Tagged With "Europe"
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Re: Valletta, Why Do I Love Thee So?
Lovely pictures! I was surprised to see so many signs in English...is it the most common language, or is Maltese widely-spoken also?
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Re: Valletta, Why Do I Love Thee So?
Thanks PH. Maltese is the official language but English is widely spoken and there are little if any communication problems.
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Re: Valletta, Why Do I Love Thee So?
The island of Malta became part of the British Empire in 1800. The French had invaded Malta 2 years previously and were unwelcome. The British removed the French and established a base there at Valletta to give them a port in the Mediterranean Sea. And it provided employment and security to the local people. In 1964 it voted for Independence. The Coat of Arms of Queen Victoria can be seen over the VICTORIA GATE photo - above. The current Queen Elizabeth ceased any connection with Malta in...
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Re: Valletta, Why Do I Love Thee So?
Thanks for this fascinating piece, IslandMan. Malta quickly moves towards the top of future travel destinations in my bucket list.
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AirBerlin Black Friday: $499 to Europe R/T!
AirBerlin, a OneWorld member, is offering a $499 roundtrip to several European destinations at cut-rate prices from now to Tuesday, with flights from Jan. 12 to Mar. 22. The $499 rate is for Berlin from Chicago, and Stockholm or Copenhagen from NYC....
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For those who hate Heathrow, Gatwick plans new allure
London's Gatwick Airport, second only to Heathrow in British air traffic, is in a hot competition with Heathrow for the right to build an additional runway to accommodate growing air traffic in Southeast Britain. Part of its strategy is to line up a...
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Hostels are Growing Up
Hostels aren't just bare bones places to stay anymore. They still feature the social aspects of hosteling, but there are large numbers of "Luxury Hostels" popping up, especially in Europe. Things like infinity pools, breakfast on demand,...
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Coming: TG's 'European Capital of Culture' Series
TG Update: These articles are now available -Capital of Culture Series: LiverpoolCapital of Culture Series: Marseilles Each year, the EU designates a special city or cities as the European Capital of...
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Traveling to Europe soon? It may pay to prepay...
If you're traveling to Europe in the next few months and can be reasonably sure of your plans, this may be a good time to prepay some of your expenses such as rent, car rental (especially since most agencies offer a prepay discount). the reason? The...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Jan 20, 2015: Musee d'Orsay Clock, Paris
Paris is well known for its architectural splendor, and one highlight I experienced was a visit to the Musee d'Orsay , situated on the left bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Apr 7, 2015: Obwarzanek vendor, Krakow
Kraków is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland . Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Our visit to Krakow was a surprising delight. Not knowing...
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A striking moment for travel in France
Not the best day for travelers in France, as air traffic controllers continue to strike, grounding hundreds of flights. Long-haul international flights continue, but domestic cancellations and shorter international flights are affected. The...
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Europe set to OK SkyTeam hook-up for Paris
It looks like European regulators are set to approve a joint operation covering routes between the U.S., Paris, Rome and Amsterdam. The arrangement, under scrutiny for three years, would let the airlines, all SkyTeam members, plan schedules together...
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Are airline alliances costing you $$$ on flights to Europe?
According to consumer advocate Chris Elliott, writing in Fortune, the answer is a big yes. He pinpoints the growth of the big three alliances (SkyTeam, OneWorld and Star), and the agreements among alliance members to coordinate services between the...
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Is merger the way to profit for European airlines?
A number of industry consultants and some airline executives believe that Europe's airlines, including numbers of its "flag" national carriers, need to consolidate to grow (or reach) profits. They point to the experience in the U.S., where...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Nov 4, 2014: Empty Cafe, Paris
I'm not sure if we were too early or too late, but seeing all these empty chairs and tables lined up outside a cafe along the Champs Elysees in Paris was a most unusual sight I thought. Normally when you see pictures of cafes in Paris ...
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Liberland awaits: who will be the first tourist?
Taking advantage of a small (only Monaco and the Vatican are smaller) piece of Europe that is apparently unclaimed by either of its neighbors, Croatia and Serbia, a Czech politician named Vít Jedlička has proclaimed the Republic of...
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Emperor Ludwig's Ettal Monastery and Abbey, Bavaria
Samantha and her husband really enjoyed their visit to Emperor Ludwig's Ettal Monastery and Abbey in Bavaria, Germany. It is absolutely gorgeous.
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Is your hotel's WiFi fast enough? Check here!
Hotel WiFi Test, a company that collects WiFi data and uses it to help travelers find a hotel where they won't scream in frustration at bad WiFi, has published a list of rankings for chains and hotels in the U.S. and internationally. They...
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Ryanair's profits surge 66%: did 'charm offensive' do it?
Ryanair, the Irish-based airline that practically invented budget flying in Europe, and also nearly invented the reputation of low-cost airlines as cheap but unfriendly, has hit record profits this year. While others have also done well as fuel costs...
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Hot early summer worries Europe
And of course, if you're a kid...a fountain's a great way to beat the heat (Ken Thomas / Wikimedia) June weather that's hitting the mid-30s (mid-to upper 90sF) is worrying authorities in several European countries, where officials...
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Who's Cruising? 23 million, that's who!
Over 23 million passengers for cruises this year—up over 4%—and almost-daily announcement of new ships and new routes, tell you how popular cruising has become, and the 'specialty cruise' group (super-luxury, elegant liners and some of the...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Jul 21, 2015: French Patisserie, Cassis
It's no secret that I like my food and am always looking for that something special to tantalise my taste buds, and what better way than to enter into a French patisserie and sample their delights. I spotted this attractive...
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Ryanair may hook up with BA, Virgin, TAP for long-haul
On the ground at London Stansted, where Ryanair might feed overseas passengers to BA Ryanair, the biggest short-haul and budget carrier in Europe has often hinted at starting a trans-Atlantic service, but never taken the step. Now it may be...
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Zurich throws a party, and a million show up!
Zurich throws a "Techno Street Parade" every year near the end of August, and it's become an incredibly big draw, with an estimated million participants from all over Europe dancing through the streets to the electronic beat, despite temperatures in...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Sep 15, 2015: Pit Lane, Mdina Grand Prix
One of the highlights on the Maltese events calendar is the Mdina Grand Prix which takes place over 3 days in October. It consists of several group races on a 3 kilometer street circuit around the bastions of the ancient medieval capital of Mdina....
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Top Euro car renters agree to be fair to customers
Just a little nice, that's what they promise. Counters at Lourdes Airport, France Europe's "big 5" car rental companies have pledged to align their policies and contracts more closely with EU consumer policy, and to be more transparent...
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"Swiss Siberia" hits 0° while Europe bakes
Most of Europe has been experiencing a heatwave so far this summer, with sustained temperatures in the high 90s(F, high 30s C), causing discomfort and health issues across the continent. And yet, one village in Switzerland closed out August by falling...
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Norwegian shuffles the deck on U.S. service
Norwegian (we'll call it that before we list its operating parts) has made two moves in the U.S. market this week, both parts of its strategy of opening up long-term discount service between the U.S. and Europe. It's opening service...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Jun 16, 2015: Houseboat, Amsterdam
Amsterdam is famous for its canals and picture-postcard setting. You can spend days just wandering up and down and around the many canals and waterways admiring the beautiful tree-lined paths, the classic architecture of the buildings...
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Europe's cost-of-living has wide range
Gorgeous groceries...but can you afford them? Photo: Lyzadanger / Wikimedia Travelers planning vacations in Europe quickly become aware that some countries are more expensive than others; plenty of us have suffered sticker shock...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Jul 6, 2015: Fish Market, Catania
The city of Catania is on the south-east coast of Sicily and is known as the "Milan" of the south. Renowned for the its' architecture and Roman history, it's a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. On a recent trip there...
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WOW cranks up the wow! to add California
WOW Air, the Icelandic discounter that got big publicity earlier this year by offering $99 fares from the U.S. to Europe via its homebase in Reykjavik is now planning to add Los Angeles and San Francisco to its network. The 4-day-week LA...
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Aer Lingus adds 3 U.S. cities to its network
Aer Lingus is expanding its roster of U.S. cities with service to Dublin, adding new routes to Los Angeles, Newark and Hartford, CT. It's Aer Lingus' biggest one-time expansion since it first started flying trans-Atlantic in 1958. Aer Lingus...
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Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia Basilica Enters Final Contruction Phase
Photo of La Sagrada Familia Basilica by Karina If you can believe it, Antoni Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona is entering...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Nov 17, 2015: Mdina Gates, Malta
The medieval city of Mdina , the ancient capital of Malta, stands proudly on top of a hill in central Malta. Known to be first fortified by the Phoenicians around 700 BC, this walled city has withstood centuries of invasions, battles and...
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June 13, 2018: DC Tower 1 - Vienna, Austria
Samantha shares pictures of the DC Tower 1 from her trip to Vienna, Austria. She found it very interesting and unique.
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June 27, 2018: German Fleckvieh (Simmental) Cows
Samantha shares a few of the many pictures she took of the brown and white German Fleckvieh (Simmental) cows.
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The Memorials of Berlin - Part 2
Jonathan L continues his exploration of the Berlin memorials dedicated to those murdered by the Nazis
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Climate Change and European Tourism
The travel industry site Skift is continuing a series assessing the effects of climate change on travel, and has concluded that changing climate over the next 50 years may shift tourism from southern to northern Europe in the summer, but may have...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Sept. 20, 2013: Luxembourg, Old City and Ramparts
One of Europe's smallest countries, it's easy not to visit Luxembourg, neatly tucked in between the cultural and economic giants of Europe -- France and Germany -- and just west of its political capital in Belgium. But its a beautiful...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Sept 2, 2014: Luxembourg Gardens, Paris
As I have mentioned in previous posts, whenever we visit a new city, town or village, we always seek out the nearest park or gardens in order to get our bearings and to just soak the atmosphere of the place. Paris was no exception...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Sep 16 2014: Valletta, Malta
The capital city of Malta , Valletta was originally known as "the city built by gentleman for gentleman". That description may have changed somewhat over the years as it is now a World Heritage listed city. One of the first...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, June 3, 2014: British Telepone Box, Malta
The island nation of Malta became part of the British Empire in 1800 after the French were driven out in 1799. They gained their independence in 1964 and the last of the British forces and other personnel left...
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Catching the Tour de France 2014
My husband Hans and I have been Tour de France fans for almost thirty years. In 1992, we caught Miguel Indurain, riding for Banesto , win the Tour in Paris. A classic Tour athlete, Indurain holds the record for the most consecutive (five) Tour...
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Finding Reiner 4: Who Was He?
After a brief holiday, I am back to Finding Reiner. I am writing this family mystery as a travelogue ( and as a graphic book illustrated by the fabulous Maria Lebedeva whose illustrations I include here ) for two reasons. First, war stories mean...
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One Hundred Years Ago: On the Eve of War
One hundred years ago, July 28, 1914, in Sarajevo, Bosnia, a young Serb nationalist shot and killed Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, which then ruled Bosnia and quite a few other places now independent . Their goal was an...
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Finding Reiner: Taking a Break in Cologne
After spending two separate weeks in Cologne (in January and June), I’ve come to love this walkable city. I’ll take a short pause from “Finding Reiner” to give readers a taste of the town. Accommodations: Cologne...
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Top 7 Hidden Resorts in Europe
Looking for a great resort to visit in Europe? Something a little off the main beaten tourist path? Andrew L has seven excellent suggestions for you.
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Norwegian and WOW add routes, sale fares
Two low-cost carriers, Norwegian and WOW, are opening new U.S.-to-Europe routes for next summer, at discount prices...and fees.