Cool Breezes and Cool Waters

Finally I saw Gozo and Comino, the sister islands of Malta. I decided to book a cruise in order to maximize the amount I could see given the amount of time I had that day. It was a long, taxing day. Starting out at 8am and returning to my hostel at 8pm, my twelve hour day included a bus tour, three boat trips including Sliema, Malta to Gozo; Gozo to the Blue Lagoon, Comino; then from the Blue Lagoon back to Sliema. I happened to wake up extra early in order to secure a seat on the sundeck of the Delfini, the cruise ship, and was initially annoyed by the constant stream of people that attempted to shoehorn themselves in, despite the lack of space and the apparent lack of motivation to actually get there early. After the second couple forced me to act out a sardine forced into a can, I have to admit I was in a less than pleasant mood. Secondly this man, whom I can only describe a a wannabe hipster, clad in a completely opened buttondown shirt and khaki shorts, was constantly toking on a vaporizer that kept on sending its sickening scent directly into my face. Vapor or smoke, nobody appreciates taking somebody's exhaust to the face. He was also half of that "second couple"...so to sum it up, I was not a fan. Minus my barrage of vapor, the trip was pleasant, sunny, and with ample sea breeze to keep from becoming too warm.

The trip from Sliema to Gozo took about two and a half hours, and when we reached the port we were instantly corralled into two sightseeing buses. I was lucky enough to get the first seat on the left on the second level of the doubledecker bus two out of three times, and my pictures were that much better as a result. The buses took us the the Azure Window, this incredible natural rock formation created by the waves over thousands of years. After we explored that for just over a half hour we were again ushered into the buses to go to the fortified city called the Citadel, which defensibly overlooks the capital city of Victoria. Unfortunately I failed to see the sites of the Citadel considering we were given only forty five minutes to explore the city and the walk from where we parked would take almost fifteen minutes both ways, so understandably most of the tourists, myself included, decided against running to the top of the hill for the exciting ten or fifteen minutes to explore the ancient city that would take over an hour to appreciate properly. From there we headed back to the Delfini to take us to the Blue Lagoon in Comino.



Essentially the Blue Lagoon is just an immensely popular beach in Comino and is famous for its obvious crystal-clear blue waters as its name would suggest. I was apprehensive about swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, I have never been to a beach before, swam in anything but a swimming pool before, and therefore had never even touched saltwater prior to this day. However, on the reminder of a friend that I would be foregoing a wonderful experience by being so timid, I decided to embrace my opportunity. Luckily, I had worn a swimsuit under my pants just in case I were to change my mind. When I arrived at the beach, I found a spot to place my things on this cutout of this rock, received some worrying glances when it appeared I was taking off my pants to reveal the swimsuit, and waded into the water. The water was a very cold 60 degrees fahrenheit, so my travel to deeper water took some time as each inch of my body was forced to adjust to the freezing water. When I was finally deep enough in the water not to feel the sandy seabed beneath my feet, I began to swim. It was one of the most relaxing things I have done to date, and the fact that I had come so very close to missing this opportunity vexes me. I did attempt to have a stranger take a picture of me in the water, but my request was answered with the man pulling out an apple from his bag and taking a bite...which I guess is a language barrier "no"?  Despite the lack of commemorative evidence of my first swim in a sea, I can honestly say feeling gentle waves wash over my feet on the shore, the taste of saltwater in my mouth, and the plenty of other photos of where I swam are proof enough of my adventure. Reflecting on the relaxing journey and the highlight of my cruise, I am constantly nagged by the fact that I was so very close to foregoing this opportunity, to miss out on what turned out to be an unexpected gem of my trip, and failing to open my mind to try new things.

The Delfini in port
(I'm pretty sure that Delfini means dolphin in Maltese)

Looking across the harbor from the Delfini's Sundeck

Looking Back at Valletta 

The same lighthouse I took a picture of on my harbour cruise.

Maltese Countryside

Tallest Building on Malta

Residential Houses along Malta's Coast

St. Georges Barracks

Random Picturesque Sailboat 

Rocky Coast of Mellieha Bay

The next few photos are still just the natural rocky shores of Mellieha Bay

This one is me posing in front of one of Mellieha's many caves.

Still me, only in front of the rocky coast.

Me again with a rock protruding into the Mediterranean Sea. 

One of the watchtowers of the Knights of St. John on the sister island of Comino.

Coastline of Comino

My first view of Gozo with St. Agatha's Tower in the background.

Our Lady of Loreto Church in Gozo.

A much better photo of Our Lady of Loreto Church.

The fortified city of Citadel in Gozo.

Another photo of us approaching the Citadel.

Gozitan Countryside

A very interesting fountain outside a business.

Random "Pulizija" Officer

Narrow Streets in Gozo on the way to the Azure Window.

More Gozitan Countryside.

Romanesque Arches along a bridge in Gozo.

On the road to the Azure Window.

More Gozitan farmland

The view of Gozitan countryside in the distance
(It is important to note that Gozo is mostly farmland/countryside.)

Looking out to the sea from Gozo.

The Azure Window!

The next six photos are all of the Azure Window, a natural rock formation created by the waves of the Mediterranean Sea over thousands of years.

Me with messy hair in front of the Azure Window
(I was on an open top doubledecker bus for an hour)

Rocky Shores of Gozo

The next two are just of the natural rock formation along Gozo's coast.

 A man sitting on a natural shelf of rock with another watchtower
of the Knights of St. John in the background.

My best photo of the Azure Window 

My second best photo of the Azure Window.

A better photo of  a watchtower 
of the Knights of St. John

Photo looking opposite of the Azure Window.

Roman Aquifers in Gozo

A cat sleeping in the heat of Gozo.

Correction: an adorable cat sleeping in the heat of Gozo.

He/she actually looks sorta dead in this one...he or she is not.
 I promise.

Strange vintage bus that shared the parking lot with my tour bus.

The site of "An Oasis of Leisure and Arts in the Rural Heart of Victoria"

I did not make that up.

A heavy concentration of yachts in the Gozitan harbour.

The waters of the Blue Lagoon in Comino.

Looking from the shores of Comino out into the Mediterranean Sea.

The Delfini docked in the Blue Lagoon.

Rocky outcropping in the Blue Lagoon.

My feet in the Mediterranean Sea.

The view across the Blue Lagoon. 

The alcove I used to wade into the water.

The rest of these photos are of the same rocky shores and caves of Mellieha Bay I took on the return trip from Comino to Sliema, Malta.