Gozo

I caught a cold so we spent a few days in and near the flat while It ran it's course.  By Monday I'm feeling better and we are ready for an adventure.

We catch Bus # 221 toward Cirkewwa and the ferry to Gozo.  Gozo is the second- most populated island in the five island Malta archipelago, and it sounds like a good place to spend a day exploring.  The crossing itself is about 30 minutes and takes us past Comino Island, another of the islands in the archipelago.  Comino Island is primarily a nature preserve and has only four residents.  The sheer limestone cliffs are a key feature, and even from a distance we can see that there are sea caves.  St. Mary's Tower is the notable building on the island, which was part of the Knights series of watch towers.  It is also known for it's Blue Lagoon.

We arrive in Mgarr harbor on Gozo and are able to catch the 12pm Hop-On Hop-Off bus.  The harbor is small, with the neo-gothic Our Lady of Lourdes church up in the hill watching over it.

The bus takes us through Xewkija, whose huge Church of St. John the Baptist is also called The Rotunda.  It has the worlds third highest unsupported dome.  The church can be seen from far and wide.

Victoria is the capital city of the island, also called Rabat.  It contains the fortified citadel in the center.  We pass through Victoria at least three times as we criss-cross the island on the bus.

We choose to hop-off at Dwejra (Stop #6) which is home to the Azure Window.  It is said that the 92 foot tall arch was created when two limestone sea caves collapsed.  It is quite a sight!  Around the Azure Window there are limestone formations which made me think of walking on the moon.

Back on the bus we drive past Ta' Pinu, the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin.  We enjoy the countryside as the bus makes it's way to a couple of fishing villages, Xendi and Marsalforn.

Our next Hop-off is Ggantija Temples.  There are two Neolithic temples which are believed to have been constructed between 3600 and 3200 BC.  It is considered as one of the oldest freestanding monuments in the world, pre-dating Stonehedge and the Egyptian pyramids.  They're interesting but not as aspiring as Stonehedge or the pyramids.

After exploring the Temples we Hop-On the next bus and finish the tour loop, driving through the countryside and passing by the stops for Ramla (with a long walk to the red beach) and Nadur (whose highlight is a baroque parish church). 

We return to the port in Mgarr and buy our ferry ticket.  They've worked out a system where you buy the round trip ticket on the return to Cirkewwa and the main island of Malta.  It seems to work out fine and reduces the administrative cost of the ferry. In Cirkewwa it is easy to find a bus that goes near our flat.

Door-to-door we're gone just about 8 hours and we have had a wonderful day.