Malta-Gozo

Gigantica Temples

Azure Window

Roman Laundry

Citadel

March 27, 2014

Guiding Light

Today was wonderful! What a difference from yesterday. The sun was shining & despite the high wind which blows two hundred ninety days a year, it was glorious.  Our phone welcomed us to Malta & notified us of roaming fees, but our warmest welcome was from our guide, Martess. She's a native Maltese & we liked her so well we hired her for tomorrow. Our travel agent was right. We aren't here that long, there's a lot to see, & we didn't want to waste time being lost.

Today was all about Gozo, an independent island republic off the coast of Malta. Martess gave us a running commentary as we drove to the port for our twenty minute ferry crossing. Malta & Gozo are clean & bright. Views of the navy blue & azure sea are around every turn. The landscape is rugged, but roads are wider than Sicily, & the hairpin curves less intimidating. Geraniums  & other colorful plantings lined the roads adding to the feeling of seasonal renewal & our rejuvenation after last night.

The Knights of St. John, aka Knights of Malta, came here around 1530, after being expelled from Rhodes & from the Ottoman Empire. Their past taught them that massive defenses were mandatory. These citadels & defensive towers still stand. I guess they were effective, because the Knights were here for two hundred sixty eight years.

We continued past ancient Roman salt beds & modern aquaculture. St. Paul was said to be shipwrecked on this coast & didn't waste any time before converting the Roman governor.

Martess gave us a picture of modern life. Most people are Catholic. There is one synagogue, one mosque, one Greek Orthodox church, & a few Protestant churches. She explained how to identify a bascilica, (sorry, my spell check died)  cathedral & church. Basillicas celebrate a miracle that happened there; they have a cross on top with three crossbars. Cathedrals have two crossbars, & churches have the one standard bar like the cross of the crucifixion.

Immigrant (read African & Arabic) population is growing. There is an attempt of illegals to marry Maltese in order to stay. There is free public education up to age sixteen, then free university education with a stipend paid to the students. Maltese pay for mandatory national insurance covering health & education. Income tax is 5-35% with those earning minimum wage exempted. Families with children get subsidies.

The ferry crossing was very choppy but the boat was comfortable & we fared well. It was fun staggering around the deck. When I was trying to make my way to the sink in the ladies room to wash my hands, I lurched towards the door. Judi held her arm out, caught me, & redirected my momentum. It made sense that movies like Captain Phillips were filmed here what with the scenery & high seas. Martess rattled off several more well known pix most of which I've forgotten save Robin Williams' Popeye.

Everyone who was anyone has occupied Malta & Gozo. The thirty thousand Gozans speak a dialect of Maltese. Phoenicians were here as well as a people who pre-dated the pyramids by one thousand years. These megalithic builders erected the massive temples we visited.

Most Ancient

The aptly named Gigantic Temples (Ta'Hagrat) are six thousand years old & are a UNESCO site. Uncovered in 1820, it is said to be a fertility temple. Statues of goddesses were found with multiple detachable heads. It was imagined that heads were changed depending on the season or the goddess du jour. A foot bath was found at the entrance & areas for animal sacrifice as well. Spiral designs carved into stone hinted at a concept of afterlife or the "circle of life" to quote Elton John. We spotted archaeologists at work, one sporting a sweatshirt that said, "Archaeology,a career in ruins."

Our next stop was the Calypso Cave where the goddess, Calypso, kept Hercules a prisoner for seven years. I assure you he had a magnificent view. The fungus rocks were down the way, but, alas, the fungus is gone. It was used up for medicinal purposes by the ancient elite. However, the Azure Window remains. It's a natural stone arch reaching into the sea through which waves crash & tides rip making tourists gawk, take photos, & get oh so close to the precipitous drop-off. We gamboled over the rocks making our way to the perfect spot for the perfect shot, & didn't even get our feet wet.

Ta'Pinu (Pinu is Phillip in Maltese) Church, built in 1920, was down the way. Even Churches have Arabic sounding names here. Its claim to fame is a sixteenth century chapel & halls of testimonials. The latter are photos & artifacts attesting to prayers being answered. Cases display items such as baby pictures & clothing (fertility granted) & improved health (eg. crutches, braces, & casts).

Lunch was at Seashell, a place that specialized in expediting the tourist trade. The food was surprisingly good & we indulged in a bottle of local wine. After all, we weren't driving. We had a white fish loaded with garlic. It was a good thing we all ate it since we were packed tightly in the car.

On our way to Victoria (formerly Rabat), the capital of Gozo, we stopped at a Roman laundry where water still flows & the stone block basins could function today.  Not far was the Citadel that once provided safety for the islanders. Each night they'd gather inside its protective walls certain of their security...until the Ottomans came & enslaved all six thousand of them. We walked the ramparts & fought the wind to see the 360 degree view of the island.

About our hotel: last night we didn't notice the sign in RED above the sink that told us the water is not drinkable. This morning Martess assured us it was only because of water desalinization that the hotel thought tourists wouldn't like the taste. We won't get sick. Another issue was that we've been having trouble with our electronic room key. I ran down & up twice this morning (we're up two flights) trying to get it programed correctly. This afternoon it failed to work again. David made the trip to the desk & they sent maintenance. He did some hocus-pocus with a device & that didn't work. He finally blew into the key card slot. Voila! High tech.

Dinner was down the street at a place called Cuba because it imports its coffee from there. The meal was adequate but we'll search further tomorrow.

We'll stay on Malta touring all day tomorrow, pack, sleep quickly, & get ready for a very early ferry on Sat.

Toby