After travelling half an hour through wooded mountains and lush valleys, we reached the winery of Santa Catarina in the area of Andratx - located in one of the most beautiful valleys of northwest Mallorca. Nestled in the southern foothills of the Tramuntana Mountains, the winery, part of a larger company (Macia Batle), is a real paradise for those who love fine wine. Wine production has been known for hundreds of years in Mallorca. The … [Read more...]
Exploring the World as Paying Crew
Unlike chartering which requires experience, and that you start and finish from a charter base, you usually don't need any sailing experience and you have many more choices of where in the world your trip will start. This is exactly what I did during August 2006. I had briefly tried the "paying crew" option in Thailand several years ago, and after having a great experience there, was ready to try it again. Since I would be traveling alone on … [Read more...]
Los Angeles, CA – City Parks
As of last count,there are over 600 public parks within the Los Angeles city limits - ranging from tiny green spaces to larger parks tucked away in the Hollywood Hills. We continue to explore the city's public park terrain and will update this page as time permits. Barnsdall Park is located right off Hollywood Blvd in East Hollywood (about 2 miles East of the 101 Freeway) on top of a hill ("Olive Hill") which affords one superb views of much … [Read more...]
Los Angeles, CA – Pasadena
Pasadena is a sizable city located at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains. You may have heard the popular 60's pop song, The Little Old Lady from Pasadena recorded by Jan and Dean...a classic that can still be enjoyed today especially with the windows rolled down driving down Colorado Blvd or part of the 210 or 134 Freeways! The city enjoys a high standard of living - it was founded when wealthy East Coaster's would build "winter" homes and … [Read more...]
Prince Albert of Monaco Goes To The North Pole
More used to Grand Prix cars than dog sleighs, Monaco's Prince Albert's forthcoming trek to the North Pole has been greeted with surprise by many. But the Prince is fairly accustomed to the cold, in contrast to the Mediterranean warmth of Monaco where he became ruler last July following the passing of his father Prince Rainier, who had ruled the tax haven for over 50 years. Albert represented Monaco at the last five Winter Olympic Games in … [Read more...]
Where can you find Islands the Shape of Palm Trees?
All my preconceived notions about the rigid cultural conservativism of countries in the Arab peninsula were thrown out the minute I entered Dubai, a sprawling and mushrooming megalopolis rising up between the fringes of the Arab deserts and the Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia may still be the country of chokingly strict laws, but Dubai seems to be the total opposite. Actually it is one of two major cities in the United Arab Emirates, a country roughly … [Read more...]
Bunbury, Western Australia
Bunbury and the South West area of Western Australia (or WA) is one of the world's great places to live, with a Mediterranean climate, sandy-white beaches, beautiful native forests and all the infrastructure expected of a modern western society. Bunbury is the major city in WA's South West region, that is also home to other centres such as Busselton, Margaret River, Donnybrook, Manjimup, Augusta, Pemberton, Collie, Harvey and Bridgetown. … [Read more...]
Busselton, Western Australia
The first recorded mapping of what is now Geographe Bay and the eventual town of Busselton, was in 1801 by the French explorer Nicolas Baudin, from the ships the Geographe and Naturaliste. The Bay was named after his ship whilst the river was named the Vasse after a sailor who went missing in mysterious circumstances. The area was settled in 1832 when families from the Augusta area, led by John Garrett Bussell, traveled north to farm the … [Read more...]
Royals Put Malta Back on Map
For a Mediterranean island with good year round weather, a friendly local English speaking population and facilities to rival that of any of her competitors, Malta is a surprisingly often forgotten island for many people planning a holiday in the Mediterranean. Malta missed some of her own government's tourist targets in 2005, but a recent visit by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh resulted in four days of positive media coverage … [Read more...]
Going Cal-ing in Ibiza
Every now and then, I'll combine English and Spanish words and come up with something that truly annoys my wife, who happens to be from Spain. These "Spanglish" concoctions are usually pretty cheesy, but I must say that I'm not the only one guilty of this. Spaniards themselves do it. For bungee jumping, for example, they've invented the word puenting combining the ing ending from English with the word "puente" (bridge) in Spanish to form a hybrid … [Read more...]