On our first full day on Gozo my roommate and I decided to explore the area. My roommates are Hannah (from London) and Sabrina (from Quebec). It is easy to walk to Victoria from any town in Gozo because it is in the center:
So we walked to Victoria from Xlendi which took about 40 minutes, we took our time.
Victoria is a beautiful capital. I was surprised to see how empty it was, but it was also kind of nice to walk down streets such as the one above.
We went into a lace shop because we had all heard that Gozitan lace is very nice. This woman makes all the lace in her shop and it is beautiful. Something like the piece above would take months of constant work. She learned when she was 5 and is now 85! She has taught her nieces because she has no children, but hopes to keep the tradition alive. Not many young people want to learn the task because it is so time consuming and you have to have a lot of patience.
She showed us how she does it. This is a simple pattern, but it uses 8 different spools of thread to make. I've seen women using 30 spools of thread at a time! They're so talented... They move them over and under each other and use pins to help them direct the thread. They can do it so fast and it's incredibly delicate material.
She told us men do not do lace, only women and most women who do lace also do knitting. This woman had many beautiful sweaters in her shop as well.
Next we walked around the capital. This is a view of the citadella from the street. The citadella is on a hill in the middle of Gozo and is the center of Victoria. It's played an important role in Gozo's history.
This is the view from the citadella. It's a cloudy day but still such a beautiful country.
Yummy food in Victoria for 4 Euro :)
We ended our journey at Xlendi Bay near where we are living. I cannot wait to explore the waters of Gozo. I am so lucky to be studying in such a beautiful place.
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