DISCOVER GOZO

Let’s go BLUE!

Hi everybody! Wow, what an exciting morning! After an admittedly horrible wake-up call at 5 am, Sabine and I went to see Victor Muscat, “the horse whisperer” of Gozo, and his beautiful horses. I call him like that because his heart really belongs to his horses, and he is able to make them do a lot of funny things!

So we loaded Ghalib and Blue into the van and made our way to Ramla Bay, one of the must-see places on the island. Ramla Bay is a very romantic spot with red sand and very clear water, a perfect place to sunbathe, relax, swim – and in our case, for a little horse racing! After getting out of the van and smelling the sea, Ghalib and Blue started to get excited, and so did I! We quickly put the saddles on the horsebacks and were off for one hour of pure joy!

What an amazing feeling to race down the beach, feel the wind in your hair and the power of Ghalib under the saddle – a pure adrenaline rush! In that moment I had to think about the German saying “Das Glück der Erde liegt auf dem Rücken der Pferde” (which means that the “joy of the world” lies on the back of a horse ). Which is totally true!

After having lost some races, Victor was so kind to let Ghalib and me win one by holding back Blue. What a gentleman. And definitely not nice for Blue, the most famous horse of the island: he had never lost a race since destiny brought him from Tunisia to Gozo, and to Victor when he was only 6 month old! At the time Blue was on his way to be shipped to France to be butchered, but due to a lucky twist of fate the ship had problems and had to stop over in Malta, where Victor was able to buy him off for peanuts. And Blue turned out to be a star!

All the excitement of racing called for some cooling down, and we took a bath in the sea. The water temperature is still lovely (around 20°C) and the horses enjoyed themselves a lot and started playing around with the water. Ghalib didn’t have any mercy with me and only stopped when I was wet all over!

We walked the horses (while trying to dry up a little!) and enjoyed the fabulous view from the rocks around the bay. What a great start in the weekend to relieve from stress and work and BLUE your mind!

By the way, for the ones who do not feel so comfortable on the back of a horse, there is another way of enjoying Gozo and horses: Victor also organizes carriage tours and has done a lot of romantic weddings with his beautiful white horses. Impressions of a tour on one of Victor’s various carriages are coming soon, promise… but not in a wedding dress!

Thank you for a fantastic morning Victor, Ghalib & Blue!

For accuracy’s sake we must add that riding on the beach is only possible during winter, but for obvious reasons not in the busy summer months!

Victor Muscat can be contacted by e-mail to mamuscat[at]maltanet[dot]net or on mobile number +356 9985 8194, and if you stay at the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz, you may call at the Front Desk who will be happy to assist you in making a booking for you!

All roads lead to Victoria

One of the reasons why it is difficult to get lost in Gozo (difficult – not impossible!) is the fact that sooner or later you’ll find yourself on a road leading to Victoria, no matter where you are on the island. And if you happen to be a guest at the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz, our courtesy bus takes you there in no time; the distance between San Lawrenz and Victoria is about 2.5 km.

Victoria – or Rabat as practically all Gozitans call it – is well worth a few visits in itself. It is Gozo’s main shopping centre, which is why traffic can get intimidating especially during morning and late afternoon hours. However, it only takes a very short stroll off Republic Street to enter a different, quieter world.

There is hardly any motor traffic at all in these alleys, making for a pleasant stroll at any time of the day. Many of the old houses have been restored while others are still waiting to awake after a hundred years of sleep. It’s easy to think you’ve stepped into another time. The centuries old labyrinth-like street plan of the city’s oldest part – il-mandragg – includes numerous dead-end alleys. In ancient times of frequent invasions by pirates, these dead ends allowed for hidden escape routes that only the locals knew about: they would enter a house through its backdoor at an alley’s end and leave the dwelling on the opposite side – leaving their pursuers non the wiser.

Once you’ve had enough of wandering around in the past, get back to the present at Independence Square (the locals call it it-tokk). There is a market in the mornings selling all kinds of knickknacks, green-grocers are found alongside the square and fishermen sell their fresh catch.

Have a rest at one of the cafés on the square and watch the world go by. Here, among the noisy hawkers, the world is as modern as it gets: wireless internet is available (albeit at a charge)!

Of course, there is much more to Victoria – or Rabat – than the mandragg and the market square. We’ll bring you more about it in the near future, so stay tuned!

Exciting Mediterranean Sea

The surrounding sea is arguably Gozo’s best asset. If you love the sea as much as I do, you will agree with me that a stroll on the shore can be calming and exhilarating at the same time. Particularly between October and April or May, it can get pretty rough at times, it is almost as though nature does its best to show off her powers! As words can hardly describe it, we decided to let a lot of pictures do the talking today.

Depending on where you are on the island, the churned up sea takes on different appearances. If you stay at the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz, Dwejra Bay – a few minutes’ drive away – will delight you with dramatic photo opportunities.

By contrast, in the sheltered bay of Xlendi the water seems to be boiling…

…while elsewhere age-old rocks bravely put up resistance, resulting in spectacular displays:

And then there are locations where man built streets and houses close to the shore. Here nature offers equally fascinating vistas. And temptations… After visiting the Ggantija Temples a couple of weeks ago, Tanja and I went to Marsalforn. After a quick rain shower – we used the time to have a coffee – the weather turned out gorgeous, though the sea hadn’t calmed down yet. Our Director of Sales was hell-bent on getting some dramatic photography for our blog; it’s truly delightful to have such a brave model! (Have I ever mentioned how much fun we’re having, working for Kempinski??)

But let me add… no bosses were harmed in the making of this blog post – she walked away whole and dry!

Ggantija – the mystic place on Gozo

I am Tanja, the Director of Sales at the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz, and I have been living in Gozo for just over 8 months now. Gozo for me is not just the place where I am working; meanwhile it became my home, and it’s a nice home, I must say. Especially now, in autumn, the island became green again and looks a bit like something out of a Rosamunde Pilcher movie.

Gozo, apart from being a paradise for diving, hiking, climbing etc, is also rich in culture and heritage. Who would ever think that here on Gozo we have the oldest man-made structure on earth? And if you see it, it does have something mystic, something that makes the time stand still. It was one of the first places I visited and is still one of my favorites. Just thinking that these temples are even older than the pyramids, creates a devotional feeling in yourself.

The Ggantija temples stand at the end of the Xaghra plateau, facing towards the south-east. This megalithic monument is in fact two temples, built side by side and enclosed within a boundary wall. The southerly one is the larger and elder, dating back to approximately 3600 BC. It is also better preserved. The plan of the temple incorporates five large apses with traces of the plaster that once covered the irregular wall still clinging between the blocks.

The temple, like other megalithic sites in Malta, faces southeast. The southern temple rises to a height of six meters. At the entrance sits a large stone block with a recess, which led to the hypothesis that this was a ritual ablution station for purification before entering the complex. The five apses contain various altars; evidence of animal bones in the site suggests the site was used for animal sacrifice.

The sheer size of the Ggantija temples is astonishing. Try thinking back several thousand years and then start wondering how it was humanly possible to move those boulders around, some of which weigh in at 50 tonnes!

Some of the information in this post originates with Wikipedia, where you can read more about Gozo’s neolithic temples.

And here is a link to a little short story revolving around Ggantija that Sabine wrote a couple of years ago – just one example how Gozo inspires you!

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Gozo’s amazing cultural diversity

Do you think laid-back Gozo is not for you because you tend to get bored with total relaxation and a daily beach or poolside routine? Then this post is for you!

The cultural scene on Gozo might come as a surprise to you, given the size of the island, and the variety of tastes and ages it caters for is truly astonishing. We illustrate for you a case in point: this weekend, the last one of October.

Glamour

Opera lovers were treated to an outstanding performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Astra Theatre, featuring both local and international stars. By the way, little  Gozo has not only one, but two opera houses vying for music lovers’ attention year after year! In fact, bookings are already open for George Bizet’s Carmen, which will be offered in October 2010 by the Aurora Theatre!

Some of the staff of the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz joined hundreds of enthusiasts, who welcomed the opportunity to enjoy a glamorous musical night out.

Here is what some of them had to say:

Cindy, HR & Training Manager at the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz: “Outstanding performance, impressive setting and very emotional! Very much looking forward to next year…!”

Tanja: “It was a perfect evening! The Astra Theater with more than 1.000 seats is something you wouldn’t expect on such a tiny island. The atmosphere was outstanding and the opera itself simply breathtaking. Once more the proof that Gozo has a thousand facets, and every day you can discover something new!”

Stephanie: “I was amazed by the performance of the artists and just got goose bumps when Antonino Interisano alias “the Duke” started the first strophe of “La Donna e mobile”… I was still singing it when going to bed! Two hours of completely drifting away in the tragical world of Rigoletto and Gilda… Unforgettable!”

Events for all ages

Those holidaying with their kids might not be particularly keen on theatre or opera visits. Families (though children in tow are not a necessity!) will enjoy the numerous cultural events that are frequently organised all the year round by the various villages of Gozo and are usually free of charge . The local council of San Lawrenz is particularly active in this respect, and for guests staying at the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz it doesn’t take more than a few minutes’ walk to be part of the crowd! Last night’s D Link event, staged in the beautiful church square of San Lawrenz, was organised in the context of the European Year for Creativity and Innovation.

Pop Music

Live music performances always plays an essential role in these activities. Last night Ruth Sammut Casingena vowed the audience by offering a thrilling melange of her impeccable soprano voice with pop as well as traditional songs.  Enchanting!

Alternative Music

And then there is one of Gozo’s finest ‘exports’… Chasing Pandora have begun their career a few years ago in their home island, but their fame has reached far beyond Gozo’s shores and they are currently becoming a household name even in the UK! Appealing to a wide audience, Chasing Pandora’s music is an amazing treat, and especially so when enjoyed under a starlit sky!

Gozo welcomes its guests with open arms, 365 days a year. With this post we gave you a cursory glimpse of one autumn weekend, a time when much of Europe is steeped in drab, wet weather… Have we succeeded in setting your mood for your next Mediterranean vacation?