Malta and Gozo: Day 3

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My last day in Malta called for more sightseeing. Over the day,I spent 6.5 hours on buses, 1 hour on ferries, and countless hours on my feet. And I only spend $9.10 euros for all.








8:00 am: I caught the bus to Marsaxlokk, a traditional fishing village, dating from the Phoenicians. It was about 45 minutes away, and has a weekly Sunday market. The market had the usual stuff, veggies, clothes, electronics, etc. A nice man was eating fuzzy green things off a bushy plant, and when I asked him what they were, he gave me a handful. The texture of a mushy nut, with out much flavor… they were garbanzo beans!!!






The best part of the market was the fresh fish, and they were so fresh that they jumped up from the trays! Lobster, eel, barracuda, shrimp, huge prawns, displayed under red awnings that made them look silvery pink. The harbor was filled with colorful fishing boats, green, blue, yellow and combinations. What a photo op!!!




I walked a block into the town, and ran into a parade of beautiful little girls, dressed in white, for their first communion. There were marching into the church on the square. The parents and grandparents were so proud.





I caught a bus back to the main terminal, and got on another to the other side of the island: Cirkewwa. The ferry to Gozo, a different country, leaves from this town. The bus ride was an hour and the double bus was packed. We took the ferry across to Mgarr Harbor on Gozo, and arrived at 12:30.





I took a bus into Victoria, the capitol of the country of Gozo. It has a castle on top of the hill in the middle of the town. I opted to see the Ggantija temples from 3600-3000 BC. There are a pair, next to each other, and they were interesting. It was a 20 minute bus ride from Victoria to the east.



I returned to Victoria and caught another bus to the Ramla Bay beach. Most beaches in Malta and Gozo are rock but this one is “red” sand (looked brownish to me). The beach had a light house with a saint on the top, guarding the island. I got some of the best ice cream I can remember: coconut, with lots of crushed fresh coconut and a little bit of ice cream. YUM!





Gozo really reminds me of Tuscany: very fertile valleys that grow wheat, hay, grapes, vegetables; and villages perched on top of the hills, all with church spires dominating the scene. It is very dry. There are lots of sandstone fences everywhere dividing the land into sections.






I caught a bus from the beach to the ferry, and had a beer at the recommended Gleneagle Bar overlooking the harbor and the ferry port. I ferried back and caught the bus to Valletta. Traffic was terrible and it took and extra 30 minutes to get back. I arrived at the hotel at 7:15 pm; long day.





I cleaned up and had dinner again around the cathedral… this time, I tried the Malta Cheese, deep fat fried and served with chutney, and black squid pasta. I was really hungry since I had only some snacks along the way today. I went home to pack up and get ready for Sicily!






More Photos Below!

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