Today was boat tour day. We took the Captain Morgan boat cruise to Gozo Island and Comino Island.
It was rather windy and the boat was rocking from side to side. I noticed many people looked quite sea sick; heads on the tables, queasy looks on their faces. Surprisingly, I was ok.
Many movies have been shot on Gozo including The Count of Monte Cristo, U-571 and Gladiator to name a few. We passed the cliffs where the Count of Monte Cristo was thrown off when he pretended to be dead.
We first stopped at the harbour in Gozo. Ferries from this harbour are the only way for people to get on and off the island. They run 24/7. Upon disembarking we got on small buses to tour the island.
We passed St. Johns Church and stopped at La Fontana where they used to do their washing in large water basins. We had 15 minutes to souvenir shop, use the facilities, grab a snack and take pictures.
Our next 5-10 minute stop was at another church. There are a lot of chuches in Gozo- 65 in total for a population of 30,000.
A family of tourists just missed getting back on their tour bus and ran after it yelling “stop! stop!” The bus finally did turn around and came back for them. I wondered if those tourists were actors, hired by the tour guys as an example of what happens to tourists who don’t return in time.
The final stop was Victoria, the capital of Gozo. We had an hour to explore so we went up to the Citadel and enjoyed the views.
Our bus tour ended back at the harbour. Em, Vince, John and I did an extra 20 minute tour by speed boat to the sea caves of Comino. They told us it was a once in a lifetime, not to be missed experience. Graham didn’t go because he said he didn’t feel a need.
As soon as we got out into clear water, the speed boat driver flew over every wave he could find. Emily chose that time to point out that there weren’t any life jackets. The mini tour was ok, pretty, and the crystal lagoon was very clear but I wouldn’t say it was a once in a lifetime experience. After seeing the caves, the boat sped us to the Blue Lagoon on Comino where we met up with Graham and our big boat.
The Blue Lagoon was definitely blue but a bit of a disappointment. It was rocky all around the Lagoon with just a tiny tiny bit of beach. The rocks were packed with food trucks, lounge chairs to rent, cigarette butts and hordes of tourists (of which we were obviously part of pack). People were spread all over the rocks like a human penguin colony with most of the penguins smoking.
I did go in to the clear water up to my bathing suit bottoms. Em went in a little further and John and Vince both went for a proper swim. The water was definitely cooler than in the summer time but manageable. The lifeguards seemed to be more interested in texting and chatting than watching the bathers.
The boat ride back was rocky and I closed my eyes for much of the trip.
Once back at the apartment all of us felt a need for veggies so we made a big salad for supper.