Gozo and the Manoel
Yesterday I finally made it to Gozo, Malta’s sister island. I had been there when I visited the country last year, but this was my first time since moving here.
Getting there is quite easy, as there is a ferry departing almost every hour and the crossing takes only 25 minutes. I think the last time I went there was bad weather, because I did not remember it looking so nice! We had glorious sunshine but not heat so it was the perfect day to go around the island. I noticed right away that their roads are in much better condition than those we have on “mainland” Malta. Come on Malta, let’s shape up! If Gozo can do it, why can’t we?
Here is another suprising fact about this country: did you know that there are neolithic temples on both Malta and Gozo that are the oldest free standing structures in the world? They are about 6000 years old, which makes older than the Egyptian pyramids and older than Stonehenge in the UK. They were built by a highly advanced civilisation. The temples are set up for the sun to shine in a specific way on the days of the solstices and both the spring and autmun equinox. We went to the Ġgantija temples in Gozo yesterday, and I got to see them for the second time. It is difficult to really comprehend the idea of something being so old and still standing. It is really amazing to think how similar the men and women of the time were to us today, and also what a different world we live in.
Other highlights of Gozo include Calypso’s cave. Bring out those dusty copies of Homer’s The Odyssey and you will recall that Odysseus/Ulysses spent seven years trapped in Calypso’s cave in a mysterious island. Well, many signs point to this island being Gozo! There is no way to know for sure, of course, but I still enjoy climbing into the cave and looking out onto the Meditarranean while I picture our Greek hero. It really brings the story to life.
While looking out towards the north, I spotted the coast of Sicily! I had heard that on a clear day one can see Sicily from Gozo, and it is true! It was very faint, but it was clearly there. I actualy found this very reassuring, as seeing it made me feel a little less isolated. It contrasts to the walks along the seafront near our flat, where there is nothing but the open sea all the way to the horizon.
We also visited Xlendi, a beautiful inlet of the sea that makes almost a perfect rectangle (or at least three sides of it) which is now a rocky beach with restaurants and a couple of hotels. There is a great climb up the side of the hill to one of the towers from the time of the Knights. These are found all around Malta and Gozo (and even one in Comino) and were used to warn of approaching attacks. One tower would light a fire, which would be seen by the next tower, and the next, and within a few minutes the whole country was warned. How is that for instant communications!
Another architectural highlight is the Citadel in Rabat/Victoria (there they go again with renaming cities…) It is a fortified city where people could take shelter during raids on the island. The walls around it are extremely high and it is quite a sight to see the sheer drop from such heights that make them impenetrable.
Gozo is like Malta’s rural province. There are still wide open spaces in between the villages, and there is a sense of peace and quiet, as well as cleaner air, that is a nice contrast from the urbanised area of Malta where I live. I still remain a very urban person, however, and would not live in Gozo, but it is a lovely place to visit and relax. I now look forward to going again.
Completely unrelated: the night before we went to see a play at the Teatru Manoel in Valletta. It is an old theatre from the early 1700’s, and it really has a special feeling to it. They just do not make theatres like it these days! They recently restored the inside and it is looking great. There really is good quality theatre in Malta, as once again I enjoyed the performances. Knowing that most actors in Malta also require a “day job” to earn a living makes me respect them even more!
