Once we were back at the centre I was told that the weather wouldn’t improve and I wouldn’t be able to dive on the Sunday. If I really wanted to dive they were offering to dive in the afternoon but it would be at the same spot we had been in the morning. I wanted to dive in the Blue Hole, around the Azure Window or in Xlendi but It would be for another time. The drive back to Xlendi was much easier as I was starting to know my way around. When I entered the city I spotted a minivan that was in the same spot we had dived in the morning and after parking the scooter I passed by another diving centre. I can at least say that I know my way in Gozo now and that I know where to find some diving centres.
Azure Window
The afternoon was dedicated to touristic activities, my wife had planed a few things for us to see. We had a quick lunch and I bought a 50cl ice tea bottle that cost 3€; that is the most expensive ice tea I have ever drunk. The ride to Azure Window was very bumpy, the road was so bad when we passed through the small villages that we were jumping all over the place. I can say that Azure Window is as nice as people say and that the Blue Hole deserves its name. I would have loved to dive there but I was told in the morning that there was too much wind in that part of the island: there was absolutely no wind at all when we were there and it was not raining. To really piss me off I could see some divers gearing up in the parking lot and some ready to dive on a boat. I was not supposed to dive in the afternoon so it was not too big of a deal just a small disappointment. We then headed to the Ta Pinu church, the road leading to it was in perfect state as it was paid for by the European Union. It is funny that a place with a lot of offshore banks needs the European Union to pay for its touristic roads. From there we drove to Victoria where you can visit the citadel, there is not much to see there except for the cathedral and the great viewpoint on the island. If you have the right camera or the right software you will be able to make a 360 panoramic picture. Our next stop was Calypso Grotto near Marsalforn, my fuel gauge was around 25% so I wanted to get some gas but there was no station in Marsalforn. We either had to go back to Victoria or drive up the hill on the way to Xaghra, the grotto was also up the hill hence the decision was easy to make.
Ta Pinu
We were bummed when we finally found the station because it was closed. It was one of those old stations you would find in French cities when I was young. In Gozo the gas stations are closed on the week-end starting Saturday noon but you actually have a way to get gas. There was a booth where you could pay and choose what kind of gas you needed. You couldn’t use a credit card of course it would be too easy, no coins either the booth only accepted bank notes and the minimum was 10€. It was not an issue if we needed to fill up our car but it was something else for our scooter. I think I used at most 3€ out of the 10€ I put in the machine, don’t expect to get a refund there is nothing for it on the machine. If you wanted your money back you had to come back in the week with the receipt within a maximum of 15 days. That’s a very good way to rip of the tourists!
Legend says that the Calypso Grotto is the place where Calypso has kept Odysseus for 7 years after his shipwreck. Once you get there you will have to step down small and steep stairs and … nothing. There is indeed a grotto but you won’t see anything if you didn’t bring your own light because there is no lighting at all. In case you did bring a light source you will still see nothing because there is nothing to see at all! We had to stop here and there because it started to rain but in all we were quite lucky the weather wasn’t as bad as forecasted. We had dinner in the evening on a terrace, my tortellini a la marina had no taste if I didn’t put parmesan cheese on them and my wife’s chicken wings looked as if they had stayed much too long in cooking oil: my belly really didn’t enjoy the food.
Blue Hole
We enjoyed a nice breakfast on Sunday morning we then decided to go spend the afternoon in Comino to see the Blue Lagoon. We had to fill up the scooter before leaving it at the ferry terminal, lucky for us their was a gas station just in front of the terminal but it was the same racket as the day before and this time we had even less gas to put in. We inserted the 10€ note, selected the pump and no pump delivered any gas; this time there was no ticket so that I could complain. A Guy driving a motorbike came in the station put money in and managed to get some gas from another pump (there was four in total) so after he left we put another 10 and selected the same pump he did and this time gas was flowing. We left the scooter with the helmets and the keys on the parking of the terminal and went looking for a boat to Comino. We wanted to go straight from Comino to Malta but were told that the only boat going that way was at 5 PM. We didn’t want to stay that long on Comino so we bought a return ticket Gozo-Comino and 20 minutes later we were dropped on the Blue Lagoon. I see a blue lagoon this way: clear blue water and white sand; the water was indeed very clear and blue but there was no sand in sight. The waterfront was only rock the same way it is in Malta, someone wanting to lie down would need to look for a soft spot somewhere or rent a deck chair. I saw a boat heading to Malta, on it was written that it was going from Malta to Comino every hour: we had again been ripped of probably like a lot of tourists before us just because those assholes wanted to sell their return boat trip. Thanks for being honest! We decided to take that boat on its next stop but as we were waiting for it ours came back and we boarded it because the other one was nowhere in sight. As you have read we have been quite lucky during that week-end so the other boat appeared as soon as the boat we were on left the wharf. At least we got a visit of the rest of the Blue Lagoon before going back to Gozo to catch the ferry back to Malta.
Blue Hole
It was a weird week-end but I can now say that what makes Malta nice is also its weak point in many situations. The lost in time feel of the island is really great up until a point: the bad roads, the old hotels, the out of time gas stations and the run down building don’t always give a good impression of the island when one is staying there for a while but it is part of the island charm when you are there for a few days. Come to Malta to enjoy the narrow streets, the city as big as a district of Paris, the fireworks in the week-end, all the Italian restaurants, the old fortifications. This island is worth a visit.
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