Apart from its stunning seascape, the real beauty of
Gozo lies in its quaint villages. Nada and me quickly explored it on our
safari trip. The van picked us up in
Marsaskala and brought us to
Buġibba, where we boarded our
Gypsy King and soon we were on our way to
Ċirkewwa, departure port for
Gozo. Our adventure began.
Previous days of our trip to Malta:
Day 12,
Day 11,
Day 10,
Day 9,
Day 8,
Day 7,
Day 6,
Day 5,
Day 4,
Day 3,
Day 2 and
Day 1.
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| 6 people boarded the Maruti Gypsy, Maltese driver, quiet Chinese guy, 2 Brits and 2 of us. |
View from the sightseeing point in Il-Qala
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| View from Kenuna Tower Garden in Nadur. The word "Nadur" which in Maltese means "look out", is derived from the Arabic word nadara, so it is totally obvious, that there is a semophore tower on the top of the cliff. |
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| Imagination & cactus |
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| The Gypsy was exported to countries like Chile and Kenya. Within Europe, it is most often found in Malta and Hungary. It is available either with four bucket seats or rear bench seats and a sizable trunk. |
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| Calypso’s Cave is thought to be the same cave Homer mentioned in "The Odyssey" where Calypso, the beautiful nymph, kept Odysseus as a "prisoner of love" for seven years. |
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| 13 represents a 1.3 litre engine, four cylinder, 8-valve, carburetted engine developing 61 PS |
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| Tal-Merżuq Hill with Tas-Salvator (The Redeemer). A statue of Christ was first put on the hill in 1904 when Gozo was consecrated to Jesus the Redeemer (leading to the popular name Tas-Salvatur). |
We moved on to rock-cut Xwejni salt pans. Salt pans have existed in this region since the Phoenician and Roman times, and the tradition actually continues in use today.
The salt is produced from natural elements such as sun, wind and the evaporation of sea water. Xwejni salt is collected manually with a lot of care and attention following traditional methods. A lot of laborious and intensive work is involved.
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| The expedition of 2 Gypsies had no issues on narrow and steep roads |
This neo-Romanesque church, which soars to an impressive height of 61 metres, was constructed between 1920 and 1931 on the site of an earlier 16th century chapel, parts of which can be found behind the present-day altar.
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| The mosaics, featuring representations of the 20 mysteries of the rosary, are mounted on four circular walls round the open parvis. |
We continued to Dwejra bay, a place of famous Azure Window, that collapsed in 2017. Another arch was connecting the inland and the Fungus Rock (on the photo).
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| The Knights Hospitaller apparently discovered what is popularly known as the Malta Fungus, growing on the rock's flat top. This plant, which is a kind of parasitic flowering plant, not a fungus, has a repulsive smell. Doctors at the time believed that it had medicinal properties. The Knights used it as a styptic dressing for wounds and a cure for dysentery. The Knights so prized it that they often gave gifts of Malta Fungus to distinguished noblemen and visitors to the Maltese islands. |
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| The Inland Sea, sometimes called Qawra, is a lagoon of seawater. As you exit through the tunnel towards open sea, the floor drops away in a series of shelves to a depth of up to 35 metres on the outside. |
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| Former Azure Window, one of the island's major tourist attractions, stood here. It collapsed in stormy weather on 8 March 2017. |
After lunch we visited the largest city of Gozo, Victoria. Among the native Maltese is known as Rabat (which is the name of the old town centre).
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| The area has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and the site now occupied by the Cittadella is believed to have been the acropolis of the Punic-Roman city of Gaulos or Glauconis Civitas. |
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| During the medieval period, the acropolis was converted into a castle which served as a refuge for Gozo's population. A suburb began to develop outside its walls by the 15th century, and this area now forms the historic core of Victoria. |
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| Only a couple of families live within the Citadel walls today. |
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| A major reconstruction of the southern walls of the Cittadella was undertaken between 1599 and 1622, transforming it into a gunpowder fortress. |
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| The Cittadella contains churches and other historic buildings, including the Cathedral of the Assumption, which was built between 1697 and 1711 on the site of an earlier church. |
Great view on all sides
One the greatest features of the Iċ-Ċittadella are the fortified walls and the bastions. As you walk along the streets you can appreciate the narrow winding and cobbled streets but once on top, you can enjoy the panoramic view of the Gozitan hills and valleys.
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| The Citadel is visible from almost all the Island, rising steeply above the surrounding countryside. |
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| Most of what can be seen today of the Cittadella originates from medieval times when the city was transformed into a castle. By this time over a third of the people of Gozo lived around the Cittadella. For safety reasons they were required to spend the night within its walls. |
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| Nada and Tuši |
The name Xlendi is of Byzantine origin as it is named after a galley of the period, that was wrecked along the coast, that was called Shilandi.
We visited the Caroline Cave, named after a Caroline Cauchi, a rich woman from Rabat.
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| View from our Gypsy to Xlendi's bay. During the British rule, the bay was sandy, but with the passage of time, water from the valley and human interference, it is now pebbly. |
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| It started to rain at the end of our trip so the soft top of our Gypsies protected us. It was also the end of our organised trip, so we returned back to the port, where Nada and me left the group. |
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| Safari trip on island Gozo / Għawdex |
GeoCaches found (all received a visit by trackable items "Bryan 2014 Tag",
TB6PQA1, "008 Groundspeak Volunteer Geocoin - sponsored by GC-KNECHT",
TB20DYH, "Proving Trail Geocoin",
TB2GZV8, La licorne montoise",
TB7J5G7, "Der Kleine Maulwurf",
TB61FZ4, "gran san bernardo",
TB84C9J, "De reiziger",
TB6R4VV and "FarmtagZ klompendans",
TB6BAG2):
- Ta'Kenuna Botanical Garden,
GC43PNY
- Azure Park,
GC56JKW
- Stairway to Xlendi,
GC4B41C
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