jessica and Deanne stayed in Marsalforn. The four guys drove out for a short distance along the coast to the salt pans. We parked along the side of the road and crossed the street for some incredible views of the salt pans and the sea. We visited with a man whose family has worked here for a long time. His business is Natural Xwejni Sea Salt. So, we bought some salt and then continued our drive along the coast. We stopped at Wied il-Għasri and walked down some stone steps to a secluded little rock beach and inlet. It was so beautiful. There were only a few people there, very quiet and peaceful. I took some pictures and we just enjoyed the area for a while before heading back to Marsalforn to meet Jessica and Deanne.

We took a bus from Marsalforn and made our way to Victoria. Once in Victoria walked over to the Ċittadella. We walked around the area for a while and enjoyed the views of the surrounding land. The Citadel is beautiful and it was very relaxing wandering around. We found a place to sit and we just talked and had drinks. After about an hour we walked a bit around Victoria and eventually made our way to the bus stop.

The bus stop was crowded and we had to wait for a second bus before we could get on to get back to the ferry. Once back at the ferry terminal we had to get tickets - they cost €4,75 for the trip back to Malta. It was dark by the time the ferry left Gozo but the ride was just as beautiful as earlier. Once back on Malta we caught a bus back to Birgu. The bus ride took a little over an hour and we were all tired so we just closed our eyes and rested for the ride back. It was a little after 10:00pm when we arrived at the apartment. It was a fantastic day and Thomas and I really enjoyed Gozo. I would have loved to spend more time there. We will just have to make another trip sometime later.