Travel for Pennies

I’m back in Santa Maria, Spain after spending 3 nights and 4 days in Ibiza and wow! I feel so partied out; I did way too much partying. Ibiza is a slam of an island and it most definitely lives up to its clubbing reputation. Every night, after crashing in my room at one of the best hotels Ibiza has, I’d go nuts at one of the main clubs, one doesn’t open until 1am! Some of the better clubs are out of town, so I had to get a bus from the city, which is a ride unto itself, because of how they were driven, like I was on a rollercoaster. The lines outside the clubs are very long and it can take hours to get in. Once at the door, they searched me for cameras, they won’t let you in if you have one, I hid my camera phone in my underwear, but by the time I got inside, my cell was gone. Must have slipped out and I didn’t notice.

The most difficult time I had in Ibiza was to decided which club to go to each night. There are way too many excellent clubs. I decided to go to Privilege my first night, which is tauted as the biggest club in the world, and I can confirm that. I brought a dozen bottles of spirits with me from Santa Maria, I put them in a big ice bucket and put that in the hotels tub. It’s cheaper to drink before going into the clubs. One drink at any of these fantastic clubs can cost up to 15 Euros. That’s on top of the 50 Euros paid to just get inside. So, I drank before I when clubbing and after I got back to my hotel.

I’m pretty sure I made it to the beach at least once, I think on my first day, but all my other time was either sleeping it off in my hotel room or at the clubs, or on my hotel balcony pumping up the music and being a nuisance to my hotel neighbors. Oh, I do remember that I went out to a record shop to find some new music. I checked out several shops and almost all the tunes were on the top ten list. I already had those on my MP3. It’s amazing how much of Ibiza’s a blur and how much fun I had. I’m most definitely be back.

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I say that Football in Spain comes in second behind Catholicism as Spain’s religion. It can be said that, in Madrid, Atletico Madrid comes so close behind the real Madrid as the capital’s favorite sporting attraction. Since I get to report on most the the sports in Madrid, I get put up in one of the five star Madrid hotels, which I must admit comes in third. So, while the history of Real Madrid is one of domestic domination and European championships that cross city neighbors Atletico Madrid is one of the barren trophy cabinets of nearly men. It has become the commonality of amazing capitulations from winning positions that the club and the fans are known as ‘The sufferer’s’.

If they are that poor on the football field, and no ones been able to show me evidence to the contrary, I wonder what drives over 55,000 people to show up every single week, with all the congested city traffic? The party atmosphere of the Rio carnival, plus the passion of a political rally and I still can not come up with the intensity that is generated an Atletico Madrid matchdays. All the way from devout Atletico supports, which like to be called the ‘Ultra’ and also populate the southern end of the stadium I might add, there comes a 3 hours pleasure assault on all six senses. The only respite from this amazing barrage of noise is when the teams change ends at half time.

As in the rest of Spain, on bars well over 3 kilometers away from Atletico, the fans are preparing for another great tradition: lunch. it’s a two hour marathon of over five different Spanish dishes washed down with tons of beer and wine during which players of a bygone era are remembered.

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The beautiful Balearic Island of Majorca has many intriguing aspects of Spanish cultural heritage and history. Today, it is a major tourist destination and is primarily known for its fabulous beaches and views of the Mediterranean. The island is also rich in the arts and entertainment and is great in its visitor accommodations. The inviting atmosphere of Majorca greats guests immediately as they enter their 5 star hotel Majorca , though this is actually just the starting point for a great experience. It makes a vacation to this and other Spanish Islands richer when an understanding of its history and cultural significance is incorporated into the journey.

It is interesting to note that Majorca was a stronghold for the Nationalist party during the Spanish Civil War. In August 1936 it was the place of the amphibious landing of the Republican party whose intent was to reclaim the island from the Nationalists. The Republican army greatly outnumbered their opponents and was able to drive 12 kilometers into the island’s mainland. The Nationalists, however, were supported by Italy’s Fascist government and their air power was stronger than the Republicans. Ultimately, this struggle became known as the Battle of Majorca, and the Nationalists were able to drive the Republicans completely from the island. During the rest of the war, Majorca was used as a strong Nationalist base for the Navy and air force.

The 1950s saw a tremendous rise in interest from tourists, and the island became a strong travel destination for visitors from foreign countries. This contributed to major changes in the sociological make up of the island and also to a huge growth period of the city of Parma. It brought with it, heavy migrations of workers from inland Spain and a major transition of the sociological construct of the island. Tourism in Parma increased substantially during this time and in 1960 Majorca had 500,000 visitors. This increased to 6,739,700 by 1997. Through the latter half of the 20th century, tourism continued to grow at increasing rates. Last year over 22 million guests arrived on the island through the Son Sant Joan Airport, while 1.5 million reached the island by sea.

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Tenerife is one of the Canary Islands, a Spanish territory that is closer to the Northwestern coast of Africa than to mainland Spain. Tenerife is also located close to Morocco with puts it in the region of the world that enjoys beautiful weather conditions all year long. The climate is warm and tropical, however the Gulf Stream and the winds keep the temperatures mild, and the range between the summer and winter months very minimal. This is one of the reasons that it has become the favorite destination in the Tropic of Cancer for tourists and travelers. The climate, combined with the pristine beaches make for a peaceful getaway, while the range of attractions and sight-seeing options makes for the perfect active getaway. Many travel from Europe to escape the cold winter climates, and many come from Spain to escape their hot summer climates and to relax in the luxury hotels. Tenerife has an incredible night-life, however one of the most incredible draws to the island is due to the natural landscape.

The island is a volcanic island, with the 3rd tallest volcano in the world, and the largest mountain in all of Spain. Mount Teide stands majestically, 3718 meters, and is centrally located in the national park, Las Canadas. Strewn throughout the park are the lava sculptures and formations, which prove to be a bit spooky, as does the black sand on many of the beaches…a reminder of the nature of the volcano. One of the favorite activities of those traveling to the island is to take the cable car that ends at Mount Teide’s summit. At the summit there is a very unusual hotel, located inside the volcano. This proves to be a very unique and unforgettable experience and those who stay here are blessed with some of the most spectacular views and sunrises. Along with hiking, there are many excursions such as the dolphin and whale seeing boat tours, tours through the Dragon Trees of the volcano that have been growing here from the times of the Ice Age. There are safaris upon the backs of camels, donkey tours, and motor sports. Whether one travels to Tenerife for relaxation or action, this is the place to find a bit of both.

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