Gonzo for Gozo

 Our final day in Malta took us to the island of Gozo.  Smaller than the main island it also houses some of the most popular beaches and tourist spots in the summer.  It was surely sunny and warmer than we were used to but it still wasn't beach weather.  And, small though it is, the island still has some historic sights we wanted to see that were not walkable for us. We chose the Hop-on/Hop-off bus once again.  But first, we had to take a ferry from the north end of the island.

 It was still a bit chilly in the morning.  But the crossing is only about 20 minutes so we sat outside and watched the gorgeous scenery go by - including the Blue Lagoon. (Sadly, we wouldn't get a chance to see it because it was on yet another island and we were just too short on time).  

We hopped on the bus and this time stayed inside.  If there is one thing we had had enough of it was the wind.  Of course, we hadn't had enough of passing the time by being silly.

 I mentioned that the island has many sights but we had only one thing on our list of Gozo "must see's" and that was the Azure Window.  And thankfully, we got there when we did.  I was stunned when I read the news just 3 days later that storms on the island had brought the supporting pillars crashing down into the sea.  As it collapsed, it brought down the arch and at present time the only part remaining is the cliff face which the expert expect will collapse soon.  It is a terrible loss to the Maltese people and their heritage.  And it is a huge loss for the world.  I am incredibly grateful that we had the chance to see it, from all sides, before it disappeared.

As soon as we hopped off the bus we headed down to the inland sea cave (also known as Qawra).  Here there is a shallow, rocky inlet that is lined with little boats and again, those colorful doors!

For 4 euros per person, you load into one of the small luzzijiet (boats) and the guide will take you through the natural stone arch and into the caves.  We were very excited to be able to see the inside of the caves and watch as the color of the water went from green to turquoise to deep blue as the floor kept dropping away to deeper and deeper depths.  It was stunning.  Maybe someday when the kids are older we will go back and dive here.  It has been said that Jacques Custeau himself rated it in his top 10!

Waiting for the next boat.  (Advice: wait if you can and get the front seat - the views are unobstructed this way)

We were stunned by the colors on the walls.  And the changing colors of the sea.  And the cliffs and the rock formations and the caves.  I guess you could say we were just stunned by it all.

Those colors!

 And then all of a sudden we were out of the caves and staring at the Azure Window!  And it was as gorgeous as everyone said it would be.

 We also got to see the face in the rock and the alligator - can you spot them in the pictures below?

 And then we were coming back through the cave to the beach on the Inland Sea.

 We still had some time before the bus came back to pick us up so we did a bit of climbing on the rocks to get to the Azure Window.  The ground under our feet looked like we were walking on the moon (well, at least how I would expect the surface of the moon to look...)

And the view was gorgeous in every direction...

but the best part was definitely the window.  Again, so blessed that we got to see it before it became just a memory.

 My little helper (she has my equipment) marveled at the sight.

Too quickly we had to head back and catch the bus.  This time a seaside village and lunch were calling.  We went straight to lunch when we got to Xlendi Bay with promises that the girls could play by the water and climb the stairs as soon as we were done.  Who knew that lunch would take over 2 hours (the waiter explained that Malta runs on its own time)?  But we finally paid the bill and made good on our promise of some play time...

 We had lunch seaside at a restaurant just out of view on the right.  And then we climbed that set of stairs.

 And the view was totally worth it.

 We continued on down the other set of stairs in the back, very curious to where it would lead.

 It took us through this door...

And down into this inlet - Caroline's Cave.  It was fun to wander around the rocks down here and MadHatter even got trapped at one point by the tide coming in but she was never in danger and it made us all laugh.

 We climbed back up and then back down - these steps...they are the ones built into the rockface and look like a zig zag in the photo above...

 Passing the fisherman's nets and houses.

At this point, it was time to head back to the main island as we had an early flight the next day and still had the ferry ride, taxi to the hotel and dinner to deal with before packing.  So I snapped one last picture of the port...

And we boarded the ferry for the trip back.  {Side note - you only pay on your way home; the trip there is free.  I guess they figure you have to make it round trip at some point.} As usual, Stinkerbell did what she does best and passed the time doing cartwheels.

 And MadHatter did what she does best - deep thinking while starting out to sea...

As the sun set on our last day in Malta I reflected on what a great time we had on this tiny set of islands and how rejuvenated we all were by spending time as a family!  What great memories we will always have of our Mediterranean adventure.