My husband and I have both decided we need to get out of here! We are thinking of about ten days in early April. The catch is that I might be pregnant at the time. I wanted to go to Turkey, but medically I think that is out. We need somewhere warm at that time of the year where we can drink the water.

We've already been to Paris and the south of France, Andalusia in Spain, and Rome and Venice. My husband wants to do Greece, but again with all the travel and boats and pregnancy.

We like the country life over cities. My husband is a large history fan and loves all the Roman stuff.

Any ideas? I'm stuck. Where would it be warm that time of year?

How about Sicily?

Sicily is a great suggestion. Lots of ruins, some Roman, some Greek. Maybe just avoid Palermo.

The other thought I have is the Amalfi coast. That's early for the coast itself. You could base in Sorrento, see Pompeii and Herculaneum, the archeological museum in Naples, Capri, maybe Paestum.

For Sicily you'd probably want a car, if only to see the villa at Casale (Roman mosaic floors) and the temple at Segesta. Whereas for Sorrento, etc. you're better off with public transportation. Though there may not be many boats running in early April.

Rent a gîte (country house - google Gites France) in the Provence - plenty of Roman reminders, and everything else nice you can imagine for a quiet countryside vacation.

There are some incredible deals to Vienna and Prague during April. We got lucky one year with good weather, and tried it again and froze...But both trips were great.

Why would Turkey be out? Bottled water is available anywhere and the main tourist areas have amenities that match those found in Western Europe.

Hi KB,

If you take proper precautions, you won;t be pregnant and you coould go to Turkey.

Ira

Thanks all. I'm going to go have a look at Sicily right now. That is a good idea. We've been to Sorrento on a day trip to Pompeii from Rome. It was gorgeous and needs more time devoted to it, but I'm in the mood for something totally new.

We don't mind renting a car. I enjoy the freedom of it.

Renting a country house sounds nice. We've done Provence, but what is Tuscany like that time of year? Lake Como?

I will check the weather in Vienna and Prague. They sound lovely, but we will still be in those last days of Michigan winter and going somewhere in short sleeves really appeals.

I had some preterm labor complications with my last child. He ended up coming out on time, but he kept trying to come out early. My doctor said that it might not happen this time, but I think because of that, Turkey might be out. If I had had a normal pregnancy last time, it would be different. If I get pregnant this month the trip would be over by 18 weeks, which is when I will start needing my progesterone shots. We will use frequent flyer miles, so if in the end the doctor says I can't go, we can dump the miles back into our account for a fee.

We had thought I'd be pregnant by now and we'd be taking this trip next year, so that is why this seems so out of the blue for me.

In April I would stay south and Sicily is perfect to me. Here are some reasons why---in May rather than April but still great spring flowers.
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=3828

Oh Bob. Thank you for that. Those are beautiful photos and is getting me excited about Sicily.

How would one get there from Detroit? We will use Northwest FF miles. I'm thinking we'll have to fly somewhere and then easyjet or ryanair the rest. What is the best airport to fly into?

Those ruins were spectacular and would keep hubby very happy.

I agree that Sicily would fit the bill. We had been to Italy a few times, France as well and never to Greece. But we were going in the summer, high season and I thought Greece just seemed too crowded. I was inspired by bobthenavigator's photos and with help from this site we did a week in Sicily and then drove back up to Tuscany. Sicily was the perfect "Greece substitute" - MUCH less crowded, even the summer, gorgeous ruins, small hotels, VERY friendly people, lots of interesting history (including the North Africa influences). Ten days would be perfect!

Using points, the only good advice is to let the airline help you to plan the itinerary with their partners---they hold all of the cards. You can start in either Palermo or Catania and depart from the other. Or, get as far as Rome and buy seats on AirOne from there.