Top of the list
04.30.2006I'm taking Sunday to relax & spend time on non-dissertation stuff. (Well, going over Chapter 1 this morning doesn't count.) So I took a little trip out to Barnes & Noble after a shift at Rocket Star Café. I bought a Pennsylvania road map. Then spent time browsing — but not buying (oh! how I love playing that game w/ Barnes & Noble) — their travel section.
And since I've officially been given "permission" to make a list of possible honeymoon sites, I let the imagination run wild. There's a small (but growing) list of places I'd love to go — and that'd be pleasant during December/January.
But. Top of the list: Malta. What? Yes, Malta. The little, oft-overlooked European country smack dab in the center of the Mediterranean. Even if you've never heard of Malta (or its capital city, Valleta), you've heard of the Maltese Falcon, the Maltese Cross, and the Knights of Malta.
(On the other hand, Malta bears no relation that I know of to malt liquor or Malt-O-Meal.)
The little country (and if you know me, you know I'm a huge fan of little countries) is a member of the EU (since 2004). It's official tourist website (visitmalta.com) is also nicely designed & informative (these are big selling points for me).
Advantages? The country isn't extremely expensive, it's easy to get to, we speak the language (English), has good scuba diving (a K8 requirement), and lots of cool historical stuff such as castles (a Miguel requirement). It's also not a mad tourist cesspool where we'd be crowded out by drunken college yahoos. And it's both exotic (I mean, come on, Malta!) w/ its mix of Greek, Arab, French, Italian, English history — but also urban/modern at the same time.
But, of course, I'm still considering other options. The place must be warm (but not sweltering), unique (not a tourist trap everyone goes to), relatively inexpensive, a relatively short flight, and not so secluded that I'd get twitchy looking for signs of concrete.
Posted by Miguel at 04:39 PM
Comments
My aunt and uncle were there couple years ago and I remember that they liked it. Malta is said to be a bit dirty occassionally, especially Valetta and quite sticky in the summer. But I am sure it's not be that bad in the winter.
Posted by: Melli at May 1, 2006 04:30 AM
Hi! i´m maria & i´m from San sebastian (basque country, spain) i were spending time and i´ve found your blog cause you also like la casa azul, la monja enana...like me ;). As you can see my english isn´t very good...;P
See you!Muaa!
Posted by: maria at May 1, 2006 05:49 AM
Malta is definitely the place to go, specially if you are into medieval "stuff". Valleta is a very interesting place just to walk around. Old streets, narrow and lots of places to discover.
It is an interesting mixture between English culture and mediterranean flair and peoples.
I recommend a bit of island hoping. Comino and Gozo are also interesting.
I am a big fan of Malta.
Posted by: Miguel (MABB) at May 1, 2006 08:02 AM
Jamaica is warm and only a 1 1/2 hour flight from Miami. There are areas more or less touristy depending on your preferences (e.g. the south coast is relatively undiscovered while the area east of Ocho Rios like Port Antonio is where Ian Fleming and the old tourist crowd used to visit so it is different from the newer tourist haunts like Montego Bay and Negril). My wife and I actually liked the Rose Hall area of Montego Bay because the hotel was beautiful and it was only about 5-10 minutes from the airport so the vacation was all relaxation and almost no inconvenience (those 2-3 hour drives from the airport are not very relaxing!).
Train trips in Europe are also very relaxing. My brother and I visited Spain in March and loved the coast of Barcelona and the cities of Cordoba and Seville in the south. Madrid and Toledo are also very beautiful but they are probably cold at the time of year you are visiting.
However cold weather in Europe is not all bad. The cities have fewer tourists and much lower hotel rates. I loved visiting Amsterdam because there were so many art museums, cultural sites and cheap places to eat within a short walk from my hotel.
Posted by: ginger at May 1, 2006 10:02 AM
I forgot to give you my tip. If you asked me what part of Europe I like the most, I would right away say: Southern France.
Try, for example, Provence. The lavender fields, the picturesque towns, medieval castles and (most of all) the food and wine. That is one beautiful part of Europe.
:-)
Posted by: Miguel (MABB) at May 1, 2006 05:19 PM
Miguel 2, you're right. Provence or Toscana in Italy are unforgettable. But Provence has fewer tourists. I was in Provence 13 years ago, and it is still fresh in my memory. It's really great. And you have also there a "factory" where they invent and make new perfumes. The tour of it is great. N.
Posted by: Nenad at May 3, 2006 08:03 AM