Post-Season R&R

The ancient town of Mdina on Malta.

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  Yesterday, in my excitement to write about a few of my Euro-travels, I got especially long-winded and had to cut myself off. I know if you all see an entry that's 4 pages long, you're never going to read it.

  So I'm back today for some more traveling goodness!

  I mentioned earlier that I have made it a tradition to get out, and see a bit of Europe after each and every season I play abroad.

  I do this because 1) once you're IN Europe, traveling within it is extremely easy, 2) once I go home for the summer, I know I won't be traveling back across the pond til fall, and 3) I love the sights and experiences you get in Europe.

  In my opinion, they're nothing like anything you see in the States.

  Yesterday I tackled my favorite city-scapes. Today is time for my top lounging-in-the-sun-escapes.

  Which do you prefer? I think we all need a little of both in our lives. Too much sight-seeing makes for a tired, cranky traveler. Too much beach-lounging makes for a bored vacationer.

View of the Grand Harbour from Valletta.

Malta 
  Have you heard of Malta? I hadn't either, until I saw it in one of those "fly here for cheap" vacation emails.

  When I Googled it, read about it, and saw where it was, I decided then and there I had to visit.

  Malta is a tiny island located in the Mediterranean, just south of Italy and Sicily. Based on location alone, you can imagine it has some amazing weather and beaches.

Beautiful beach at Golden Bay.

  But Malta is also home to some of the oldest architecture in the world, and reportedly has the world's oldest free-standing building (called Hagar Qim). So I thought there was a great balance between relaxing on the beach, and amazing sight-seeing.

  I didn't rent a car, so I was limited to my legs and public transportation to get me around the island. I mostly stayed in the resort town called St. Julian, but also went to the capital city of Valletta of few times.

  I got a chance to visit Mdina too, which was the former capital city of Malta that dates back 4000 years. It's located inland, and looks out onto most of the island to see anyone who may be threatening from the sea.

  Malta was always at a constant threat of pirate attacks because of its location.

The former capital of Malta - Mdina.

  But there are definitely several things I missed out on seeing. There are other smaller islands that I didn't get to see. One of which is Comino, which is home to the Blue Lagoon.

  Malta is also relatively inexpensive island, so you can stay at a 5-star hotel/resort for a great price. I'll jump at any opportunity to go back.

View of St. Julian from atop my hotel.

 Mallorca 
  Another awesome spot to get some R&R in Europe is on the island of Mallorca (Majorca). It's also in the Mediterranean, but is part of the Balearic Islands of Spain.

  Forgive me if I have less knowledge of the history of Mallorca, but it's because I only went there to lay by the pools and on the beaches (not ashamed at all to say that).

  I stayed just southeast of the capital, Palma, in a town called Can Pastilla. The boardwalk there goes on for miles and miles, and as you can imagine, is lined with all the touristy cafes, bars, and shops you could ever want. You could still get some good tapas, but I'm sure there are better spots on the island to do so.

Sunset from my hotel.

  My favorite thing to do (other than lounging in the sun, of course) was to walk up and down the boardwalk and take in the scenery. In case you haven't noticed, I don't need a whole lot of excitement to entertain me while I'm on vacation. Taking in the sights, people watching, and relaxing is good enough for me.

  I did take a day to go to Palma to see what it had to offer. Just as in any larger European city, you find a beautiful cathedral and a palace or two.

  The cathedral and palace of Palma sit just off the harbor, so it's a pretty incredible sight to see. Palma also is home to the Arab Baths, which is one of the few remnants of the Moorish history on the island, and dates back to the 11th century.

Looking out at the Mediterranean.

View from Palma.

  Just like island-life in the States, the pace on a European island is slower and easier than on the mainland.

Palace of Palma.

  After an eight-month basketball season, it's my ideal way to unwind and let the body heal up a little bit. And, for those of you who know how the Portland weather can be in the Spring, I'm really in no rush to get back home to the rain. It's a good excuse to get a head start on my summer tan!

  I already have a few places in mind to visit after this season: Barcelona and Sardegna. But it's still early, and there might be some other places that pique my interest in the coming months! If you all know of any must-see places,
I'm always up for suggestions!!

  à demain