Impressions of Menorca No. 2

Hey there!

We thought it was time for a challenge, so we planned on travelling across the island in one day, spending a few days in the western part of Menorca (near Ciutadella) and eventually cycling back to the capital Maó one day prior to our departure.

Rocky Road

What a plan!

https://goo.gl/Q2gwGj

But this... this was our return route. On the way to Ciutadella we biked along the southern coast. 

We started our journey at 10 am - we thought if we headed off this early, we would have a few hours of the day left to explore the surroundings of our accomodation in Cala Blanca (we were wrong!).

One of the bikes and our baggage

From Maó we headed to Cala en Porter. First we cycled on the motorway, next to friendly car drivers, who always left sufficient space for us to ride our bikes. After a while we turned off the motorway and onto a narrow rural road leading us downward through the hills past orchards and eventually onto a more challenging stoney path. From the first cove onwards we only travelled along the sea. Which was extremely beautiful and impressive, however it was also extremely challenging and energy/time-consuming.

We passed numerous gates made of olive wood, lots of flowers, some orchards and magnificent coves and beaches.

The Bay of Son Bou

Along the way we once lost a few belongings (luckily a friendly kindergarten group picked them up and gave them to us in the neighbouring bay) and had to constantly motivate ourselves to keep on cycling. By the way - we had never done a mountain bike tour before, so we were absolute beginners travelling with mountain bikes. At times it was very steep, as you can see in the photo.

We only travelled with small backpacks and a camera - to save the extra fee on the plane and because we wouldn't have been able to do such a tour with a suitcase anyway - which is another point for the disadvantages of excess baggage.

When we arrived at Son Bou, we had to push our bikes through sand, as we were too lazy to take a detour inland, which made us very tired. But the view definitely made up for the tiredness.

After the sandy part, we cycled a while through the colder forest. It was great to move forward in the shade, since we had been in the blazing sun for more than 6 hours.
Also we thought it was beautiful to see so many different faces of Menorca. We had seen a rocky landscape, agricultural areas, dunes, beaches and forests when we finished the tour.

At one point we got lost.

This is the last photo we took at 6.38 pm. After that all we wanted was to arrive at Cala Blanca, where we would be staying for the next few days.

We had been cycling through the forest for a while and our GPS track told us to keep cycling. We ended up at a lonely beach; no road or civilisation in sight. Our "trustful" track meant to lead us to a path that started a few feet up the cliff line - impossible to reach for us, especially with our MTBs.

That was the breaking point. 

I thought for a few seconds I would most likely die there, since we didn't have any signal, battery nor a few drops of water. (Have you seen the film Into the Wild? If not, watch it and you'll understand.)

However we kept on trying; back up the hill where we came from and through the forest again; somehow westward.

Miraculously we eventually arrived in Cala Galdana (not our final destination) at 9 or 10 pm. The sun had already set, we were hungry and wondered where we could sleep. 

We couldn't possibly keep on cycling, as we didn't have lights attached to our bikes and our energy level was close to zero as well.

The only solution was to be picked up by a taxi. We were really lucky in the end, because our driver knew how to demount bikes making it easy to fit them in the boot of the car. 

At 11 pm we arrived at our accomodation, drank lots of water and fell onto the most comfortable bed on earth.

More to come!

Steph (still owning the travel bug, despite this adventurous day)

Impressions of Menorca No. 1

Hey there!

So I thought I should share some photos and write a blog post series about my visit to the beautiful island Menorca during my mid-semester break in May.

Menorca is part of the Balearic Islands - consisting of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera -which are all located in the Mediterranean Sea, a few hundred kilometres south of Barcelona, Spain.

https://goo.gl/v2ccPX

The name Menorca means "the smaller one". This becomes obvious when comparing it with Mallorca, which is approx. 3 times larger than Menorca - and therefore a lot busier. 

Menorca is calmer (span.: tranquilo), more authentic than its neighbouring islands and less touristy.

The entire island is listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve including its coasts and marine systems surrounding it and Menorca's habitants put a lot of effort in reserving their island as it is/was.

Moreover a huge national park can be found in the northeastern part of Menorca. 

Unfortunately during my stay I didn't make it to the national park, since my travel partner and I didn't have a car to drive around.

- BUT, we did get around the island with mountain bikes we rented in the capital of Menorca, Maó.

On the first day - after we arrived - we hiked from the airport to Maó to save the transport cost and to gain a first few impressions of Menorca. 

Along the way we saw some sheep, beautiful flowers, a cathedral and great empty fields.

Maó is situated along one of largest natural harbours. Its historic centre sits upon a hill overlooking the water. When walking around the city, the English influence (18th century) can be noticed through specific design techniques (windows, doors, etc.).

But also the Moorish architecture (Spain was influenced and conquered by the Moors between approx. 700 - 1490) can be seen in Maó. The Alhambra in Andalusia is another example for the influence of the Moors in Spain.

During the day we walked around the city, went out for dinner to try some typical tapas and had some fresh fruit.

There's more to come!

Steph

The Spanish dinner

Hey there!

Fourth stop: Spain

Retrieved from: https://www.weltkarte.com/europa/spanien/spanienkarte.htm

This month's international dinner was dedicated to Spain.
The Spanish cuisine is primarily made up of dishes including fish, seafood, different spices and delicious ham or meat.

In Spain people tend to have a small breakfast, then have lunch around midday and that's it for a while. They might have a small snack in between, but the main meal of the day is prepared in the evening. In contrast to Germany the southern countries of Europe, such as France, Spain or Italy will cook a warm dish not earlier than 8pm - simply because it is too warm during the day to have a hot meal.

Of course I can't speak for every habitant of southern Europe, but this is what I've heard from my friend with a huge affinity for Italy.
Also when I took part in an exchange with an Andalusian (southern Spain) school during my high school time, this was what I experienced.

In Andalusia, in Seville, my host family took me out to have traditional tapas in a restaurant.
If you ever set foot on Spanish ground, do try as many of them as you can.

But what are tapas?

Well, tapas are a wide variety of different appetizers - either hot or cold. They can be combined as a full meal or just eaten as a small snack. They are often served in small bowls or on ceramic plates and with a bottle of red wine (preferably from a Spanish wine region).


So we thought we should give it a try and compose a Spanish meal made up of different tapas.

For our Spanish dinner we prepared the following tapas:

Cooked capsicum with almonds and honey

Albóndigas 
(Meatballs with tomato sauce)

Olives

Papas arrugadas (wrinkly, salty potatoes)

Mojo Rojo (spicy red sauce; consisting of olive oil, garlic, capsicum, paprika powder, etc.)

Mojo Verde (less spicy green sauce; consisting of fresh parsley and other ingredients like Mojo Rojo)

Tomato and eggplant dip

Peppers filled with cream cheese

Roasted mushrooms

Jamón serrano 
(Serrano ham)







Stuffed mushrooms

Roasted chicken liver with sherry

Tortilla española (Spanish omelette made up of potatoes, onions and eggs)

Chorizo al vino (Spanish sausage roasted with red wine)

For dessert we had

Crema catalana

And now it's your turn! Be creative and make up your own individual tapas meal.

¡Que aproveche! (Enjoy your meal!)

Steph

Interview zur makrobiotischen Ernährungsweise

Hallo liebe*r Leser*in,

heute erscheint mal ein Blogeintrag auf Deutsch, da mein Interview, das ich mit der nach der makrobiotischen Ernährungsweise lebenden Imke Lamberts geführt habe, ebenso auf Deutsch verfasst wurde.

In dem Interview wird die Makrobiotik an sich, ihr Ursprung und die Rezeption dieser erläutert.

Schaut doch mal vorbei unter:

Seitenwaelzer.de

Ein Beispielrezept der Makrobiotik findet man hier!

10 Things to do in Brisbane..

Hey there!

Here's another list of recommendations for backpackers or budget travellers searching for things to do in the great city of Brisbane.

- Australia -

Part 10: Brisbane

Most backpackers start their journey either in Sydney or Brisbane and then make their way up north to be astounded by the beauty of the Australian east coast.

As I've already published an article about Sydney giving advice on what to do in the buzzing metropolis of New South Wales, I thought I should also write one about Brisbane, since I spent most of my time there when I travelled around Australia last summer.

Brisbane can make anyone happy, no matter their interest. If you love art, you'll find a place to be inspired by Australian and international artists. If you like exercise, you'll find a place to run as far as you like. If you like learning about different cultures, you'll find a place to broaden your horizons.

So this is a list of wonderful things to do in Brisbane and while you're at it, also check out my recommendations for Sydney – here.

1st visit the Botanic Gardens and Mount Coot-tha. If you're looking for a place to look over the entire town of Brisbane, maybe watch the sun set with your loved ones or if you're just interested at exploring the great flora of the garden or the Sir Thomas Planetarium that is located in the garden, this is the place to be.

2nd take a tour on the CityCat or the CityHopper (it's for free) to gain a first overview of the City of Brisbane. Go all the way to Kangaroo Point to look at the amazing cliff (you can also go climbing there, if you're more of the adventurous kind). Hop off at the terminal Riverside or Eagle Street Pier and have a look at the great skyscrapers and luxurious restaurants, e.g. Pony. 

Unfortunately I couldn't afford a meal at the Pony restaurant this time, but I went to a different restaurant of the same owner in Sydney a few years back and absolutely loved it. It's definitely not cheap, but it's definitely delicious..

3rd go for a run (or walk) along the riverside, start your exercise at the campus of the University of Queensland in St. Lucia and make your way to the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens and the historic centre of Brisbane. It's for free and your body will love you for your motivation!

4th visit West End and check out the food market at Davies Park (open every Saturday from 6am - 2pm) and the Boundary Street Markets (open every weekend). You'll find creative shops, delicious street food (also check out my recommendation for Planted, an organic café nearby – here) and interesting people to look at (a man was wearing a cowboy hat, skinny jeans and some ballerina shoes whilst standing in line for a veggie burger).

On Boundary Street you can also find the great second-hand book shop Bent Books. Definitely a must-see for book lovers!

5th go out partying in Fortitude Valley. Make sure to dress nicely (no trainers or jumpers), otherwise some doormen might not let you enter a club or bar. Also check out the Royal Exchange Hotel on a Wednesday night. For Brisbane students it's the place to be. It's located directly at the Toowong train station near the University of Queensland.

6th visit GOMA, an international, open and free to anyone art museum offering a wide variety of artwork. There's a shop right next to the gallery, where you can buy books about art, smaller pieces of art (e.g. posters of Aboriginal art that I couldn't leave behind) and music.

Next to GOMA you can find the Sciencentre (especially suitable for kids wanting to learn more about science related phenomena). Moreover there's the Queensland Museum dedicated to Queensland's history and environmentally related effects happening in Queensland.

7th if you're interested in international food, pay a visit to the Eat Street Markets, which takes place on Macarthur Avenue in the eastern part of Brisbane. As soon as you enter the market ground (unfortunately there's an entry fee) you'll be taken from Thailand to France from Mongolia to Argentina and from the States to the Netherlands within seconds. They often invite musicians to perform at the centre of the market to make it even more internationally. As we were there, we listened to a band made up of artists from Columbia, Argentina, Mexico, Australia, El Salvador and more! Make sure to try one of the fancy dessert fusions. Have you ever heard of the Cronut?
It's incredible.

8th visit the Southbank Parklands near the centre of Brisbane where you can listen to street music, wander around the artificial beach or the tropical garden, explore the Asian temple inmidst the garden and eat at various restaurants.

Firstly I'd like to point out my favourite burger and hot chips restaurant Grill'd (167 Grey St.), try the sweet potato chips with the Summer Sunset burger. 

And secondly check out the chocolate bar Max Brenner's offering all kinds of chocolate; melted with strawberries to dip in, as a pizza or hot chocolate - you name it.

9th while you're at Southbank walk a bit further east to explore the Epicurious Gardens, it's a public vegetable and fruit garden that is organised by volunteers to offer public access to organic food production. You're welcome to have a little taste of the herbs you can find in the pots and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays volunteers offer even more to try in their harvest cart.
When I went there, I plucked off a chili to use later on for pasta sauce. 

At times lectures will be held inmidst the plants to teach the audience methods of growing your own little veggies and to talk about sustainable lifestyle.
You can also become a volunteer if you're interested.

10th make your way up north to the Sunshine Coast for a day or two. It's much less crowded than the Gold Coast and offers magnificent national parks, a beautiful coast line, peaceful villages and amazing cafes. Don't miss out on Noosa (especially Tea Tree Bay, located in the national park), Caloundra (Kings Beach) and Montville (in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast).

That's it for now. I hope I could give you a small insight on what to do in the great city of Brisbane. It's a very liveable city and is one of my favourite cities around the globe.
I'd choose the city every time over Paris or Berlin.

Make sure to not give up your travel bug and keep exploring!

Steph