Xlendi

Normally I dislike bus tours. However the hop on hop off tour service was my best option for reaching the coast. They give you a pair of disposable earphones but in my experience the sound quality is awful, and one should just enjoy the view.

Gozitan streets are so narrow it's a wonder the buses don't hit the balconies. We passed through San Lawrenz and Dwejra Bay again, this time with an elevated view which enabled me to snap this picture of a quarry. I didn't disembark as I had seen it all the day before.

Then the bus headed to Ta' Pinu basilica in the northwest of Gozo. The origin of the original church is unknown, but it got a huge expansion after a peasant woman heard mystical voices and miracles were attributed to the church. Peter, the Segway guide, told us that it's a site as venerated as Lourdes.

It's an impressive building visible for kilometres around.

Finally at Xlendi on the south coast I got off the bus. (The X is pronounced like sh by the way.) This is a little village situated at the head of a bay with a small beach.

It was a pleasant slightly overcast day and the water was calm and reflective.

Holiday apartments lined the waterfront. Some had seen better days but looked cozy enough.

All over Malta you can buy pastizzi from pastizzerias, what else. These are little savoury pastry snacks containing cheese or peas. The pastry is crisp rather than soft and oily like croissants. I enjoyed a couple of fresh ones from this vendor.

There is a tower guarding the bay and sea, dating from 17th century Grand Master days.

The British added this stone bridge across a ravine for better access.

It was a lovely walk and I took far more pictures than I can post here.