Day of Adventure and The Island of Gozo-5/31
Saturday, 31. May 2008, 01:45:29
In search of a special cafe'
This morning early, my traveling companion and I, while time still permitted took off for adventure and food.
First we headed south to see the most mysterious things I have ever seen. The Maltese Megaliths. In the middle of nowhere, popping up from the horizon, are the ancient stones of unknown origin. These have to be seen to be believed, the sheer size will amaze you.
Set into the ground, two massive slabs of stone set edgewise, parallel to each other and a third slab straddling them horizontally, each slab of stone weighing between 3-12 ton, and 8-20 feet long and between 4-8 ft tall depending on the site. These in some ways resemble the stone formation found in other parts of Europe, but not on this scale!
No one knows for sure who put them here, or exactly what they were used for. It's all speculation.
Some believe they were tombs, some believe they were ceremonially platforms. Whatever they were, they have for the most part survived the ravages of time intact and believed by many to pre-date Stonehenge. They liter the Island from end to end I've heard, along with other interesting ruins.
The three sites we visited were, to say the least, breathtaking. (You will have to wait for pictures, my hobby is 35mm...so suck it up).
As the heat of the day grew stronger, we headed for Gozo, the little sister island to the west of Malta. For those of you familiar with the Greek poet "Homer", legend has it Gozo is where Odysseus was held for seven years.
A pleasant breezy ferry ride and we set foot on the hilly island before afternoon mealtime.
We drove around Rabat for awhile till we found the cafe I was told to look for and we decided it was time. Everything I was told about this place was true.
Mediterranean food is my favorite, and I was not disappointed at this meal.
I ordered a dish of Lamb-Shank and sauteed onions with an Arabian sauce on the side....and of course a nice Greek wine (for digestion purposes you see)... all I can say is, Heavenly.
We had such a time eating and enjoying our conversation with a Belgian couple seated next to us that darkness soon fell and our other site seeing had to be postponed.
But time is getting short, and I am going ahead of the rest of the band to Paris. Although the "Fete de la Musique" isn't till the 21rst, every time I've played in Paris it has been on tour, fly in for the day, play that night and on to the next location. So I made it a point to make extra time this trip to see the one place I've always said I would go in Paris, but only if I could spend at least two days there, and stand in front of the one thing I've always wanted to see since the first time I saw a picture of it...........
WIDGETIZE
Love Jenn
By gflladydeath, # 31. May 2008, 03:53:38