A Beautiful Weekend

On Saturday, my wife and I spent the day with my mom.  Since my dad passed, it hasn't been easy for her to be alone.  We can't always go out there, but if we can spend a day, we will.  The weather cooperated long enough on Sunday for me to take my wife on a nice little motorcycle ride.  It was terribly hot, but it didn't rain. 

We took a nice ride through Paynes Prarie, Micanopy, and McIntosh, before returning home to Gainesville. There are few really nice County Roads that have nice curves in them.  Really nice farms and farmlands.  Really is a hidden gem.  With the wife on board, I didn't stop to take pictures, but I will return soon and do so.  The bike really needed a good long run.  It has been sitting in the garage for about a month.  It felt good to open the throttle and burn through some gas.

 Also, I apologize for my blog constantly having different layouts.  I can't find one that I like, and it's driving me crazy.  I'll keep working on it!

-J





Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Located in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain, lies the Balearic Islands.  The island chain is comprised of Mallorca (or Majorca), Minorca, Ibiza, and Formentera.

Palma is the capital city of the province on the island of Mallorca.  The city was originally founded in 123 BC by the Roman Empire and was a major shipping port for Carthage and Hispania. Today, Palma de Mallorca is a huge tourist destination for mainland Europe, more specifically Germany, Ireland, Poland, Netherlands, & United Kingdom. Being a tourist destination, there are many cruise ships and ferry's that visit the island. In fact, the Costa Concordia was pierside during my visit.  Quite spooky, actually.  Not long after leaving Palma, the Costa Concordia tragically sank and took lives with her.

The largest visible structure from downtown Palma is the Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma.  A very beautiful Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral that was built between 1229-1601.  Renovation and restoration was between 1901-1914.

The city of Palma is very beautifully maintained.  Fall was also in the air, so the crisp, cool temperatures and clear blue sky really added to the magic of Palma de Mallorca.  I don't use the expression "magic" lightly.  I've been all around Europe Africa, and the Middle East, but Palma de Mallorca truly was magical.  I loved it!  I could not get over the wonderful people, the food, the Sangria (oh my God, the Sangria was life changing), and just the overall setting and vibe of the city.  I could live in Palma.  I'd love to live in Palma.

I had a great couple of days hanging with good friends, taking in the sights and sounds of Palma de Mallorca. I can see why this is one of the most popular vacation destinations in Europe.  Great beaches, great food, great night life, great culture, great history.  Palma de Mallorca is in my top 5 favorite places that I've visited. 

I'll end this post with a picture of me enjoying an amazing glass of Sangria and a good smoke, proudly representing Manchester United.  I'd revisit in a heartbeat.

-J

Rota, Spain

When we picture Europe, what comes to mind? Cobblestone streets, houses and apartment buildings crammed closely together with thousands of people on scooters and tiny cars zooming past each other with no regard to traffic laws. I was fortunate to find a great city that doesn't have all of that crazy hustle and bustle that we associate with mainstream Europe.  

As of 2012, Rota has a population of 29,094 & is located near the Straits of Gibraltar (Atlantic side).  With such a low population, it would seem obvious why Rota doesn't have the overcrowded streets.  However, Rota is also the home of a joint U.S./Spanish Navy base.  The first thing I noticed was the city not being defined by the military base. Unlike other military-based cities like Naples, Rota has been able to maintain its independence and rich cultural history. Castillo de Luna is a beautiful ancient fortress which currently houses the local municipality. 

O'Grady's Irish Bar was the local hotspot for visiting Sailors.  They have an excellent setting, and the coolest bar I have ever seen.  The walls are completely covered with $1 bills written on by visiting service members. Aircraft squadrons and ships (some long since decommissioned) gives you a window to the past.  Some were dedicated to family and girlfriends, others were disgruntled messages regarding a specific deployment or cheating lovers back home, but the majority had the name of ships or squadrons and the Sailors that wrote them. I really enjoyed reading what people wrote on these bills.  The oldest dollar I found was from the 60's.  The drinks were great, as was the staff and setting.  I highly recommend stopping by!

Stay tuned for a future posting about Palma de Mallorca! 

-J

Behind the Fallen Iron Curtain: Bulgaria Part II

This post is for The Traveling Gator. She truly appreciates world history and I believe she'd really enjoy Nesebar!

I cannot recall all of the historical information regarding Nesebar, I visited over two years ago and details are fuzzy.  What I can recall is the fact that the Greeks, Romans, Byzantine's, Ottoman's, Bulgarian's, and Russians have all fought for control of this tiny town.  It was the original Constantinople before it moved to modern day Istanbul.  I was in awe at the age of these churches and other sites.  The weather was fantastic and the food was one of the most enjoyable dishes I've ever had (medium rare Duck with Blueberrys and slaw).  Enjoy the pictures! I'm posting a link to Wikipedia for history on Nesebar. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nesebar