Gozo

SS: With the help of our Pieta neighbors, they contacted friends of theirs in Gozo (neighboring island) and arranged an apartment for us in the pleasant beach town of Xlendi. A quick ferry ride, passing the Comino Island known for the picture perfect Blue Lagoon, we arrived at a beautiful sea inlet surrounded by towering cliffs with everything a tourist could want. We rented a kayak and paddled out to the open sea, ducking into deep caves carved into the soaring cliffs. We scuba dived twice, once in Xlendi bay and the other in their famous Blue Hole and Azure Window. 

Spending a day touring the entire island, we visited the Ggantija, the ancient temple ruins dating back to 3600BC; lunch in the center square of Xaghra; Victoria (also known as Rabat), Gozo's biggest town, with a massive fortification perched on the highest hill with views of the whole Island; ending our day with a sunset at the stunning Azure Window. 

Local intel sent us to the golden beach of San Blas for a truly relaxing sun soaking day. Once reaching the town of Nadur, a crazy steep road led down the cliff side to this hidden golden gem. After a day full of sun, we opted to take the 2€ ride back up the 'mountain'. No wonder it's a secret getaway - access back up should be an Olympic event. 

JG: It's surprising Gozo doesn't command more attention from the masses. Xlendi, due partially to our input from Vince and Laura in Malta, was one of our favorite legs of this trip. It's touristy but not saturated, and there are enough activities without being ruined by the hand of commercialism.

Although our scuba instructor was an "interesting" personality, it was a great experience. Met a nice couple from Dubai, saw some decent plant life along with the remains of Azure Window (it was created when the limestone center collapsed). Part of the show Game of Thrones was filmed there, or so we were told.

Overall, an awesome foray into Mediterranean Europe. No bulls, no mountains - just good, clean living. 

Malta

SS: Malta ... 

When I first mentioned going to this place John said to me - "we are not going there because you saw a pretty picture". Well, not only is the entire island a pretty picture, there is so much culture, ancient history, simplistic beauty, and kind people. I cannot talk highly enough of this country. We lucked out and rented an apartment just outside of the capital Valletta, in Pieta, and the owners, Vince and Laura, were fantastic hosts. Living next door, they treated us like family during our stay. Both Vince and Laura have lived in Malta their entire lives and have deep family roots here giving us a comprehensive insight of information and history of these magnificent islands. 

This place is so hard to explain as it's history is so in-depth. It has temples that are older than the Egyptian pyramids, predating them by 500 years, making then the oldest freestanding structures in the world. The culture is influenced by a mix of North Africa Arabs and Europeans yet ruled by the Knights of St. John from the 11th century until being conquered by the French then handed back to the English and finally becoming a Republic in 1972. The language is Maltese, a mix of Arabic, French and Italian, yet everyone also speaks perfect English. Grand fortifications line the numerous harbors that were under attack for hundreds of years making this place amazing to tour. I'm still trying to convince John to conquer a castle for me. 

From the capital city, Valletta, southeast of this peninsula you have a beautiful view of the 3 cities across the Grand Harbor and to the northwest is a stunning sight of Sliema and another of the many harbors. We also visited the Arab influenced Mdina fortress, the tourist destination of St. Julian's and took  the convenient local buses from one side of the island to the other.

JG: I loved this place. We did very limited research on it and it wasn't given overwhelmingly favorable reviews, but we really liked the history, generally low-key pace, overall feel, and miles of coastline. We did a fair amount of touring the various cities and it was an eclectic mix of broad Mediterranean culture and architecture. Sandy got to see another catacomb at St. Agatha's (I don't understand her fascination with the remains of dead people), and I got to try some fenek (baked rabbit - a local delicacy). 

Vince and Laura were the greatest. If you're reading this, you made it the perfect start and finish to our trip, especially dealing with the chaos related to getting my replacement cell phone. . . .

Madrid

JG: Madrid is one of those places in which you can spend two days or two months. The nightlife, the culture, the diversity in lifestyle - it was always present and you could partake in any of the above according to your mood on a given day. We spent much of these few days touring the city center, hit up the art museums Prado (good) and Reina Sofia (awesome, mainly because they had a temporary Dali exhibit), and partaking in the restaurant scene. It was a well deserved reprieve from the shenanigans of Pamplona, and a fitting end to our time in Spain. 

Next stop: Malta. 

SS: Madrid is such a huge city with street after street of beautiful buildings and major sites to see; mostly including the Palace, neighborhood squares, Retiro Park, and the famous museums. 

The museums are impressive, and you could spend hours touring them, but I think an Art History degree is in order to truly appreciate the work and significance. A little 'museum'd out' I took to the streets of shopping! A bit of a backpack purge was in order with a 4 month funk brewing in my bag and well worn clothing. Maybe a pedicure was overdue too. 

Enjoying the last chance of Spain cuisine, John and I stumbled upon Mercado de San Miguel marketplace. A collection of different gourmet venders serving everything from sushi, tapas, fresh fish, candy and sweets, fresh fruit to wine, beer and sangria. Beautifully renovated, this is one of Madrid's oldest market places referred to as the Culinary Cultural Center. We may have indulged here a couple of times....