Oct 14th
This morning we got up really really early to say goodbye to my Nanny and Papa. They left at 4:30 in the morning to catch their flight back to Rome. They are staying a few days in Rome to see the Vatican and then are heading home to Canada. They have been with us for almost a whole month! My best memory of traveling with my Nanny was going souvenir shopping in Rome. We both loved looking in the different shops and picking put things we liked! I also loved sitting with Nanny and colouring at night together, it was fun. My favourite memory with Papa was looking around Malta for the places that my Great-grandfather was when he was here in Malta. That was a great time.
We went back to bed for a while and got up regular time! We packed up all of our stuff and we went out for a nice breakfast. Then we caught a bus to the ferry terminal. The bus was really late, and then it was super crowded. But we made and then we caught the Gozo Channel Line ferry over to Gozo Island.
Gozo Island is a smaller Island and there are not as many people that live here, but it is really pretty. We had to catch a bus over to the other side of the Island. We are staying in the town of Xlendi. (The X is pronounced as a sh in Maltese)
Our apartment is on the 5th floor and we have a beautiful view of the bay, the ocean and the whole town.
We got changed and went down to the bay to go for a swim. The first thing we did was that we found the 3 meter jumping tower into the ocean! It was so fun!
We all jumped off of the tower. It felt like you were falling for 3 hours before you hit the water.
The next thing we did was we went snorkeling. They boys are still getting used to using their snorkel so my mom took Liam and my dad took Brendan and they went around the edges of the bay for a bit. I just swam around near them for a bit. After, that my mom walked the boys down to the beach and my dad and I snorkeled down the beach.
The water was pretty deep and we could see lots of medium and small fish, reefs, big rocks. The coral was mostly brownish red. I can’t wait to do more snorkeling over the next few days!
We ended up at the beach and played the sand for a while. What a beautiful spot!
Oct 15th
Today we had a very fun and full day. Our first stop was at an ancient temple site called the Ggantija temples. These are over 5000 years old. These temples were excavated and found to contain beautiful carvings as well as art. The structures them selves are many rounded enclosures that connect together.
The most amazing part is the size of the blocks that were carved and moved to build these temples.
We also took time to visit the museum that was at the site and were able to see some of the art work that was found at the site. Most are carvings and clay figurines.
After the temples we got on a bus again and headed out to Ramla Bay. It was a huge sandy beach that had a reddish brown sand.
The beach had a rocky reef just offshore and then after you swam over the reef there was a sand bar. We all got our snorkels on and went swimming over it all. We saw lots of crabs, and small fish swimming in the rocks. The fish were digging and eating in the small sand dunes. They were almost sucking up the sand and then sitting it back out. It was neat to watch.
Brendan was standing out on the sand bar and trying to get his snorkel on, he started to yell, my dad was trying to help him, he didn't know why he was yelling. I put my face in the water and saw a flat fish, (maybe a flounder?) biting a cut that my brother had on his toe! Poor guy!!
We had a great time swimming and playing a the beach.
Finally after we got home and had some dinner we went out for a quick walk to see an old watch tower and some incredible Salt pans.
The watch tower was built in the 1600's by the Knights of St. John to keep watch over ships coming towards Xlendi bay. These towers are found all over the Island. The one in Xlendi is the oldest one still standing in Malta.
The Salt Pans are square holes cut into the rock and people would fill buckets with sea water and then they would wait for the water to evaporate and they would be left with salt. They would then collect it up and bag it and sell it. These salt pans are still in use at certain times of the year.
What a beautiful evening in Gozo.
Oct 16th
Today we were all very tired and we did not want to go anywhere, but my dad said we should go do something.
Therefore, we went to a place called Dwerjia: the inland sea. It is a giant cave was connected to a inland bit of water. The cave led to the sea.
We were going to take a boat into the cave and out to the sea.
At the other of the cave there used to be a famous rock, but it collapsed over 2 years ago. We took the boat and went out into the cave. The sea was very rough.
Brendan, me and my mom all felt sick, but Liam and dad loved it so much!
We after went back, got some groceries, and went home. We did some homework and relaxsed. After we went to the beach. What and great day!
Oct 17th
Today we left the Island of Gozo and took the ferry back across the channel and onto the Main island of Malta. It was a super long day of buses, ferries and more buses.
We finally made it to our next apartment, a lovely little 3 bedroom apartment (which means I get my own room! Finally!!). We made some lunch and then we decided to go exploring. It turned out that right near our place were two very old sites.
The first doesn't really look like much and my mom had to explain to me why she thought it was such a big deal.
What you see in the picture are 5000 year old cart marks that were made to pull things over the land. They are found all over the island and date back to the neolithic period. It's really amazing.
The second thing we found was the Ta Hagret temples. These were also ancient stone temples built over 5000 years ago. These are the same ones who dug the Hypogeu. The ancient peoples lived, farmed, and thrived here for over 2000 years before completely disappearing. All they left behind were their temples, art work and these strange lines on the rock.
Oct 18th
Today we visited the Malta National Aquarium. It is over on St. Paul's Bay, so we had to take a few buses to get there. It was an awesome aquarium.
I am getting more and more interested in learning about the oceans the animals that live there and also about the pollution that has been killing many species. I really love going to aquariums to see and learn. My mom saw this quote and it makes perfect sense to me....
We saw so many beautiful animals at the aquarium. We had to each choose an animal to do a project on, I choose the Zebra Shark. They were so fast it was hard to get a picture of them! Liam choose an octopus and Brendan chose a Moray Eel.
We listened to a talk by one of the scientists that works there and they have an amazing program at the aquarium. Sharks are still hunted in the waters off Malta, and often in the market you can find female sharks with egg sacs still inside. (There are two types of sharks- live bearing and egg laying) The scientists told us that the egg sacs are removed, brought to the aquarium and hatched and the grown up for a bit and then released by into the ocean! They have saved and released over 376 sharks in the past 5 years! Here is a picture of one of the sharks. It is a nursehound shark.
What a fabulous day it was exploring the aquarium and learning.
Oct 19th
Today we are leaving the beautiful Island nation of Malta. We are flying to Athens Greece to continue our family adventure.
Malta has been a awesome country to visit. We loved the land, the food, the ocean and the people!
Thank you Malta!
Tia and Mari
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