<\/p>\n

During this past summer Contributing Editor Hannah Bowman found herself on an island in the Mediterranean Sea. She liked it there, but didn\u2019t want to stay forever. So, with a tent on her back, one month to play with and a handsome Flem by the name of P.J. in tow, she headed north. \u201cNavigating the Med on a Smile and a Shoestring\u201d is a travel series documenting their journey of camping, ferry boating and hitchhiking from Gozo to Ghent.<\/em>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

To sum up: Never. Ever. Go to Gozo.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It rains all the time, the natives eat children and you can’t buy a beer for love nor money.<\/p>\n

[Pause]<\/p>\n

Yes, that might have been a small lie.\u00a0In fact, Gozo is a gem.<\/p>\n

So, why oh why would I have imparted such a ghastly untruth, you may cry? Because, unlike the mainland of Malta — which has been ravaged by tourism and illegal building and is one of the most populated places on the planet — Gozo has retained a large part of its former tranquility and authenticity.<\/p>\n

“Higgeldy piggledy” would be a fitting term to describe the\u00a0sort of delightful disorder and randomness that makes\u00a0the second largest of the three Maltese Islands unique,\u00a0preserved in a fragile time bubble of culture and history. For now, at least.<\/p>\n

And that includes little donkeys pulling carts around and suchlike.<\/p>\n