Blogs from Gozo, Malta, Europe
April 21st 2012
For our last full day in Malta we had committed to trekking to the island of Gozo, one of Malta’s two sister islands, along with Comino. Gozo is more than a third the size of Malta, but it has less than one-tenth of its population and is seen as the more laid-back, green, relaxing island one can escape to. To get there we first had to take a bus to the northwest corner of the island, Ċirkewwa, where a 20-minute ferry would take us to the Gozitan port city of Mġarr. Given that we were on island time, this took maybe an hour and a half, but luckily the ferry was leaving soon after we arrived, so we didn’t have to wait too long. The ride was short but scenic, and we couldn’t have asked for ... read more
April 9th 2012
Last buffet breakie today! :( And as I got to the waffle maker I see that someone has made wayyyyy more of a mess than I did yest!! And the lil girl was there so i could point out that it wasnt just me that overdid the mixture! we enjoyed our last breakfast and then got dressed for our trip across to gozo for the day. We were gutted cos Karla had got us excited about going to Camino where the blue lagoon was but unfortunately cos it was so windy they werent sending boats across so we settled for a day in gozo and just looked at blue lagoon postcards!! We hopped on the ferry and omg it was so rockywith the wind. Apparantley it was force 8 out of 10! I felt really sick ... read more
April 4th 2012
.Portugal to Malta I have had a cold the last week and haven’t done any writing since the Portuguese sailors left. We did not dock in Portimao, Portugal because of the weather. This port is known as the fair weather port, and the weather was not at all fair. So, instead, we headed for Cadiz, Spain, the port with access to Seville. We took a Cruise Critic Tour to Seville with 16 people on a 30 passenger bus and plenty of room to spread out. Our guide was excellent as we walked to the Alcazar or palace still used by the Queen of Spain when she and the children are in Seville. The building is beautiful and very large. We did not go to the second story, but only to the more public rooms. We then ... read more
April 18th 2011
Il grand finale, zoals ze het in het Maltees zeggen! we begonnen de dag vandaag met het stralende, warme zonlicht. vanmorgen namen we vroeger dan gewoonlijk de bus naar Mgarr. daar aangekomen, namen we direct de ferry naar het eiland Gozo. toen we daar aankwamen, kwam er een kudde taxichauffeurs op ons afgelopen! met allemaal aanbiedingen om ons mee te krijgen in hun taxi! van 60 euro naar 10 euro! jammer voor hen! de mama had namelijk een bus in de planning! en dit voor de meer dan schappelijke prijs van 0,49 euro! en dit dan vlak naast de taxichauffeurs! maar zelfs toen we op de bus zaten, waanden we ons in een zombie apocalyps! de taxizombies/parasieten kwamen er praktisch tegen het raam hangen om ons uit de bus te sleuren! na een geweldige babbel met ... read more
March 11th 2011
Sorry for taking such a long break from my blog but I've been stuck in a post-Carnival haze. By haze I'm referring to the cold that has taken over the residence. You would think being sick would make us all stop sharing food and drinks but it hasn't. I think most of us have just accepted the fact that this cold (and the cough that comes with it) isn't going away any time soon. In fact it has gotten worse since we all may have gone a little too hard for Carnival last weekend. I think I speak for everyone at the residence when I say it was well worth it. Carnival was amazing. During the day the streets were swarmed by parades of neon colored floats and intricate costumes. I have never seen floats like ... read more
June 30th 2010
Here are a few favorites from Malta and London. It's good to be back in Germany with the group! Luneburg field trip tomorrow!... read more
June 27th 2010
Malta Rocks!!! It has been 90+ degrees both days, and there is no shade to speak of. That being said, my Nike Sport Band said I walked 24 miles today! I took a some pics in JPG today so I could post them sooner instead of having to wait to get back to my laptop to process the uncompressed RAW versions that are higher quality. Anyway, enjoy! -Ben ... read more
June 11th 2010
So today we are off to Gozo. We got away fairly early and caught the 8.15 am ferry arriving a little over twenty minutes later at Mgarr. The journey was very pleasant and just enough time to have a cup of coffee before we arrived. On driving off the ferry our first port of call, excuse the pun, was to head to Victoria (Rabat) the capital of Gozo. The city was known as Rabat but the name was changed to Victoria on Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee in 1897. As it was just on opening time for both schools and shops the traffic was reasonably heavy but we managed to find parking near the bus terminus. As we found out, this was only a short stroll to the main shopping area and the Citadel. We walked up ... read more
June 9th 2010
The bus drives up dangerously close to the bumper of the car in front. Our grumpy bald-headed driver blows the horn repeatedly, mouthing unintelligible insults, pressing his lips together in anger. The radio plays Elvis Presley's 'Jailhouse Rock', and he turns up the volume to a deafening volume, adjusts his sunglasses, and proceeds with harassing the poor driver in front of us. We're sitting right behind the driver, who serves as our principal source of entertainment this morning. The ride from Valletta to Ċirkewwa, the harbour where the ferry to Gozo departs, takes around two hours, which makes it one of the longest possible drives in Malta. When we arrive there, the ferry's already waiting. We just walk on with the cars, as there's no separate ramp for passengers. The ticket is payable on return. The ... read more
August 29th 2009
Malta 29th August - 2nd Sept, 2009 London to Malta to Gozo Always seems like a good idea to book an early morning flight until we realised that we had to get up at 4.30am. It was the August bank holiday weekend and we were off to Malta. It was a 3 hour flight which we almost missed - when we got to the gate they were already boarding! We hired a car from Malta airport and drove down to the car ferry which goes across to Gozo. It took us a little while to find St. Joseph's Hostel which wasn't too far from the ferry terminal. It was about 1.30pm - right in the middle of siesta so no one answered the door to the hostel! We went and had lunch and came back. It ... read more
