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 d'Alcudia. 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...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...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 d'Alcudia and started driving south. The first big attraction along my route was the Parc Natural de s'Albufera, a large protected wetland that features many kilometers of walkways that allow visitors to view the fauna and flora of this nature area. More than 200 species of wild birds can be admired up close at this conservation area. Close by is the town of C'an Picafort, a tourist town located in the centre of the Bay of Alcudia which is particularly popular with tourists from Germany. From here the road turned inland through flattish countryside with occasional rolling hills.My first stop was at the hilltop town of Arta whose name derives from the Arabic word for "garden". I drove through the narrow streets of the town to a parking lot below the fortification, parked my car and hiked up to the top of the hill which is crowned by the...more
After a tasty home-made breakfast on the balcony of my studio apartment in Port d'Alcudia 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...more
We had thoroughly enjoyed our drive through the Tramuntana mountain region yesterday and our discoveries in the town of Sóller. After a restful night of sleep I got up at 8 am and walked to the main house of our rural hotel, Finca Ca's Sant, to use their Internet connection. Then it was time for an outdoor breakfast on the terrace of...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 the fresh air. We picked up some cereal, yoghurt, some fresh bread and locally ripened fruits and joined in the conversation with other couples who had sat down at the tables next to us. Two other couples were in town from Germany to attend a large wedding in Puigpunyent and one couple was visiting here from Holland, the second time that they were visiting Finca Son Pont.After a leisurely conversation I took some more pictures around the property and we packed our luggage, ready to head on to our next destination. We thanked Hector, the older gentleman from Argentina, who is in charge of administering the property. We both agreed that we could have handled spending some more time in the rural serenity of this impressive rural estate.Shortly before lunch we hopped into our small rental vehicle and drove the 12 kilometres back into Palma de Mallorca. Traffic on this tiny island that is populated by more than 700,000 people...more
Our second full day in Mallorca started with an early morning stroll along the Pine Walk promenade in Port de Pollença, a beautiful seafront town on the northeast side of the island. The expansive Bay of Pollença was shimmering in...more
My stomach problems of yesterday had disappeared and I felt as good as new on this gorgeous late May morning. An early highlight of the day was the breakfast on our large balcony in the Torrenova Aparthotel complex. Although the hotel...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...more
WILL THERE BE A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO THE EXACERBATING GLOBAL WARMINGCopenhagen summit on climate change December 2009, as everyone knows was a historic failure. 193 nations from around the world met, debated and deliberated upon...more
You may have heard that learning French is very difficult; it does not have to be. Everyone actually has the ability to learn other languages. To accomplish this, you only have to find the way of learning that is right for you. Like...more
There are more than a few ways for you to learn a language. No one style is going to be any better than another. For best results, find out how your brain reacts to different learning styles and then act accordingly when choosing a...more