Sunburn and Chardonnay.

We got home Sunday night from Malta. I can’t remember the last time I was so happy to be back home. Vacation can be exhausting.

I don’t have many kind things to say about Malta….probably because the food was just so bad. When you’re staying at a 5 star hotel, yet the best meals you have all week are at Pizza Hut and Burger King, something is terribly wrong. I blame the British for this, not the Maltese.

OK, to be fair, we didn’t really see much of the country. We only visited 3 cities on the mainland: St. Julian, Valetta, and Sliema, but I just wasn’t impressed. I know the main source of the country’s income is tourism, but it’s hard to be charmed by a place that has hotels stacked upon hotels and apartment blocks stacked upon apartment blocks like some kinda Mediterranean LEGO village. It just wasn’t…..pretty. ( I prefer Kos or even Crete anyday!) Even the beaches were rocky and a bit uhm….filthy. In fact, a lot of the island was dirty. Trash removal is not a Maltese priority. And You know how I feel about dirt. *shaking head in disapproval*



Now for some more photos:

Maltese Fashion!

Maltese Dirty Hippy.

Maltese Beach


Maltese thumbs up.

I can has Maltese Cheeseburger.

Walking around La Vallete.

Oh and did I mention that the Maltese love Jesus?

I mean really love Jesus.

I mean really really love Jesus.

I mean really really really really freakin' love Jesus.

So, food & filth aside, FrenchBoy and I had a lovely time. Malta is a great place if you want to escape from life for a moment. We abused the open bar in the hotel’s Executive lounge, read cheesy magazines stolen from the airport VIP lounge, and watched American TV for hours and hours each day in our underwear. In short, we did absolutely nothing. No walking tours, no shopping, no boat rides, no visits to archaeological sites. We just relaxed. Any activity that took place from Tuesday to Friday has now become a complete blur of sunburn and Chardonnay.

And the Sun. Ahhhh the Sun! I hadn't seen it in so long that I had almost forgotten just how glorious it is.

Sidebar: Why oh why does it rain all summer in Eastern France? No wonder everyone here is so pale and grumpy. I have a theory that so much of the undesirable "Frenchness" that exhibits itself in this particular region of France could be cured by a stiff dose of 3 to 4 days of continuous sunlight. These people aren't stand-offish and cold, they're just vitamin D deprived! <>

So all in all it was a decent vacation. Any vacation is what you make it. I feel completely recharged and energized. Who knows, I may even have the energy to actually start studying French again.

Ok, now I'm just pulling your leg.