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...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 Mountains, and I just had to go back there today.So around 9 am I headed out in my little rental car and started driving westwards on Highway C713. I exited at Binissalem, a small country town with less than 7000 inhabitants in the shadow of the Tramunanta mountains. Binissalem used to be a major wine-growing region until the late 1800s when the phylloxera plague destroyed most of the vineyards, some of which were replaced by almond trees. Wine has been growing here as early as 121 BC when it was introduced by the Romans.Today, Binissalem is a quiet town with a pleasant main square that was mostly frequented by locals this morning, doing their early morning shopping. I strolled down one of the main streets and came across a large open grassy field that was hosting the town's weekly market this day. Dozens of traveling merchants had put up...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...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 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, the Hostal Goleta, and savoured our freshly baked baguettes for breakfast.Around 10 am we left Port de Pollença and started driving westwards and up into the Tramuntana mountain region. For me, the Tramuntana with its jagged limestone peaks, verdant valleys with pine trees, olive groves and almond trees, is the definite highlight of Mallorca's landscapes. On the north side of the island the limestone peaks drop precipitously into the blue depths of the Mediterranean.We made our first stop at one of Mallorca's primary tourist destinations: Santuari de Lluc, a monastery which has been the spiritual centre of the island for more than 800 years. Even today, the Monastery of Lluc is an important destination for pilgrims. The...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
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