Papa's 70th

2011 & 2012 have really been quiet eventful for my family, I’m an only child therefore my family is really my parents and I.  A while back I told myself that I would spend more time with both my parents and do things that they enjoy and that make them happy.  This post is all about one of those moments I spent with both my loving mama & papa .... a day I will treasure in my heart and record in my Happiness Jar.

On the 31^st March the Catholic Church celebrated Easter Sunday, which in itself is a very important celebration of the risen Lord, however for me it had another meaning, one that is closer to my heart.  My father turned 70 … a blessing for us that he is in relatively good health after all he has been through.

The picture speaks for itself

On Easter Sunday morning we met at their house and headed to the Ferry in Cirkewwa to take the 9:30 crossing to the sister Island, I like to call Little Rock – Gozo.  The weather was beautiful, just a tad of a breeze but otherwise lovely.

We got to Gozo in time to drive over to the other side of the Island, a quiet town called Gharb and attend Easter Sunday Mass, because it was Easter Sunday and also because the Church is home to the Portrait of the Madonna ta Pinu, as I explained in a previous post this has a strong meaning for my mother.  So we couldn’t visit Gozo without visiting the church and giving homage to the Madonna who has kept dad safe and healthy year after year.

Marble Angel

We arrived a little bit late, I’m pretty sure it was the first time my mother entered a church while the celebrant was half way through his homely, incidentally he was urging churchgoers to make it a point to arrive before mass actually starts … I’m sure she was forgiven just for being late once … me well I’m not sure I can seek forgiveness since I’m a repeat offender!

Mama & Papa outside the Sanctuary

After mass we drove to Marsalforn and had lunch at a lovely restaurant close to the sea called Murella – we had a lovely meal, I had their speciality – Fried Gozo Gbejna (which is a local soft cheese made from sheep’s’ milk).  Gbejniet (plural for Gbejna) are delicious raw with some olive oil – fried they are divine, as a main course I had one of their Speciality Pizza with Mozzarella di Buffola … YUMM!

Mum had Aubergine Brusketta followed by an Aberdeen Angus Burger and dad had the fried Gbejna and burger same as mum … he hadn’t indulged in anything so rich in months – since it was his birthday mum let down her guard.

For pudding I had a portion of Cassatella Siciliana a Sicilian ricotta dessert while both my parents had fresh fruit salad.  After a meal like that all we felt like doing was have a nap in the sun ... but we didn't give in.

On the way to the ferry we stopped for some fresh air at Calypso Cave overlooking the picturesque Ramla il-Hamra (the red beach) …

Posing with my lovely mum

Our Trip on Google Maps

A lovely end to a beautiful day, we must really do this more often … nothing is more fulfilling then spending quality time with both my parents.

A lonely boat sitting outside the Mgarr Harbour in Gozo

Visiting Gozo and giving thanks to the Madonna at Ta' Pinu

View of Comino from the Ferry

This morning was up early, by 0630 I was having breakfast and getting ready since the night before I had made plans to take both my parents to Malta's sister island Gozo.  We would be taking the 0815 ferry and would arrive in Gozo in 25 minutes.  Everything went as planned and at 0815 the ferry was starting its journey across wonderfully calm waters.  The vessel's Pilot was Albert a good friend of mine and also a Scuba Diver.   I would have asked him to allow my parents to visit the bridge but my father would have had difficulty climbing the three flights of stairs all the way up, instead we sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful views of Comino and the approaching island of Gozo.  Berthed just  outside Mgarr harbour was the Club Med 2 a beautiful sailing cruise ship with its tender boat taking passengers to shore.

In no time I was driving out of the ferry and as planned headed to the other end of the Island as we were on a mission, well two actually; the first and most important was to visit the Shrine of the Madonna of Ta Pinu and the second was to do some shopping since the two main shopping Malls in Victoria are also open on Sunday.

The Shrine of the Madonna Ta' Pinu

Eight weeks ago, my father underwent a double bypass operation, he is 68 years and suffers from diabetes, a condition which can pose further complications to an already delicate and major operation as Coronary Artery Bypass.  Everything went well during the surgery and although rehab was and still is very hard for my father since he is still suffering some breathing problems accompanied by constant pain to the chest area, the surgeon is confident that he will recover fully in the coming months.  During my father's ordeal my mother wouldn't stop praying and one evening while we both sat quietly near dad in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, she asked me to make it a point to take her and dad to visit the Shrine of Ta' Pinu in Gozo. She wanted to thank the Madonna for keeping her hand on the surgical team during the operation and helping dad recover. 

The Main Alter and Painting
of the Madonna

The Shrine of the Madonna has a lot of miracles attributed to the Grace of the Madonna dating back to 1883, when a lady called Karmni Grima who was walking close to Church heard a voice asking her to recite three prayers of Hail Mary.


That's what we where up to this morning ... arriving at the Church we realised mass was being said and the church was packed with devotees, we sat for some moments and then made our way to the back of the church where the painting of the Madonna is. We said our prayers of thanks and lit the little lights that replace candles in most churches as a way of thanks.
On our way out of the inner chapel we stopped to exam all the tokens and pledges left by the faithful who had asked the Madonna to grant them a grace while other's where simply notes of thanks.  Remembrances by faithful from all over Gozo, Malta and countries as far as Australia.

One of the Corridors leading to the Alter where
remembrances are left.

More Remembrances

It was past 1030 and time for brunch ... we were close to Dwejra and that's where we went, we drove all the way down to the Inland Sea for cappuccinos and ham and cheese toasted sandwiches .... simple food served in an ideal setting overlooking the Inland Sea - today the sea is flat calm and crystal clear .... For a short moment I wish I had my diving kit with me, this is one of my favourite dive sites, but today is family day and both mum and dad deserve my full attention.  We enjoy the beautiful and unique view while chatting with Jacob a very good friend and owner of the rib, he frequently ferries me and my dive buddies to dive sites outside the cave of the inland sea.

The Cave entrance/exit of the Inland Sea, with Jacob's orange rib to the right

After that it was time to go to Victoria and browse the shops, actually two small shopping malls, both have excellent brands of clothing, shoes and accessories as well as house hold items ... i had my mental note with what i needed to get; a water jug, a can opener, some rubber seals for my preserve bottles and a pair of casual shoes .... got my trendy can opener from The Kitchen Store and my shoes from Bata the rest from a supermarket, except for the seals, instead I got a couple of complete bottles.  The seals I need are hard to come across.


Having done a spot of shopping and with lunch time fast approaching we decided to head back home, so that my father would be back in time to watch the Formula One race which was airing at 1400.  He is an avid fan Formula One and Moto GP races ... he can sit in front of the telly for hours every weekend never missing a trial period or race ... he also went to watch some events live a few years ago and I'm sure given the opportunity he would do it again.