Our Gozo Trip

On Saturday, Laura, Mike, Dan and I went on an all day trip to Gozo- the other island in Malta that is to the north. We had arranged a hop on/hop off tour on the island to see as much as possible. While there were definitely issues with the tour & transportation, overall it was a great day seeing much of the Gozo landscape and spending the day with friends.

Hands down our favorite thing we saw was the Blue Window. It is basically a square cut out of limestone that the water and waves have made over time. It was gorgeous!

We also saw what we think is the Blue Hole right near the Blue Window. It was a little cave from one view, but when we walked down the small beach we could see straight through to the ocean side. The waves and wind have created the gap in the limestone and formed one of the most visited diving sites in Malta...as well as some great views.

Other than our favorite stop at the Blue Window, we stopped in Victoria, the capital of Gozo, formerly called Rabat. We stopped in a small crafts village to see the local Gozo trades such as glass blowing, leather making, and lace shops. Lastly, we stopped in a small town where there were temples similar to Hagar Qim but on a much smaller scale.

Overall it was a great day and we got to experience Gozo before leaving Malta this week. Below are a bunch of pictures from our trip.

The ferry to Gozo

The Church in Victoria's Square

The Citadel in Victoria

Gozo gas station

Glass Blowing Factory

Gozo Glass

Boys freezing in Malta

Church of Saint Ann

The Blue Window

Blue Hole

Gozo Church

Replica of Statue of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro

Gozo Coast

Views in Gozo

We are off to see one last Malta site today- the Hypogeum, the only prehistoric underground temple in the world. They limit the number of people who can go inside each day in an effort to preserve the stone. I will post one last Malta blog tomorrow to show you some pictures. Then on Wednesday we are off to Rome!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Until tomorrow...xo

Hagar Qim Temple

Hagar Qim

On Saturday, Dan and I made our way to the southwest part of the island to a town called Qrendi to see the Hagar Qim Temple and the Mnajdra Temple. The Temples are now tented to preserve the site for the future from the sun, wind and elements on the coast of the island. There are also some structural supports throughout the Temples to help keep the site in tact.

A little history before I go on...these temples are among the most ancient religious sites on Earth and are now World Heritage Sites. They date back to the Neolithic age, around 5000 years ago. These two temples are about 500m apart and two of the closest found together. 

Altars built of limestone

So...after we saw the Armory in Valletta, we hopped on a bus to head to Qrendi. We knew the bus we needed to take, but had no idea where the Temple was in relation to the bus stop. Let's just say after about 30 minutes of wandering through a small town and questioning 3 different cars we flagged down, we found the temple. 

Columbus looking for land...

The Temples were so incredible to see...as silly as that sounds. We were amazed at what prehistoric people were able to build without the knowledge, technology or anything we have today. They made roofs out of layered limestone slabs, carried huge slabs uphill to build the Hagar Qim from the location of the stones, and formed calendars with the stars and position of the sunrise. 

Ancient calendar, perhaps?

I am still shocked at the theory of the star and sun calendars they used. In the picture above, there are 6 lines with drilled holes. It is believed that each line corresponds with 6 of the brightest stars that were able to be seen in those days. (There is clearly a much more scientific explanation than what I am giving). They drilled a hole for each day that passed without seeing the star. Also, the layout of the temple rooms corresponded to the seasons. For example, on June 21st, or the beginning of summer, the sun would shine directly through the center of the doorway facing east and illuminate the main altar. When the winter solstice happened a sliver of sun would shine on the edge of one wall. On and on. Each season had a different marker, or so historians theorize.

Lookout Tower for the Knights

Near the Temple was also a lookout tower that the Knights built in an effort to protect the island from the Turks. There are only 13 of these towers around the island. 

I'd venture to say this is our favorite sight we have seen out of everything in Malta. Maybe it was that it was a super nice day outside, or that we were out of the house for some much needed down time. Or it could be that the information was really great, but I was definitely blown away by the sites. It was crazy to think there were people here who built these temples over 5,000 years ago. Mind-blowing!

So that is the end of our Saturday excursion. Pretty jam packed day of all things Maltese....and totally worth seeing!

Hope everyone had a great Fat Tuesday! We are having terrible rain and wind storms here so we are inside working and planning some fun things to do in Rome. 

Until tomorrow...xo

Valetta Palace & Armory

 On Saturday, Dan and I went to see the State Rooms and the Armory in Valletta. It's like the Buckingham Palace of Malta, I guess.

The Palace is still used today and holds meetings and official votes, etc. We took a quick tour of some of the rooms and then headed to the Armory.

The armory was very interesting and had a lot of the old weapons and armor used by the knights during the battle for Malta. We have definitely learned our fair share of Maltese history from all of this touring!

That's really it for today....pictures from our trip to the State Rooms and Armory. More tomorrow on our favorite part of Saturday...the Hagar Qim Temple.

Enjoy Presidents Day!

xox

Carnival in Malta

One of the floats in the parade

Apparently Carnival is widely celebrated in Malta. We unknowingly stumbled onto a parade in Valletta yesterday while out doing touristy things. I guess it makes total sense that it coincides with the lenten season coming up this week. While we knew nothing about it, it seems to be just like Mardi Gras...in it's own way.

Another float

Yesterday morning when we left the apartment we could tell something was going on because there were double the amount of people outside wandering and children were everywhere in costumes...similar to halloween.

Kids in costume...not even the best ones

We arrived in Valletta and heard lots of music and the square where the bus terminal is located was packed. After roaming around for a few minutes we ran into a parade with floats and dancers and music.

Dancers

Part of the Parade

After we toured the State Palace Rooms and Armory, the celebrations really seemed to be gearing up. We stopped for lunch and there were kids in elaborate costumes and makeup. Apparently that afternoon was a dance competition they were all part of to celebrate Carnival.

It was a fun thing to see and I am sure there were plenty of parties around town this weekend. We had a great day yesterday out and about seeing some of the final things on our list before our time is up in Malta. More to come this week from our other stops...

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Until tomorrow...xo

Thursday Night Family Dinner

Group Shot

Last night the 5 of us went out to try a highly rated restaurant in Malta called Ta' Kris. It serves authentic Maltese dishes and has a great European atmosphere.

Laura and Mike both had a the rabbit. It is a Maltese thing...eating rabbit. Not my thing, per say, but a thing. They both loved it. I had a traditional Maltese dish called Bragioli that was great. Dan had a beef stew and Ben opted for the grouper dinner.

Here are some photos of us out celebrating the Feast of St. Paul's Shipwreck...

Three Maltese Dips and Bread

The Kennell's

Rabbit

The Myers

Beef Bragioli

Beef Stew

Grouper

All in all it was a great night out. Hope everyone has a fun weekend! We only have 2 weekends left in Malta! Really starting to get excited for our trips in March.

More to come on Monday...xo

More of Valletta

The coast of Valletta

St. Paul's Church

The actual pillar where they beheaded St. Paul

 Here are some more pictures of our day in Valletta, Malta on Saturday. We saw both the St. John's Co-Cathedral and the St. Paul's Shipwreck Church. Tomorrow is the day of St. Paul's shipwreck on the island so there will be fireworks, parades, celebrations and more all around Malta honoring St. Paul. We are excited to see a feast day celebration in a place that has dedicated their life to honoring the saint. They hold St. Paul (and the Knights) in the utmost regards.

Bibliotheca- the Malta Library

The 2nd oldest Theater in Europe

The clocks outside of St. John's Co-Cathedral

The altar at St. John's

It was a lot of fun to walk around Valletta and see all of the different places. St. John's Co-Cathedral has two Caravaggio paintings and a floors are inlaid marble tombs for many of the knights. The gardens were also a great place to visit overlooking the water. We saw the sun setting and enjoyed taking in the three sister cities across the harbor.

The Malta Stock Exchange

The Saluting Battery in Upper Barracca Gardens

Ceiling of St. John's Co-Cathedral

Pillar in St. John's

Gardens

Freezing in Malta...taking layering to a whole new level

Hopefully this weekend I will have some time to post pictures from the celebration of St. Paul's feast day. We are still in planning mode and work mode around the house. Everyone is trying to figure out April and beyond right now. I am finishing up some planning on Rome and Amsterdam and trying to figure out the best ways to spend our time there. We are getting very excited for our month of travel coming up.

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday.

Until tomorrow...xo