Day 5: October 17

A Day Trip To Gozo and Comino

Our last full day in Malta! On this day we took a day trip to the other two Maltese islands: Gozo and Comino. A Malta geography refresher: Gozo is the second largest island and Comino is the smallest of the three islands:

The excursion was a group affair, on one of the Malta Sightseeing cruises. The cruise itself was nothing fancy, but it was enjoyable and got us to a part of Malta we otherwise might not have been able to see.

Here’s a short promo video for the tour we booked on to:

And… We’re Off!

We met our ferry at the appointed time at the Sliema ferry docks, and boarded (along with several other hundreds of passengers).

Leaving Sliema we slowly cruised along the craggy northern coast of Malta, and enjoyed the views of St. Paul’s island and Mellieha (a small town in the north of Malta):

In about an hour and a half Gozo came into view, and we arrived at its ferry docks:

Upon our group’s arrival at Gozo we transferred from the ferry to several double-decker buses and made our way into the Gozo capital city of Victoria. Victoria was the name given in 1897 by the British government on the occasion of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, at the request of the Bishop of Malta. We were told that Gozitans (as the locals are called) still refer to the city by its old name: Rabat.

The area around Victoria, situated on a hill near the centre of the island, has been settled since Neolithic times. In the centre of Victoria lies The Cittadella, a historic fortified city.

We only had 75 minutes (yes, 75 minutes… it’s not a typo) to spend in Victoria before rendezvousing with the bus which returned us to the waiting ferry (oh, the tight timelines of guided tours), but we made the best of it.

After a stop for lunch we took a wander through the centre of this remarkable little city. To me, it felt cozy and welcoming, and the people we met here were nothing like the locals we’d met so far on Malta – these folks were chilled out and friendly. The streets, too, were so calm and quiet – what a different vibe from Valletta!

St. George’s Basilica

By sheer happenstance during our limited time for wandering, we came across St. George’s Basilica. This magnificent temple was built by the Gozitans of old in honour of their Patron Saint. St George’s Parish is one of the oldest among the fifteen faith communities in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gozo, and lies at the very heart of the island.

The present building, dating back to 1678 and erected on the site of older ones, houses some of the most precious sacred works of art. The Basilica is surrounded by a maze of old narrow streets and alleys.

The church has been rebuilt numerous times during the Middle Ages, and It is one of the most architecturally and artistically (as well as religiously and culturally) important churches in Gozo.

Our time for exploration was drawing to a close as we had to get back to the bus, which, in turn, took us to the ferry boat at the Victoria dock. I grabbed a few parting shots of this lovely, calming and charming little city:

Onward to Comino

Re-boarding the bus, then ferry, we continued our day’s journey to the smallest of the three Maltese islands: Comino.

Comino measures just 2.5 km by 1.5 km. A rocky chunk of limestone surrounded by cobalt and turquoise seas, it was once the hideout of pirates and smugglers. Its remoteness saw it used as a place of isolation for cholera and plague victims in the 19th century.

It took only 20 minutes to reach Comino from Gozo. Comino is mostly uninhabited, and is a truly stupendous location, with some of the clearest blue seas in the world, as well as fortifications from the early 17th century:

Beautiful water, yes, but that same water takes over-tourism to the next level!

One of the main attractions of Comino is the stunning Blue Lagoon, which boasts of white sand with striking turquoise water. The water in this bay is so clear, that people are often mesmerized by the island’s scenery. Besides the Blue Lagoon, the whole island of Comino is basically all swimming zones.

A Maltese Info Break: Kinnie

Enjoyed on all the Maltese Islands is Kinnie. Kinnie is Malta’s best-selling soft drink, invented in Malta and produced since 1952 when fizzy soft drinks like Coca-Cola began to appear across Europe following World War II. The tangy flavour is predominantly bitter oranges with a secret recipe of added aromatic ingredients, including licorice, ginseng, wormwood and rhubarb. The flavour is similar to Italian non-alcoholic aperitivo drinks such as chinotto, and is made from the same type of oranges. While in Malta we sampled the stuff – Vince took to it right away but I couldn’t develop a taste for it (way too bitter for me). Apparently, there are transplanted Maltese populations in Canada (who knew?). To cater to the Maltese ex-pats in Canada, Kinnie is available in our country. Kinnie is also produced under license in Australia.

Back to Home Base

The group met back at the ferry boat at 5:00PM, and we set off, returning to Sliema:

As we neared Sliema, we could see the construction cranes of this booming city:

We were fortunate enough to be treated to a marvellous sunset in the last 10 minutes of the return trip:

Our Last Maltese Meal

After resting and recovering a bit back at the hotel, we set out for our last meal in Malta (we had a very early flight out the next morning). We found a great little place called Rumour, which had a definite 80s retro vibe. The food was great!

If I appear blissed out, below, it’s only because I’m enjoying Sex On The Beach. Yes, really… that’s the name of the amazing cocktail we discovered while in Malta. It’s a refreshing mix of vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry, and orange juice… loved it!

End of Day 5 in Malta!