I was sad to read today that the Azure Window in Malta collapsed in a storm. We had the pleasure of visiting the Window less than three months ago over Christmas. It was truly a wonder. In honor of the Window, I am republishing my post on our visit.

We spent Christmas in Malta. Undoubtedly one of the must sees on a trip to Malta is the Azure Window. It’s no wonder that it was was selected as one of the 50 most beautiful places in Europe! It is located on Gozo, the 2nd largest of Malta’s islands.

The arch or window was formed when a sea cave collapsed. The top of the arch continues to erode and some say it is only a matter of a few years before the entire thing collapses so it is no longer safe to walk on top. The area around the Window provides some excellent diving opportunities.

There are several sets of stairs you can take to walk down toward the Window, but there is some hiking involved as well. You walk over very sharp pock marked limestone that looks like it might be volcanic in origin, but it is full of fossils and sand dollar seashells, not something you would find in volcanic rock.

You can climb up on to a large rock in front of the Window for that perfect photo. Be patient since there can be other people on and around the rock. I had to wait for some people to clear out to get this shot of Jeff and Sam.

We decided to walk around the rocky out cropping along the shore that is almost underneath the arch, a bit dicey to do without getting your feet wet, had to cling to the rocks. It was worth it though to get some good views and photos.

Given the beauty of the Azure Window it is no wonder that it has been featured in films and TV, “Clash of the Titans” (1981), “The Count of Monte Cristo” (2002) and HBO’s “Game of Thrones”.

On the way back up from the cavern area under the arch Jeff and Sam stopped to make a contribution to the stone sculptures people had constructed.

Even something as mundane as a motorcycle is beautiful against the back drop of Gozo’s coast.