Gozo - part 1.

Gozo is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, one of 21 that make up the Maltese archipelago. The 2nd biggest island, the island of Malta is the largest. We spent the day there today.

We booked an all-day trip so we could easily see different parts of the island. It was a very long day. We were picked up near our flat and spent an hour picking up others and driving to Cirkewwa. It's close to Gozo, about 25 minutes on the ferry. It was really interesting to see different parts of the island.

Our first stop was at Xaghra. The Ggantija temple complex is a unique pre-historic monument, situated at the centre of an extraordinary archaeological landscape, the Xaghra plateau on the island of Gozo. The oldest part of this complex dates to 3600BC, thus making it one of the earliest free-standing manmade structures in the world.

Next was Xlendi. A small touristy town that was traditionally a fishing village. Some fishing still happens but it is better known now for diving and leisure. We were taken there to a restaurant for an okay but not great lunch and a bit of time to look around. Some nice coastal scenery but not a lot to see in the village.

We drive through several Gozo towns during our day. The island had many towns and an overall population of approximately 40,000.

Dwejra or The Inland Sea was our third stop. It is a lagoon of seawater linked to the Mediterranean Sea through an opening formed by a narrow natural arch. It was probably formed where a geological fault in the limestone had created a sea cave and the roof then collapsed. The bottom of the lagoon is also mostly pebbles and rocks and is fairly shallow. Exiting through the tunnel towards open sea, the floor drops away in a series of shelves to a depth of up to 35 meters on the outside. We chose to go on a boat through the archway and then for a tour of the nearby cliffs and other sites such as Fungus Rock. Once we sailed through the opening to the Mediterranean Sea the water was an amazing brilliant blue.Meer informatie