Malta might be a small island, but Gozo is smaller, although not as small as Comino which sits almost between the 2. A visit to Gozo is a must for any visitors to Malta, and we were keen to see it and experience its rustic charms. Even though it was still winter, the 2 ferries were running round the clock. They are so regular that you don't need a timetable, you just turn up and catch the next one. And the great thing is that you don't need a ticket, or have to pay, until you come home. We had a strange (to us) feeling of naughtiness, strolling on board without a ticket, but that is what you have to do.
As you can see from our picture, it was a lovely sunny day for our trip, so we sat out on deck and enjoyed the sunshine and the sea views. We had had a small moment of worry earlier, when we had set sail while the bow door was still being closed! but there didn't seem to be no danger of the sea coming in, so by the time our picture was taken, we were completely chilled out.
On our journey we passed Comino, but that was as close as we would be going on this holiday, as it was too soon for the small day trip ferries to be running.
Once disembarked on Gozo we set off on a coast walk straight from the ferry terminal. The harbour was quickly left behind, as everything on Gozo is on a small scale, and in just a couple of minutes we were out in lovely countryside, walking with the sea on our left. A few minutes more and the path took us down to a very pleasant beach where we could paddle (the water was a bit cold for swimming) then sit in the sun to dry off our paws and munch on a sandwich, while watching the 2 ferries (the white blobs) plying their way between the islands
As with our 2 previous coastal walks, it was an interesting coastline, with lots to see. We passed a beach where 3 large vessels, one a former ferry, had been scuttled to provide some interesting dive sights. They were just a bit too far offshore or us to see them.
There was an idyllic inlet (the Port of the Galleys), which suddenly became less idyllic when we learnt its history. It had been the place where a party, led by a Turkish raider, had landed in 1551, and carried most of the island's inhabitants off into slavery. Just before the inlet was a 17th century tower built by the Knights of St John; there is certainly no shortage of history on Gozo.
We also liked these amazing salt pans carved into the rock ...
It was good to be a bear rather than a human here, as were just the right size to scamper along the retaining walls and get a really good close up look.
The coastal part of our walk ended with 400 foot cliffs - we took care not to get too close. We then turned inland to walk through the small town of Sannant then on, just over another mile, to the town of Victoria, the capital of Gozo. We had a quick look round the citadel, but it was getting dark, so it wasn't long before we headed for the bus station to catch a bus to the harbour and our ferry back to Malta. Here there were tickets booths, so we finally got to buy our return tickets. We thought that just over €4.5 for a return was a very reasonable price to pay.
Sadly our holiday wasn't long enough for another visit to Gozo, but we hope to return one day, and we will certainly be recommending it in the Friendly Planet Guide.
Lots of love, the Malteser Bears xxx
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