After five great days in my temporary home in the Western Bay of Palma it was now time to relocate and have a closer look at the eastern side of island. I needed to check out today and move into my next apartment in Port dAlcudia. I packed my suitcase and left the Terranova Aparthotel complex which had been a great location to explore the western and northern side of the island.Taking the coastal highway eastwards from Palmanova through the more...more
With my love for the Spanish language and my fascination for Mediterranean landscapes, the island of Mallorca has been one of my dream destinations for a long time. A couple of months ago or so I had finally decided that 2009 was going to be year for my visit to Mallorca. Spring is the perfect time to visit southern Europe the weather is usually great, and the hordes of Northern European tourists have not arrived yet.So I had booked a very...more
I love unearthing small, quirky cocktail bars in London. When you open the door, you get transported to another world, a magical world away from the hustle and bustle of London. After a lot of searching I think I have found my three favourite quirky bars! 1) Bourne and Hollingsworth (West End)Walk down the stairs, off Charlotte Street and be transported back to a 1930s / grandmas dining room. This may not sound very appealing but it manages to pull it off in a quirky, retro, cool way. The cocktails are fantastic and served in a cup and saucer (which I loved). There are DJs on the weekend but be warned, this place is small. Get there early for pre-drinks perhaps before heading off for the rest of your night. I think Bourne and Hollingsworth is also a fantastic "date" place. Prices are happily affordable with cocktails from £7.50. 2) Callooh Callay (Shoreditch)If you loved Narnia as a kid well this is the chance to live out your childhood fantasies. Imagine the entrance as the wardrobe into the magical kingdom. I loved the fact that you can drink cocktails out of gramophones too. They believe in great drinks, it is indeed a master art for the team at Callooh Callay....more
On my last full day in Mallorca my plan was to explore the eastern part of the island. I had spent the vast majority of my time in the north of Mallorca, where the dramatic Serra de Tramuntana mountain range had held an almost magical spell on me. Today my destinations were on the eastern part of the island.Around 10 am I left Port dAlcudia and...more
After a tasty home-made breakfast on the balcony of my studio apartment in Port dAlcudia I was ready to head out for a full day of explorations. Somehow, the northern mountainous part of Mallorca has an almost magical spell on me. I had already spent the major part of my entire first week on this island in the northern Tramuntana Mountains, and I...more
We had thoroughly enjoyed our drive through the Tramuntana mountain region yesterday and our discoveries in the town of Sller. After a restful night of sleep I got up at 8 am and walked to the main house of our rural hotel, Finca Cas Sant, to use their Internet connection. Then it was time for an outdoor breakfast on the terrace of our hotel, surrounded by palm trees. Fresh croissants, yoghurt, home-made orange marmalade and an egg were waiting for me.My breakfast also included a traditional Mallorcan specialty: pamboli (literally translated: bread and oil), which are slices of fresh Mallorcan bread that are rubbed with olive oil and sometimes covered by a slice of cured ham or diced tomatoes. Sitting under the palm trees, admiring the historic mansion against the backdrop of the peaks of Mallorcas highest mountains it doesnt get much better than that.Even though we had already checked out, we asked owner Rafael Forteza whether we would be able to leave our car in the parking lot. Not a problem at all. So we left our car parked and walked the 10 minutes into the centre of Sller which was extremely busy this Saturday morning: it was market day.Dozens of traveling merchants had set...more
Our second day in Mallorca greeted us with bright sunshine. After a restful night at Finca Son Pont, we got ready to have breakfast in this historic rural hotel. Tables were set up in the shady inner courtyard and we were going to have breakfast in...more
Our second full day in Mallorca started with an early morning stroll along the Pine Walk promenade in Port de Pollena, a beautiful seafront town on the northeast side of the island. The expansive Bay of Pollena was shimmering in front of us in...more
Our location in Palma Nova on the western bay of Palma was very convenient with one exception: several of the hotel guests came home between 3 and 6 am in various states of inebriation and were hollering loudly to each other. Their incomprehensible...more
As the late afternoon sun had come out, I was continuing my action-packed day in Prague. After a guided tour through Pragues Jewish Quarter, a savory and informative lunch in Pragues oldest kosher restaurant, followed by a tour of Municipal House,...more
One of Pragues key attractions is the Jewish Quarter, the former Jewish ghetto of the city. So on this bright, yet blustery day I strolled from my hotel on Wenceslas Square over to Old Town Square to meet my personal tour guide for the day who would...more
Always on the lookout for historical structures, I had planned a visit to another renowned Prague establishment: the Radisson Blu Alcron Hotel, established in 1932 at the height of Art Deco as Pragues premier hotel of that era. Martina Pavlikova from...more