When I started looking at visiting Spain, the two immediate candidates were the obvious ones – Barcelona and Madrid. I knew I wanted to see “old Spain” as opposed to a more modern city, and at the recommendation of several friends I decided on Granada. I couldn’t be more happy that I did.

Granada is a small city in southern Spain – it’s hard to compare it in size to an American city (because there aren’t any tall buildings of any sort) but I’d guess it’s most similar in size to say, Providence, Rhode Island. The city certainly looks very “old Spain” in terms of architecture, with incredibly narrow cobblestone streets winding through the hills. The Sierra Nevada mountains provide the backdrop of the city, and a Muslim palace that was built in the 10th century sits atop a hill overlooking the city proper. It’s certainly nothing if not a pleasant setting.

Where to stay

I stayed at the Melia Granada, a four star hotel in a fantastic central location. This hotel does not drip with Spanish charm, but  it is very nice, very clean, and located near everything you’d want to see in Granada. It’s a 5-minute walk to Plaza Nueva, the central point of the city sitting at the feet of the Alhambra. It’s just as close to the Albaicin, a Muslim neighborhood within the city filled with twisting streets, hookah bars, and general madness. If I went back, I’d happily stay here again.

Paragliding

One of the highlights of my trip, no doubt, was paragliding. I knew heading into my Spain trip that I wanted to do something out of the ordinary, and this was certainly it. I found the company Andaventor online, and exchanged a series of emails with the guys who run the operation, Romain and Neftali. They spoke English, and generally did a good job of addressing my concerns about running and jumping off a 5,000 foot mountain with two guys I didn’t know and my girlfriend. For that, I owe them a lot.

These guys are both French – come to find out, paragliding is a big deal in France and is growing like crazy in Granada. They moved to Granada about 10 years ago to start an adventure sports company, one that dabbles in nearly any adventure sport that doesn’t require a motor. As Romain put it, “I spent a long time trying to find the best way to fly. Then I found paragliding.” Romain would prove to be a wise man – he spends his days paragliding, skiing, and generally doing anything but what I consider to be “work.” As he put it, “I’m more concerned with living the good life while I’m here than being the richest man in the grave.” A wise man. That could just as easily be the motto of the city of Granada.

Anyways, when my flight from Ibiza landed in Granada, I already had a knot in my stomach – I was scheduled to paraglide the following day, and it was certainly already front and center in my mind. Romain came and picked us up the following day in downtown Granada, and we drove out into the mountains. We stopped at the base of the mountain to wait for Romain’s partner, and when I looked up I could see 30-40 paragliders already flying around thousands of feet up in the air. I was shocked – I just assumed we’d be the only people up there.

As I watched one yellow paraglider who was particularly high up there, I noticed that he appeared to be having trouble with his paraglider. Rather that being fully caught in the wind, it began to ruffle in the breeze and suddenly the man attached to it began to free fall. I’m talking all out, this guy is falling from the sky. An accident! A certain death – not the way to settle your own stomach before jumping off a big-ass mountain. Come to find out this freak was a friend of Romain and Neftali, and is considered the preminent paralgider in the world – he was described to me as the Tony Hawk of the sport. On this particular day he had decided to fly as high as he could, then detach from his paraglider and free fall while wearing what I’d describe as a flying squirrel suit. Shortly before he reached the ground he pulled a reserve shoot and landed safely – he’d go find his abandoned paraglider later – just another day at the office.

Long story short, I was pretty damn nervous until I got to the top of the mountain and started to get ready. At that point I saw how much fun the other paragliders were having up there – a calm swept over me, and I was really just excited to get after it. You fly in tandem your first time around, so I basically had Romain strapped to my back along with the paraglider. As Romain put it, “now just run off the edge of the mountain, but whatever you do just keep on running even after your feet leave the ground.” While this may have felt silly, the translation is if you stop running too soon the paraglider may not catch the wind and you’ll just fall off a cliff.

Once you get off the ground, you basically fly in circles looking for a thermal – two gusts of winds that hit one another and cause and upward draft, pulling you higher and higher into the sky. The flight lasted for about 40 minutes, and felt sort of like parasailing just without a rope and while being much higher up. And the views of the Sierra Nevada’s were spectacular throughout.

I was wearing a helmet cam, and I’ll upload that video later – for now, the video below gives you a sense of what flying over Granada is like.

Eat at El Huerto de Jaun Ranas

It may sound silly, but in my opinion the single best thing you can do in Granada is go to El Huerto de Jaun Ranas – a

View from El Huerto de Jaun Ranas, Granada, Spain

restaurant on top of a hill that looks directly across a river valley at the Alhambra. The Sierra Nevadas sit in the background, and you’re high enough up to see birds flying above the tops of the trees. This place has great spanish food and drinks (sangria and mojitos, in particular), but it’s really just all about the view. Everyday when I woke up, this is where I wanted to go. It’s certainly one of the most relaxing places I’ve ever been, and one of the most beautiful. If I lived in Granada, I’d come here to do all of my best thinking. An absolute must see in Granada.

Flamenco

Flamenco shows are very popular in Granada, as I’d imagine they are throughout most of Spain. The lady in my life was hot on the idea of checking one out, and I figured when in Spain, why not?

Flamenco is basically a form of tap dancing done in conjunction with clapping and Hispanic sounding acoustic guitar music. Romain had recommended that we check out the show at Jardines De Zoraya, and I’m happy we heeded his advice. A fantastic atmosphere, great tapas and other food (fried brie topped with strawberries, good lord), and generally a fantastic date spot.

Tapas

Before heading to Granada, all I heard was “Granada is the home of tapas!” Yes, I was primarily concerned with what I’d be

A tapas restaurant & bar in Granada

eating prior to leaving. But come to find out, I didn’t really understand what tapas is. To me, tapas was supposed to be what I’m used to getting at tapas restaurants here in the US – small plates, of which you order many in order to sample as many dishes as possible. Not in Granada.

Tapas in Granada is everywhere, and it’s really a very simple system. For every drink that you order, alcoholic or otherwise, the restaurant is required to give you a plate of tapas. The more drinks you order, the more tapas you get – you have no say over what you’re brought, and it’s really up to you whether you eat it or not. While this may not be great for picky eaters, it certainly makes things very simple and keeps you very full.

The typical tapas plate might be fried eggplant or seafood of some variety, cold cured meats (ham in particular), or cheeses – it all really depends where you’re at, and each place specializes in different types of tapas. It’s pretty great, and my general advice would simply be to ask around for the best places near you – everyone has an opinion.

All in all, I think Granada is a fantastic place – prior to my trip it was as hyped up as could be, and it lived up to my expectations. It’s certainly a laid-back city with a bit of a hippy vibe, stuck in an old Spanish town with beautiful scenery. The people and the location could not complement each other more, and I look forward to going back.

Sunset strip, Sant Antoni de Portmany, Ibiza

In the past couple of weeks I was lucky enough to return to Europe for the first time since I studied abroad there in 2007. Although I was going somewhere I’d never been before, it felt like a homecoming of sorts – it certainly reaffirmed my notion that the European continent is a lot more interesting and fun than the North American. The US has a lot going for it, but I’d rather spend time in Europe than anywhere else.

This time around I went to Spain – Ibiza and Granada specifically. As I have much to say about both, I’ve decided to split them up into separate reviews. Without further adieu, let’s talk Ibiza.

Wikipedia has this to say about Ibiza, and Sant Antoni de Portmany (the city I stayed in) in particular, “Sant Antoni de Portmany  is a town on the western coast of Ibiza. It is the second-largest town and municipality in Ibiza; an island described by Time Out magazine as “arguably the clubbing capital of the universe.” Many people aren’t even aware that Ibiza exists, but those that do tend to be familiar with this reputation. Trust me, the clubs are there and they’re amazing – but there’s definitely more to this island than just the nightlife.

When I first deplaned in Ibiza, I had been on an airplane for a long time. And as a bus took us the 20 minutes or so from the airport to Sant Antoni de Portmany, where we’d be staying, I briefly worried that I’d made a mistake. At first glance the streets looked like a dirtier Miami, with little except billboards advertising the major clubs’ closing parties to look at. It didn’t seem terrible (the weather was 80 degrees and sunny), but it didn’t seem to be the remarkable Mediterranean island I had envisioned. Luckily enough, I’d find that part of Ibiza in the next few days.

Where to stay

I stayed at Marina Playa, a small white-stone hotel overlooking Sant Antoni bay. By European hotel standards, the rooms

View from Marina Playa hotel balcony, Sant Antoni, Ibiza

were huge and very clean. We had a pretty awesome balcony and a fridge, and really needed little else. This place isn’t a 5-star hotel, but it was absolutely perfect in terms of location, comfort, and the overall experience. The hotel is run by and English family who could not have been more accommodating throughout our stay. If you ever head this way, I’d recommend this hotel without hesitation.

Where to eat

There are tons of good places to eat in Sant Antoni, but by far the most popular is “the sunset strip.” This strip of restaurants sits right on the sea, with the sun setting each night directly between two islands a few miles out. Hundreds of people gather each night at these restaurants, or simply on the rocks with a bottle of wine, to watch the sunset and listen to the DJs that play background music throughout the day and night. Nearly every restaurant has a DJ in Ibiza, and they’re almost all great. You might picture thumping techno music as something of an ambiance killer, but it’s not like that. You can certainly find that scene at night if you so choose, but the DJs that play on the sunset strip play more wistful, relaxing remixes that actually fit wonderfully with the scenery.

Cafe Mambo, Sant Antoni, Ibiza

If you head to Sant Antoni, the sunset strip is an absolute must do. This is definitely a place where I got my zen on – it’s really tough the be anything but relaxed when you’re there. Any of the restaurants will do nicely, but I had one of the best meals of my life at The Mint Lounge by Cafe Mambo. Drinks, appetizers, entrees, and an espresso cost something like 60 euros, which is absurdly cheap. Sticking with european tipping guidelines of 5%-10%, I left something along the lines of a 11% tip for our waitress. You would have thought I just successfully delivered her first-born child, as she soon emerged with two glasses of champagne on the house. Followed by two tequila shots on the house. As we soon found out, people in Ibiza are just dying to give you free stuff, especially if you tip even reasonable well.

The clubs

The clubs are the reason that most people go to Ibiza, and they are

Privilege, Ibiza

absolutely world-class. The week we were there, the first week in October, is actually the perfect time to go. August and September are “in season” and the island is generally packed with tourists, mostly Brits. I can’t tell you how many Spanish people said, “Ew, Ibiza. Too many drunk British people.” Sant Antoni is in fact filled with (largely drunk) Brits, but to me that wasn’t so bad. I love British people, and they only get wittier when intoxicated in my experience. But by going to Sant Antoni after the main tourist season ended, we had a much less crowded city all to ourselves – as well as nearly every clubs’ annual closing party.

I went to the closing party at Privilege, well-known as the largest club in the world. At capacity, this place holds 12,000 people. Yes, it was wildly overpriced, but it was worth every penny. The closing party started at 11:45pm, and didn’t end until 4:00pm the next day. Most of the best DJs and performances don’t happen until sunrise. We’re talking absurd performances throughout the night, smoke machines, fire everywhere, and all the while having unicyclists peddle on tight-ropes over your head. It’s silly as could be, and there are rooms with all sorts of techno, trance, and house music (yes, they are all considered to be very different in Ibiza).

If you’re looking for a club in Ibiza, you probably can’t go wrong with any of the island’s super clubs. I’d check out Privelege, Space, Pacha, Eden, El Paradis, or Amnesia.

Other stuff to do

Aside from checking out the beaches (yes they are largely topless, which caters nicely to my juvenile American mind) and the

Es Vedra Island, Ibiza

amazing Mediterranean water (salty enough that you naturally float), I’d absolutely recommend taking a boat tour to Es Vedra Island. I took a 3-hour cruise on a boat called the Captain Nemo that was absolutely fantastic. The cruise costs only 23 euros, and comes complete with a champagne toast, amazing music, and a stop to swim at one of the most spectacular beaches on the island. The journey shows you much of the coast of Ibiza, which is largely unspoiled and very remote aside from the cities of Ibiza Town and Sant Antoni. Once you get to some of the more remote parts of the islands, you understand why Ibiza is so popular with many celebrities. It gives them a beautiful place to get away where they absolutely won’t be bothered, yet there’s amazing food and nightlife readily accessible.

The highlight of the cruise is when you arrive at Es Vedra island, a small island of cliffs that is simply awesome to look at. It’s completely uninhabited, and supposedly has a magnetic pull much like the island in lost that has caused all sorts of weird things to happen there. As we returned back to Sant Antoni after leaving Es Vedra, we passed a fully naked man who waved to us as he steered his sailboat by with one hand and sipped a beer with the other – his also fully naked girlfriend sun tanning on the bow in front of him. That pretty much sums up Ibiza for you – unregulated, beautiful, and fun.

All in all, Ibiza should not be discounted solely as a party island full of drunken Brits – that stereotype is true, but it’s a very one-dimensional perspective on a place with so much more to offer. Whether you’re looking for a super lively vacation or one that’s beautifully desolate, you can find it in Ibiza.

We’re going to be going on a brief hiatus for a while, as I’ll be heading over to Spain to check out Ibiza and Granada. Look for the next installment of howiGit travel post-trip, somewhere in the vicinity of October 12.

In the meantime, you should all be plenty entertained by this Sunday’s Patriots – Broncos game. Remember that old Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning thing, mano y mano? It’s produced some of the most exciting football I’ve ever seen in the past, and you know Peyton wants this one even more than ever before. It’ll certainly be a good indication of how many cobwebs are still left on that right shoulder of his.

Let’s go Orioles!

Much like the New England Patriots the past couple of years, I’ve chosen to take the first round of the NFL playoffs off. Last year I watched the Patriots lose to the Jets at a bar in Miami. This year, similarly scared and unable to bare the thought of being in New England, I’ll watch the Patriots try to quell Tebow-Time for the second time this season from St. John in the US Virgin Islands.

That’s right folks, it’s vacation time once again. It seems like a perfectly opportune time to go off the grid, and if the Patriots do lose to Mr. Tebow, good luck finding me somewhere in St. John or the British Virgin Islands. I’ll have no access to the internet, so rant away.

I’ll be sailing around on this boat until next Wednesday, but I’d never be so cruel as to leave you without my NFL playoff picks. Here we go:

Saints vs 49ers – Saints win. Drew Brees lights up the 49ers offense, and this game isn’t particularly close.

Patriots vs Broncos – Patriots win, despite a scare. Tim Tebow’s season is still a great story and should be appreciated as one.

Texans vs Ravens – Ravens win. They are just scarier.

Giants vs Packers – Giants win. I don’t think I’ve ever picked the Giants to win before, let alone against a 15-1 team. I don’t think they are the championship team that the Packers are, but I think their defense will play great and Eli will be good enough. They eek out the win. Yes I want a Patriots-Giants rematch that badly.

Temperature in Boston right now: 31 degrees

Temperature in St. John right now: 82 degrees

Football games? What football games?

Fresh off of my journey to Old San Juan, here is my latest travel run-down. Aside from the obvious pluses Puerto Rico has to offer (you don’t need a passport if you’re a US citizen, direct flights are cheap, it’s always hot, and a beer costs a dollar or two), this is really a guide for those looking to do more than simply post up at a ritzy beachfront hotel. With this in mind I decided to dive into the streets of Old San Juan…here’s what I found.

Accommodations

We stayed at the Posada San Francisco Guest House, a family owned establishment catering mostly to young travelers exploring the Caribbean. This place is no Ritz, but the owners are overly friendly and the location simply can’t be beat. Overlooking Plaza Colon and San Juan harbor, this place is located in literally the single best spot in Old San Juan. The guest house is on the top two floors of the tallest building in Plaza Colon, so you are overlooking the entire old city when sitting on the balcony — a huge plus in my book. You are close to everything, and are literally next door to Castillo de Cristobal, a old fort historically used to protect the city. Anything you could be looking for — beaches, restaurants, bars, shopping, casinos — it’s right there. In my opinion this is not a place to drag your girlfriend, but if you can deal with roughing it a bit this place is a straight bargain and is filled with lots of interesting people, who made our stay that much better.

Beaches

It’s the Caribbean… San Juan is hot as hell, pretty much all the time. As far as the beaches go, I’m told we made a mistake in not hitting up Condado. We took a day trip to Isla Verde, where we were initially very happy with the beach until we were told that it was the worst beach in San Juan. If that’s the truth, Puerto Rico is doing pretty well for itself on the beach front. The beaches tend to have coarser, more yellowed sand than the typical “idyllic” beaches of the Caribbean. We also hit up a strip of beach directly behind Castillo de Cristobal, about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. This was a rockier strip of beach, but a great place for a quick swim, until we realized that their were packs of gay men hiding every few hundred yards in the jungle beyond the beach. Apparently this little strip is a meeting spot for San Juan’s sketchiest, who use a series of whistling calls to beckon to one another. We did not return, and I suggest you steer clear as well, unless you’re looking for a romp in the bushes.

Food

The food in Old San Juan was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. If you’re looking for a reasonably upscale place to get a fantastic meal, The Parrot Club is it. While the decor is relatively unremarkable, it’s the food and the service that will blow you away. I went with grilled plantain encrusted mahi mahi, served over a mound of mashed yucca with green beans and summer squash, then drizzled with beurre blanc. The mojito and the tropical fruit cobbler completed this hour of bliss. While it’s immediately obvious that Old San Juan is filled with great food, I’d go back to this place in a heartbeat.

The second of my food excursions of mention was The Blessed Cafe. I’ll categorize this as a place for someone looking for a more authentic Caribbean experience. This place is Jamaican (yes, in Puerto Rico) through and through, and is owned by a Jamaican mon who has brought his native cuisine to Puerto Rico. It feels like you are sitting in a bomb shelter, but the Jamaican decor, the owner of the place, and the soft reggae music make you surprisingly content. I had the garlic shrimp, served with steamed coconut rice, grilled plantain, and carrot, along with a side of coco bread. To drink? Red Stripe of course (we’ll touch on Puerto Rican beer later this week). While a little pricey for a dive of sorts, the food at this place was a pleasant surprise.

For breakfast, hit up Yurta — fresh squeezed OJ, eggs, bacon, toast, and incredible homefries for $3.95. Nuff said.

All in all, Old San Juan is a great place to hit up if you are looking to explore Puerto Rico outside of a resort. If you are looking casinos and Senior Frogs, you’ll be able to find that. But if you are looking for cobblestone streets, pastel buildings, awesome food and just enough seediness to keep things interesting Old San Juan is worth checking out. Oh yea, and the coffee (always made with steamed milk) is awesome… drink it wherever you go.

Nassau, Bahamas

So every now and again I must leave my precious laptop, turn off my cell phone, and leave you all temporarily without the best blog on the web. Vacation vacation vacation, the word is music to my ears. I went on my first cruise, aboard Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas. I must admit, I was a bit of a skeptic about cruises at first, and many of my hesitations were in fact true. Cruises are a bit tacky, a bit artificial, and the boat was filled with fake gold railings and several chain-smoking seventy-somethings that never left the confines of the bar. That said, there’s not a cooler way I know of to bounce between Caribbean destinations. You’re on a floating palace, fully equipped with bars, hot tubs, all you can eat food, great views, and plenty of fun people looking to have a good time. I’ll break it all down for you, one stop at a time.

Miami, Florida

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, I started my trip by taking my talents to South Beach. I didn’t see Lebron or D-Wade, but I heard they were out on the town looking for me. South Beach, on a whole, was pretty much what I expected except it was a touch less flashy and a touch more dirty. The beach itself is gorgeous, and wasn’t too packed. Oh, and apparently it’s topless? Surprise surprise. The strip on Ocean Drive is awesome. It’s filled with great outdoor restaurants, bars, and clubs. You’ll be harassed by hostesses trying to get you to enter their establishment, and they all seem to be offering “2 for 1″ drinks. Well, here’s what the drinks looked like. Yes, they were big. Yes, you needed to order a 4 drink minimum. And yes, the drinks cost….drumroll please….$25 bucks a pop. Ouch.

Now, I was only going to be in South Beach for one night and got a great deal on a hotel through Expedia. The hotel where I stayed, The Clay Hotel, is no 5 star hotel. We’re talking probably 3 stars, but the room was cheap and the hotel is located on Espanola Way smack in the middle of South Beach. The location is awesome, and Espanola Way is filled with awesome outdoor restaurants that stay open all night. I must admit the hotel knew that I was coming and would be writing them a review on howiGit’s blog, but nonetheless kudos to the folks at the Clay for putting their best foot forward. The staff was very helpful, and they upgraded my room at no cost to a suite. The room was great, far better than I expected, and definitely added to my good time. If you’re looking for a suitable, simple, and inexpensive place to stay in South Beach I’d recommend it. Like I said, the location is awesome.

Key West, Florida

In a sentence, Key West is a bit sleepy but otherwise pretty awesome in all ways. The downtown section is gorgeous, the people are super nice, and there are some spectacular residential streets filled with awesome houses. If you were looking for a great place to own a vacation home simply for the sake of relaxation, this would be a hell of a place to start. As advertised, the Key Lime is a big deal. We went to Kermit’s, and it was pretty damn good.

Nassau, Bahamas

Oh, Nassau. Where do I begin. As I left the boat I decided to rent a moped from a young Bahamian gentlemen was more than a little sketchy. He asked me if “I was a smart dude,” and when I replied in the affirmative he dropped the keys in my hand and off I went. Come to find out, they drive on the opposite site of the road in the Bahamas. Yup. So that was the first obstacle I had to encounter, all the while trying my best not to kill the young lady riding on the back of the moped with me. We cruised up the coast to Arawak Cay, where we had a beach with spectacular water all to ourselves. After a brief swim we

Arawak Cay, Bahamas

decided to leave, and the moped decided to die sporadically and accelerate as it pleased. We broke down several times, but each time a local Bahamian came to our rescue and helped us out. They are some nice people, for sure, when they aren’t harassing you to buy their crap with some scheme or another.

That night, we planned to have dinner then hit up the nightlife downtown. Good plan, right? Wrong. Apparently everything is Nassau shuts down at 6pm. “It’s the island way,” is the explanation we were given. I kid you not, nothing was open. The place was a complete ghost town aside from 2 bars that remained open — Senior Frogs and a local bar, the Green Parrot. In an attempt to be non-touristy, we chose to Green Parrot. Aside from semi-expensive drinks by island standards, it was a great choice.

Let’s talk about the Green Parrot for a moment. As the only local bar open in downtown Nassau, the place was filled with locals who had little else to do for entertainment. There was a highly competitive darts tournament going on, apparently something of a pastime for semi-bored islanders. The owner of the bar, Craig, came over and chatted us up, noting that we were the only non-locals in his establishment. He talked to us for a while and was a good guy, and although we were a bit weary of the lack of nightlife in Nassau at first, we ended up having a great time. His bar gets filled with some all-star alcoholics, but they added to the fun. We left having made several friends, and feeling as though we got a full dose of the local flavor. If you find yourself in Nassau, ditch Senior Frogs and head over to the Green Parrot.

CocoCay, Bahamas

CocoCay is a Royal Caribbean owned island that caters to cruise vacationers. That immediately made the island as lame as possible in my eyes (or as lame as any tropical island could be). When we pulled up to the

CocoCay, Bahamas

island it was as cheesy as I expected, but come to find out, the island was pretty damn huge. We did some snorkeling, seeing a whole bunch of tropical fish, a stingray, and a barracuda, all of which was cool. But then we decided to walk down the beach for quite a ways. Before you knew it, we were essentially on a deserted Caribbean island and it was absolutely spectacular. Very cool, winning CocoCay back in my eyes.

Overall, what can I say, it was vacation and I had a blast. It was 79 degrees and sunny everyday, further reminding me that you can order NESN from just about anywhere in the world if you wish.

Next stops: Miami, Key West, and a couple of places in the Bahamas. I know, I know, you’re week won’t be the same without me. You’ll have to make it on your own. You can expect an epic post next week when I return.

Think of all the fun your going to have watching the Patriots whip the Jets. Seriously though, I give the Pats a 71% chance of winning. The thing that nobody is mentioning is simple — the Jets have absolutely nothing to lose. Nobody expects them to win, and that’s a great mindset to have going into a big game. But I expect Tom to take care of business.

It’s going to be nice being the one sitting in 80 degree weather for once while the sky dumps on Boston and everybody sits around racking it up to “being a New Englander” and pretending they love it. Later, suckas.