Photo taken by Mr C

We were up bright and early for a 7am breakfast in order to catch a minibus from outside the Phoenicia Hotel. At this time of day, the breakfast room was a lot quieter and more civilised.

We arrived at the collection point outside the Phoenicia Hotel in plenty of time. We waited and waited but there was no sign of the mini bus, leaving us wondering if we were in the right place. When it eventually arrived 15 minutes late having been held up by local traffic, we breathed a sigh of relief.

We set off on the journey to the ferry port, picking up other passengers along the way. The small boats that are usually part of the Tuk Tuk experience were unable to sail due to the windy conditions causing the sea to be too choppy. The weather also meant that we would be unable to sail to the Blue Lagoon later in the day.

Photo taken by Mr C

Our ferry sailed from Ċirkewwa to Mgarr harbour where we were directed to Michael, our Tuk Tuk driver for the day. The vehicle is pink and affectionately called Barbie. We shared the vehicle with a French family and travelled in tandem with another Tuk Tuk whose driver was able to speak French. This meant we had a personalised tour just for the two of us with Michael speaking English albeit with an Australian accent. He is a native Gozitan but learned English in Australia and Milton Keynes.

Photo taken by Mr C

Photo taken by Mr C

Our first stop was Belvedere for a scenic viewpoint then we travelled the short distance to Calypso’s cave to take in the fine panoramic views of Ramla bay from this high vantage point. Next, we travelled to the Xwejni Salt Pans experiencing a hilarious toilet paper incident along the way. Our driver had left a container lid open and the roll of toilet paper he was carrying (in case facilities along the way were deficient) flew out over the passengers like streamers. The salt pans are still in use and an amazing site to see and we had the opportunity to walk next to them along the sands.

Photo taken by Mr C

Photo taken by Mr C

Other places that we visited before we stopped for lunch were Ta’ Pinu Basilica (the miracle church), another couple of high vantage points taking in views over the sea and a local craft outlet where we sampled the local liquors. Opposite this, built into the hillside is Fontana’s wash house, fed by a spring and still used for washing clothes.

We had lunch in The Lion’s Den where we sampled some local dishes including Timpana, a pie filled with pasta and sauce, all accompanied by a delicious glass of local Rose wine.

Photo taken by Mr C

After lunch we drove to the Cittadella where we climbed to the top to see views across most of Gozo. It would have been nice to have had more time at the Citadelle so that we could have explored the various buildings within the walls. This was our last stop of the day so we headed back to the ferry for our return journey to Malta accompanied by the tune ‘I am a Barbie Girl’.

Photo taken by Mr C

After our busy day out, we had booked a table in the hotel restaurant to sample their roasts buffet menu. My first choice, pork turned out to be belly pork which on closer inspection was almost all fat with hardly any meat. Mr C kindly went back to the buffet and got me some slices of duck instead.

We finished our wine in the bar area whilst plotting our adventures for the following day.