Tag Archives: islands

Dec 8 2015

Visit to Malta – Go to Gozo

Gozo is an island of the north west of Malta, a pretty simple ferry ride over.

IMG_20141202_131756429 - Copy

IMG_20141202_131926379 - Copy

Getting around feels a bit like a childhood trip to the Isle of Wight, on a open top bus.    Met some pleasant other British chaps on a tour around.

gozo pano1 - Copy

Pleasant closed off bays with marinas and hotels

gozo pano - Copy

IMG_20141202_142446987

The Azure Window does sound like a Microsoft application, but in Gozo its a famous landmark made out of limestone.   In Maltese it is Tieqa Żerqa.

gozo pano4 - Copy

There was a big fort here.   Wish I wrote this article last year while I could remember my trip better.   I remember there was a big grain silo here, this was needed in World War II, as Malta doesn’t produce much of its own food, stock piling materials was needed as no transport was going and in out meaning the Nazis would of starved the Maltese to death.

St Julians Bay – Quite homely for the British – Marsaxlokk – Valletta the old capital – Community in Malta – The best nativity scenes in Europe? – Go Gozo

Nov 8 2015

Visit to Malta – Quite homely for the British

IMG_20141128_085921718This is what I saw when I woke up in my hotel in St Julians.  Yeah my hotel room faced not the beach end 🙂

IMG_20141127_185537883

Its cheap too.  I had a beer and a F’tira which is a local sandwich made from Maltese own style of bread for about 6 Euros.   I think this must be one of the cheapest Euro-currency countries to live, although I don’t think the salaries here are all that great.  There are a lot of retired British people out here.

IMG_20141128_151705081 IMG_20141128_151049539

It also appeals to boaty sort of people, being a tiny island, there are ordinary folk and the rich and the wealthy that live here.   The first day I got to see this marina with my good friend Peter who lives out here.

petrol station

Shops are quite old school here, less big stores and chains and more smaller type places, here this petrol station seems oldy worldy.   Might be to do with this island is quite tiny so petrol stations have to operate in smaller places I think.

street

Unlike all of mainland Europe, but like Britain, this country drives on the left!!    Sandy white walls remind me a lot of Israel.   I’d recommend renting a car like we did, which is as little as 12 Euros a day!!

oldbus

valetta phoneboxSadly, only a few years before I visited, it seems Malta’s characteristic ancient yellow buses and no longer in service.   I think might be to do with them being less and less unreliable and not so feasible to run, occasionally I did see a few like this one re-purposed as a mobile gift shop.

St Julians Bay – Quite homely for the British – Marsaxlokk – Valletta the old capital – Community in Malta – The best nativity scenes in Europe? – Go Gozo