Category Archives: Weekend getaway

Spring in Mallorca: Palma

26 March, 2016 jpcorp Leave a comment

It was a very last-minute decision to go on this trip. We were so tired of the cold weather in Munich that we were so desperate to get on just any flight heading South, but it wasn’t easy to find anything last-minute for Easter weekend. After 2 days of desperate searching for just anything/anywhere in hope for a little sunshine, we took the last 2 available tickets and headed to Mallorca for a Friday-to-Monday weekend, though we never wanted to come here.

Why?
Forgive me if I’m being judgemental, but Mallorca is very popular among all-inclusive party-goers who do nothing but sunbathing all day and partying all night, not the kind of people we want to bump into on our vacation.

So why didn’t we start planning earlier knowing everywhere would be booked out on Easter weekend?
Well, our schedule this past half year was so crazy we couldn’t fit any trip into it. Thus, I had an OP on my foot just a couple weeks ago that did not really allow me to go anywhere. But when did that ever stop me..

Did we like it at the end?
Totally. We had 8 hours of sunshine every day and even though it wasn’t warm enough for swimming, we spent most of our time outside and just soaked it all in. We also opted to stay in Porto Petro (on the east coast of the island) to be able to “escape” the crowds and have enough privacy to relax and enjoy ourselves. Since I could not walk for long, we also kept our touristy activities at a minimum level. On Saturday, we rented a car and took a little tour to Palma and other villages on the west coast. The rest of the time was spent doing not much, exactly what we needed.

What were our impressions?
All good. Porto Petro is a tiny village with a small port, very quiet and tranquil. Palma is touristy, as expected, and its harbor is about one of the busiest in Europe. But it also has a nice old town quarter that reminded me of Barcelona, and the close proximity to both the beach and the mountain is a plus. The whole island is full of olive and fruit plantations with a very typical Cote d’Azur flair: a little rusty, a little abandoned, but very chic. On top of that, the water is crystal clear.

Would we come back again?
Definitely. The island is huge and we only got to see a small part of it (J sailed around it once in a week but he only knew it from a sailor’s perspective), so we can totally see ourselves coming back here for another long weekend in the future.

Here are some photos J took of Palma on our sightseeing day.

City trip, Denmark, Europe, Our Most Favorites, Scandinavia, Special occasion, Weekend getaway

Smørebrød in Copenhagen with Phønix

8 September, 2015 jpcorp Leave a comment

We wanted to spend our fourth anniversary (which is a very special day to us but more on that another time) in some nice place and since we both had been to CPH separately and had occasionally talked about it, it seemed fitting to come visiting this very fashionable city together on our day. It turned out to be one of the nicest city trip we’ve made. The weather could not have been any nicer for between seasons, lots of sunshine but the air was already fresh and crisp from the autumn breeze making it the perfect weather to bike around. One funny thing did happen, a guy took a photo of us together on the bike and posted it on his facebook page. As it turned out, he was some kind of a Danish rockstar so lots of his followers started commenting and liking that picture, which, through a few or more connections, came back to our being aware of it. Bycyklen (the company of the bike we rent) even asked us if they could use that photo for their advertising purpose. Yes, we became kinda famous for a day ;-). So if you happened to see a couple (almost) dressing in white riding a white bike on any Danish website, it’s one of our special moments of this trip. Needless to say, we enjoyed every second of it.

Besides, I got to see my beloved friend Nete again after 8 long years. Yes, 8 years seem like forever at this stage of our lives but we never lost touch. Nete spent one semester abroad in Frankfurt at my university way back in 2007-2008 and lived in the same dorm as me, just a few doors from my room. We became best friends right after our first met. You know that feeling, things just “clicked” and you just knew. So we spent every single (free) minute of every day hanging out with each other, for us taking totally different classes at school (Finance for me and Literature for her). It still is one of the best summers of my undergrad years. I still have memories of us walking back from a party on our bare feet, heels in hands, then searching for left-over in our kitchen to have kind of a late supper / early breakfast at almost before going to bed at 5 am. Yes, we had tons of fun back then, we got lots of attentions too wherever we went. Me being a cute (& tiny) Asian girl and her being the hottest, most attractive (Danish) blonde in every guy’s dream. Looking back I might have just got all those attentions just because I was with her ;-).

Enough talking, here are a few snapshots J took of our trip. This for sure won’t be our last time in this super chic city.

Enjoy.

P in front of the greenhouse on a windy and chilly day — That sky…

The "Rundetaarn" (round tower) — The “Rundetaarn” (round tower)

There are no stars cases in Rundetaarn (except in the uppermost part) — There are no stairs cases in Rundetaarn (except in the uppermost part)

On a staircase inside Copenhagen city hall — Inside Copenhagen city hall

The big hall inside city hall — Inside city hall

Famous clockwork in city hall, very impressive mechanical work

A cozy side road with an interesting vintage shop

In our apartment near the city center — In our (airbnb) apartment in the city center

The Glyptothek, an art museum close to Tivoli — The Glyptothek, a very nice art museum close to Tivoli, sadly they don’t let you take photo inside, only the in foyer

Inside Frederik's church, a breathtaking dome — Inside Frederik’s church, a breathtaking dome

Behind the opera, looking towards Frederik's church — Behind the opera, looking towards Frederik’s church from the other side of the river

In front of the opera — Copenhagen Opera at sunset, this view is worth the >30min to get here on the taxi cause we missed the last boat out.

Having a spectacular dinner at Kiin Kiin restaurant - strongly recommendable!! — Spectacular dinner at Kiin Kiin restaurant – 15 nicely decorated & yummy courses over almost 4 hours. The perfect way to celebrate our day 😉

At the Royal Smushi Café, famous for their Smore Brod - unfortunately we were too early for Smore Brod :-( — At the Royal Smushi Café, famous for their Smore Brod – unfortunately we were too early for Smore Brod 🙁

Funny menu of Royal Smushi Café — The Royal Smushi Café (yes, I like to repeat their name several times in my head too 😉 )

Can't remember the name of that church - there are too many in Copenhagen — Can’t remember the name of that church – there are too many in Copenhagen

cph25 — Having a short break at the Baltic Sea on the way back to the airport

This sky doesn’t seem real, but it is. Magnificent!

Bavaria, Europe, Germany, Weekend getaway

Classical concert Herrenchiemsee

19 July, 2015 jpcorp Leave a comment

After spending the weekend in just out-door clothes and bathing suits in Eibsee, we got to play dress up for the classical music festival taking place every summer at one of the palaces of the infamous King Ludwig II in Herrenchiemsee (he built 4 or 5 of them during his lifetime leaving Bavaria almost bankrupted, the folks “hated” him back then, but everyone really adores him now, they call them the fairy-tale King). This palace is an impressive building but some rooms never got finished. The concert took place in the big “Spiegelsaal” (mirror hall), a replica of a similar – but much bigger – mirror hall of the Versailles palace. Even the garden is kind of a miniature of Versailles, but far smaller. Chiemsee is one of the most popular lakes in all Bavaria, we like visiting here on occasions, we will even celebrate our wedding here next year. But if you’ve already seen Versailles, this place will only disappoint. You’d better spend your time on the water instead.

Anyway, it was a mid-summer afternoon, about 30+ degrees Celsius. Imagine us in dress & suit. Yeah, now you got the picture. But I like it anyway. I like all these occasions where we get to really dress up and go out together, even all those business dinners where he got to take his plus one with. Going out just seems more fun on the right occasion, no? It’s maybe because our place is sooo comfortable and he can hardly get me out of the house without giving me a very good reason for it ;-).

herrench6 — The staircase leading to the upper floor to the king’s bed room and the mirror hall

herrench7 — The mirror hall: nice music at 38° C …..

herrench8 — No matter where you look, you find so many astonishing details

Bavaria, Europe, Germany, Mountains, Weekend getaway

Eibsee

17 July, 2015 jpcorp Leave a comment

On our hunt for the right location for next September, i.e. one by the water with the mountain in sight ( I know I sometimes ask a lot of him 😉 ), we found this place in Eibsee. It is indeed a stunning place with an interesting history. The great-grandfather of the current owners bought the lake and the land around in the early 20th century. He built the hotel and established a transport service to Murnau, the closest village with a train station at this time. Until then the lake was only visited by some local fishermen and not at all popular. That guy obviously had strategic visions about starting the whole tourist business in the Zugspitze and Garmisch-Partenkirchen region. During WWII, The Nazis confiscated the hotel and its land to use as an air force training center. After 1945, the Americans took it over so the owner-family did not receive it back until the Seventies. They then put it into the state in which it is today, which is kind of a problem. The view of the lake and the mountains is magnificent, but the condition of the rooms has not changed much since the 70s, which is a real shame for what this lake has to offer. Besides, the hotel management makes no effort at all to make you feel like they will try their best to make your special day memorable. We kept on looking then.

eibsee-10 — Our favourite snack in summer

Still, this place still has the most astonishing view of all hotels we know in Bavaria, being the one and only operator allowed in the whole area. Being a Monopolist isn’t so bad, no?

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	31

JP Travel Diaries

Category Archives: Weekend getaway

Spring in Mallorca: Palma

Smørebrød in Copenhagen with Phønix

Classical concert Herrenchiemsee

Eibsee

Discover the world, near and far