Malta :: Day 7

Today we took the water ferry to Gozo. It was about an hour drive each way to get there, but so worth it. Our first stop was the Salt Pans. They were created by the Romans and seriously look like they are from a movie set or another world. They are still in use by several families, and we even bought some salt from a vendor by the side of the road. Next, we drove to the Inland Sea and Blue Hole on the other side of the island. At the Inland Sea, we took a boat trip. Like a lot of this trip, we didn’t know what to expect. It wasn’t very long, but such a fun experience. It cost 4 Euro each. It’s a little boat that fits about 10 people. It squeezing through a cave and into the ocean. The sea was pretty rough so it was crazy we were in a little boat like that, but so fun. We also went into 3 different caves and saw the rock below where the arch was (it collapsed only a couple years ago). The water though! Oh my gosh, so blue – it looked like melted sapphires. We also rented snorkling equipment for a little bit. We swam around the Inland Sea for awhile. Wasn’t super interesting, but fun. Next, however, we went to the Blue Hole and oh my gosh am I glad I had the equipment there. The hole is so deep (60 meters - 196 feet) and completely fascinating. There’s an opening that scuba divers go under that brings them out to the ocean. Amazing. The only regret is that we didn’t have water shoes. The rocks were so rough and there were a ton of sea urchins. I can’t believe we didn’t step on one.

After a fun day on Gozo, we drove back to the apartment, showered quick, then headed out to watch the England vs. Croatia World Cup game. The streets were packed, and after an unsuccessful attempt to go to the restaurant we went to on the first night, we ended up snagging the last table at the Snack Bar. I’m telling you, there’s nothing like being in a different country during the World Cup. We were bummed that we would be spending our last dinner at a snack bar, but it ended up being amazing. I had chicken, and it tasted so good, especially after eating pretty much only pasta and pizza the last week. Another amazing day in Malta. It’s going to be hard to leave.