Mallorca gets almost 12 million tourists a year but 60 percent of them come in the summer months. Many come just for the party beach atmosphere. The island wants to spread tourism to the off season and had to put tough restrictions on binge drinking to make it happen.
There’s more to Mallorca than beaches and bars. The countryside is packed with points of interest and activities. I took excursions to a winery, a forest rife with hiking trails and a small, historical village. It’s Mallorca off the beaten path.
Mallorca has some of the best beaches and summer nightlife in Spain but if you want to get away from the crowds, hang in its capital of Palma de Mallorca in the fall. It rained on me every day last week but there’s still plenty to do and see. The oceanscape is beautiful, the cathedral is one of Spain’s greatest buildings and the cuisine is superb. Just bring a raincoat.
You think of Nottingham and you think of Robin Hood. Come to Nottingham and you’ll come away thinking of good times, good beer and a vibrant city. I spent four days here last month and the debate about Robin Hood’s existence still rages, just like the nights do.
Sandwich, England, is a perfectly preserved medieval village and ideal for a weekend away from the chaos of London 1 hour and 45 minutes to the north.
I attended the World Travel Market, one of the biggest travel fairs in the world, and I saw encouraging signs of countries opening up and restrictions lightening. It still has a long ways to go.
It’s a major adjustment from the U.S. to Italy and from Italy to Puglia. For transplanted New Jersey girl Annamaria Borelli, it’s a life she always dreamed about.
The Black Forest was apparently the inspiration for Grimm’s Fairy Tales although there’s no concrete evidence it’s true. What is true is the aptly named forest is a wonderland of outdoor natural fun from an endless maze of hiking trails to spas throughout the region. We spent four days bouncing from hiking trails to the Jacuzzi to an exquisite dining table.
So many people liked last week’s blog about how Italy stacked up against other retirement destinations, I decided to re-post a blog I wrote almost exactly a year ago about how to move to Italy. They’re valuable tips that you should cut and paste. I’m in Germany on assignment this week and you can thank me later.
When you think of Spanish cuisine, you think of tapas. It’s the fun, social way to eat., Go tapas bar hopping and fill up on little plates of local delicacies. In the Northern Spain region of Asturias, nothing is small. Asturian cuisine is hearty, big and flavorful. Sausage. Beans. Soups. Seafood. We spent four days gorging on Spain’s most underrated cuisine. But you can have its sidra.
The 2008 film “Mamma Mia!” made Skopelos famous and made a tiny church atop a 300-foot cliff one of the world’s ideal places to get married. Now couples from all over come to this little Greek island for their ceremony. They say it’s more romantic than you can imagine and less hassle than you’ll believe.
Skopelos became famous in 2008 when Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan sang and danced their way across the island in “Mamma Mia!” But the scenes you see in the movie are just a snippet of the real beauty of this island of 5,000 people. Great beaches. Deep forests. Excellent food. It’s our new favorite Greek island.
