Here is a short snippet of local news from a few weeks ago:

French President-elect Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday swam in the clear blue sea off Mgarr ix-Xini, in Gozo, and later spent some time jogging in Delimara.
Times of Malta, Wed, May 9, 2007

This politician’s R and R was controversial back in France, but Malta was revelling in the free press for it’s tourism.

We have made a wise decision to try not to act like tourists in our adopted home. As a result there are a number of attractions on this tiny island that we have yet to see. Our newfound passion for snorkelling is taking us farther afield. Today we drove to Mgarr ix-Xini. The President-elect of France gained access to the beautiful spot by boat. The land route is a steep, cliff-edged road that is barely one lane wide for the most part. The last bit of road down to the shore is so steep that I was urged not to go down for fear that my old Scoda wouldn’t take us back up.

The snorkelling was fun. The sea was rougher than we has hoped it would be. I have gotten past the shock and awe stage when I am swimming amid all the sea life. I have started making observations about the behaviour of fish.

For you pirate enthusiasts, this inlet was a regular stop for corsairs. Corsairs were government sponsored pirates. Galleys landed at Mgarr ix-Xini in 1551. The Turks captured nearly all of the inhabitants of Gozo and took them away to be sold as slaves.

Please click on any of the links to see some images of Mgarr ix-Xini. I don’t take a camera snorkelling with me, so I just surfed around for representative pictures. Here is a movie that a scuba blogger made when he was in Gozo.