My Adventures 3: September 2025

On Tuesday the 2nd September 2025 we have breakfast at the hotel and walk to the Bugibba Bus Terminal to catch the bus to the Popeye Village.

The bus we were on, drives on through Mellieha and its then I realise it actually doesn't go to the Popeye Village so we get off by Mellieha beach.

Għadira Bay, also known as Mellieħa Bay, is the largest sandy beach in Malta, located on the island's northwest coast. It's a popular destination for families, offering a clear sea, sandy shores, and amenities like sunbeds, umbrellas, and watersports. The beach is easily accessible, with free parking, but can get crowded, especially in the mornings, so it's recommended to arrive early.

We stand in the heat, its a while for the bus that takes us to the Popeye Village. I decide to book a bolt to take us there.

We buy our tickets and enter the Popeye Village.

The Lookout Tower

Popeye Village, also known as Sweethaven Village, is a purpose-built film set village that has been converted into a small attraction fun park, consisting of a collection of rustic and ramshackle wooden buildings. It is located at Prajjet Bay/Anchor Bay, 3 km (1.9 mi) from the village core of Mellieħa, Malta.

It was built as a film set for the production of the 1980 live-action musical feature film Popeye, produced by Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Productions starring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall. It is open to the public as an open-air museum and seaside resort.

The construction of the film set began in June 1979. A construction crew of 165 working four months was needed to build the village, which consists of 19 wooden buildings. Hundreds of logs and several thousand wooden planks were imported from the Netherlands, while wood shingles used in the construction of the roof tops were imported from Canada. Eight tons of nails and 7,600 L (2,000 US gal) of paint were also used in construction.

In addition, a 60–75 m (197–246 ft) breakwater was constructed around Anchor Bay's mouth to protect the set from the high seas during filming.

The set was completed in seven months, and filming commenced on 23 January 1980, and wrapped later that year on 19 June. The film, based on the comic strips by E. C. Segar, is set around the fictional village of Sweethaven, where Popeye the sailor arrives in an attempt to find his long-lost father.

Although the film had mixed reviews, Popeye Village remains a popular tourist attraction.

Popeye Village is open to the public seven days a week and, apart from the film set itself, has several family attractions for the visitor to experience. There are shows, rides, and museums, as well as playhouses where children can climb and explore the village. Children can meet the main characters from the movie, such as Popeye, Olive Oyl, Brutus, and Wimpy.

Some of the houses in Popeye Village have been equipped with various items related to the film's production, including props used in the movie.

Situated in the centre of Popeye Village's Lower Complex, visitors can see a 15-minute history and information audio-visual show which includes clips from the actual film and the set's construction. The cinema can accommodate approximately 40 people and has a show every hour.

We continue to stroll around the set, aside from the show and the water aerobics, I cant say its worth the entrance fee to be honest.

Olive Oyls House

The characters now perform a show and get the visitors involved.

One tried to get Mel to dance, she was having none of it! Ha ha

We wander down to the beach and they are doing water aerobics in the sea.

Really wish we had bought our swimming gear.

I stand in the water and a fish keeps pecking at my feet.

We leave the village, I walk around to the viewpoint to get photos of the village from above.

I book a bolt cab to take us all the way back to the hotel in Bugibba.

It arrives, all windows are down. I guess aircon not working. Then 5 minutes into the journey the car starts pinging and warnings of overheating. I hope it gets us back. It does but on getting up, I see the state of its tyres. Totally bald, like slicks. Had I seen that before I'd not got in it in the first place!

After a rest, we grab our swimming stuff and go for a swim in the sea in Bugibba.

Water was nice and warm.

That night we head back to Harry's Bar for dinner and drinks.

Amazing roast beef and a cracking beer.

Last day sadly flying home tomorrow.

On Monday the 1st September 2025 after breakfast at the hotel we walk down to Bugibba Jetty for our trip we booked on Get your guide to Gozo and the Blue Lagoon on Comino.

We arrive and check in to our boat, a Catamaran with Sea Trips. We had already booked our free passes to Comino and had people checking that people had these.

As we leave Bugibba we can see the Statue of St Paul up on top of a small island. Nice to see it up close.

St Paul’s Island or Selmunett is an uninhabited island of about 10 hectares off Selmun, Mellieha. According to the Bible, a sailing ship with the Apostle Paul on board ran aground on its way to Rome. St Paul converted the Maltese to Christianity. They named the island off the coast St. Paul’s Island in his honour. There is a statue of St Paul on the island, which rises around 21 metres out of the water.

The large statue of St Paul the Apostle on St Paul’s Island is the work of two sculptors, Sigismondo Dimech (1780-1853) from Valletta and Salvatore Dimech (1805-1887) from Lija. The statue is about 4 metres high. St Paul holds a book in his left hand, while his right hand points to the sky. At his feet is the serpent which, according to the Acts of the Apostles, bit him on the hand. The statue stands on an 8.3 metre high platform by the stone carver Francesco Spiteri. The inscription on the attached marble slab reads:

To the Apostle St Paul, Master and Doctor of the Church of all People, Father and Patron of the Maltese. This statue is in the same place where he was shipwrecked – together with 275 others – on this island where he had to come and teach the faith of Christ, as his friend St Luke says in the Acts of the Apostles Cap.XXVII. Salvatore Borg, in memory of this event – in the year 1845 – worked hard for its erection.

High up on the cliffs we can see the Chapel of the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception

"Chapel of the Immaculate Conception" in St. Paul's Bay is actually a chapel in Wied Qannota, known for its picturesque setting and historical significance. Commissioned by Garzia Monpalao in the early 16th century and dedicated first to the Nativity of Our Lady, it was officially rededicated to the Immaculate Conception in 1717. The chapel has a rectangular shape, a stone altar, and a simple facade with pillars and a doorway for passers-by to say a prayer.

We continue sailing on pass the cliffs enroute to Gozo first.

We stop off at one of our first sea caves, pretty but nothing to get too excited about.

Għar iċ-Ċomb, a remarkable natural cave located in Mellieħa, Malta. This enchanting cave, known for its stunning rock formations and crystal-clear waters, provides a unique glimpse into Malta's geological wonders. As you approach the cave, you'll be mesmerized by the intricate shapes and patterns carved by nature over millennia.

The surrounding landscapes are equally breathtaking, with panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea that stretch to the horizon. The cave is also a popular destination for those looking to explore Malta's diverse marine life, as the waters near the cave are teeming with vibrant aquatic species.

We are now approaching Gozo and we can Mgarr in the distance.

The town of Mġarr grew around the shallow harbour which shares its name. Ferry services to Malta were in operation by 1241, and fishing was already established. Whilst the area around the harbour was developed over the following centuries, there was little development of the harbour itself until 1841, when a breakwater was constructed to provide more shelter to the port. This breakwater was strengthened and extended several times up to 1906. A larger breakwater was constructed between 1929 and 1935, and two more in 1969; on the completion of the latter, the area of the port was expanded to 121,400 square metres.

Mġarr is the largest fishing village on Gozo. In addition to the ferry terminal, a yacht marina is also located in the town. Mġarr is overlooked by Fort Chambray, constructed in 1749 by the Knights of St. John.

We board a coach that will take us to Victoria the capital of Gozo.

As we drive out of Mgarr, high above us we can see the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes.

This chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes stands on a promontory overlooking Mġarr Harbour. It enjoys spectacular views of the Gozo Channel and the Island of Malta and can be easily reached on foot or by car from the harbour or from the village of Għajnsielem.

A statue of the Virgin Mary of Lourdes sculpted by Antonio Busuttil was placed in a natural cavity beneath the promontory in 1879. On 3rd June 1888, it was blessed by Bishop Pietro Pace who urged devotees to help him raise a chapel. The foundation stone was laid just one week later and the chapel opened in summer 1893. It was consecrated in 1949.

Designed by Emmanuel Galizia and built by stonemason Wiġi Vella of Żebbuġ, the chapel has a Gothic style with a steeply pitched roof, lance windows and a series of buttresses topped with pinnacles. A circular rose window adorns the gable over the main door while, at the other end, a square tower is topped by a tall, slender spire. The tower has a set of five bells and at its top, immediately under the spire, there are four clock faces.

Inside, the chapel has a ribbed Gothic vaulted roof and is dominated by a statue of the Virgin Mary of Lourdes. This statue was sculpted by Carlo Darmanin and donated by Karolina Mamo-Bruno in 1893.

The feast is celebrated on the 11th February, the date of the first apparition of Lourdes. Throughout the feast many people from all over the island flock to the chapel to hear mass and pray.

As we drive through Xewkija we see the Tat-Tmien Kantunieri Windmill on the main road mid-way between Victoria and Għajnsielem, it stands as the oldest surviving windmill in Gozo, Malta. It has just undergone restoration after the Planning Commission approved the works to start on this historic building.

It was commissioned by Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Roccaful and started operating in 1710 by the miller Ganni Scicluna (Gio Maris Xicluna). Perellos has also made Giovanni Gourgion as the Procurator of Wheat, where Giovanni would receive a commission on all grain he brought to Malta. Gourgion has his residence, which later used to be known as the Gourgion Tower in Xewkija.

We arrive in Victoria, the capital of Gozo and we have a few hours here to explore.

We walk around a few souvenir shops and into St George's Square.

The area around the town, situated on a hill near the centre of the island, has been settled since Neolithic times. Victoria is the name given on 10 June 1887 by the British government on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, at the request of Pietro Monsignor Pace, Bishop of Gozo. Many Gozitans, mainly older ones, still often refer to it by the name Rabat. It is usually known as Rabat, Gozo to distinguish it from the town of Rabat on the main island of Malta.

In the square sits St. George's Basilica or the Basilica and Collegiate Parish Church of Saint George, also simply known in Maltese as San Ġorġ , it's a historic Baroque church situated in the middle of Gozo, the second largest island in the Maltese archipelago, and is surrounded by a maze of old narrow streets and alleys. The church had been rebuilt numerous times during the Middle Ages. Today's basilica was built between 1672 and 1678.

The present church was planned by Vittorio Cassar when he also demolished the buildings that could serve to cover an enemy attack on the town of Gozo today called the Cittadella. The foundation stone of the present church was laid on 7 August 1672. The church's construction was completed by in 1678 and it was consecrated on 21 September 1755 by Bishop Paul Alphéran de Bussan.

We wander around the charming back streets that are so quiet and away from the bustling crowds in the square.

Five feasts are celebrated in Victoria, the island of Gozo, the two main feasts are the feast of St. George and the feast of Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The feast dedicated to St. Mary, devoted in its Cathedral situated in the centre of the Citadel dominating the whole island is celebrated on 15 August. The other one is dedicated to St. George, the patron saint of Gozo celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of July in St George's Basilica.

In Victoria, there is the feast of the Immaculate Conception in the church of St Francis. This feast is celebrated on 8 December of every year by the Franciscan conventual friars. A feast of Our Lady of Divine Grace is celebrated as the last feast of the feast season by the Franciscan capuchin friars in the church dedicated to Our Lady of Divine Grace. The feast of St. John Bosco is celebrated in the Don Bosco Oratory.

We walk back through the square to head up to the Citadel.

We walk up the steep hill and find a lift that takes us up the worst of the climb up.

The Cittadella, also known as the Castello is the citadel of Victoria on the island of Gozo, Malta.

The area has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and the site now occupied by the Cittadella is believed to have been the acropolis of the Punic-Roman city of Gaulos or Glauconis Civitas.

During the medieval period, the acropolis was converted into a castle which served as a refuge for Gozo's population. A suburb began to develop outside its walls by the 15th century, and this area now forms the historic core of Victoria. The castle's defences were obsolete by the 16th century, and in 1551 an Ottoman force invaded Gozo and sacked the Cittadella.

A major reconstruction of the southern walls of the Cittadella was undertaken between 1599 and 1622, transforming it into a gunpowder fortress. The northern walls were left intact, and today they still retain a largely medieval form. The new fortifications were criticized in later decades, and plans to demolish the entire citadel were made multiple times in the 17th and 18th centuries, but were never carried out.

The Cittadella contains churches and other historic buildings, including the Cathedral of the Assumption, which was built between 1697 and 1711 on the site of an earlier church. The citadel has been included in Malta's tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1998.

We wander about the Cittadella and marvel at its beauty.

The Cittadella briefly saw action during the French invasion and subsequent uprising in 1798; in both cases the fortress surrendered without much of a fight. It remained a military installation until it was decommissioned by the British on 1 April 1868.

The Victoria area remained the main settlement on Gozo throughout the Phoenician and Roman periods, and it became a settlement known as Gaulos or Glauconis Civitas. The city consisted of an acropolis on the site of the Cittadella, and a fortified town in an area now occupied by part of Victoria. A temple dedicated to Juno is said to have stood on the site now occupied by the cathedral. A few inscriptions and architectural fragments from Gaulos have survived, including a 2nd-century AD Latin inscription on a limestone block that was reused in the main gate of the Cittadella.

There were some amazing views across Gozo from the Citadel walls.

Remains of walls which might have formed part of the Punic-Roman fortifications of Gaulos have been discovered. In 1969, traces of massive walls were discovered during building works in Main Gate Street, to the south of the Cittadella. Further remains were discovered close to the Cittadella during an archaeological excavation in 2017.

We stop at the Ta' Rikardu Restaurant and climb two floors to its rooftop to enjoy the views and a local Gozo beer.

We climb back down and back through the Citadella.

We stop for photos on the steps of the Cathedral of the Assumption.

The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Cittadella of Victoria in Gozo, Malta. The cathedral is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, and has been the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gozo since the formation of the diocese in 1864.

Following the Christianization of Malta and Gozo, the temple was converted into a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Later on, a Byzantine church was probably built on the site of the temple, until it was destroyed while Malta was under Arab rule.

Following the expulsion of the Arabs, another church was built. The earliest reference to a parish church within the Cittadella dates back to 1299, and it was enlarged over the course of the 15th and 16th centuries. The church was sacked by the Ottomans during the invasion of 1551, but was reopened by September 1554. It was damaged once again in the earthquake of 1693, and a decision was made to demolish the old building and construct a new church instead.

The nobleman Felice Axac was a major benefactor in the church's reconstruction. The foundation stone of the present church was laid down on 21 September 1697, and the building was designed by the Maltese architect Lorenzo Gafà. It was inaugurated on 14 August 1711, and was dedicated on 11 October 1716.

The church was elevated to a cathedral when it became the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gozo, on 16 September 1864.

We leave the Citadel and walk back to the city.

We stop and pay to visit St James Church and we were handed shawls to cover our shoulders.

The Church of St James is a Roman Catholic church building in Victoria, Gozo, Malta, situated in Independence Square, the centre of the town.

The present church dates from the 20th century but part of the church, particularly the sanctuary, dates to the 18th century. The original building was used as a parochial church for the eastern part of the island of Gozo during the night hours at a time when the only parishes on the island were those of St George and the Collegiate of the Assumption, the present cathedral. Two other chapels were adjoined to the original church, one dedicated to the Holy Cross and the other to St Mark. This is recorded in inquisitor Pietro Dusina's 1575 report.

Following the 1551 corsair raid on Gozo, led by Sinam Baxa, the church suffered extensive damage and had to be rebuilt. It was deconsecrated in 1657 by Bishop Balaguer and a new church was built in its place by order of Grand Master Ramon Despuig. It was finished in 1740. The church was used for the blessing of the crops on the feast of St Mark. This custom started in 1847 and ended in 1968. The church was consecrated on January 18, 1942. It was partly demolished in 1979 because of damage to the structure, and had to be rebuilt.

The altarpiece, depicting St James, dates back to 1742. There are two side altars, one dedicated to St Barbara and the other to St Teresa of Avila and St Rose of Lima. The paintings are said to have been painted by Francesco Zahra. The church is most famous for the statue of Our Lady of Sorrow which is taken out of the church on the Friday before Good Friday and taken into procession around the streets of Victoria. The statue was brought from Munich in 1879.

We leave the church and head back to the coach stop but stop for lunch enroute.

Once back the coach takes us back to Mgarr and we catch the Catamaran again to visit the Blue Lagoon on Comino.

We arrive in the Blue Lagoon. It is heaving with people! Our passes are checked before we can enter.

The Catamaran has windows in its hull to view the fish outside.

The water is lovely and crystal-clear, shame its so packed. But its to be expected.

With a sandy beach on the island of Comino, and a larger one on Cominotto, the splendid turquoise waters are the crowning glory of this idyllic swim spot.

A new online visitor booking system will regulate the number of visitors at the Comino’s Blue Lagoon, to protect and preserve the delicate ecosystems of this popular Natura 2000 site.

As announced earlier this year, the Malta Tourism Authority, in collaboration with the Tourism Ministry and other entities and authorities, is launching this system as part of a multi-pronged drive to augment sustainability and enhance visitor experience at the Blue Lagoon.

We get back onboard the catamaran and swim from there.