Mallorca Island, Spain: Time for the beach!

I arrived in Spain on March 13th. After staying in Madrid for three nights and I headed straight for Valencia. Before even starting this globetrotting adventure, I wanted to find some temporary housing in Spain. I choose Valencia because of its culture, beauty, and access to the beach. With a little luck, I was able to find housing for three weeks with three other students (one French, one Spanish, one English) for 250 euros. The apartment included a furnished room, with wi-fi, laundry facilities, ping-pong table, and a terrace. After securing the apartment, I had a week and half to burn. Instead of staying in Valencia I decided to hop aboard a ferry to Mallorca Island. This is one of the three Balearic Islands, the other two are Minorca and Ibiza.

I arrived in Palma (largest city in Mallorca) on a overnight ferry at seven in the morning. I had little sleep and only small map I drew for myself. This map contained the basic directions to my hostel. Going with my instincts I began to walk. I soon found a sign that said, ‘Centro’ and headed in that direction. With three hours of sleep and a forty pound bag on my back, I soon got weary of walking, but I had to press on. If things really got bad I could always catch a cab, but for now I was too cheap for that. I kept walking and walking until I took a closer look at one of the bus stops. Success! There was a map and I was heading in the right direction. For some reason, I never thought about taking the bus, but later I learned many of the bus lines stopped right in front of my hostel. After a long tiresome journey, I made it to the Hostel Ritzi and took a long nap.

I spent three nights at Hostel Ritzi with a room to myself. They called it a bunk bedroom that could fit three, but for those nights it was all mine. Day one, I visited the Cathedral and explored town. Day two, I took a day trip to the town of Soller. It lies in a valley northeast of Palma surround by huge mountain tops. To get there, I took the highly recommended hundred year old wood train, which took me through the mountains and traveled no faster than twenty miles per hour. Once I arrived in Soller, I stumbled around for a while, until I realized I needed a map. After I found the information center, I took a forty-five minute stroll to Soller Port. In search of food, I found this nice little Chinese restaurant, which was quite tasty. Soller’s scenery was quite a contrast from Palma beach atmosphere.

The last three nights I stayed at Hostal Tierramar in s’Arenal. It’s a twenty-five minute bus ride south of Palma and laid 30 meters from the beach. The area reminded me of a bad part of Miami beach without the humidity. A little run down, but the place was a great location for bars, food, and enjoying the sun. The last couple of days I have gotten into a routine of hitting the beach, eating, and watching a movie. I have been reading a lot as well.

Tomorrow, I head back to Valencia to stay in the Red Nest hostel for a few more nights then head to my new apartment on Friday. Two things to know about Mallorca is that it has a huge yachting culture and great fresh squeezed orange juice.

Adios

Chris

Traveling So Far

This is my third solo backpacking trip. When I was eighteen (eight years ago), I traveled through western Europe with just a book. I would land in a city and go from hostel to hostel till I found some availability. My Lonely Planet ‘Go Europe’ book was my holy grail. After graduating from UCSB, I went on another solo trip through eastern Europe with a stop in Ireland. This trip I still had a book, but I relied heavily on the internet cafes for information. I would book hostels online at the internet cafes to secure my housing before I arrived in the next city . This has been the evolution of traveling. The internet, like with everything else, has changed the way we travel.

So what about this trip? Today, more than 2/3 of people have netbooks and rely heavily on wi-fi connections provided from the hostel. It's now standard for hostels to have wi-fi, at least in Europe.  This has allowed everyone to be more connected than ever before while traveling. I can go on facebook, use Skype as my personal cell phone (2 cents per minute to call US), chat on gmail, and watch the latest TV episode. I try to watch ‘Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains’ every week after it come out. When I watch, it gives me a warm feeling inside. For those forty minutes, I feel at home. Other travelers succumb to their loneliness by purchasing food from McDonalds. It sounds pretty bad, but people love those golden arches. For me, I like  a good wi-fi connection and Starbucks mocha frap.

Travel Tips: Over the course of my travels I accumulated some basic travel tips that might help to serve you in your next backpacking adventure.

1. Ask questions: People are a critical source of information. In the hostel, force yourself to be outgoing and talk to fellow travelers. Ask them the must-sees of each city Where have you been? Where should I go? For example, I met a Swede in Valencia who said he traveled through Egypt. After a number of questions, I was able to acquire a wealth of information for my stop in Cairo.

2. You’re a stupid tourist, get over it: It’s okay to stand out. In the beginning, I found myself trying fit in. I didn’t want to pull out my map or ask for help. Being vulnerable was not an option. So I played it cool, but you can’t play it cool. It’s like your first day at high school, as smooth as you are, your still a freshman. Everyone can see it. So far, I dropped coins in the ‘machine’ to pay for my bus ride, which was actually not for coins, but for cigarette butts. The bus driver just laughed. I have had problems opening doors and have gotten lost multiple times because I think I don’t need a map, I go by feel. I try to speak Spanish and they just get confused, but its all part of the adventure. Once your realize your vulnerable (stupid tourist) and need others to get you through this trip, the trip will become a lot easier.

3. Patience and low expectations: Things work differently in each country. Transportation is slow and expect problems on your trip. So far I really haven’t had too many problems, but I did lose my camera and phone charger. I almost didn’t make it to Iceland, but that’s another story. Everything is replaceable and things never go as planned. For example, half the people in my hostel cannot return home because of the volcanic ash. They are missing school and work and have bills to pay. How will you respond to these bumps in the road? Remember, 100 hundred years ago we were traveling by horse and carriage.

4. Do more travel less: After traveling for a while, I believe, and I think others would agree, that staying in each place longer allows you to better understand the city. You cannot make a fair assessment of a place in 1 or 2 days. In that time frame you would cover only a fraction of what the city has to offer. So I suggest focusing your time on a few places rather than hitting every major city in Europe for 1-2 days. If you focus on a few places you will spend less money, spend less time on the train, and truly understand the culture. In simple terms, quality over quantity.

Ciao

Chris

Spanish Arrival

I arrived in Madrid, Spain on Tuesday night after a 3 hour flight from Copenhagen. The hostel I reserved for two nights, called Equity Metropol, sat next to a metro stop and was within walking distance of any important landmark. It was also very clean.

On Wednesday night I met a young man from the states named Jeremy. Jeremy was a couple of years older than me and had recently been laid off. He was using his severance to travel and was planning to eventually return to Denver, Colorado. For the last month, he had been hiking on a trail that took him from southern coast of France to Madrid. After some quick introductions, Jeremy, two others and I went out for dinner and then watched the Barcelona vs. Deportivo match (club soccer). For dinner we spilt a jug of sangria, then tried calimucho, which was 50% red wine and 50% coke. I don’t recommend it. Around twelve we came back to the hostel and met seven Australians. They quickly asked us to join their card game and said, 'We love Yankees'. This group was playing King’s cup and drinking to get wasted. We drank two pints and quickly exited the game and headed to bed. Australians are notorious for binge drinking, I wasn’t surprised at all.

The next day I went to hostel receptionist and asked to extend my stay for two nights. Because they were booked both Friday and Saturday night, I was only able to extend my stay for Thursday. Instead of looking for another hostel I decided to take off Friday morning to Valencia. I choose the regional train, which takes twice as long, but was half the cost. It’s not like I am in any rush or anything.

As I write this I am on train my train to Valencia. I should arrive at six o’clock and then I am off to find the Red Nest Hostel. 

Chao

Chris

Lund, Sweden and some old friends

Why visit Lund, Sweden of all places?

The main reason I stopped in Lund was to visit three close friends. Each of them (Brett, Michael, Stefan) are completing a one-year masters program at Lund University, tuition free I might add. So I thought this would be a great opportunity to meet new people and understand the Swedish culture better.

I arrived in Lund on March 26th and spent the first night enjoying the company of good friends. The next day eight of us departed to Stockholm for a cruise to Helsinki and back. The room only cost fourteen dollars per person for two nights. This incredibly cheap deal forced us to be smart about packing food & alcohol ahead of time. Otherwise, most of our funds would be going to the cruise line’s inflated food and drink prices. The cruise allowed me to meet some new friends and have a day to walk around Helsinki. It also gave us some good stories.

The next two weeks I spent rotating from different friend’s houses. Brett & Stefan both live in the dorms and Michael lives in town called Haljarp, about a twenty minute train ride north of Lund. With Brett and Stefan, I spent a lot of time going to the nations. A nation is a unique school organization. The nations are run completely by students and provide meals and nightlife. Any Lund student is welcome to the nations and non-Lund students can receive a one week guest pass. Other than nations, I played pickup basketball, improved my cooking skills, and started watching the ‘The Pacific’ and ‘Flash Forward‘ TV series. With Michael, I took a train ride to spend two days at his farmhouse. Michael and his girlfriend Kathryn live with six other artists & musicians in Haljarp. The large house is surrounded by nature. To the left of the house is small pond, in the back lives a family of deer hidden between the chestnut and apple trees, to the right is an old barn that has been untouched for years. The owners estimate the house was built in the early nineteenth century. About a mile from the house is the ocean where on a clear day you can see Copenhagen. The first day Mike, his housemate Ben, and I took a stroll to the water to work on our golf. Take a look at the pictures to see our adventure. Overall, my friends were great hosts as they collectively housed me for two and half weeks.

After my stay I learned a lot about Sweden and their people. In general, Swedes are more reserved, patient, and relaxed then Americans. They don’t possess the workaholic drive that Americans do because there is less incentive. The government heavily taxes everything, which makes the country’s products and services expensive. The heavy taxes, especially on business owners, has created a larger middle class and less disparity between the rich and poor. Although Sweden is much more expensive than the United States, the additional tax revenue does provide Swedes with free healthcare and education, along with a number of other benefits. Physically, Swedes have typical Scandinavians characteristics. This includes light hair, blue eyes, tall, and fit.

Right now I am on my way to Madrid, Spain.

Chris

Iceland: Welcome to the cold!

Travels and Accommodation

I left New York last Monday and headed to Reykjavik, Iceland. I landed their in the morning and after paying a nominal fee I was dropped off in front of the Reykjavik Backpacker Hostel. I then paid $24 dollars for my first night’s stay and laid down for a nap. The rest of the day I explored the city and asked other travelers about the must-see’s in Iceland.

What did I learn about Iceland?

Iceland is cold. Greenland is even colder. The early Viking explorers wanted to trick settlers by calling the less desirable land Greenland, despite its frigidly colder weather. Another interesting fact is that Iceland has virtually zero energy costs. They power all their electricity through the active geo-thermal activity under the ground.

Note: You might have read in the newspapers that on March 21 (1 day before I arrived) a volcano erupted in Iceland. The eruption was far from the capital, but it required the evacuation of five hundred people.

The people of Iceland are very friendly and warm. They almost seem to enjoy being good hosts. For example, when my plane landed in Reykjavik there were a number of travelers with connecting flights. When I began to exit the aircraft, I noticed half the passengers were still sitting in their seats allowing others to pass. For all the times I have flown, I have never seen this kind of patience before. Being isolated on essentially an island the size of Kentucky has affected their pace of life and view on time.

What did I do?

1.) I went in the Blue Lagoon, which is basically a geo-thermal spa you can relax in. The temperature has hotter and colder pockets, but averages around 100 degrees.
2.) I explored the town of Reykjavik, walking until my legs gave out.
3.) Took a day to see the Gullfoss Waterfall and Geysir area.
4.) Went horseback riding for 2 hours.

I missed seeing the Northern Lights, which in astronomy they call the polar auroras. The northern lights are natural light displays in the sky caused by emissions of photons in the Earth's upper atmosphere. In other words it makes the sky look cool. You can only see it in the northern or southern latitudes on clear night.

Funny things

When I went horseback riding it was great until we had to trot. I don’t know if the saddle wasn’t on right or what, but I couldn’t handle the bouncing. I was literally bouncing six inches in the air and coming down hard on my butt. I resorted to standing every time we had to trot being too embarrassed to complain. Curious what galloping felt like I slowed my horse down until there was enough room and gave him two kicks until we began galloping. The gallop has a distinct sound so everyone turned around. Success! The next day I was sore, but enjoyed the horse and scenery.

When I arrived in Iceland I thought I was the next great American explorer. I walked in the hostel and talked to the first guy and asked him where he was from, he said, “Seattle”. Then a girl, “New York”. Then I heard, “Seattle” about 7 more times. Why the hell are all these people from Seattle? I guess Icelandair was offering a special from Seattle to Reykjavik roundtrip for $750. The deal was people couldn't resist.  Even more interesting the flight is only 7 hours and direct. I guess it goes over Canada so the distance isn’t as bad as you think.

Overall, Iceland is coldest place I ever been to, but makes it up with good people, beautiful scenery, and plenty of attractions. I am glad I made the stop.

Chris