Weekend in Milan

Happy Thursday, the weekend is near! This year 2018 I have used most of my weekends to either relax and go on adventures with friends here on Mallorca or to travel to new places in Europe. In October I spent an express weekend in Milan and another one in Vienna. I also travelled to London in November (post coming soon). Today I'll tell you a bit about how we spent our weekend in Milan, so keep reading!

Express Weekend in Milan

My boyfriend, my sister, her boyfriend and I got to Milan quite late on a Friday night and since our hotel was located a bit out of town we didn't spend any time in the city center that night. My sister had booked us a room at Neo Hotel, a modern and stylish hotel about 15 minutes from the city. We were very happy with our room and the great breakfast buffet they had. On Saturday, our first day, we just basically walked around to explore the city. Of course we stopped by the Duomo, Milan's most popular sight, and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele which is right next to it. I have to admit, both were very pretty to look at but didn't impress me too much. I travel a lot and have seen many bigger and more beautiful cathedrals, for example the ones in Palma de Mallorca or Cologne, so the Duomo didn't really blow my mind. In general, Milan didn't impress me as much as other European cities like Paris or London. Maybe it's because I didn't spend enough time there or didn't see the coolest spots.

Anyway, after doing some sightseeing we had a very yummy and fresh pizza at Rosso Pomodoro. Can't leave Italy without having some pizza, right? After lunch we continued walking to the Navigli canals where we had some heavenly artisan gelato. I chose mango and coconut, such a delicious combo! I liked the neighborhood around the Navigli canals more than the city centre, there were more small shops, cafés and lots of non-tourists out on the streets. Later we just headed back to our hotel and had some dinner around there. By the way, the metro is a great and cheap way to get around Milan!

On our second day we visited the neighborhood of Brera which has a more authentic feel and hosted a vintage market that Sunday. It was a bit cloudy that day but I'm sure Brera is even more beautiful on a sunny day with all its colorful buildings and narrow alleys. Later we headed back to the city centre and went to Macha Café, a must do for me as a matcha lover! Bloggers like Chiara Ferragni come here for their matcha latte and vegan meals. The café offers a range of delicious matcha drinks and dishes, I wish we had one on Mallorca! I ordered a classic matcha latte and vegan cheesecake, both very yummy and healthy. Our flight was in the afternoon so unfortunately we didn't have much time for anything else. After a cozy hour at the Macha Café we had one last tasty pizza and went back to the airport. Even though we spent such a short amount of time in Milan I felt like I had seen enough of the city. Like I said before, you can surely do lots more other cool things there but in my opinion we had spent our weekend in Milan perfectly.

Exploring Salamanca

Hello there, everyone! How's your week going? Mine has been quite turbulent due to some changes at work, but hey, everything happens for a reason and there are always good things to come. 
I finally have a bit more time now to focus more on my blog again and post some pics of my 2018 travels. I'm not gonna be able to publish them all before Christmas though, so the posts are not gonna be in a chronological order but you guys hopefully don't mind. It was simply impossible for me to publish them at the right moment so I hope you understand.

Salamanca

Today's post is about my trip to Salamanca in June. My family and I visited the family of my sister's boyfriend in Nuñomoral, a lovely little village in the middle of some lush mountains in Spain's Extremadura. We had a wonderful, fun weekend at his hometown and also went on a day trip to Salamanca. It's a beautiful medium-sized town in the northwest of Spain that is famous for its stunning cathedral, the lively Plaza Mayor and its great university. We spent an entire day there exploring the narrow alleys, having lunch and coffee, meeting more family members of my sister's boyfriend and admiring the city from above from the rooftop of its cathedral. Since it was more a relaxed family trip I can't really give you any great sightseeing tips because we just strolled around and enjoyed being all together in a new city. However, you should definitely go up the cathedral if you're not afraid of heights. The views are so worth it! I hope you like the pics and wish you a wonderful rest of the week.

Menorca's stunning Beaches

Oh summer! How much I miss the scent of sun protection cream, the salt in my hair making it so fuzzy, afternoons at the beach, the endless meaningful talks and sunset picnics with my friends… If only it could be summer all year long. Actually, for us people living here on the beautiful island of Mallorca it seems to be a bit like that. With over 300 sunny days, we get to see the sun all year long, what a luxury. Sun simply sets me in a great mood. It makes me want to be super active and spend the days out instead of the office. No that winter has arrived it feels more like autumn or spring here on the island. It just never gets as cold as in Germany or other countries.

Menorca Trip

Looking at these photos of our weekend escape to Menorca at the end of September, it feels like it hasn't been too long that we were chilling at the beach and exploring our neighbour island. My boyfriend and I try to visit Menorca at least once a year. I actually went twice in 2018. One time in May with my girls and now in September with my boyfriend. We had such a great time again. On our first day we visited the Monte Toro near Es Mercadal. It's Menorca's highest point so have stunning views of the sea and surrounding landscape from there. After that we headed to the stunning Cala Mitjana where we climbed the coast a bit and jumped from about 8 meter high cliffs, such an unforgettable adventure! The cove is simply breathtaking with its soft sandy beach, turquoise clear waters and stunning views. In September it also wasn't too crowded and we could still go swimming. By the time we got to our friend's house we were quite exhausted from a hot adventurous day. Thus, we decided to just head for a shandy (beer mixed with lemon) at a local bar in Es Mercadal and get a good night's sleep.

Exploring Cales Coves

On Sunday, our second and last day in Menorca, we chose Cales Coves as our next place to explore. We weren't disappointed! After parking and walking for about 25 minutes we finally arrived at this natural paradise. Cales Coves is made up of two stunning coves, one with more seaweed, another one more sandy and rocky. You can walk along the coast from one cove to the other admiring the fabulous views of the deep blue sea. What I most loved about this place was its untouched nature. No garbage, no sunbeds, no tourists. We spotted many animals including little shrimps picking on my feet and a big octopus hiding under the rocks. We had our own little place on the rocks with a comfy hammock that seems to always hang there. The cove was visited by some families but mostly couples, many of them nudists. I absolutely loved it! It gave the whole place an even more natural touch seeing all these people running and swimming freely. I would have totally gotten naked myself if my boyfriend's friend hadn't been with us (haha am I allowed to say that here?!). Anyway, we adored Cales Coves and I hope it will always stay the small, untouched natural paradise it is now.

Evening Walk in Ciutadella

Later in the evening we walked around Ciutadella a bit before taking the ferry back to Mallorca. I always love coming here, the town is so beautiful with its colorful buildings, busy harbour and small winding alleys. Before heading home we went to the fortress near the harbour to watch the sunset, a perfect end to a very relaxing weekend escape!