My final two days in Gozo were filled with adventure, some lessons learned, and a few laughs
For my 3rd day in Malta, I booked a trip through Get Your Guide for a full tour of Gozo. I did not rent a car while in Malta because the traffic was quite congested and they drive on the left side of the road. This was a surprise to me, but it turns out Malta only recently gained its independence from the UK in the 1970s so a lot of British staples hung around, including the side of the road they favor. Since I was relying on public transport, I figured it was best to book a day tour to Gozo, which covered bus transport, ferry tickets, lunch and a full guided tour around Malta’s sister island. The cost of the tour was $65.
I was promptly picked up outside of my hotel and we spent the next hour or so collecting up other passengers. I was very surprised to learn the tour would be given in 3 different languages at once…English, Italian, and French. This made communication difficult because sometimes the guide would repeat herself or give partial instructions and switch to the next language. You’ll hear about what problem this caused for me later. Eventually we boarded the ferry where I had a Pastizzi filled with cheese. It’s a traditional Maltese pastry either filled with cheese or peas. After a 20 or so minute ride across the sea, we reached the port at Gozo and disembarked to hop on another bus. We stopped at an overlook of Comino, another Maltese island that is incredibly popular in the summer, especially because it is home to the Blue Lagoon.
Afterwards we drove through the city center. I was very impressed with the bus driver’s skills, but then again I usually am of all public bus drivers in Europe. We eventually stopped at the Ta’Pinu National Shrine, a Roman Catholic basilica. The history of the basilica is lengthy but our guide told the story of a woman named Karmen (referred to as Karmni Grima online) who had heard a voice telling her to construct the chapel. This chapel had already been constructed but was in poor shape and the locals had gone back and forth on demolishing it or reconstructing it. Many miracles were associated with the church and the voices that Karmen had heard. On the interior of the church were hundreds of photos and stories of people who were healed by her grace, Our Lady of The Assumption in which the chapel was dedicated. There were even braces and casts hanging from the walls leftover to show the miracles of healing that had occurred. Pope John Paul II had visited in the 1990s and they were very proud that this had occurred. After exploring the chapel interior and admiring the architecture, we re-boarded the bus en route to a pointless souvenir stop that tends to be on every tour I have ever booked.
Next we visited Dwerja Bay which used to be home to the Azure Window until it fell in 2017 following a storm. The site was also used in several movie scenes and my favorite, Game of Thrones when Khaleesi and Khal Drogo celebrated their wedding. This scene itself arguably damaged the ecosystem at the bay, leading to the controversy between the Maltese Government and the GoT production team. The weather was harsh and we were warned not to get too close to the sea or we would face the wrath that is Mother Nature. The cliffs were incredible and the water was a gorgeous, deep blue. I didn’t notice until halfway through shooting, but the sea water had splashed my lens and I had to clean it off quickly and reshoot all the lovely shots I had captured. I’m so glad I noticed this on the spot or would have been left with a few ruined photos of the bay.
After exploring the bay we were dropped off to be transported to The Citadel via “train” which was a small touristy train that could fit on the narrow streets since our bus had be reallocated to pick up the children from school. We had lunch at a local restaurant where I sat with another woman from the UK. She too made the trip alone after her friend didn’t want to face PCR testing to travel. We shared stories of our travels and where we would like to go, talked about our frustrations with COVID and also discussed confusion over our tour guide switching languages so quickly or providing instructions when only half the group was present. I did not grab photos of lunch because although it was delicious, it was nothing out of the ordinary to share.
Afterwards we were given free time to explore the streets and The Citadel. It had begun to rain so I opted to shop indoors and picked up a mug to bring home with me. When we returned to the train, it transported us to the bus where I boarded prior to the tour guide. She boarded later and started passing out our return tickets to the ferry, but because I was seated towards the back, I couldn’t make my way to the front to grab mine. We immediately started to driving away before everyone was seated so I figured I could wait until exiting the bus to pick up my ticket…and boy was I wrong. When we arrived at the port I let her know I hadn’t gotten my ticket from her since I boarded the bus prior and she got incredibly angry and said, “Well I have no more.” I wasn’t quite sure how she wouldn’t have enough since she had completed about 50 head counts that day, then accused me of trying to get another ticket and said she had given mine to the man I was traveling with…I remind you I was solo the entire time.
This woman got unnecessarily upset and paraded me in front of the tour group saying she says she has no ticket, did anyone get two? Eventually she got me another ticket, but only after much yelling and telling me it was my fault for her not having enough. A few British women who I had been chatting with earlier came over to see what the fuss was about and all we could refer to were her wild communication “skills” from trying to give the tour in 3 languages at once. All we could do was laugh and I brushed the experience off. After the ferry ride and bus drop off to the hotel, I got changed to head to One Portomaso for dinner. The restaurant was located within walking distance to my hotel and as a true foodie, had already admired their menu online and knew I had to eat dinner there at least once.
I ordered a glass of Prosecco and the Beef Wellington entree for dinner. The food was to die for! I relaxed for the rest of the night, enjoyed a few more drinks and eventually made my way back to the room with a huge smile on my face over how happy I was with the trip thus far.
The next morning I slept in and packed up my bags to check out of the hotel. They allowed me to store my luggage since my flight wasn’t until later in the afternoon. I took this opportunity to grab brunch at a waterside restaurant called Two Buoys which was advertised as “Melbourne meets Malta.” I ordered the Avo Smash minus the seeds, which came with toast, avocado, beetroot hummus, poached eggs, cheese, and bacon. Oh my gawd, I died and went to foodie heaven. Hands down best avocado toast I have ever had. If you’re in St. Julian, you have to try this place. It was incredibly popular and I watched at least 10 people be turned away because they were full. Thankfully one perk of being a solo traveler is that you can usually be squeezed in somewhere.
After enjoying my brunch and sipping on a mocha to warm me back up, I walked back to the hotel to grab my bag and headed off to the airport. Check-in was simple and I made my way to the La Valette Club via my AMEX perks. Comment on this blog if you have more questions and I would be happy to send my referral link!
Eventually I boarded the plane back to Germany and watched the gorgeous sun set on my adventure.
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