by JoanM

Created on: November 27, 2010

Should I or shouldn’t I let you into a secret? Malta is a favourite holiday destination of ours and as we have a timeshare based there we usually go at least once a year. This year we flew to Malta but had a taxi straight to the ferry and went to Gozo, often described along with Comina as one of the sister islands, this small island is a wee gem in my book and has certainly made us want to return and enjoy the delights it has to offer.

*Size*

Gozo is 67square kilometres, 14km long and 7 km wide, with a population of around 23,000, which increases as the ferry brings tourists each day to experience the beauty of this interesting island, they rush around the island jumping on and off their coaches, taking photos and are off again, thankfully we could enjoy Gozo at a much slower pace.

*History*

Homer described in The Odyssey that Ulysses was washed ashore onto an island and the Goddess Calypso cast her spell over him. There are other islands that could fit the bill, but the Gozitans claim this to be true and have a cave which they say was the place Calypso lived with Ulysses overlooking the sea at Ramla Bay. Archaelogical evidence shows that Gozo has several megalithic sites, with the Ggantija temples being one place not to miss.  The Turks attacked Gozo in 1551 and most of the population were taken into slavery, leaving behind just a few old men.

*Nature*

Gozo is surrounded by the sea which is warm even in October, there are beaches to sunbathe, cliffs, salt pans, rocks, caves, and harbours with bobbing fishing boats and wonderful views. The flowers somehow survive even in hot spells and there are wonderful sunsets to enjoy. The Blue rock thrush is the national bird and the Malta Knapweed is the national flower, both can be seen on the Ta’Cenc cliffs, where we enjoyed a lovely walk, not wanting to risk the hired car on the track, although we were passed by several vehicles taking people down to the coast to go diving, another popular pastime on Gozo. Other flowers include beautiful wild orchids and some Yucca Gloriosa I found which was so beautiful, the Prickly pear are huge and are used to make liqueurs but don’t touch as they are extremely prickly! The valleys are used to grow lots of fruit and vegetables, and Gozo even exports some to Malta and further a field. Gozo is much greener than Malta, and because of the recent rain plants were shooting up and giving everywhere a greener look after the dry summer months.

*The People*

The

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