If you live on the Balearic Island of Mallorca, a far distance can be 20 minutes away. Perhaps it is the island mentality, but you don’t take the slow road in Mallorca if there is a faster way. The Ferrocarril De Sóller chugs along at the slowest of paces for a local, taking over an hour to go from Palma de Mallorca to the town of Sóller. Covering 27.3 kilometers, the route is frequented not by locals but tourists with time. They hop abroad not just for the train’s slow pace but to experience a part of history on the island. I arrive at Placa de l’Estació in Plaza de España in Palma de Continue Reading
Long Travel Days Ahead and a European Summer Getaway
My bags are partially packed and I’m on my way. Besides being a ball of stress, balancing work and packing problems, I’m pleased to reveal where I am going next. On behalf of One Travel, I will be traveling with AirBerlin across Europe over the course of the next few weeks. I am heading to Berlin, Stockholm and Palma de Mallorca with AirBerlin as I blog about the adventure. While I have been to Stockholm before, I’m excited to experience Berlin and Mallorca, two new destinations for me. In Berlin we will be biking, gallery hopping and touring some of the city’s neighborhoods. After a few Continue Reading
Extremadura, Spain Wishes You Were Here
This week’s Wish You Were Here post comes from Will Peach, one of the site editors at Gapdaemon.com, the gap year travel community website for backpackers and young independent travelers. Will is fascinated with learning Spanish and studying as much as he can about the culture of his adopted country. He likes to visit sleepy Spanish towns and sit in cafes with a cafe con leche and slice of Spanish omelette while pouring over grammar books. Be sure to check out his writing and follow him on twitter at @willpeach. Spain can be all things to all people, yet for me it’s simply home. My part of Continue Reading
Barcelona Wishes You Were Here
Despite the extra pounds of luggage wearing on me and the engulfing heat, I knew instantly I could only love Barcelona. After checking into my hostel, complete with a shower right in the middle of the room, the quirks of Barcelona began to spread out on to the table. The first sight I had to see, one that is synonymous with the city, was La Sagrada Familia. That day, Antoni Gaudi’s creation looked as though it was melting in the Spanish sun. Rising from the subway, I was put off but the snaking line to get in to see La Sagrada Familia. After pondering whether to go inside, I did for I Continue Reading
La Tomatina in Buñol, Spain Wishes You Were Here
As I casually walk down an innocent side street in Buñol, Spain, an older man looks at me. His eyes seem to be seeing targets. He is carrying a bucket full of tomatoes. One by one, he hoists them at me. A familiar scene, like dodge ball in junior high, this is not going to end well. Just as it was in junior high, I know tomato throwing is not my sport. In the town of Buñol, Spain, just beyond Valencia, the festival of La Tomatina is put on every year, much to the amusement of backpackers the world over. Considered the world’s biggest food fight, La Tomatina supposedly began in the 1940s Continue Reading
In The Heat of Valencia
When a heat wave rolls through in summertime, I don’t turn up the air conditioner. I think of a day spent sweltering in Valencia, Spain. No amount of sun and heat can rival that day for me. As the heat overcame me, I turned from pale to blotchy. There was no end in sight. My new travel friend Christine of C’est Christine decided we should go explore Valencia at the hottest part of the day. Perhaps I didn’t know Christine well enough to tell her I couldn’t handle this and so I agreed. When it is hot in Colorado, I remember that day in Valencia. Suddenly the heat I am experiencing is all put Continue Reading
The Gracia Neighborhood of Barcelona Wishes You Were Here
The streets of the Gracia neighborhood in uptown Barcelona cannot be confused with any other city or town toward the end of August. The Fiesta de Gracia zaps the laid back neighborhood with bands, fireworks, drinks, bocadillos, and decorations you truly must see to believe. The residents of each street meet to decide their theme. The best-decorated street in the neighborhood goes home with a prize. The decorations turn into dream-like visions. Wooden planks form a giant arch down one as little old ladies scramble to write their name and message as others have done before them. As I sign my Continue Reading