Gozo is the island of Homer's Odyssey- it is here the Odysseus had walked ashore after hus ship wreck and had stayed for seven years with the beautiful nymph Calyoso (imprisoned by her according to some!) - all the while telling her how much he loved his wife and why he couldn't marry her! And then everything was blamed on the poor Calypso and her spell. Men never change!

I was totally psyched - to walk in the very place where the legendary warriors amd god-men strode - where the beautiful nymph sat gazing at the sea and Odysseus sailed the Homeric Galley- was to be a part of that history.

So my meticulously laid plan was not to waste a minute- a tough proposition with a 7 year old who suddenly seemed to have developed an appetite of a baby elephant, and a spouse whose travel philosophy was to stop and smell the roses even if there was nothing to smell!

For once - I too had decided to slow down! My plan was for us to spend a couple of days in Gozo and Comino - walking around the sleepy town surrounded by Roman churches and local coffee shops, floating in the warm waters of the Blue Lagoon - the soft golden sand enveloping me like a warm blanket. For once- I had decided to stray off the beaten path- usually people do a day tour of Gozo amd Comino and return to the main Island - and here I was giving ot two whole days, very unlike my hyperactive self!

We were going to take the 10 am fast ferry from Valletta - a 10 min walk from our Valletta hotel - be in Gozo - where a jeep and a driver woukd pick us uo and take us around the uslamd for 6-7 hours.

But someone above has a sense of humor! The Gozo fast ferry got cancelled! The sudden storms out of nowhere that you read in the legends of Greece and Rome - fierce winds capsizing boats and sailors battling the angry waves - are quite real in this part if the world - esp. around Spring! The waters were too rough and the winds too string from the Catamaran.

And this is where obsessive research pays off! I knew that there was another ship from the Northern part of the island from Cirkewwa (Pronounced Chirkewa). But it was a 45 min drive from Valletta. We had our hotels booked amd not going was not an option - so we booked a cab, hauled our luggage, arranged for the jeep to stay a couple of extra hours in Gozo amd were on our way. The ferry was humongous and a local affair- the food on board wasn't half bad and the Gozo channel with the white foamy crests of the aquamarine waves lashing against the ship was an experience of a lifetime. I could image Odysseus braving these waters with his indomitable sailors on search of adventure.

Our driver was waiting at the ferry terminal and the first stop was our bed and breakfast in the Xewkija region - a 10 min walk from Ggantija Temples - the other neolithic temple in Malta. We were greeted by a smiling older Maltese women who showed us our rooms - with the feel of an old Goa house. Standing in the shadow of the Rotunda St. John the Baptist - the views were stunning.

Dropping off our luggage, our plan was to start from the south of the island and go around it and end at the center. Our first stop was at the fishing village of Xlendi.

Next stop was at the church of Ta Pinu. Although younger than our Bethesda house, at about 70 years - this young upstart held its own against the majestic old churches. The mosaic work in rich gold, reds and blues was definitely worth a visit. But tye other highlight was visiting a local shop to taste prickly pear liquor and Maltese coffee.

The famous Azure Window (of the Game of Thrones fame) wss out next stop. The window however, has collapsed a couple of years ago due to erosion. We paid our homage to the famous site and our driver recommended we do the cave tour nearby. I had already booked the Blue Lagoon cave tour for the next day and was debating whether to do it. But it was the best 20 euros (for 5) that I have every spent.

It felt as of someone had poured huge quantities of aquamarine blue in the ocean waters. We went through narrow sea caves and winding caves out to the open seas. I do not have the words to do justice to the view. The azure sea surrounded the giant sea caves with the walls resplendent with colorful corals. In the blink of an eye we had been transported to a land of the water nymphs and felt like a voyeur secretly seeing their private playground.

Reality hit when the 7 year old demanded to be fed. We decided to have lunch at the cliffside restaurant - with its bright white table cloths, windows overlooking the green and blue waters, the fresh smell of bread and its sunny terrace. Alas - little did we know here, lunch was a leisurely affair - not to be hurried! The mussels and the Maltese fish soup were delicious - but we had certainly not planned on spending an hour for lunch!

To make up for lost time, our driver decided to race down narrow unpaved mountain roads where a car coming from the other direction needed to back up to let other cars pass. James bind would have been proud!

He took us to a little know sister of the Azure window - Waid il-Mielah - it was mesmerizing. See the cobalt waters through the limestone Arch, one could almost imagine a Bollywood moment here! Beaten to the punch - my 7 year old decided this required a Shahrukh Khan pose!