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...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 different hues of blue and green. Walking along the pine-fringed walkway beside attractive hotels and villas was a great way of enjoying the morning. After about an hour and a half we sat down at our hotel,...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 Although the hotel itself is somewhat outdated and not particularly fancy, our view over the Mediterranean was simply precious.By 10 am we had driven from the touristy coastal areas into the quiet mountain town of Calvia which stretches along the foothills of the Tramuntana mountain region. In the middle of town we stopped at the local church, Sant Joan Baptista, a late 19th century church that was built on earlier foundations from the 13th century. Calvia itself is not a very large tourist destination, but an authentic Mediterranean town where locals go about their daily business.Side streets through rolling hills and olive groves then took us to Andratx, a quaint rural town in the shadow of the Puig Galatzo mountain. We explored the towns church and the adjoining castle where we enjoyed a spectular view of the coastline in the distance. Andratx and the surrounding area are generally very expensive territory and many Northern Europeans own villas and holiday homes in...more
I woke up to another day of gorgeous sunshine and took a seat on our spacious balcony at the Torrenova Aparthotel complex. The surrounding view of the Mediterranean was astounding and I still could not believe that we had lucked out with this beautifully located water-front hotel after booking it extremely inexpensively over the Internet.Shortly...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 utterings reverberated in the concrete hallways and inevitably woke me up. Just as I was ready to...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, Pragues Art Nouveau masterpiece, I had just finished a boat tour on the Vltava River that gave me a completely different view of Prague from the water. Our knowledgeable captain had shared many stories about Prague and enriched us with countless historical tidbits about this fascinating city.During my last few hours in Prague I was planning to explore Mala Strana, one of the main historical areas on the west side of the river. Crossing the famous Charles Bridge, I passed by the 30 baroque religious statues that line the bridge. My stroll continued past various street artists, painters and souvenir vendors who were displaying their merchandise right on top of this historic river crossing. One of the bridges statues had attracted a large crowd of people lining up. I was wondering what the big commotion was all about, so I joined the queue myself. As I moved along I realized that everyone wanted to rub the plaques on the statue of St. John...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
On a somewhat cool and breezy day, bright sunshine woke me up and I stepped out on to the balcony of my room at the Hotel Jalta. This four-star hotel is located on Wenceslas Square, the main square of Pragues New Town district. To my left, at the top...more
My local experts Jitka Simkova, owner of Prague Walks.com, together with her colleague Karel had given me a great introduction to Old Town Prague. The day was getting late now and the air was definitely getting cooler.We had turned around in the...more
At the end of my delicious lunch at La Rotonde, the Art Deco restaurant at the Radisson Blu Alcron Hotel, my personal tour guide for my walking tour of Prague came to pick me up. Petra Bedlasova is a historian, artist and photographer, and she is...more
After the rain and drizzle of our first day in San Francisco, day two of our adventure began more promisingly: bright sunshine greeted us as we made our way by public bus to Washington Square, the heart of San Francisco's Italian-flavoured North...more