Mal-Teasers Part II

 Gozo is the second-largest island in Malta, and our second stop on this trip. We took the ferry over to Gozo (car and all) - our stay was at an apartment right by the waterfront with fabulous views of the bay. It was on the top floor of an apartment set right into the cliffs - and I've never been more grateful for two relatively fit companions who helped with lugging the many suitcases up the stairs. 

We set off the next morning to explore the Gozo Coastline - we'd heard so much about it - and it didn't disappoint.  

A beautiful day for a walk along the coast

We could've pretty much stopped anywhere, and the view would have been equally breathtaking. So that's what we did- stopped off for a bit and walked around. Followed by a bit more walking at Ramla bay, or the Red Sands Bay. Yes, Red Sands, but also gravelly mountain tops to get to the red sands, which made for an interesting walk down.

Can you spot child 1 and me ambling along the top?

Here we are, in case you couldn't spot us. 

 I didn't particularly feel inclined to dive into the sea, but they were inviting enough for there to be a whole gaggle of folks milling about in the water.

Speaking of water, the next stop we went to did, in fact, tempt me to dip my feet - this was Wied Il Gasri. 

This little beach can be accessed via steps carved into the cliff, and the water is cool even at the hottest times of the day. We were a bit underprepared for just how cool it could be, but if you're visiting, I'd suggest wearing water shoes (the shingle beach is brutal on bare feet), and carrying a beach towel if you plan to sit on the shore and enjoy the fabulous view. 

Just look at that lovely blue! 

We'd heard that the one place to visit when in Gozo was the Ggantija, or the place of giants.  That's because, according to local folklore, it was built by a giantess carrying a child (goes to show you just how much women can accomplish when men don't interfere!) 

- it's also a World Heritage Site, and the world's second-oldest religious structure. So that's where we headed to, after a quick afternoon siesta. 

The interiors, with the remnants of the apse

While the structure might look like it is in ruins now, the fact that this was built at all is quite amazing, considering it is thought ot be over 5500 years old. We also decided to do the main city of Rabat on foot - primarily the Cittadella, which dominates the Ir-Rabat skyline.

While the area has been occupied since Neolithic times, of course the Brits decided it needed to be renamed Victoria, which the locals have promptly gone ahead and ignored. The town itself is pretty walkable. We explored Cittadella, with sweeping views of the city. 

The fortified area also included the cathedral and St George's Basilica.

The Gozo Cathedral

St George's Basilica

 The city did have an unnaturally high concentration of images and sculptures of St George -- the patron saint of the city since Byzantine times. 

Can you count the number of cats in this picture? 

I do love doorknobs. Deal with it. 

Just a tiny reminder of the British influence (apart from the mushy peas pasties)

St George

St George at it again. 

We ended the evening watching the lights from our balcony as we sipped beers. 

Watching the sun set as we sat on the balcony

The husband and I got up early the next morning to visit the salt pans at sunrise. The Qoilla i Bajda is Gozo's oldest surviving battery and has recently been restored (having been many things, including a discotheque in its past lives).

This was originally part of a chain of fortifications, but there's not much left to see now. What, however, was spectacular was the sunrise out at sea, which you can view from this point. By this time, we were wide awake and knew Child 1 was quite a while away from surfacing from his slumber. So we decided to sneak in a quick visit to Wied il Mellieha before it got too hot, or the tourists descended on the site. 

the Azure window

Steps leading all the way down to the sea

 This beautiful limestone arch is also supposed to be a great dive site, but we took the terrestrial route. Watching the sun light up the limestone cliffs while we sat atop the Azure Window was simply magical.

Fossilised shells on the cliffs

The only thing missing was piping hot coffee... the call of it was like a bloody siren song, and there were no cafes anywhere in the vicinity - this is the only explanation I can come up with as to why we decided to gun the car through the muck on the cliffs - and got well and truly stuck. After aimlessly revving the vehicle for about 10 minutes, and then getting out and glaring at the tyres, trying to shame them into climbing out of the rut for a further 10, we looked around for locals, found a British local walking her dog (even the dog was smart enough to know not to go sniffing around our tyres), who, helpfully gave us the number of the local towing service. 

Look at that - we're finally free!

By the time we got through to the company, and the chappie finally arrived with his towing rig, it was almost noon and all thoughts of coffee had flown out of our heads. We needed something much stronger to soothe the frazzled nerves. 

Our much-needed R&R

It was early evening when we finally recovered enough to decide to move our behinds. We wisely decided to leave the car behind and trek along the Marsalforn coast.

We turned in early as we were headed out the next day. Most times, when I leave a place, I leave with a feeling of wanting to return for a quick visit. Malta left me with a slightly different feeling - not that I didn't want to come back; I really did. But it left me wanting to come back to live here, for good. I can't quite put a finger on what it was, but I know this feeling of belonging isn't easy to find. The Mal-teaser definitely needs a full-length movie.