Navigating round Gozo

Off today for some sight seeing Gozo style, making use of our little hire car.

Driving on Malta is not for the fainthearted.  Many of the streets through the villages are a one way maze of alleys, made even more confusing by the Maltese names, many of which I haven’t the faintest idea how to pronounce (try navigating when you can’t even make a stab at telling the driver the place name on the road sign – there are lots of words with the letter x, and also an alphabet of 30 characters), and also by the numerous diversions because of roadworks, which sometimes take us down a one way street the wrong way. But hell, if the locals can do it …

Poor M is getting a bit stressed by the time we locate our first stop, the shrine, at Gharb (pronounced Arb), having indicated with the wipers on quite a few occasions. And it is only about 9km from where we are staying!

The Maltese do big churches in a big way. Even quite small towns will have a monumental church, with a fancy carved facade of the local buttery limestone, and an even more elaborate interior. Ta’ Pinu, the Maltese National Shrine is an exception, as it has a very simple and light filled interior, in spite of its ornamental exterior.

 

Next stop, again with a road diversion, the famous coastline of Dwejra (the j seems to replace the letter i in the Maltese language, but we’re still not too clear on the pronunciation), which featured as a location for across the Narrow Seas in Game of Thrones. This is a seriously stunning stretch of coastline, featuring the Azure Window, a huge natural rock bridge which gives views to the sea beyond, and the Inland Sea, so called because it is a natural inland harbour connected to the ocean by a narrow tunnel 100m long through the headland. It is just (just!) wide enough for a very little boat to navigate and is impossible in bad weather.

We took a boat trip through the tunnel (the boatman kept saying, keep your hands in the boat as we go thru!!), out to the Azure Window, and to several of the sea caves to view the blue water and coral. The water was a vivid blue and so clear.

Also in the area was Fungus Rock, named this because it was the only place in Europe growing a particular North African herb, prized by Arab physicians and claimed to cure everything, including venereal disease, and to stem bleeding. It was harvested using a one person cable car attached by rope to the mainland and sold to the courts of Europe for extortionate prices. Both Mike and I wondered who was the first mad person to a) go out to the rock and b) climb the damn thing.

By now, it is very windy and unpleasant, with half the sand from Africa clouding the sky, so we decide to head inland to visit the prehistoric temples of Ggantija (Gigantic), built around 3,600 BC, used for 1000 years, and then suddenly abandoned. These consist of two megalithic temples built side by side. They are huge and awe inspiring. Apparently, they were built by the local farmers and herders. Some of the stones which form the walls are absolutely gigantic. Parts of the complex are now being held up with scaffolding, while they work out a way of stabilising the whole structure. Good luck, as the temples are built from the local limestone, which is very easily weathered.

Home for a bit of a rest, before a pre dinner stroll along the cliffs to a cove carved into the rock and then dinner at a local restaurant.