Mourning the Azure Window
The Azure Window, one of Malta’s most iconic tourist spots, is no more.
This morning at roughly 9:40 am (Malta time), the rough seas and gale force winds battering Gozo forced the collapse of not just the archway but the pillar supporting it as well. With a raging sea underneath, Roger Chessell told the Times of Malta that the arch suddenly collapsed. The site is almost unrecognizable now.
We all knew this day would eventually come, but many of us figured the limestone archway had several good years left. A 2013 study suggested that although it faced growing danger, the window should continue to exist for several decades. The same study concluded that no intervention by man could stop the decay and demise of the jewel. Unfortunately, what nature gives us she is bound to reclaim.
This got us thinking, we want to hear what great memories you have of Malta’s famous “Azure Window.”
My wife, Amanda, and I were lucky enough to have visited the site in 2013 for the first time. When we arrived, it was just an incredible sight. The sheer size of the window was tremendous, made even bigger by the smallness of the people walking (illegally) across the archway. We ended up taking a boat trip around the area, soaking in the images of the rich blue water against the stark limestone. Of course, Amanda will tell you the story really was about how I forgot to get new batteries for our camera before we left in the morning. Thankfully some Maltese-Australians joining us on the trip saved my bacon on that one….
All in all, it really was a beautiful sight. We always thought there would be more time see it again in future trips. In fact, just this past October we were on Gozo and decided to forgo a quick trip over. Mostly my fault...I wanted to get back to Buġibba to watch the Malta football team play England. Now of course – as we often do when we reflect on life – I wish we had gone to see it once more.
Please, feel free to share with us your favorite Azure Window stories and pictures!
Finally, we would like to capture these memories and create a “memorial” page for the website where people can look back fondly on one of Malta’s most intriguing natural formations. If you consent to us using your story/picture for the page please let us know.
You can submit your stories/pictures to our facebook page here OR email them to mabsi.detroit@gmail.com!
