Sunrise was about 15 minutes ago. This is the view from my room.
--September 17, 2026 at 7:00 AM.
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I woke up rather earlier this morning than I would have preferred. The jet-lag and mediocre sleeping on the planes caught up with me right after dinner here at the Grand Hotel in Ghajnsielem roughly said, ”Ayn-see-LEM”) on the island of Gozzo. I was asleep not long after 8:00PM and pretty much awake for good not long after 4:30AM this morning (September 17). I hope it doesn’t wreck my day. Let me give you a sense of the time spent travelling the several thousand miles from Michigan to here. It was easy and hard:
- Hour 0: Wake up and get ready (and forgot to do something that could become important in time but I can’t really fix).
- Hour 1.0-1.5: Get my ride to the Detroit airport with Lil. Traffic was a bit of a pain but we got there when we should and I got through security and to my gate with no trouble.
- Hour 3: Flight to Boston leaves on time.
- Hour 5-6: Landing in Boston. Figure out how to get from Terminal A to Terminal E and the check-in counters. That turned out to be tougher than it should have been. I misread a sign and added 15-20 minutes walking under the tarmac to somewhere that wasn’t necessary. But I found the shuttle and it took me to gate E13 in Terminal E. I had to find my way out so I could meet Mom and Dad at the check-in counters. Of course, I also had to deal with the just-discovered breeze where a breeze should not be: my fly zipper was broken. Fortunately I had a change of clothes so that wasn’t too much of a hassle.
- Hour 7-7.5: Mom and Dad find me at couner 74 where the Lufthansa check-ins are located. I feel that could be better managed. The signs saying what airlines are at which counters are tiny compared to the lovely big numbers identifying each counter. Once you find a display screen that tells you which counter is assigned to your flight getting where you need to be is simple enough but I did not find such a sign quickly. More extra walking that I did not need. But we got through ticketing pretty smoothly considering our flights had been changed just the day before by ITA Airways to route through Frankfurt instead of Rome. Lufthansa didn’t quite get all our information (KTN numbers for TSA Precheck) but they did mange to book us in 3 adjacent seats which was surprising given that the flights were quite full.
- Hour 7.5-10: Waiting to board. I was able to get a bite to eat at a restaraunt. It would turn out to be a far superior meal than what the plane had to offer.
- Hour 10: Boarding. Another passport check and scan of boarding passes and we got on the bus to take us to the plane. That was a long bus ride. W e did not lave on time. Our flight would end up being about 40 minutes late arriving into Frankfurt.
- Hour 17ish (time from getting up on the 15th; we also jumped 6 hours ahead): We had less than 2 hours until boarding for our flight to Malta. We had to clear European customs. The new Entry/exit System is in place. You stand at a kiosk to scan your passport and provide a photo and perhaps fingerprints. Then you get in a long long line to see a border control agent. We had requested special assistance. That caused us some trouble because we didn’t properly follow thorough but it certainly sped us past the long line at the control point. However, people on our flight managed to get through and catch the same Malta-bound flight as us so perhaps it wasn’t necessary. It both reduced and increased stress as we had to wait for carts and we got nervous having heard some horror stories about wait times. But it probably was wise to do what we did. I am sure I’d not have made it alone: I just am not a fan of needing to have a wheelchair. I can walk. Granted there were no wheelchairs used: just electric carts.
- Hour 19: Boarding our flight to Malta. This would be about a 2 hours-long flight. It went fine.Shockingly hard seats; think Spirit Airlines.
- Hour 21: Land in Malta. Thank goodness we don’t have to deal with any more border control points. We were able to get our luggage and then begin our next round of waiting for our driver to arrive to take us to Gozo. I am not sure if he was on his way already or not. We had to wait the better part of an hour for him to arrive. Hurry up and wait. Joy.
- Hour 22.5-24: The shuttle takes about 45 minutes to get to the dock where the car ferry to Gozo awaits. The ferry ride is about 20 minutes. The ride to the ferry was not particularly enjoyable. A combination of being in the way back, being tired, and the speed and curves in the road, made it less than ideal. The ferry ride was nice and smooth and pretty.
- Hour 24.5: Checking in at the hotel. Hurray.
We settled in to our respecitive rooms and took time to make ourselves feel more alive (hurray for a good shower). But that can only take you so far. We were tired and while we had the thought of exploring a little aorund the hotel we ended up not doing so. We hung out at the outdoor pool on floor 4 (an indoor pool is on floor 2) for a bit before finding dinner at the hotel restaurant. They have a rooftop dining space that several days a week does some sort of barbecue but we were not going to spend 40 euros each for that. On non-barbecue days you can either order from a set menu of choices a 3-course meal or do something ala carte. The ala carte option exists every day and that is what we did. A tasty spaghetti in rich beef sauce (beef ragu). Then it was off to bed.
Our First Walk
It warmed up quickly. We had breakfast just before 8:00AM which is a bit later than we were aiming for, but it our first full day. While the choices for food are comprehensive the quality is a bit hit or miss and certainly won’t hold a candle to a hotel like the one we stayed in during our time in Oslo or, if I recall correctly, Alesund, Norway: no omelet chef. By the time we were ready to start our first walk it was edging past 9:30AM and the sun was sitting in a nearly cludless deep blue sky.
Inntravel provides a very basic map for each walk. Where they excel is with the directions that describe how you are to travel. If your walk takes you past something distinctive like a trio of palm trees where you make a sharp left turn the notes will say so. If there may be a concern about certain sections being iffy in poor weather you will be informed. If you are likely to get confused by an area where the most obvious option is wrong the walking notes will note that fact. Having a nice map and downloading the available GPX files to use with a proper mapping app are good extras but you can get by without them.
This walk started from the hotel. We moved along the street navigating the narrow sidewalk with its bumps and dips (not a city friendly to people with any mobility issues) hoping we wouldn’t have to step into the road as traffic zipped past. Then we turned and began following the next road. This was the nature of the bulk of the walk: road walking. Usually along the edge of the roads which granted were often far quieter than the initial road. It isn’t hard but it is a bit tedious.
We ascended towards a higher point (about 80 meters) and were presented with panoramic views of, I think, Ramia Bay. We also saw less wondrous things like trash. We were heading into the village of Qala (pronounced, “AH-la”). I am not sure where the border between villages is in what feels like one big habitation.We passed by the Buket Bar where several jeeps carrying tourists, we saw many, had just pulled in for a late-morning drink. Personally, I think it might have been nice to get a cold drink there after the 1.2km climb. We ascended about 75 meters but with the sun already high in the sky it felt harder than it should have. Of course, our water was already warming up making it less palatable to drink.
One nice thing about walking through bustling villages is that you find the fine little shops that make the places work. In the space of a few meters we found a well stocked pharmacy which sold travel-sized shaving gel, sunscreeen, and toothpaste plus all sorts of other things; a small mini-mart where we picked up cold water and I wish we had (I was voted down) potato chips (crisps); and a very well stocked pharmacy which- seemed a bit higher-end, small grocery store where we managed to purchse some clementines (I wish I had a small grocery store like that one near me back home).
We worked our way through Qala along much quieter roads. Expansive views of the bays down below were frequent but they won’t blow your mind. We also wondered about what seemed like maintained fields for agricultural use but nothing seemed to be growing in them. Along the way we passed by home with American flags. I suppose their is an ex-pat community here. THe houses all had names like Big Apple and Sun Valley. When we reach the Church of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady we found a modest shady spot to rest. It was just before noon and had I been on the ball I could have recorded the noon seranade of the bells. THe music sounded a bit dicordant to me as if the notes being struck were a bit off pitch. Dad thought it sounded tinny but I don’t think that is quite right. He stepped inside and surprisingly found it stuffy and not any cooler. I would have thought it would be cooler because it is a centuries-old church with thick stone walls but clearly it wasn’t and it also lacked ventilation.
We found our way to a 600-meter detour walk that would take us out to near the edge of the cliffs overlooking Hondoq (Hon-dok) Bay. We didn’t go quite to the end of the recommended walk but came close enough. If the sun had been pouring heat down upon us I think we have stayed to have our handmade-at-the-hotel-by-us little sandwiches. We returnd down the slightly rocky path, past the supposedly millennia-old cart ruts. They did not look like much to Dad and I don’t think I saw them at all. We returned to the fly-inhabited shady spot for lunch.
Down a winding road, the steepest descent down to the sea, and the joys around Hondoq Bay. For us that meant sitting down under the umbrellas at the beachfront set up by the soda and ice cream truck. Orange Fanta and Magnun Ice Cream bars may not be the healthiest things to devour but under the certainly well above 80ªF they were very welcome treats. The notes say you can spend hours here in the bay but we certainly did not do that. We walked onto the small mostly-rocky beach, typical of so many we have seen in Europe, and watched people playing in the water. Lots of small kayaks and other things were bobbing in the calm blue-green and clear water. For Mom and I it was a lovely chance to take off our shoes and step into the lapping waves of Hondoq Bay. The water is quite warm; a far cry from the chilly water of Lake Superior. As the waves lapped at our legs and the undertoe pulled sand out from under our feet we relaxed in the pleasant embrace. Of course, then we had to step out and take the few irritating (maybe others find it less so as they pick better stepping spots) steps back to rocks to sit on and put socks and shoes back on.
From the beach the walk would spend the next few hundred meters gradually ascending along a coastal path of hard sand and some rocks: a hard surface but at least it wasn’t a road.Views of inlets and the blue-colored waters were lovely. But we certainly were getting tired as we made our way. A final ascent up to another road and we had about one mile to go. Too bad we had to first climb the ascending road over a distance of 600 meters perhaps gaining 40-50 meters along the way. I found myself wondering if we could have taken the coastal path around and then returned to the hotel from there. It might well have been longer but the climbing would have been considerably lessened. We found ourselves back on the street where we started.From here we would retrace our steps back to the hotel. Down and down we went. Mom was feeling it by this point and we paused for her to rest a few times along the last 1.3km of the walk. We managed to navigate the narrow sidewalks of the last couple hundred meters and once again were back at the hotel.
I’ll end with a quick note about our first three-course meal. Mom and Dad tried a pasta starter in a tomato sauce while I had a creamy risotto. I found my starter a bit bland and the rice may have been a bit undercooked. But I admit I don’t eat risotto often so what do I really know. I prefer its cousin the arancini balls which I realize are really rather different. I don’t think they were too excited about the chicken they had. My braised lamb shank was tender, very mild in taste, and came with plenty of nice vegetables. The chocolate cake with whipped cream and a cherry sauce made an excellent dessert leaps and bounds ahead of Dad’s strawberry ice cream.
Photos
After about a 45 minute drive from the airport, we would reach the dock for the car ferry that would take us to Gozo. It’s about a 20 minute ride on the ferry and we are about 1 km from Gozo at this point. As it would turn out, that means we were not that much farther away from the grand hotel, which is where we are staying.
--September 16, 2026 at 2:35 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo mapOpenTopoMap map
--September 16, 2026 at 7:36 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo mapOpenTopoMap map
Our first panoramic view of Ramia Bay. We are ascending along a road with, overall, no sidewalks ; and when they exist they’re meager. We probably have nearly a kilometer of climbing to still do. It’s a gentle climb but it’s in full sunshine and already over 80°F.
--September 17, 2026 at 9:44 AM.
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There are some intriguing home in Qala (sounds like, “AH-La”). But I think this one might be scheduled for demolition, which would be a shame. The Buttigieg family seems to have quite a presence here. I don’t know if that’s the same family as American Pete Buttigieg but I think it is.
--September 17, 2026 at 11:09 AM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo mapOpenTopoMap map
This is just perhaps 20 or so meters from the end of this path at the cliff’s overlooking Hondoq (pronounced more or less like, “Hon-dok”) Bay. If the sun hadn’t been punishing us relentlessly I think we would have had our modest lunch here.
--September 17, 2026 at 12:42 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo mapOpenTopoMap map
This is just perhaps 20 or so meters from the end of this path at the cliff’s overlooking Hondoq (pronounced more or less like, “Hon-dok”) Bay. If the sun hadn’t been punishing us relentlessly I think we would have had our modest lunch here.
--September 17, 2026 at 12:43 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo mapOpenTopoMap map
We took a respite here at the Church of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady just before and after noon (I wasn’t able to record the noon bells concert which sounded a bit off key to my ears and Dad called it tinny) and then after our jaunt down to near the top of the cliffs about 750 meters southeast of here.
--September 17, 2026 at 1:28 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo mapOpenTopoMap map
The water here in Hondoq (Hon-dok) Bay is quite warm. It sure felt good on aching and hot feet. The beach here, like so many we have seen throughout Europe, is rocky. You will feel it as your stroll barefoot into the water. But it is a beach and the water is inviting so, as you see, people come to play. Photo by Jonathan.
--September 17, 2026 at 2:17 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo mapOpenTopoMap map
We are following a coastal path of hard sand strewn with rocks up out of Hondoq Bay. It is definitely a change of pace from the road walking we’ve done up to this point. But it is hard to enjoy the glorious shades of colors dancing through the calm inlet below. The heat is exhausting us. I wonder if it would have been easier, if possible, to continue on the coastal path and climb to the hotel from the sea. In a few dozen meters we will turn inland and climb this path to a road before starting a 1.2 km descent down the road we ascended earlier.
--September 17, 2026 at 2:48 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, CalTopo mapOpenTopoMap map
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