Victoria

Time for a bit of island hopping. Due to rough weather, the fast ferry from Malta to the smaller island of Gozo isn't running so I take a slow bus to the north-west of Malta, then the large but slower ferry to Mgarr on Gozo and finally a local bus to the island's capital, Victoria. The sounds of Christmas are in full swing; hearing "All I want for Christmas is you" is a guilty pleasure, as is "2,000 Miles" with Chrissie Hynde's lovely voice, and there's even a choral version of "Holy Night". Malta is actually associated with St. George and his slaying of the dragon, as is St. Paul, who was shipwrecked around 60 A.D. And there's also the Immaculate Conception (image 3), due to take place on the 8th December.

The blue door in image 4 is the entrance to my accommodation, where the owner gives me a detailed description of excursions around Gozo and how to reach them, but she then has to leave for a domestic issue. For the next three days I have the surreal experience of the building to myself. Once I have mastered the controls I can watch World Cup undisturbed on the TV. On the Sunday, England beat Senegal 3-0 but the "England expects" mantra is to fall silent when a few days later, France knock us out in the quarter-finals.

As all over Gozo and Malta as a whole, Victoria boasts some inspiring baroque architecture. The Cathedral, which has just hosted a wedding when I get there, dates from around 1700 and is housed in the Citadella, which is about to become a UNESCO World Heritage site. Golden Hour, or maybe Silver Hour as the moon is rising, brings out its best. The streets of Victoria are noticeably different from those of Valletta, following a more ancient, Middle-Eastern pattern of hidden alleyways than that of its big sister. And Victoria isn't shy to promote its local products.Lue lisää