After some initial confusion about where to be for our bus pickup today and what, exactly, would the bus look like, the few of us waiting in our usual spot were eventually collected just a little bit late. This was to save us from the public transportation that could take quite a bit longer.
The region we traversed was all new to us and it was quite spectacular in places. We saw the Red Tower (St Agatha's Tower) in the distance and mused about a possible visit on another day. The road was wider and less congested that those on our previous tours. And then we got closer to the coast. Talk about your bends in the road. Here's a sample.
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And this turn was followed about 100 yards later by a similar turn in the other direction. The reflection was because I took the picture through the bus window. |
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The Red Tower in the distance. On my schedule now for Saturday. It was built in 1649 |
We arrived at the Ferry Port of Cirkewwra (possible spelling) and boarded right away. The ferries run frequently all day long. The crossing was smooth and we had a bit of a peek at the Blue Lagoon on Comino, the smallest of the three main islands of Malta, as we sailed past. It's hugely popular as a swimming hole in summer. The water is turquoise and absolutely clear. The water is too chilly for swimming at this time of year.
The Hop-on bus was waiting for us after we disembarked in Gozo, and as we were among the first passengers we got great seats on the top deck. And, we took some pictures from the moving bus and happily they are pretty good. Here are a couple for your viewing pleasure.
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More churches, all made of the local limestone and all are kept locked during the day. We haven't been inside any to see if the interior is as lovely as the exterior. |
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No idea what the farmer was burning but the view was fantastic |
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You can get an idea of the man-made terraces for planting on the hills. At this time of year it's quite lush looking. Rainy season has just ended and the dry summer has not begun. |
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View from the upper deck on a Victoria Street |
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| The Cittadella - getting there would have just been the beginning of the climbing Once inside there were more stairs to the top of various towers |
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| The 1881 Fountain Rebuilt in a different location in the 20th century, at the same intersection, due to other construction It is a drinking fountain, and thus not very spectacular. We didn't drink from it. |
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A very popular summer spot was just around the corner - not busy today for swimmers The eating options were all available, but we stayed on the bus |
Our final stop was at Xengli and it lasted much longer than we planned. We had to get to the ferry by 4:55 to take the special bus back to our starting point. Otherwise, we'd have to take a public bus. We made sure to be early for the 3:45 bus, which never came. The 4:30 was a few minutes late and as we drove into the port area, watched the ferry sail out. There are lots of ferries, but we missed the last one for our ride home. We waited at the bus stop, with hundreds of our closest friends, and managed to secure seats on the bus to Bugibba. I don't know where they were from, but a group of obnoxiously pushy young men out-elbowed the crowd to get on first. Our stop was the end of the line so we didn't have to figure out where we were. Despite having a rolling screen of bus stops, all it displayed today was the date and time. It might not surprise you to know that we were already aware of that.
We saw an unspectacular sunset while waiting for that bus and saw a lovely full moon rising on the ride home. I took this photo from our terrace, and that wrapped up our day.
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Our terrace tonight |
What a day indeed!! JC
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