Regardless of what city I travel to, I always try to build in some sorts of a sports activity, whether it is bicycling, hiking, rollerblading, or - in this case – kayaking! I had tried whitewater kayaking once before in the Canadian wilderness, and the results were less than stellar. As a matter of fact, I was quite scared to death by the untamed power of the treacherous rapids on the Ottawa River. Of course this would be a...more
Our second day in London greeted us with brilliant sunshine, and even though it was still early May, temperatures in the mid twenties (Celsius, of course) were in store for us. Andrea and I started our day with a nice breakfast at the Zetter Hotel, a boutique hotel in London's fashionable Clerkenwell area. The main floor restaurant offers an extensive breakfast buffet, but occasionally, when I really enjoy a menu item I have no...more
It's amazing what you can pack into a day: our sightseeing tour on the Number 11 bus had introduced us to some of London's most important sights. During our walking tour we explored Buckingham Palace, the Mall, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall, arriving just in time for Big Ben ringing in the noon hour. Then we took a sightseeing tour on the Thames River and got to know the city from a completely different perspective. With only three days in London we were trying to cover as many sights as possible, and so far on our second day we had definitely managed to squeeze in a lot of important landmarks.After rushing to catch the Docklands Light Railway to our meeting point at Whitechapel, we connected with our walking tour a bit late, but we were ready to get to know "London's unknown East End". The tour was led by Harry Jackson, a passionate Londoner who grew up in Liverpool in the 1960s. Harry moved back to London in 1973 and gained extensive knowledge of the city during the 1980s when he worked for London Transport. This was also the time when he became a certified Blue Badge tourist guide. Blue Badge guides go through a two year training program at the Institute of...more
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...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...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...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...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...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