To Gozo (Ghawdex) Again

Our morning sky with our coffee before we make an early start.

The weeks keep marching by and we still want to spend more time on Gozo. Malta is wonderful but Gozo maintains the enchantment of a small village lifestyle. Despite the fact that many tourists, ourselves included, travel to see the beautiful coastal towns, at this time of year it is relatively quiet. We had four places on our agenda today.....Zebbug, Dwejra, Ta Cenc and maybe back to Nadur for the Wednesday market. When the ferry docks in Mgarr all buses go to Victoria and then you decide which way to go from there. A look at all the schedules and the first bus leaving is to Nadur.

Gozitans are very friendly and always ready to help with directions. We followed a lady that was going to the market. The bus driver had said it was about a ten minute walk. As are markets everywhere, for us there was nothing we needed or wanted except a mid morning snack. We just enjoyed the local energy and bought two mini fruit flans to eat somewhere with maybe a cappuccino??

 

The last time we were here the church wasn't open. Today a door was open and as we peeked inside two women told us to come in and look around. They were volunteers and were cleaning the huge chandeliers that hung from the domed ceilings. Every church is beautiful but some are exquisite and this was one of them. I have never seen so many domes inside one church. Four or five men had a scaffold on wheels and they used pulleys to bring down the chandelier. The ladies washed every light and piece of crystal. They do this twice a year. Then they are covered in cloth and raised back up until June when they will be unwrapped to celebrate the Feast of St Peter and St Paul. As with women everywhere there is always time for a chat. While Bob took pictures they told me a bit about the history of the church and their community. This church is over 400 years old. These beautiful churches, in every village and town, will most likely be the last ones to be built on these islands. She said there is no longer the money nor the skills today to create churches of this grandeur.

 

She also told us Nadur has one of the best "Carnival" celebrations in Malta. It is the same as that celebrated in Catholic countries around the world. The most famous being in New Orleans and Rio DeJaneiro. People from Malta come to Nadur for the 3/4 day festival over the 14th of February. She wished she could have invited us to stay at her home but she said all her kids come and bring their friends. If it was summer it would be okay because they could all sleep outside but this is winter and everybody needs a warm bed. The warmth of Gozitans.

When we came out of the church the market was closing down and only a few tables were still set up.

A bus was there so we got on quickly to return to Victoria and get the next bus out to Dwejra. The neighbouring town is San Lawrenz and Dwejra is really a very small tourist bay on the west coast whose claim to fame is 'the Azure Window'. Local guides in their Luzzus take you for a 15/20 minute cruise through the gap in the rock to the outside water. There are caverns and holes in the rock, orange coral and as advertised azure coloured water. It was pointed out by the boatman the face in the rock and the collection of rocks up on the cliff that looks like an alligator. For €4 I was, like a small child, excited by my mini adventure. I have now cruised the Mediterranean.

 

There is always only rock. Remnants from ancient seabeds sit petrified on what looks like sand. I see sand dollars and shells that look like you could pick them up, but they are immovable parts of the 'beach'.

Sometimes when we think we are lucky to catch a bus without a long wait it turns out to be not such a bonus. As we left Dwejra back to Victoria for the second time today our driver told us to stay on his bus as he would be going to Mgarr, where the ferry docks. I think he wanted to keep us on the bus so he could tell Bob he knew about Cabelas (from Bobs Tshirt). Turns out to be the school bus route and we are inundated with school kids. They are very loud but fun to watch and listen too. There seems to be an innocence and open commraderie between all ages of Maltese kids. I can't compare with our kids because we never travel like this with them. But through observation it is hard to imagine bullying....there is so much laughter and face to face interaction. Another around the world bus trip that gets us to the ferry just 'after' the ferry leaves the dock. We have 45 minutes to kill so we walk around the harbour dock. There is an AFM (Armed Forces Malta) high speed pontoon boat with two - 250 horsepower outboard motors and a SAR boat against the dock. Marine coast similarities with any country.

And like all of us, we crave the warmth of the sun especially in winter. These young people may have been waiting for the ferry too. I know I couldn't lay on cement in any comfort anymore but appreciate the ability of those that can.

 

We are happy to sit by the window with a little refreshment after a busy day. On this our third trip to Gozo we don't feel the need to be outside looking at the sights. Kind of like traveling our BC Ferries. One more bus and our seven block walk and we are home. Another good day. If I was ever to come back to Malta I would want to stay on Gozo.

 

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Golden Bay and St. Agatha's, aka The Red Tower

The days are getting warmer. Today there is no wind as we set out to Golden Bay again. Mosta Road is such a busy street. It is a shopping and business center for locals with a few tourists thrown in. It is where we do our shopping, catch our bus and get off the bus for the 6/7 block walk home. Pastizzerias are in every street in every town and village. For less than a €1 you can get a huge slice of pizza, a sausage roll or a pastizzi which is usually flakey pastry around ricotta cheese or mashed potatoes and mushy peas( British leftover) yuk! €1.8 will buy you a lasagna or tortellini big enough for two people easy. It's a great stop gap meal but after a few times you say ...That's enough....it is their fast food equivalent.

Our typical blue 'King Long' bus stopping at our stop when we come home.

 

Shadows of Bob and Karen waiting for the bus to Golden Bay in the morning sunshine. I think it is hard for people reading my blog to understand how much this country runs on buses. Despite the fact that a lot of the passengers are tourists or expats without cars, a lot of Maltese use them too. When we set out for a day to somewhere we may up being on 5/6, maybe even 7 buses before we get home. Today we ended up on a bus that took a bypass road past Mellieha where we were going. We ended up almost at Cirkewwa and the Gozo ferry before we could get off. So we crossed the street and waited for the next bus back. Even as you sit on a rock wall and wait, the scenery is fantastic to look at when you are rural and the people watching is great when you are in more urban centres.

When we were on the beach in Golden Bay last week we could see people high up on the cliffs, so this is where we went today. There was nobody around at the time so we sat on the steps going down to the beach and I sketched and Bob just enjoyed the view. I just wish I would slow down and make sure my spelling was accurate in my journal.

I'm running out of words to describe this place. We don't always get very far and sometimes we spend a lot of time on buses, but it's all about our journies not always the destinations.

 

 

 

Along this headland was a walking trail planted with olive trees that had been developed to record some of the most famous figures in history that fought and died for peace. From Nelson Mandala, Ghandi, the Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King, to the Kennedys, a few Popes, and even John Lennon and Bob Marley. It was a very peaceful walk reading all the biographies of these historic personalities with the added bonus of the information on the growing, production and nutritional value of the olive fruit. Nobody but us did this walk. We spent probably an hour wandering through this small olive grove situated on the side of the cliff overlooking Golden Bay.

It took a couple of buses back and forth and a steep uphill climb to get to St. Agatha's or The Red Tower. Another 16th century fortress built as a defensive position manned by the Knights of St John against invading forces. There are so many of these towers all over Malta, some larger than others. This one is unique because of the colour of the stone which was painted red and maintained during restoration.

This tower certainly marred the view but I had to take a picture because it is the only one I've seen on Malta.

Stone walls again, everywhere...no cement filler just smaller rocks to fill in the cracks and crannies.

We ended the day in Xemxija, pronounced Shemshia, where we finally had some lunch, and a bathroom break. There was a produce truck parked across the road where we picked up what we needed for dinner. We got home by 4:00 and put together an oven dinner of chicken cooked with a recipe Bob found in the Malta Times. It was delicious and again we have leftovers. I love left overs because it means I don't have to think about dinner tomorrow as we are going to Gozo again and don't plan to be back much before dark.

 

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Mdina and Rabat

I think the two to three week 'winter' cold spell is over. The days, even though they may be windy, are definitely warmer and the rain seems to be out of the weather picture. After almost six weeks here there are not many places we haven't seen. There are still places I need to see again, like Mdina, for the third time. We have an early start and are rewarded with quiet streets in the walled city. I don't think I would ever get tired of walking these narrow silent alleyways. It's hard to imagine that people actually live in this silent city.

 

 

 

 

In the front page of my first Malta journal I tried to capture what I thought would be the turquoise of the Mediterranean Sea. The colour that stands out now after our time here is Ochre with so many shades and variations brought about by age, restoration and weather. In journal number two I tried to capture for my first page this wall that is so representative of Maltas ancient structures.

I have two items on my shopping list that are specific to Malta. One is an Osiris eye that is painted on all the Maltese fishing boats for good luck. I want to wear it on a neck cord. The other item is a handmade sweater. Today I found my sweater in Mdina in a little shop where the sweaters are knit from hand spun wool by 'the ladies'. I'm not sure where the 'ladies' are working but the oldest representative was sitting in the back of the shop. At 90 years of age she doesn't knit anymore but she was quite sure that I should have the cardigan over the pullover. So that is what I bought. Too bad I have to always make spelling mistakes in my journal. At least when I'm blogging I have spell check.

And today's winning numbers are......I should look into whether non residents can buy tickets. That's about a half a million Canadian dollars.

We left the walled city and crossed the street into Rabat. We were looking for lunch but a huge black cloud threatened so we quickly had cappuccinos and a tart and kept walking through town. On a quiet street we met two young women, one Venezuelan, the other Lithuanian but both from London on a quick one week visit. They were still pulling their suitcases having a quick look down some of the unique streets before meeting their flat renter. They are staying in Mdina for their six days. We have yet to meet anyone from Canada or the U.S.

Not quite ready to head for home, but tired of walking, we take the bus that does a circle route to Mtarfa. About a half hour ride and we are back at the Rabat bus exchange where we get the X3 to home. It is a fairly normal outing for us time-wise unless we have a big day planned. Out by 9:30 and home about 3:00/3:30. Time to relax a bit before dinner. Leftovers from last nights roast pork. Easy peasy:)

 

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Shopping and Laundry

Sunday is a unique day. It is filled with energy. Not ours today, but the Maltese people are out in force. Fancy, high performance cars and crotch rocket bikes race around. It is a day for the Sunday lunch and a walk with family and friends.

It is our day to catch up and do our grocery shopping. As we walk the streets to Piscopo's Cash and Carry market you can hear radios playing and peoples conversations. It is so different from the quiet of a week day. It is winter here and people enjoy the warmth of the sun as we do in the first warm days of spring at home. The serious walkers are striding along the promenade and the social walkers stop to sit and enjoy the heat and the view and often a smoke too. So many smokers still.

We made two trips to the Mosta Road shops today. Depending on what we have on our grocery list the load can be pretty heavy to carry on our backs. We did the basics and the meat shop this morning and then went back for vegetables and bread this afternoon. This should be our last big shop before we move to Marsascala in a little over two weeks.

It has been another windy day but the sun is warm this afternoon. So after we put the groceries away we fill our wine cup and my wine skin and go sit in the sun on a bench in front of our apartment. It is times like this that are how I had envisioned our being in Malta.

We have a fresh pork roast and vegetables in the oven as the sun sets on a lovely Sunday afternoon, Maltese style. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude that I am here experiencing this unique and beautiful country.

I have no pictures and so far no sketches for today. It has been a day of rest from travel.

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Another Day at Dingli

Because we didn't get a chance to walk through the town of Dingli yesterday on our way to the cliffs we decided to try again today. Like the grain elevators in the prairies, the church domes and bell towers let you know where the center of the next town is. The bus route is very quiet and we find ourselves in a town square that is virtually empty on this Saturday late morning. It is windy from every direction.

Wherever we are we check out the bus directions and schedules as we get off one bus. If a bus comes along we will sometimes get on it just to see where it goes. Today it is warmer on the bus than off. This picture won't mean much to anyone reading this but it means a lot to us as we have travelled pretty much every bus route on the map. More than once!

 

We even managed to get the same bus again with the crazy driver from yesterday. We all remembered each other:) His comment today was that there is no one else on the 'track'. I think he meant that there is no one to compete with him for speed or time on this route. We know we have been in Malta for awhile when the bus drivers are starting to remember us.

 

No guard rails, no warnings, hardly any lines on the roads....there really aren't a lot of "do and don't" rules here on Malta.

There's really no wood or good dirt on the island of Malta. It's all rock.On this west coast we have seen two quarries and the biggest areas of agriculture. As mentioned in earlier posts each tiny field is contained by a rock wall with a little wooden entry gate This seems to be the time for fields to be prepared for spring planting. We saw quite a few 'farmers' out in their fields today with rototillers. We have seen one tractor. The fields are not large enough to warrant big machinery. Soil is like gold here and it is well looked after.

This white van is parked where our bus needs room to make the corner. No problem, the driver comes out to move it but can't get it started....a few tries, then another fellow comes out and between the two of them they push it just far enough so that the bus can squeeze through. Everybody is happy. Not even any honking of horns. Can't imagine this scenario at home.

This was one of the few roadways we saw along the cliffs to get down to the tiered fields below. As we look out at the water this little rocky islet called Filfla is the only thing you can see. It is a protected bird sanctuary and home to a rare type of lizard. No one is allowed to land on the island.

My decision to have wine with a slow lunch everyday sure didn't work out today. It was too cold and windy to sit outside anywhere, so a €1 slice of pizza from this Pastizzeria between buses was it for today.

Today our X3 bus took us home the quick route, not the hour long circle tour of middle Malta like yesterday. We are tired and happy to be home. Tomorrow we take a break from the bus and just walk to get groceries.

 

Today I finished my first journal of the trip. I'm surprised at how fast it happened given that I was struggling to do pages the first couple of weeks. I only have one more Journal with me but I do have a package of loose pages if I need more before the end of our trip.....or I might have to go shopping:). Volume two is ready to go.

 

 

 

 

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Dingli Cliffs

Our days have evolved into somewhat of a regular pattern. In the evening as we reflect on our day we always agree we will not make plans for tomorrow until we wake up, check the weather and decide how much energy we have.

It is a comfortable routine we have with our morning coffee and breakfast. Even with the daily chores we can be on the bus between 9:00 and 10:00am going somewhere. Today we headed for Dingli Cliffs on the west side of Malta. Bob got this photo from the bus outside of 'Shiny's Bar' about 10:30 going through Dingli on the way to the cliffs. Just enjoying the morning sun or waiting for the bar to open....?

We are in new territory but stay on the bus through the town of Dingli on our way to the cliffs. It is our plan to come back and wander through town later.

As a result of the tectonics of the central Mediterranean the island of Malta is tilted from west to east. This is characterized by the cliffs from Birzebbuga In the southern end to the Northern cliffs of Mellieha which we look out on from our apartment. It is from those hills that we watch the beginning of each day. The cliffs of Dingli are 250 metres above sea level and are the highest point on the island of Malta.

As we look out over the Mediterranean we know in the unseen distance it is Tunisia in North Africa. It is windy on the cliffs and the weather is not cooperating for us. The sun we started with has been replaced by clouds. We enjoyed our walk along the cliffs but didn't take time to enjoy the views on the benches looking out to sea.

You always know where to find the centre of town. We're not sure if we're going to get back into Dingli or end up in Siggiewi. This is the Church of St Mary Magdalen dating back to the 16th century. It is not open to see inside so we wait across the street for a bus going somewhere.

A lot of the bus drivers push the envelope going through traffic and around corners. But this guy was the craziest yet. We had the front seat on the left side and a good view out the window. I wish I had been able to video our trip but one picture is all I managed. We had to hold on at every turn. A lot of these roads are only wide enough for one vehicle. We ended up behind a truck filled with rock from a quarry and our driver was right up that truck's ass, braking and speeding up until he had the opportunity on a downhill to pass. When we saw the dome of a church we new we were near the centre of town and rang the buzzer to stop and get off. I said 'Thanks for the ride hotshot' and Bob asked him if there was a prize for getting somewhere first. He wasn't sure at first what we were talking about but then the light went on and he said 'yes' with a big grin, lol....

A few pictures from the Pjazza of Siggiewi.

This guy and a friend who was standing behind him gave us the look as we wandered up through the square. We were taking pictures and also looking for someplace to eat lunch. I asked where was a good spot and the standing guy pointed across the street to a bar. The only thing you could see inside was a pool table so we kept walking. We found a place with some tables outside that happened to be in the sun. Lunch special was Rice pie, Maltese style. Have to try these things. A bottle of HopLeaf and white wine for me washed down a pretty boring lunch. When we walked back to the square this guy was still sleeping, his head resting on the iron rail. He didn't move but kept one eye on us all the time.

 

 

 

I'm not getting a lot of painting time with our days being so busy but between some sketches and the blog we should have a pretty good record of our travels.

Observations....

Christmas decorations coming down as we wait at a bus stop in Mosta. They act like they're on a float, waving, as they see Bob taking their picture.

Sunrise and a little shower providing a rainbow over St Paul's Island this morning.

 

 

Where's the rest of the building??

I swear they were playing bingo in the church. We couldn't understand the language but it sounded like someone was calling out numbers:)

Store called Needs and Treats.

Signs "To Let" mean for rent....every time I see one I think it says toilet with the 'I' missing....just sayin'....

I love having lunch in the sunshine in a Pjazza in the shadow of a huge, ancient domed church.

 

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