Ibiza / Eivissa

Ibiza/ Eivissa is one of the 4 beautiful Balearic Islands (Ibiza, Formentera, Mallorca, Menorca) with amazing beaches, high cliffs, densely covered forests, and the old town which is designated by UNESCO. Walking joyfully through the old town you will not even need a map, it is pretty easy to discover this cute city.

  

Some people declare the island as paradise. Beaches are impressive in every sense; the sand, the crystal turquoise water, and the breathtaking sunset. The remarkably mild climate makes the island more attractive, even in winter it is a nice place to visit especially if you are not so much into crowd.

Ibiza has fame as being a club paradise too, it is also known as the party capital of Europe. Ibiza is a non-sleeping Island. There are various beach bars, disco bars, famous clubs, discotheques, etc... At the first moment when you arrive in the city, you realize this fact and you will be informed about your alternatives.

There are 5 municipalities on the Island. Sant Josep de sa Talaia, Santa Eularia des Riu, Sant Antoni de Portmany, Sant Joan de Labritja and Eivissa-Ibiza. Each has its own unique characteristics. The capital city is Eivissa. The Island is small and transportation between the cities is pretty well connected by buses. The only exception is from the airport. From the airport you can rent a car, however if you plan to get into a bus be aware that although there are buses to Ibiza Vila all the time, this is not valid for the other cities. 

Depending on the season there are some buses to the other cities. So if you plan to take the bus, check in advance. Some hotels have their own shuttles from the airport.

You can find all Catalan/Spanish traditional food such as paella, gazpacho, varieties of sea food, etc. It is possible to visit other 3 Islands (Formentera, Mallorca and Menorca) by a ferry.

To-Do List:

• A walk in the old part of the town through the narrow streets and lovely houses,
• Visiting some of the beaches around the island (there are 80 beaches),
• Visiting Formentera (25/35 km away from Ibiza by ferry)  (http://www.trasmapi.com/ferry-ibiza-formentera/es/trasmapi.html),
• Visiting Talamanca beach (spectacular views especially around sunrise and sunset with the crystal turquoise water),
• Don't miss to taste a slice of scrumptious Gató d'Ametlla (almond cake).

Prague/Praga/Praha/Prag

Prague is the capital and the largest city in the Czech Republic. As magical as Paris, the city looks like a history book. In terms of its history, art, shopping opportunities, and sightseeing, it provides unique alternatives.

In this multicultural city, you can see the effects of Germany, Austria, even Russia. When you visit the city you see even more influences than these countries. Besides these, it includes hundreds of extraordinary beauties too. For an ideal quick trip, 5 days are enough, though you will never feel enough :))

Prague consists of several parts, and it is possible to see those parts on the city map. 

Here is my must-be-seen list : 

• The Jewish Town, 
• the Old Town, 
• the Charles Bridge, 
• the Castle, 
• Loreta, 
• Vysehrad.

Praha 1 covers Old Town and the Castle area. The bridge separates the castle part from the old town.



From Mustek metro station you can reach the new city and the old town. In this part of the city you find:

• Charles Bridge (Karlův most)
• Boat trips (just behind this historical bridge.)
• Lessser Town
• Municipal House (OBECNÍ DŮM)
• Powder Tower (Prašná brána)
• The old town square
• The Astronomical clock (Pražský orloj)
• 
  
• New Town Hall
• Strahov Monastery

• Church of Our Lady Before TYN
• National Theatre
• St Nicholas Church
• Old New Synagogue

The Jewish Town Hall (Židovská radnice) in Josefov, Prague, is an 18th century Rococo building that is the center of the local Jewish community. It is perhaps best known for its two clocks (one with Roman numeral markings, and the other, lower, with Hebrew numbers.

The Castle: In order to go to the castle area take the metro and get off at IP Pavlova, later take tram number 22, get off just before Pohoreke tram station. Don't forget that at 12:00pm (in the middle of the day)  there is an impressive military show in front of the castle. Although it is called the castle area, it is more than a castle, the area is impressive with the breathtaking view too. Here you can visit Prague Castle (Pražský hrad) & Loreta Palace, the Cathedral and more...  The zone includes full of charming structures.

Praha 2 is on the other side of the city. Vysehrad is a park with a whole view of the city that is worth visiting in this part. To go there you need to take the metro, the name of the station is Vysehrad.

Praha 5
Bertramka Mozart's house and the Dancing Building are in this part.

Kutna Hora

If you have left time, an option to visit can be a close city called Kutna Hora. Kutná Hora is an ancient silver mining town. During the Middle Ages, it was the most important city in the Kingdom of Bohemia after Prague. The city is preserved by UNESCO as a world heritage site. In this city you will find one of the weirdest things that you might imagine in your life :) "Ossuary in Sedlec"; a town chapel decorated with human bones. For more interior photos: http://www.ludd.luth.se/~silver_p/NewSedlec/index.htm.

About the Czech cuisine; the traditional food is not exactly what one would call dietary :), however it is delicious. It mostly consists of pork or beef meat with sauce and a side dish, the most common and liked food are dumplings.

Dumplings (“knedliky”): They are the Czech traditional side dish containing wheat or potato flour, the combination is boiled in water as a roll and then sliced and served hot.

Trdelník, a traditional cake, is made from rolled dough, wrapped around a stick then grilled and topped with sugar and walnut mix.

Rice, potatoes (boiled, baked, or fried) are other side dishes. Chicken, duck, turkey, fish, rabbit, and lamb are also used in some very tasteful Czech dishes.

A good choice can be the Guláš (read like in English, “goulash“), even though it basically belongs to traditional Hungarian cuisine.

Also, you can find some Czech classics out of the restaurants, such as Fried Cheese (Smažený Sýr, read “smazhenee seer”) garnished with potatoes (I recommend baked potatoes) and Tatarská Omáčka, read “tatarska omachka (Tartar sauce).

Czeck cuisine provides several soup opportunities. The most appreciated Czech soups (polévka) are onion (Cibulačká, read “tsibulachka”) and garlic soup (Česneková polévka, read “Chessnekova polevka”), but the specialty for Christmas is the fish soup (Rybí polévka). Also, another very tasty one is Goulash Soup (Gulášová polévka), a spicy thick (creamy) soup, served with brown bread.

Trdelnik, the sweet cake,  is a type of dough wrapped around a spindel and cooked on a spit over an open fire. It's then rolled in a sugar and spice mixture. There are varieties of toppings such as chocolate, apple, walnut, etc.

It is not fair finishing this part without mentioning the famous Czech beer(pivo); Czech beer deserves its fame !!! I suggest you try dark Czech beer or a mixture of dark and light beers. The most famous brand is Pilsner Urquell. Hot wine (Svarak) is also popular. Besides these, there is a famous drink which doesn't include alcohol: A native coke called Kofola. In comparison with Coke, it contains 30% less sugar, 50% less caffeine and it does not contain phosphoric acid. It tastes herbal flavor and in my opinion, it is pretty original.

About shopping in Prague, keep in mind that you can find the chinaware and crystals here for a reasonable price.

 Basic Expressions

• Good morning: Dobré jitro
• Good day: Dobrý den
• Good evening: Dobré večer
• Goodbye: Nashledanou
• Yes: Ano
• No: Ne
• Please: Prosím
• Thank you: Děkuji
• Excuse me: Promiňte/Dovolte prosím
• Sorry: Pardon

Transportation:

At the airport, there are some daily tickets, 3-day, 5-day tickets for the buses. Once you validated them at the first use, you don't have to validate them just don't forget to keep it with you all the time during your trips.

Again at the airport, you will find the first tourism information point to get the first info and most importantly a map.

From the airport after buying your ticket, take Bus 119 to Devijvicka station which is the last station. When you get off at that station take the metro and get off at Mustek or Museum stations both are at the downtown of the city.

Metro Lines

Metro is the most efficient, fast, and highly integrated way of transport in Prague (05.00 a.m. to midnight). The three metro lines are:
Line A (Green): From Skalka to Dejvicka running east to west.
Line B (Yellow): From Cerny most to Zlicin running east to west.
Line C (Red): From Ladvi to Haje running north to south.

The three transfer stations where two lines intersect each other.

Mustek (lower end of Wenceslas Square): lines A and B
Muzeum (upper end of Wenceslas Square): lines A and C
Florenc (main bus station): lines B and C

Enjoy Praha!