Gozo – December 2020
Year 2020 is drawing to a close; a year marked deeply by the COVID-19 pandemic. What are the things that we are going to remember most about this year? Statistics of infected people nationwide and worldwide, statistics of people who died due to the pandemic, health warnings, precautions, masks, sanitizers, social distancing, isolation, quarantine, vulnerability, lockdown, etcetera, etcetera. Watching the news has become like the war bulletin that it actually is – the war against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also at Dar Ta’ Zeppi we had to endure all this. Our beautiful House of Friends missing in its most essential element; the presence of our Esteemed Guests. Most of our friends/guests from the continent could not visit us this year. Too many travel restrictions, red zones, quarantine obligations at departure and arrival and on return. We had to resort to virtual holidays online!
Our usually boisterous Gozitan summer was also rather quiet and calm. The bright sun was always there. But we could enjoy no festas, no band marches, no revelry, no fireworks, no happy nights on the square. Limited restaurant capacity, limited capacity on boat tours, excursions, ferry trips. Extra care to be masked when outside, hand sanitizing everywhere; as the current joke goes; we have consumed far more alcohol to put on our hands than to pour in our glasses.
Yet with our eternal optimism Dar Ta’ Zeppi succeeded to make something positive also out of all this depressing mess. We have made new friends which we otherwise would have never been able to meet. People who could travel locally and chose to experience our hospitality and fell in love with our house. We are proud that our Charming B&B could enable families to re-unite in the safety of our rooms and terrace; a re-union which would not have been possible for them otherwise. We are proud to have continued with our prime mission of offering a respite and a break from the pressures of a hectic outside world.
So, in a year which everybody wants to forget as soon as possible, we have been able to make something positive and something to look back to with satisfaction and pride.
The pandemic story will be drawing to a close and we want to be there when this happens. 2021 promises to be a year of regeneration, re-emergence and resuscitation from the black days of COVID-19. To all friends, old and new, we promise to be there ready to welcome you, as always, with our smile and care. If we could we would even organize a year-long celebration of deliverance and survival, but that is not possible. But we can assure you that we will double our efforts to please you and pamper you from the moment you cross the threshold of our House once more.
We wish all of you A Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year. May you enjoy this period with your closest relatives, in the peace and safety of your homes. Take care. We want to see you back. No hurry. We are always ready to welcome you on our doorstep.