SICILY, MALTA & GOZO

 

Once on board the ferry we head to our cabin, munch on chips, drink some beer & wine and head to bed. We finally head out of our cabin the next morning and find the usual ferry chaos. It looks like a squatter camp. We hunt down food and manage to get coffee and croissants which they fill with Nutella from a pump (so healthy!!). The whole area is full of men – we assume they are heading to Europe for the bigger paychecks. Out on deck it is worse. The smokers are out in force, there are butts strewn everywhere and smoke fumes envelope us, but we stay and watch Sicily come into sight. Finally, as we reach shore everyone rushes for the stairs and then are all forced to wait jampacked in the stairwell! Over an hour later we drive off the boat, then nearly another 2 hours in long queues for customs and quarantine. It is dusk as we drive through the city of Palermo to our campspot and we are relieved the gates are open and they have room for us. They prefer bookings, which of course we don’t have. It’s a perfect location, only a stones throw from the centre of the city.   Now that we are finally here its time to book our time in Malta. After much deliberation (and advice from a local) we have decided to leave GR3 behind, catch the ferry and stay in a B&B. Maybe get a car – we will see.

The next morning we head into Palermo to explore. And what a gorgeous city it is. We only briefly visited years ago and watched the Good Friday procession. We had hoped to repeat that or at least see a few Easter celebrations in Sicily, but we were delayed in Tunisia with not an Easter egg in sight! Absolutely love the amazing Cathedral, the huge City Gates and the incredible food on display in the market area (and yes, we enjoy trying some). The place was very busy with tourists. Back at GR3 we head off as we have a ferry to catch in a few days. With that in mind we stick to the motorway rather than winding along back roads. Later we pull over at a lovely beach with a row of other motorhomes. And off again in the morning passing more coastline and lovely mountain scenery. We do make time to stop at one of Sicily’s premier tourist sites – The Valley of the Temples near Agrigento. We park and wander in, gasp at the price, but bite the bullet and head in. The old Greek Temples are mostly in ruins, but one is nearly as awesome as the Acropolis in Athens. The surroundings are lovely, but the crowds are not. I think we have been spoiled with all the ruins in Northern Africa. Time to move on as we need to find storage for GR3 in Pozzallo where the ferry leaves. The motorway has ended so we wind up and down gorges with lots of stunning scenery before we reach Pozzallo. We spy campers on the beach just before town. Perfect! We will head back there for the night, but first we find a secure storage place near the port. We can take GR3 there early tomorrow morning and they will take us to the port. All sorted we head to our beach spot.

At 8.30am the next morning we are on our way. The sea is smooth and glassy, making it a perfect crossing. Nearly 2 hours later we cruise into the gorgeous harbour at Valletta. Welcome to Malta! Outside the port the taxis price is criminal, so we walk out, download the Bolt App(like uber) and get a “Bolt” (much cheaper transport) and head to our B&B. As a bonus we can wait on the rooftop terrace for our room to be readied. Soon we are all unpacked and heading off to explore. We walk for miles exploring what is called The Three Cities opposite Valletta itself, but on the same harbour. Hours of that time we spend at Fort Angelo, one of the many huge Knights Templar Fortresses here. It has been beautifully renovated and is chock full of info on the incredible history of this country from Punic and Roman times to the Knights of St John and on to WW1 and 2.

The next day we catch the ferry over to Valletta itself. There is a massive cruise ship in port so the place is very busy, but despite the crowds it is still amazing. We walk up and down alleyways, spend a few hours in the Fort of St Elmo (another Knights Fortress full of even more information – our heads will burst with it all!) and then the incredible gold layered, frescoed, tiled and glittering Cathedral of St John. Unfortunately, this Cathedral is jam packed with tourists so it loses its serenity and becomes chaotic. The last must do on my list is to go for an Iuzzu ride on the harbour. The day is still blue and dazzling so it is lovely out on the water in the traditional little wooden boat. In the old days the boatman rowed you about, but nowadays they have an outboard motor attached to the side. A fun way to end our day before we ferry back to Bormla and our B&B.

Our 2 days in town are up and we have decided to pick up a little car and head to Gozo Island to explore there. We pack, catch a Bolt and arrive at the airport where all the rental cars are located. But there is a hiccup (rookie error on our part!). We have forgotten to pack John’s drivers license and only have a photo on the phone. Our car company sends us away. What now! John tries next door. Phew. They will give us one, but not as cheap of course! Finally we head off to explore. First to the port of Marsaxlokk and then try to follow the coastline. The roads are narrow and lined with cars, the traffic incredible. There is hardly anywhere to stop, so whenever we do find a park we hop out to have a look. The entire beachfront is taken up with apartments, restaurants, cars and people.  The beaches are stunning with aqua blue water and lots of cute fishing boats overflowing the ports. As we near the city itself the congestion gets worse so we cannot stop, only drive very slowly onwards. John twists my arm so we stop visit a great motor museum. Finally join the queue to get onto the ferry to Gozo Island. We are stunned by how many cars are crossing as it really isn’t a very big island and the ferries are running back and forward. Anyway, once on Gozo we head to our next B&B in the hilltop town of Nadur. We have a lovely room in a lovingly restored stone home with a very helpful and enthusiastic hostess. Her breakfasts are incredible!

In the morning, we head off to explore. First to the biggest town of Victoria, set right on a hilltop in the middle of Gozo. From the huge Citadella right at the summit you can see the entire island. We wander the old plaza full of tourists and then the surprisingly empty, but incredibly gorgeous, St George’s Cathedral. All gold and glittery without the crowds. Time to head back to our car to navigate the tiny roads, or should I say tracks, around Gozo. The day is perfect- sun blazing down on the gorgeous blue ocean making the sights so much better. We love wandering along the sheer drops of the cliffs at Sannat, driving through tiny harbours filled with boats and tourists, stopping at Dwejara Bay to go for a boat ride out through a tiny gap in the rocks to the ocean beyond and finally the incredible salt pans where salt has been harvested for generations. All these back roads would have been impossible in GR3. They are single lane most of the time and sometimes seem even too narrow for our tiny car!  Definitely the right decision to leave GR3 behind.

Tonight, we leave on our ferry so we are back on a time line. After another great breakfast we pack, leave and join the long queue for the ferry. Finally across in Malta we join traffic jams. It is Sunday and all the locals have joined the countless tourists on the roads. We head to Mdina and Rabat in the middle of Malta. Parking of course is at a premium, but we eventually find a spot and head off to explore. We concentrate on the heavily renovated fortress with the other tourists and as we are leaving we spy the Crystal Palace. It was mentioned in the Lonely Planet as a great bakery so we can’t resist. We think we should head to the airport to return our car in case the traffic is crazy. But as Murphys Law would have it it’s an easy trip to the airport and before we know it, we are at the ferry terminal with too much time. Oh well, we made it and have had an awesome time in Malta & Gozo. Finally on the ferry the steward hands out vomit bags! Oh no – a rough crossing, but fortunately we don’t need the bags on this high-speed cat. By dusk we are back in GR3 camping on the same beach spot in Pozzallo.

We will continue exploring Sicily before its time to head home.