Marcus Garvey once wrote "A people without the knowledge of their past, origin and culture is like a tree without roots" so, when your Dad mentions that he's booking a trip to Malta, the birthplace of his mother, who wouldn't want to join for a weekend? Appreciating that Malta is just a stone throw away from Basel the decision was a pretty easy one. Just wished I had checked out the flight and ferry logistics before deciding not to make a long weekend out of it.
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| One of the hundreds of churches that dotted the island of Gozo. Without knowing for sure, my guess is there are more churches on Gozo per capita than anywhere else in the world |
Upon arrival, we realized that the place my father had rented was actually on Gozo the smaller neighbouring island just off the main island of Malta. With these travel details it meant we essentially only had one full day on Saturday on the island. It was decided that we would spend the day walking around visiting the coast, a few small towns and then the major citadel of the island. Fortunately for us, a January visit means that the mid-day temperatures, when the sun was out, were around the low twenties. This made for perfect weather to be walking around on this typically sweltering island, at least for the morning.
We got lucky and the sun was out for most of the day on Saturday, an extreme departure from what we had when we arrived and departed. I was particularly surprised with how green the island was. I had been to Malta about 10 years earlier (in June) and remembered it being nothing but brown and hot. It was nice to get a different perspective. On both visits, the local people were extremely friendly and hospitable. We longed for nothing while on the island including rides to the ferry, friendly banter and the polite exchange of political ideals.
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| One of the many vistas that we had along the walk. From here we walked down to the coast past the salt flats. Incredible to see that these ancient practices are still in use today |
We ate lunch at a beautiful seaside restaurant. The food was tremendous. It seems that one of the few "crops" that has found success on Gozo is rabbit and so it was quite common to see it on the menu. The public transport was extremely efficient on both islands meaning that car ownership was more of luxury than a necessity.
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| This was the small marina/coastal town where we had lunch. Unfortunately, the sun disappeared and there was a strong wind making it quite chilly. It would be nice to come back in the hot summer and take better advantage of this place. There were incredible sea cliffs just to the left of this photo. Would have made for a heroic walk if the weather had cooperated |
The highlight was the citadel and the sheer number of churches. I guess if you're going to fortify an island and make it the final defence for your religion, you need to keep those symbols everywhere. The views from atop the citadel walls were really stunning and gave a good overview of what the island was made of.
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| I was surprised to see how green everything was. I guess at this time of year this is not unusual. Land is extreme valuable on Gozo and every piece of it is owned by a family, often passed down through bloodlines |
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| I can't help it. See a canon, must take a picture. On a clear day you could pretty much see water on all sides from up here. Gozo is not a very large island |
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| A view over the capital city of Gozo from the Citadel walls at sunset. From here it was possible to count well over 12 different churches |
All in all, I'm happy we made the trip. Not only did it offer a little reprieve from the Swiss winter but it was also great to spend some time with family. I only wish we had a few more days to explore the main island and also learn of the history that brought my great grandfather to be stationed here during the Boer War. There's always next time.
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