Gozo Highlights

29-10-2007

Today we joined a day tour to another sister island of Malta called Gozo.

Gozo Channel

We took a ferry from Cirkerwwa to Gozo’s Mgarr. The journey from Qawra to Cirkerwwa itself is very panoramic and pass by Buggiba, St. Paul’s bay, Xemija, Mellieha and the last strip is vertically up hill and down hill before reaching Cirkerwwa.

Ggantija Temples – located on the crest of the hill south of Xaghr, this is a really Gigantic megalithic temples dated between 3600 – 3000 BC. Historians have no clue why this is built and how those stones were carried up to the hill and by whom, as the largest stone weight around 57 tone.

Xlendi Bay – This is a picturesque fishing village surround by sheer cliffs. The highlight of the Gozo trip is a punch at Xlendi Bay. The water is so clam that there isn’t any wave at all. Although Xlendi bay is generally pebble but the patch that close by Stone Crab restaurant and the cliff is bedded with smooth sands and shallow. The temperature is perfect and in fact I can feel the warm current come by me as I swim.

Dwejra - The two highlights of this area is the Azure Window and the Inland Sea.

Azure Window – a huge natural arch in the sea cliffs. In the rocks in front of it is another geological freak called the Blue Hole a about 10m in diameter and 25m deep that connect the open sea through an underwater arch. Again I am impressed by my Creator of Heaven and Earth of such a beautiful master piece.

Inland Sea – situated within 3 min from Azure Window is a cliff-bound lagoon connected to open sea by a tunnel that runs from 100 m through the headland of Dwejra point. The lagoon is largely made of pebbles and I took another quick punch in this shallow end. There were plenty colorful fishing boats offering the ride to the inlet of the cliff. Other famous activities are diving and rock/cliff climbing.

Ta’Pinu Church – Also situated in Gharb, the Basillica of Ta’Pinu which is now Malta’s national shrine to the Virgin Mary. Malta is still largely a catholic country and that is reflected in the architecture or display at most house we see in Malta.

The church is built in Romanesque style with pale golden stone, this is a relatively new building compared to the ancient history of Malta .

The Citadel at Victoria – the capital of Gozo with a superb view of the island from the ramparts. After the steep walk up to the Citadel, we decided not to go in to the church but spend rest of the time at the fortress platform observing the different views of Gozo.