St.Francis square and church, this is where the library is found also, beside the old hospital on the right.  It is a busy square and the café at the corner is where one can find the locals drink and chat.  In the old hospital, besides a beautiful courtyard is a place where regular exhibitions are held of work by Maltese or Gozitan artists.

Road where national reference library is

Close to where the National Research Library is situated, I found this little bookshop, it was closed as it was around one o’clock, but in the window were displayed the sweetest and most beautifully sculpted little portrayals of life on Gozo, people in all sort of work and play, I will visit there again and hopefully the shop will be open.  The old door is one of much found style here, the arches are plentiful in local architecture, I think that it looks real nice.  It is in the little streets like the one above on the left that one finds all these treasures, and there are plenty of these streets.

In another one of those narrow streets I came upon a lady, her name is Victoria, she was making her lace in the doorway and we got chatting, seems I can take classes after all, she is going to talk to her teacher around the corner, that would be lovely and I will take the opportunity if it presents itself.  The interesting thing was that the lady hardly spoke any English, wish I could speak Malti but so far only a few words like bonju, and triq….

Another interesting shop I came across was this one where the man was restoring religious statues, he did a marvellous job by the look of it.  The place smelled of paint.  It is interesting about the culture here in Gozo that religious objects are still part and parcel of everyday life.  I entered another little shop just beside the St.George church where a nice man called Martin informed me about the sisters (a religious order instigated by Don Bosco in Italy called the Salesians) that are still working with orphans and young people right here in Victoria, he told me to go and see them and they would tell me all about the more social aspects of the place, as in what sort of social work is being done and what problems, if any, are most prominent here on Gozo.  I will take him up on it and go see the sisters.  If you live in a place you have got to know a bit more about the people, the culture, and the community.  It is what interest me most beside the architecture, the plants and insects, and the limestone.

What a pleasant and most interesting morning I experienced, now more than ever I believe that if I want to get to know a place and its people, all I have to do is talk to whoever is open to chat.  It is amazing the knowledge you gather that way.  And what a lovely and interesting place this island really is.