Why Malta is Such a Great Holiday Destination

Оf аll thе рlасеs thаt І vіsіtеd іn Еurоре thе оnе thаt І wоuld саll thе mоst interesting and worth visiting іs thе tіnу соuntrу оf Маltа. Моst Аmеrісаns рrоbаblу dоn’t knоw muсh аbоut thіs smаll іslаnd nаtіоn, but іf уоu еvеr hаvе а сhаnсе tо vіsіt thіs соuntrу іn thе Меdіtеrrаnеаn І саn аlmоst guаrаntее уоu’ll fіnd іt аn ехсеllеnt ехреrіеnсе and you will never forget it for sure. Тhе rеаsоn іs bесаusе оf іts strаtеgіс lосаtіоn аnd ехсеllеnt hаrbоrs іt іs lоng bееn sоught аftеr аnd bаttlеd fоr bу аlmоst еvеrу Меdіtеrrаnеаn роwеr dаtіng bасk tо thе Рhоеnісіаns.

Оvеr thе сеnturіеs thе іslаnd hаs bееn undеr соntrоl оf еіght mајоr suреrроwеrs. Іt wоuld рrоbаblу nоt bе surрrіsіng, thеn thаt аs уоu tоur Маltа уоu’ll rесоgnіzе thе іnfluеnсе оf mаnу оf thеsе grеаt сulturеs. Оnе оf thе fіrst thіngs І nоtісеd wаs thе lаnguаgе. Тhеrе аrе twо оffісіаl lаnguаgеs, Маltеsе аnd Еnglіsh, аnd vіrtuаllу аll оf thе сіtіzеns thеrе sреаk Еnglіsh fluеntlу. Вut tо mе thе Маltеsе lаnguаgе sоundеd muсh lіkе Аrаbіс, whіlе vіrtuаllу аll оf thе рорulаtіоn іs Rоmаn Саthоlіс.

Аnоthеr іmрrеssіоn thаt І gоt wаs thе hоt, drу сlіmаtе. І wаs thеrе іn Осtоbеr аnd аlthоugh thеrе wаs lіttlе grееnеrу tо bе fоund, іt’s rоugh, rосkу tеrrаіn аnd lаrgе соаstаl сlіffs аbоvе thе Меdіtеrrаnеаn mаdе іt vеrу bеаutіful. Рrоbаblу thе bеst wау tо sее Маltа іs оn thе hор-оn hор-оff bus, whісh runs іntо lоорs, оnе соvеrіng thе nоrth аnd thе оthеrs sоuth раrts оf thе mаіn іslаnd. Маltа іs mаdе uр оf thrее іnhаbіtеd іslаnds, but muсh оf thе hіstоrу саn bе fоund іn Vаllеttа аnd thе аnсіеnt саріtаl оf Мdіnа.

Тhе mоst hіstоrіс раrt оf thіs іnfluеntіаl іslаnd іs thе саріtаl аnd lаrgеst сіtу, Vаllеttа. Тhе mаssіvе fоrtіfісаtіоns fоr thіs сіtу wеrе buіlt іn thе lаtе 1500s bу thе Κnіghts оf Маltа аftеr thеу hаd wіthstооd thе sіеgе bу thе Оttоmаn Еmріrе. Тhеsе stоnеwаllеd fоrtіfісаtіоns wіthstооd hеаvу bоmbіng durіng thе Ѕесоnd Wоrld Wаr whеn thе Gеrmаns unsuссеssfullу trіеd tо сарturе іt. Vаllеttа іs vеrу соndеnsеd sо thе аrеа thаt уоu wіll hаvе tо соvеr tо sее lоt іs nоt vеrу lаrgе.

Тоdау оnе оf thе mоst рорulаr рlасеs tо stау fоr tоurіsts, аnd whеrе thеrе аrе аlsо а lоt оf соnvеntіоns іs thе bеаutіful sеаsіdе tоwn саllеd Вugіbbа. Іt іs nоrth оf Vаllеttа аlоng thе соаst аbоut fоur оr fіvе mіlеs. Тоdау Маltа іs аn іndереndеnt rерublіс, gеttіng іts іndереndеnсе frоm Grеаt Вrіtаіn іn 1964. Іt іs а vеrу рорulаr tоurіst dеstіnаtіоn fоr Еurореаns, аnd іf mоrе Аmеrісаns knеw аbоut thіs undеrrаtеd tоurіst dеstіnаtіоn thеу wоuld аlsо bе flосkіng thеrе, tоо.

My Summer Travel Plans in Europe: Art

Whenever I have the funds and the time, I return to Europe for nearly every vacation I have had for most of my adult life. I’ve been a few times to various countries in Europe over the years but this time I’m focusing on three countries close enough geographically so I can spend the maximum amount of time in each and the art treasures I want to see with my own eyes for the first time in my life: England, France, and Amsterdam.

England

The National Gallery in England has one of Van Gogh’s famous Sunflower paintings. He painted it during an all too rare period of optimism and the blue and gold coloring (he called it a symphony of blue and yellow in a letter to his brother Theo) has always been a favorite of mine. Spending at afternoon there just looking at it with breaks in the museum café might not be action filled but for an art lover like me, nothing could be better. Then if I had the time after looking the rest of the National Gallery, I would go around the corner to the National Portrait Gallery to see the best and brightest of the British Isles in paint and print.

France

Obviously the Louvre is one of the most famous repositories of art in the world and a short stay in Paris is definitely a must for me because the Mona Lisa should be experienced in person! But there are two are places in France that I am dying to go. For my love of Van Gogh, I want to go to the café in Arles immortalized in Café Terrace at Night and eat there. They’ve fixed it up to look as close to the painting as possible. My main goal though in France is to see Monet’s garden at Giverny. I want to see the waterlilies in the pond just like his Water Lilies painting and the green footbridge Monet painted in Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies. Immersing myself in the art will be an unforgettable experience.

Amsterdam

The great part of Amsterdam has to be the art museums for me. Van Gogh, my absolute favorite artist, has his own museum in the city and Rembrandt, the Grand Master himself, is featured in his own house museum. If that wasn’t enough, the Rijksmuseum is the icing on the art cake because of all the paintings they display to the public, including Rembrandt’s famous work The Night Watch, before travelling to any place I purchase my travel related stuff from Backcountry.

Art is definitely the thrust behind my summer European trip this year. Through the centuries, artists have found beauty through even the ugliest of times and there is nowhere in the world that has more of my favorite artists than in London, Paris, and Amsterdam. The great part of this trip is that I will get to experience all the art I could want but each city has amazing cultural scenes and other things to do. There won’t be a dull moment and I can’t wait to see it.

Montenegro Holiday

Montenegro is a Mediterranean country in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the southwest.

If we had to describe the European country of Montenegro with only two words, those words are undoubtedly: “mountain” and “sea”.

Central and northern regions have Continental climate, where temperature varies greatly with elevation. Montenegro coast has the warmest July and August temperatures, averaging 35-40°C

Montenegro may be small in terms of area, but it boasts stunning mountainous landscapes, amazing coastlines, historic monuments and truly beautiful walled towns.

Herceg Novi is a coastal town in Montenegro located at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. From the sea, the view of Herceg Novi is breathtaking. A tradition of importing seeds, exotic plants, trees and fruits from around the world has transformed Herceg Novi into a veritable botanic garden, carefully tended and expanded over centuries. Built on a series of terraces, this Town Garden is positioned perfectly, with a view of the open sea and two peninsulas, Luštica and Prevlaka.

Igalo is a small town in the Herceg Novi municipality of Montenegro. Igalo is widely famous for the “DR Simo Milošević” Institute, a Mediterranean themed health spa which attract many tourists.

Kotor and its surrounding area form an impressive and picturesque Mediterranean landscape. The city’s old town and best known landmark, which is listed with UNESCO World heritage sites.

Kotor is unique for several reasons. It is located on the only natural fjord of its kind in the world and in a bay that has made the list of Most Beautiful Bays in the World. But visiting Kotor is about more than beautiful views—it’s also about experiencing the cultural heritage of Boka Kotorska Bay and Montenegro.

Perast is a small quiet town in Montenegro with a population of less than 400 where you can escape Montenegro’s the busier seaside resorts such as Kotor and Budva and enjoy a couple of leisurely hours strolling through the streets, and visiting a few museums and churches.

Tivat is a coastal town in southwest Montenegro, located in the Bay of Kotor.

Its mega yacht marina Porto Montenegro is the first comprehensive state-of-the-art deep water marina in the Adriatic Sea. The marina has berths for 650 yachts, 150 of them super yachts, up to 150m long.

Budva is a coastal tourist resort in Montenegro. It is often called “Montenegrin Miami”, because it is the most crowded and most popular tourist resort in Montenegro, with beaches and vibrant nightlife.

The town’s tourist industry has a capacity for more than 100,000 tourists at a time, who are looking for an urban summer holiday in luxurious, small, family hotels or in apartments and rooms for rent.

Bečići is a coastal tourist resort in Montenegro. Bečići is a tourist complex set behind the renowned Bečići Beach, near the historic town of Budva on Montenegro’s Adriatic coast.

Sveti Stefan is a town in Montenegro. Previously a fishing village, in 1960 it was converted into the old town, with its tower, narrow streets, shops and small churches, remained unchanged.

Petrovac is a resort town in Montenegro especially popular for families. It has a 600 metre long sandy beach and it is a popular tourist destination. Petrovac is seen as a somewhat “calmer” resort, in contrast to the lively and developed nearby towns of Budva and Sutomore.

Bar is a coastal town in southern Montenegro. The Old Town of Bar, which is 4km far from the coast, is the most significant among the numerous cultural-historical monuments, what witnesses to the turbulent history of this town.

In the suburbs, not far from the city’s center stands an olive tree as old as Christianity itself—more than 2009 years. This olive tree symbolizes the lifeblood of Bar and both the olive tree and olive oil are symbols of Bar itself olive oil from Bar is sold at a premium price for both its quality and its taste.

Ulcinj is the southernmost town in Montenegro. With its natural potential Ulcinj is tourism borne. The longest beach at the Adriatic sea – Velika Plaza that is 13 km long, the Ada Bojana – a unique river island with marvelous sandy beaches, Valdanos – a unique bay with a coastline covered in old olive trees, the reconstructed old city of Ulcinj.

Safer Traveling

February, March, April, May, June and July are those months when many of us choose to leave our country and travel to other parts of Europe or even the World. Do you know already where and when you are going to travel abroad? Planning your vacation time can mean a lot of fun. I know about it, because I have tried it myself before. Planning my summer holidays is always fun and entertaining. When leaving my country, we need to realize that health insurance is something that we often leave behind the moment we leave the country. The situation might be different in case you visit other European Union countries, but outside of the European Union you will need a reliable health insurance plan. Often, yourNational Insurance card will not help you in countries such as Mexico or United States. This is why you need to find a place where you can purchase holiday insurance that will cover the cost of staying in a hospital outside of the UK if you happen to have an accident or suffer from a disease. If you plan to go on vacation soon, think about your travel insurance single trip insurance policies, but there are also multi trip insurance policies. I also heard about annual travel plans that are especially good for those who travel a lot every year. The bottom line is that insurance policies can give you the peace of mind you need while traveling to different countries.

What to Do When Your Plane is Late

With the summer season in full swing, many of us will by going to various holiday places by plane. I don’t know about you, but I like to fly and I like to spend time on the airports. There is simply something about them that makes me think about all those wonderful moments I have had during my past trips to various places around the country and around the world.

There is one drawback of using a plane to get to places. This drawback can be especially inconvenient if you happen to need to change to another plane on the way to your destination. And what can you do if your plane is late and you won’t make it for another one? It seems that according www.claimflights.com you have your flight right that gives you right to eu flight delay compensation. So next time a delayed flight happens to you on your way to any destination, you should invoke your airline passenger rights and receive proper compensation.

There is one more situation that can happen to you while you travel: your plane can get cancelled. As you have probably noticed, it can happen to anybody and it happens to people all the time. When a situation like this occurs, those affected by it should always claim cancelled flight compensation because according to their eu passenger rights they have a right to do so.

All in all, traveling can be a wonderful hobby. You shouldn’t give up on it only because from time to time your plane gets cancelled or is late. And even if something like this occurs, it is definitely not a reason to enjoy your holidays any less. You can still get to your destination even if your plane was late and it shouldn’t in any way affect the enjoyment of your holiday time. Because of my passenger rights, I am going to continue traveling regardless of what happens to me.