malta: gozo: salt pans, Xewkija, Ta Pinu and the (former) blue hole

As I planned this 'day trip' to different sights around Gozo I realized one of the places I wanted to go was right next to where I'd just been. Ooops.

My day started with more rubbery bacon from the hotel breakfast, argh.

I caught the same bus as the day before, just staying on a little longer. My first sight of the day was a set of salt pans. The information sign said they'd been hand dug, waaaaay back in Roman times. Life was certainly a lot more physically taxing in those days.

They were full while I was there, so I wonder how they change as the process happens. I walked on the rock areas that separate each little square, and surprisingly didn't fall. (I'm naturally (un)coordinated, this sort of stumble is something I do regularly.)

It was really windy on the coast, I was surprised to see a man fishing off some of the rocks. He was standing very near an area where water continually crashed on the rocks. He was wearing a raincoat, but I can't imagine it helped keep off all the water being blown by the wind.

I caught a bus back to Victoria, and again changed buses at the bus station. Again, I didn't have to wait long for the bus I wanted.

My second sight was another giant church, this one in the town of Xewkija. (Again, I haven't got a clue how that name is pronounced.) I'd seen this church from a distance on two previous bus rides, and I wanted to see the interior.

St John the Baptish church felt even bigger than all the churches I'd already seen during this trip. I don't know if it actually was bigger, but it definitely felt that way. It was decorated differently, but still quite nicely.

There was a giant rotunda, it was the focus of the ceiling, as compared to a long vaulted ceilings as the other churches had. The interior of the church was all white, and there was a fair amount of natural light coming in. The effect was in making the interior feel light and airy.

I walked around and realized one door led to a set of stairs which took me up to the rotunda! There was a suggested 'donation' of 3 euro in order to go up these stairs, and a lady sitting at a table watching to make sure people donated. I paid, and started climbing.

The stairs didn't lead to the interior of the rotunda, instead they led to a door to the roof, and a way to walk around the top of the church. I loved the views. The only way to make it better would've been if I could've walked around the interior of the rotunda. Oh well.

This town was close enough to Victoria that I decided to walk back. After snacks and a thirty minute rest, I went back to the bus station for yet another bus.

This bus took me to yet another church. I'd seen this one marked on a tourist map of the island, so why not see it? The church is called Ta Pinu, or maybe the town has that name? I'm not entirely sure. Either way, the church sits on the very edge of town. The way it sits on the edge of town shows just how big the church is. I found myself wondering how often it is full during a service, if ever.

The interior of this church was different from the others I'd seen. There was a long nave, with a tall vaulted ceiling. This one was mostly white inside, with only the area near the altar having colour. Another nice atmosphere.

From this church I walked to the coast. I used a travel app to plot the course, and I'm not sure that where I walked was actually a good place to walk, but oh well. Near the end I was walking along the edge of cliffs, hoping the wind would've blow me off.

I finally arrived at my last sight of the day. Well, it used to be a sight, but isn't anymore. A natural sight known as the Blue Hole used to be on the western coast of Gozo. The action of water over the millenia created a natural rock arch, which collapsed a few years ago. I don't know if the collapse happened because tourists would walk over the top of the arch, but that wouldn't surprise me. Travelers will often 'break' something amazing due to their desire for a photo.

Though the Blue Hole doesn't exist anymore, the cliffs are beautiful, as was the sunset. If I'd had another night on the island I would've considered coming back for another sunset. I caught the last bus back to Victoria not long after sunset, the timing worked out really well.