Hey my lovelies, how are we doing?
I hope everyone has had a super week and is doing well!
In the UK some of us have been able to create a support bubble with one other household. I can’t tell you how happy I am to now be able to spend time with my lovely parents. 89 days in solo lockdown has been shall we say, a whole new enlightening experience 😂 I still can’t quite comprehend that my blog turned 1 last week 💫🎉
Thank you so much for all of the love, I'm truly humbled ☺️
Today, I’m sharing with you the promised last images of my trip to #Gozo in March.
First up, and how could I not include...…......….
Churches ⛪️ They're a #travel photographers dream and I’ve been besotted with the islands churches from being a little girl!
To a nine year old on her first visit they rendered me speechless, I just couldn’t comprehend their monumental size and their shimmering golden colour. Along with the fact that in the smaller villages they literally are at their #heart. So much so that you need to drive right around them!
From the outside they are pretty spectacular but once you are inside, well they quite simply take your breath away.
They are spellbinding, the statues mesmerise, the ceilings could very much rival that of the Sistine Chapel. The stained glass sparkles in the sunshine, the gold glitters. But mostly? It’s the serenity I feel as I take my place in the pew to pray, I only feel this on the islands, nowhere else. Somehow I feel much closer to God here 🙏
During my limited time on Gozo, I simply couldn’t pass a #church by without pulling over to capture a photograph of their eternal #beauty.
Next up and you probably think quite bizarrely...…...….
Police 👮♀️ Stations - Pulizija
Is it just me, or do you also find the islands police stations really quaint and quite #beautiful??👮♀️
It actually dates back to around 1814!
Oh I loved this next stop!
Mekrens Bakery - Nadur👩🍳 Blessedly, I managed to relive another fond childhood memory! What was that I hear you ask?
Why, visiting a bakery of course! 😆 My parents used to rent a lovely apartment just behind Tower Road in Sliema (at the Balluta Bay end) There was a gorgeous little bakery right around the corner and I used to love popping out every morning to buy the fresh out of the oven buns and delicious Maltese bread!🥰 I used to skip home carrying the still warm bread, proud as punch! I'll always remember my Dads task 😆 It was to go buy the milk, this task was discontinued after his first attempt, when he returned to the apartment with a bottle of pink #milkshake 😆 Bless him, but he is colour-blind! Mam was furious 😡 I was ecstatic 😃 as I had milkshake for breakfast 😆 Whilst passing through Nadur I spotted a sign for Mekren's bakery and I was absolutely delirious 😃 The only problem was there was literally nowhere available to park. Determined, and a few circumnavigations of Nadur later 😆 I was lucky enough to arrive back just in time for a parking spot freeing up. I was beyond #excited.
I could tell this was a super bakery by the size of the queue! It was long! Even at 2pm!
When I explained my story to the lovely young man next in line, he ever so kindly allowed me to queue jump just for me to take a couple of photographs. It was a little more modern than the bakery I remember but the delicious aroma brought my childhood #memories flooding back. I headed back towards my car beaming like a Cheshire #cat, recalling many vivid wonderful memories.
Never mind #Febreeze don’t you think we need a room spray which adds the aroma of freshly baked Maltese bread into the air 😋😀
Next we have...………..
Ta’ Kola Windmill - Xaghra Does anyone remember Windy Miller? 😄
Windy was one of my favourite characters in one of my favourite children’s TV 📺 programmes, Camberwick Green! He lived in Colly’s Mill, and I can still recall the hypnotic sound that the sails made whilst turning!
I love windmills and Xaghra has a beautiful one whose origins date right back to 1725!
It’s name, Ta’ Kola comes from the last miller, who was known locally as Żeppu ta’ Kola (which translates as Joseph, the son of Nikola).
This is the bit that I really love though!
When the wind 💨 conditions were just right to operate the windmill, the miller would use a triton shell 🐚 as a horn - blowing through it to alert the villagers that they could bring along their grains to be ground down into flour. How cool 😎 is that!
Ta’ Kola is stunning, and towers right over the top of Triq Marija Bambina. In fact I had to stand way down the street so I could fit all of the sails into the picture.
The street itself is very pretty, there are lots of gorgeous houses and it's also home to the magnificent Victory Band Club.
The day I visited I was extremely lucky to see another heavily laden grocery truck parked just outside of the club and caught some super candid snaps. Oh and I was in tomato #heaven 😄
I quickly drove through the village and I really liked its vibe! Xaghra is very much on my list of places to further explore on Gozo.
My last whistle stop had a wonderful surprise in store for me...……...……..
San Lawrenz Phone box Library 📚
Passing through San Lawrenz, I had to pull over to take a photo of the church, I’m so glad I did, as I was #thrilled to find this!
A traditional English phone box which has been turned into Gozo’s smallest #library and is one of the smallest lending libraries in the world! 📚😍
Oh and the phone still works too, just in case you need to check with your other half for his/her book choice! 😄
It stocks over 100 books would you believe and has six shelves offering everything from Dan Brown and Agatha Christie to romance novels and #biographies.
The village has a small population, just short of 700 and the library is a huge benefit to the parishioners. The next nearest library is located in the capital city of Victoria. Best of all though? This library is open 24/7 and is even lit at night 💡 🥰
Penelope Pitstop needed blinkers on her way back to Mgarr to drop the hire car off. 😄
As in Gozo, there are beautiful distractions around every corner, and I get distracted very easily 😄
Time truly does fly when you are having fun!
Following the amazing news that #Malta will again be accepting arrivals from all nationalities as of the 15th of July, I’m very much excited to be able to visit soon! I have everything crossed that the UK’s essential travel only restriction will be lifted soon along with the mandatory 14 day #quarantine on return.
Again that’s looking extremely hopeful too as the UK has now dropped its Covid-19 alert level from 4 to 3 meaning that the virus 🦠 is now just considered to be in general circulation rather than high and rising.
Next week I will be sharing with you the second part of my March trip! As following my fabulous stay on Gozo, I returned to Malta and spent two wonderful nights in #Mellieha!
Until then my lovelies, have a wonderful week, take care and stay safe,
Tracy
Mimosa Mermaid