Mallorca

There aren't many destinations I would visit twice, but one of them is surely Mallorca. Part of the Balearic Islands in Spain, Mallorca is popular destination for the Germans, so filled with them that it is referred to as the 17th state, because in Germany there are 16 states. It is without a doubt that Mallorca is an amazing place to go. The island simply has everything.

Hannes and I stayed in the city center, Palma de Mallorca, the first night and then went to an adorable private cottage in a small artsy town in the center of the island for the last 3 days. It was a perfect location because we wanted to explore as much of the island as possible with the car we had rented. It's an absolutely beautiful island with so much to offer - hiking, swimming, water sports, canyoning, biking, camping. You name it you can find it.

One of the highlights of the trip was getting up early to see the sun rise.  Although cranky while waking up, we drove the car for 45 minutes to one of the highest points of the island then walked up to the summit and had breakfast in the still silence of the morning while the sun slowly rose. After that we made our way back down and passed out on cushioned beach lounge chairs for a morning nap on a private beach we found at the foot of the mountain.

We also went to the northern, more mountainous part of Mallorca which very much resembles Tuscany. There were four small towns we winded through with the car. The whole valley was lined with hundred year old stone houses and kilometer after kilometer of olive trees and hills. The roads over the mountains and through the valley were very narrow, with no buses or large cars being allowed to drive through the small villages.

Mallorca is simply a must, especially for a Mediterranean trip, especially since it doesn't compare to other destinations on the mainland of Europe.