Destinations

Home/Destinations

Tulum and Playa del Carmen. Part 2

2020-05-05T16:28:37+00:00

Tulum Tulum is one of the most prominent archaeological sites in Mexico. Despite its relatively humble size (it’s significantly smaller than the Mayan Chichen Itza site), the settlement is unique in many ways, since it’s practically the only settlement built by the shore. The Mayans preferred to settle farther from the shore and deeper in the jungle. The first settlement in the area was constructed in the 12th Century. By then, the majority of the Mayan settlements were in decline, but Tulum continued to thrive and develop, as it was the only sea port and the largest trade center. This is [...]

Tulum and Playa del Carmen. Part 22020-05-05T16:28:37+00:00

Tulum and Playa del Carmen. Part 1

2019-09-08T15:03:49+00:00

Cancun’s environs are famous for their unparalleled nature and the number of historical sites related to, first and foremost, the mysterious Maya civilization. We’d dreamt of seeing these ancient Indian sites with our own eyes, so the instant we settled in Cancun, we decided to begin exploring the surrounding areas. Thanks to our rental car we were free to travel the peninsula at our leisure. One of the sites on our list was an archaeological site - Tulum, and Playa del Carmen - a small tourist town located half-way, which tourists often prefer to Cancun. Playa del Carmen: History Playa del [...]

Tulum and Playa del Carmen. Part 12019-09-08T15:03:49+00:00

Cancun. Part 3

2019-09-08T15:28:46+00:00

Island of Women (Isla Mujeres) Island of Women (Isla Mujeres) is located 13 km east of Cancun. It’s small — 7 km long and about 650 m wide — and very beautiful. It takes about half an hour to reach the island by ferry (there are both private and municipal ones). https://youtu.be/lC1bWue4XwU The island settlement is very little and consists of five quarters. Medina is the main pedestrian street lying along the west coast of the island. That’s where all cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, and tourist centres are concentrated. The infrastructure of Isla Mujeres is certainly less developed than that [...]

Cancun. Part 32019-09-08T15:28:46+00:00

Cancun. Part 2

2019-09-08T16:00:50+00:00

Public Transport You can move around the city by bus or taxi. By the way, Uber is available here, but it has certain limitations. Several years ago, you were able to go to any part of Cancun using Uber. But city taxi drivers began to complain to the police. Uber drivers were literally caught and fined because they had no licence. The company paid all fines for its employees, but when losses from fines became higher than profits, it was decided to divide the city. Hotelera is currently served by the local taxi company only, while Uber works in the non-tourist [...]

Cancun. Part 22019-09-08T16:00:50+00:00

Cancun. Part 1

2020-05-05T16:32:39+00:00

When autumn came to Madrid, and we could no longer go for evening walks without wearing sweaters, we decided to hit the road again and move to a warmer place, as our boys were not used to such chilly weather and could easily catch a cold. Our next destination was Cancun, the most popular resort in Mexico and one of the most popular tourist spots in the Caribbean. Travelling to Mexico with children may certainly seem surprising. The country is notorious for its bloody cartel wars, violence — against tourists as well — and a low standard of living that increases [...]

Cancun. Part 12020-05-05T16:32:39+00:00

Madrid. Part 4

2020-05-05T16:41:31+00:00

Las Ventas Arena Walking in the centre, you can’t help noticing a majestic red-brick building constructed in the Neo-Mudéjar style. It’s the Las Ventas bullring erected in the early 20th century when corridas were particularly popular. Bullfights are held from March to October, but Las Ventas doesn’t stand empty at other time as well. Concerts, sports competitions, and various cultural events are organized here. There’s also a small bullfighting museum within the arena. It exhibits the portraits and biographies of famous matadors as well as bullfighting equipment and outfits. Madrid Río Park We often visited the Madrid Río Park located along [...]

Madrid. Part 42020-05-05T16:41:31+00:00

Madrid. Part 3

2019-09-08T19:13:11+00:00

Golden Triangle of Art Planning our trip to Madrid, we surely added the visit to the Golden Triangle of Art – a complex of three art museums located on the Paseo del Prado – to the list. The Prado Museum is one of the most famous places in the capital. It has a collection of 8,000 paintings and several hundred sculptures including the works by Velázquez, El Greco, Rubens, Goya, and other renowned artists. When entering the museum, we were given a plan with all major masterpieces marked, but even having it, it’s easy to lose your bearings here. The building [...]

Madrid. Part 32019-09-08T19:13:11+00:00

Madrid. Part 2

2019-09-08T20:32:47+00:00

Puerta del Sol – the Place Where All Spanish Roads Start All roads lead to the Puerta del Sol. When you walk around Madrid, it’s just impossible to dodge it – sooner or later, you come to the square. The main square of the capital, whose name can be translated as “Gate of the Sun”, is situated in the heart of the city and is a meeting point of eight streets. It is considered km 0, a geographical centre of both Madrid and Spain. A bronze Km. 0 plaque is built into the pavement before the House of the Post Office. [...]

Madrid. Part 22019-09-08T20:32:47+00:00

Madrid. Part 1

2019-09-08T21:09:53+00:00

The weather in Porto got worse by the end of September. North winds brought the real cold, and we were afraid that it would be as cold in Madrid. However, to our delight, the capital of Spain welcomed us with a bright sun. We were enjoying the lovely summer-like weather till late October, which let us explore the city to the fullest. We’d been dreaming of visiting Madrid for many years as it’s both the historical and political capital of the country. The flat we were renting was very cosy and located near the city centre. It was a good apartment [...]

Madrid. Part 12019-09-08T21:09:53+00:00

Porto. Part 3

2020-07-06T21:39:41+00:00

Lello Bookstore Visiting Porto, we certainly couldn’t help dropping into the famous Lello Bookstore. Not only is it famous due to its connection to the creation of the Harry Potter books, but also because it’s one of the oldest bookshops in the country. A magnificent facade, sophisticated interior design, a bright-red staircase, pelmets, a coloured stained glass ceiling… It's a very impressive place, but we expected something different. From our point of view, a bookshop or a library is an area of total silence and reverence for books. It's different here. Almost every tourist considers it necessary to visit Lello, so [...]

Porto. Part 32020-07-06T21:39:41+00:00
Go to Top