A Ramble to San Pawl, Gozo
We’ve been staying at the The Penthouse Gozo (in San Lawrenz Gozo) for several weeks now. This is “our home” whenever we are in Gozo. Today, after a late breakfast, our walk took us out to the west of the island. We went to Sarraflu Pond (L’Ghadira) and turned right towards San Pawl and hugging the cliff face around towards the Punic ruins (Wardija) out to the back of Fungus Rock, across Dwejra Bay and back to our penthouse.
My motherland, Gozo
The feeling of walking around this part of the island is difficult to describe…. not enough superlatives available!!
The area is wild (by Gozitan standards), rugged, looks dangerous because of the sheer cliffs, full of BC history, rustic, covered in competing colours and elements (yes, it’s Springtime), surrounded by beckoning serenity and one is easily lulled into long lasting peace of mind as you occasionally sit and watch the widespread movement of the Mediterranean Sea below and out to the horizon. We feel as one with this entire region.
This is my motherland, always welcoming me and mine and forever exuding an almost mystical and mythical attraction on each visit.
Sarraflu Pond, Gozo
As we meandered through the country roads, we crossed many fertile, terraced fields filled with baled harvested fodder and/or planted with other crops. We speculated about some of the abandoned stone houses along the way and wondered as to why they’ve been allowed to deteriorate into such a state of disrepair.
We finally came to the man-made Sarraflu Pond on the outskirts of Kercem which, given the lack of water on the island of Gozo, is a haven not to be missed most especially by the island’s fauna. We paused to enjoy this fascinating microcosm with ducks, turtles, small reptiles and a considerable variety of birds/fowl all making use of the welcomed water. Its quite a “natural beauty” for Gozo.
Punic Ruins, Gozo
Eventually continuing on, we turned right towards San Pawl and walked along/on the cliff around to the Punic ruins.
We continued on out to the back of Fungus Rock and across to Dwejra Bay. We get so much enjoyment on these walks, more so today as there were hardly any people about.
We marvel at the views out to Xlendi coastline, Filfla Islet in the distant and the vastness of the Mediterranean Sea.
The ancient and primeval ground we were walking on and the “fearsome looking rocky outcrops” with the sheer cliffs are testament to this ancient and hardy land. In parts, the paths are jagged and uneven so care needs to taken. Gozo is a “walkers paradise”
Vegetation resolutely hangs from the cliff faces which together with the clean and unpolluted air are married to a sparsely clouded sky with just a hint of early summer.
Topping all off this, areas of the surrounding landscape are bursting with a variety of colours in the vegetation making this ramble one of the most leisurely we’ve had in Gozo. The colours of the flowers “exist” and “compliment” the very vibrant Blue Mediterranean which seems to stretch endlessly.
Almost all around us, you can see how the Gozitans have made use of the land either now or totally in the past. One can see roughly constructed hunting hides, prepared and/or fallow fields and abandoned sites.
Incidentally, the Punic Period refers to the time of the Carthaginian/Phoenician Empire which mainly occupied the Eastern Mediterranean. This was around 250BC. This empire was constantly at war with The Roman Empire.
Eventually, the Roman Empire assumed its superiority and destroyed Carthage subsequently enslaving the entire Carthaginian/Phoenician population around 150BC.
The Maltese people are direct descendants of the ancient Phoenicians….WOW. In fact, of the 3 Punic Wars fought between the Carthaginian/Phoenician Empire and the Roman Empire, 2 of them were fought over and involved Malta!! The word “Malta” is actually a Phoenician word meaning “port”. The photo shows Punic Cave dwelling.
Hunting Hide, San Pawl
Moving on, we continued on towards Dwejra. The paths are gravelly and uneven, at times perilously perched thus adding to the complete rustic look and “living on the edge” feeling😊 .
The views of the blue sea, age-etched limestone cliffs, inlets and our famous Fungus Rock are simply stunning! One can take in the views of the Dwejra coastline in one swoop so majestic is the spectacle. As we walked we saw a lot of the Gozitan endemic plant, the Maltese Everlasting.
At one point, we came across a “hunting hide” perched precariously above the cliffs however this particular hide looked well-constructed. It had 180-degree views from north to south and out west.
We saw that there was a person in the hide! The hide also had what looked like a room hewn into the rockface behind the hide but appeared well camouflaged. We waved to the person and he waved back and as I prepared to take a photo, he called out that we couldn’t take a photo! (Generally speaking, these hides are constructed out of discarded pallets, scattered rocks and other materials)
Anyway, at about the same time, we saw a naval patrol boat way down below cutting through the water looking powerful and purposeful and intermittently, we saw what looked like patrol aircraft crisscrossing the area…. Nanna and I concluded that the person in the hide was probably an armed forces person on constant lookout duties for anything nefarious including people smuggling and this same person was probably and constantly in touch with the patrols we saw below.
Hunting for birds on the Maltese islands has been an age-old and year-round custom, bordering almost on the “religious”. Prior to curtailing this custom (which rapidly accelerated when Malta joined the EU), migratory birds were simply shot down or captured. In my time as a boy and beyond, the hunting was primarily for food. Today, hunting is regulated and importantly, this regulating has fostered an ever-growing migratory bird population.
Rock Formations, Dwejra
As we trekked on, we came across “wave rock” formations similar to the famous wave rock formations in Western Australia (but obviously smaller). These limestone walls have been carved/shaped over the millennia by nature’s forces…. and the constant battle for supremacy continues….one day in the far future, these limestone formations will have withered away just like our beloved Azure Window.
The embedded seashells in the ground hundreds of meters above the sea attested to the primeval age of this island. The cliffs high above Dwejra Bay provide a majestic view of the famous Fungus Rock and further out one could Crocodile Rock and for the ones that know, where the Azure Window used to be before its collapse.
Fungus Rock, Dwejra Port
Circling Dwejra Bay along the clifftop, we had a spectacular view of Fungus Rock: an imposing sentinel of Dwejra Bay. This limestone islet has forever fascinated visitors to Gozo. I so remember my childhood years fishing with may father in the waters around this bay. Fungus Rock is also an integral part of our Maltese history.
At one stage during the reign of the Knights of Malta, it was prohibited for anyone to set foot on the islet, the consequence of which was 3 years imprisonment as an oarsman in a galley! The reason the islet was protected at that time was because of the wild herbs that grew here (and nowhere else on earth): said herbs purportedly had medicinal value (since proven untrue).
Dwejra Tower, Gozo
We finally reached Dwejra Tower. This tower (built in 1652 and since restored) is one of a series of fortifications erected around Malta, Gozo and Comino by the Knights of Malta to guard the Maltese islands against all enemies attempting to invade. This tower occupies a prominent position.
We took the opportunity (yet again) to visit and so climbed to the rooftop where the views afforded are simply spectacular.
Despite the cloud gathering in this late afternoon, one is easy to feel delirious as to were to look as the views of the coastline, the Inland Sea, Fungus Rock and so on compete for one’s attention.
Back to The Penthouse
After nearly 4 hours of trekking, we finally “collapsed” into the penthouse, armed ourselves with a bottle of local chardonnay, a tray of antipasto and made a beeline for the penthouse’s inviting pool and the “expansive” view of the San Lawrenz countryside.
Reclining on the pool lounges, we’re treated to scenery of terraced fields being worked (ploughing, harvesting, planting, etc.) tourist traffic to and from Dwejra and in the distant, Ghajn Abdul caves ….while we indulged in our wine, antipasto and accepting our “weight gain fate”😊
Hours later, we prepared a rustic dinner and served same on the patio in company with a glorious sunset. Nanna and I have had a memorable day….
