Ǵgantija Temples are every bit as spectacular as I had expected. I will not describe them in detail here as there is ample information on the web from the link above.
They are reached by the hourly bus from Victoria, the main city of Goza. The bus stops directly outside the main entrance. €5.00 (€3.50 for concessions) gets you in, and includes admission to a windmill in the village as well. About 100 yards of paved road leads you to the only shop, a hassle-free place selling mainly knitted goods, local products, postcards, etc., and a pair of WCs. Beyond that lie the pair of temples, built about 3,600BC from roughly cut stones, some as large as 12’ x 10’ x 12” (my guess) and made of what looks like limestone. The temples were surrounded by a single boundary wall of somewhat smaller stones.
The complex was used until about 2,600BC (about the earliest date for building in stone in Egypt) and then abandoned. They also formed the base for what I can only describe as a rockery, hosting a wide variety of flora, see below. The temples were full of tourists – probably 200 during my 90 minute visit - unlike anywhere in Egypt these days :-(. The SCA could learn a lot of lessons to make tourism more pleasant by following the Maltese example!
I then returned to Victoria, and then on to Marsalforn, a pretty little town on the north coast of Gozo. Fortunately here I was able to rest my aching feet over a refreshing Sisk at the Elektra and another at Smugglers Cove before catching the bus 322 to Mgarr for
the return ferry to Malta.
There was a long queue to buy or validate tickets and the ferry was full, but I managed to find an outside seat for the 25 minute crossing. Then onto the first bus towards St Pauls. I chose to change to the Bugabbi bus outside a small café/cakeshop (Xemxija Cafe Lounge, Xemxija Bay) that turned out to be one of the best restaurants of the trip.
They had an excellent wine list, with reds and whites stored in termerature controlled fridges at 5° and 18°C. The Maltese Sangievese 2010 (12.5%, €10.00) was excellent with a mixed cold platter, leaving room for a slice of Cassata Siciliano (a bright green iced
light cake). A bus back to my hotel ended a long and interesting day.