To the North of Mallorca

Yesterday we did our second trip. When it was nap time for the kids we took our rental car and went North. Our destination was Artá but we didn’t want to go there fast so we went along a street close to the coast. Unfortunately there is no road on the coast going along the waterside so you are about 5km inland and have where ever there is a town or beach a street goes down there.

First we stopped at Porto Christo at the dragon cave. But as they wanted 14€ per person and there were bus loads of people queuing we quickly decided against going in. It is probably nice there if you are into touristy stuff with lots of people around that is.

Palma de Mallorca – a sandstone jewel amidst tourists

It took a day longer than expected to write this post as we are here with three kids that demand our attention but here it is: When you holiday on Mallorca you usually do a trip to Palma and so did we. Driving there by car I could convince Michael from leaving his favourite hobby for once which is finding a free parking spot in the middle of a crowded city.

In Mallorca there are three different markers for parking space on the street: yellow means “in no way allowed”, blue means limited to a certain amount of time and costs money, check for a ticket machine” and no marking means “free” and is more than rare especially in Palma. So we parked at

Mallorca – what a beautiful island

Yesterday we arrived in Mallorca to spend a week with Michael’s brother’s family who is staying here in a Finca for several weeks this summer. We had booked a rental car in advance and were on our way within an hour from landing. By the way, if you think of going to Mallorca and renting a car keep a look out for offers that are full/full or empty/empty (this refers to the fuel in the car) as otherwise they make you buy the first load of fuel from the car rental and this is more expensive than buying it from a normal petrol station.

The Finca we are staying in is beautiful, has a pool and is near Santinyi, a beautiful town near

Where I’ve been: Barcelona.

I’ve lived in Barcelona and I loved it. But it’s been years (nearly 10 to be precise) and yes I went there afterwards again in 2006 and 2009 but it’s about time to go again. Therefore here my Barcelona highlights, as a guide for myself to check them out again soon:

1. I love Gaudís buildings, even though they are usually full of tourists. But there are also many beautiful buildings from other times:
   • Gaudí’s Parc Guell is a beautiful retreat in the city and offers amazing views
   • Gaudì’s Casa Battlo looks beautiful from the outside
   • Gaudì’s Casa Mila is beautiful from the inside
   • La cathedral
   • Santa Maria del Mar
   • Barcelonata
   • L’Eixample

Where I’ve been – Barcelona’s museums

I’ve lived in Barcelona and I loved it. But it’s been years (nearly 10 to be precise) and yes I went their afterwards again in 2006 and 2009 but it’s about time to go again. Therefore here my Barcelona museum highlights, for you and as a guide for myself to check them out again soon:

Museums: want some culture? Get some culture!

• Are you a fan of Picasso? Here is his museum, based in some old town houses from the 13th till 15th century in the quarter Born.
• Like Miró? His house is on the hill next to the Montjuic. Only the free audio guide made me nearly running out of the museum. Miro wrote the texts himself and I liked the pictures and statues but with his commentary they were rather disgusting. Sometimes it might be better not to understand what an artist wants to say with his Art.
• History is your favourite? The Museu d’Història de Catalunya has it all. And you can touch, hold, try and otherwise get deep into the old times with you own hands.

There are even more museums, for design, art or football. But these three were the ones that got a special place in my memory.

Where I’ve been: Barcelona & Food

I’ve lived in Barcelona and I loved it. But it’s been years (nearly ten to be precise) and yes I went there on holidays in 2006 and 2009 but it’s about time to go again. So what is so great about Barcelona? One thing is: Barcelona has great food, that is, mostly, if you are willing to spend the money. Therefor here my Barcelona highlights concerning Food, as a guide for myself to check them out again soon:

• There are many famous restaurants so have a look around and just try to book a table during the day, if you find something nice. Just note that dinner time is around 10 pm. If for 10 pm all table are reserved ask if you can have one around 8 to 9 pm.
• Tapas are not the speciality of Catalunya, but you still get great ones here. I prefer the basquestyle tapas were you stand at the bar and just eat them as you like and later you only pay the little wooden sticks of the ones you had: a bit sushi style. A good tapas bar is next to the church Santa María del Pí, but unfortunately I can’t remember the name.
• A “Chocolate” is something beautiful: hot, sticky chocolate, more like a dessert than a drink and some sweet pastry do the trick, but a coffee at the beach is nice too. Or maybe you might want to grab a sandwich from Pans & Company and the like. They are nothing like Subway sandwiches: crusty and crunchy baguettes e.g. with a slice of tortilla.

Have a drink, mate! The 7 best places I partied at.

Partying is something I don’t do so often, but on Saturday I went out. Of course it is hard to say which city or place is best for partying as not only location is important but far more important are things like mood, time and especially company. Taking all that into account I made a list of the seven best places I ever partied at.