Impact Fusion

Of the four major Balearic Islands that are located in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain, Majorca is the largest and most heavily populated. And while each of the islands is attractive to tourists and frequently considered to be charming and beautiful in their own way, Majorca is generally recognized as the most diverse island when taken in context of the themes and attractions it is most known for as well as the orientation of the tourists that visit it.

Many of the guests staying in a 5 star hotel Majorca are there to spend time around the coast and maybe take some scuba diving or sailing lessons. There are great offerings at the marinas and they are also extremely popular with tourists. In addition, many of the visitors are there to experience the cultural landmarks, particularly the old quarter in Palma. The cathedral is beautiful and there are many reminders of the Moorish influence as one walks through the small crooked streets. Some of the tourists are there to experience the arts and entertainment scene and some come for the great food. In addition numerous people choose to visit Majorca for to experience all of the above.

And while the other islands also have diverse offerings, they tend to be a bit more known for specific aspects of their attractions. For instance, while Ibiza is full of interesting historic landmarks and ruins, it is primarily known for its nightclub scene, which has an international reputation. This alone attracts the majority of its annual tourists and also makes it extremely popular. Formentera, which is the smallest of the four major islands, is known for its quiet pristine beaches. It is frequently considered to be a true island paradise and has some of the most gorgeous views of the Mediterranean. This is the perfect island for a quiet and secluded romantic get away with that special someone.

For many years, the transformation of the Portuguese city of Macau by Stanley Ho, into a gambling and casino mecca much like the United States cities of Las Vegas or Atlantic City was all that people thought of when considering a trip to this destination. There are many other sides to this city for those that find themselves here but not into the gambling lifestyle.  The shopping for one thing offers an array of eclectic shops, boutiques and vintage clothing stores, as well as markets of one of a kind hand made items.

Senado Square Market is a great place to go for hand-painted clothing with an artistic flair, as well is the flea market located close to St. Paul’s ruins.  Macau is a culture steeped in history, and there are many museums in which to choose from to learn about this history as well as the art work of more than four centuries.  One such is the Museum of Macau.  A different kind of museum offers a combined opportunity, to learn of the history of wine-making, taste the wine and learn about the racing cars of the Grand Prix, strange mix, but a fun one.

Located in and around any 5 store hotel, Macau artists will be hanging in any number of galleries and studio places.  The Exhibition Gallery is one that regularly changes their exhibits, from local talent to the traveling works of artists from around the world.  While walking around the city looking for adventure, there are two kinds of places to offer a bit of peace and relation, and those are either the churches and the temples, or the gardens located along the way.

The ruins of the Saint Paul Cathedral are a favorite, while the only bits remaining are the facade of the building, the architecture and the artistry are still not only appreciated, but offer a serene escape for many people.  And for those who find that serenity in nature, the Camoes Grotto Garden and the Casa Garden are both wonderful places to stop and smell the flowers.  So if casinos are not your style, fear not as there are many options when traveling through this wonderful city.

Florence Italy is recognized as being one of the most aesthetically pleasing areas in the world. This is due not only to its geography but the tremendous amount of art that is present there. In fact, it is alleged that many people who visit Florence are struck suddenly by Stendhal syndrome as they experience the beauty of the architecture and art for the first time. This belief is well known by the staff of a hotel Florence and they are well prepared to assist guests with their confusion and sometimes rapid heartbeats and dizzy spells that are associated with the syndrome.

Fortunately this passes and tourists are able to fully enjoy the historic significance and great cultural heritage surrounding Florence. It was recognized as the cradle of the Italian Renaissance, which was an amazingly inspiring period of art and science. This led to the Renaissance spreading and manifesting in other regions and cities throughout Europe and the English Renaissance is also greatly recognized.

Michelangelo is one of the most prominent artists to have flourished during the Italian Renaissance and was primarily based in Florence. He is most known for his incredible marble sculptures and his rendition of David is probably the most famous and easily recognized in the world. He is also greatly recognized for painting the Sistine Chapel, which took him approximately four years to complete. The ceiling includes scenes from nine episodes of the Book of Genesis. These stories are divided into three groups and tell the story of the Creation of Earth, of humankind and also humankind’s fall from grace. Noah and his family are also depicted as representing the state of humanity. In addition to sculpture and painting, Michelangelo was also an engineer, a poet and an architect. He is largely responsible for the meaning behind Renaissance man, which means a person who is greatly skilled in many fields.

Call me a dork, but one of my favorite things to do is study reference books.  Dictionaries, encyclopedias, world maps: sometimes, I even catch my husband studying our world globe for no particular reason at all.  I believe our fascination is due in large part to our love of traveling and studying other cultures.  We are one couple that truly cherishes and uses map gifts.

We recently took a trip down to Tepic, Mexico; which is about 3 hours from Puerto Vallarta.  Tepic was completely different than any of the border cities I had previously visited.  The weather was hot and humid but the abundance of unique vegetation and animal life made it well worth it.  I am typically not adventurous when it comes to new foods; however, since I am from Arizona I am pretty familiar with Mexican food.  We found a quaint little taco stand (they don’t really have sit down restaurants) where we enjoyed tortas and Coke Cola with cane sugar; which is so much better than regular Coke.

The most moving experience of our trip was going up into the mountains to visit the Huichol Indians.  I truly felt like I was in a National Geographic documentary.  Though they have been making great progress, most still live in stick houses and make all their own clothes.  If they want to leave the mountain they have to take a 20 minuet boat ride across a lake and then walk several hours, just to get to the city.  By today’s standards they have nothing; yet they were so generous and made us feel so welcome.  They even shared their first crop of corn with us along with fresh tortillas and beans. It was delicious.

Spending time in Mexico helped me to understand a different more laid back way of life.  It also made me appreciate how blessed and fortunate I am. So even though the driving is kinda crazy and you can’t drink the water, I can’t wait to go back next year.

Office Space is my favorite flick of all time.  Everyone has had bad job before.  I had more than my share until I stumbled across my latest one.  I literally did stumbled too.  Popping out of a cab, I tripped over the New York Times, which was open to its classifieds.  My Jimmy Choo shoes speared the listing that I applied for later that day, unhappy as I was at the job I was at then.

My job now is nothing like Office Space, fortunately.  Though My boss does drag out his “yeahs,” his business skills have obviously been honed by years of great corporate team building programs, he knows how to deal with people because he knows how to deal with customers.  With him, I no longer feel the need to take sick days for more important things, like sleep.  In my old job, despite working numerous hours of overtime, I never received the same kind of pay that others in the office did because of politicking.

Our performance reviews are great because we get evaluated by our peers and by our bosses too.  It also isn’t that uncomfortable, three on one meeting I had at my old job.  It reminds me more of the creative writing courses I took in college where we work shopped stories, except at my office, we work shop performances and ways of improving them.  It is a very professional environment, but there is also a strong sense of support among everyone in office, probably because we are on the smaller side of things.   We do have training seminars, a process that has helped strengthen the company.  Though I always enjoyed my field, the jobs I had did not always suit me for one reason or another.  But with the vibe of the place and the consistent opportunities for growth, I think I have found my favorite office space.

The Balearic Island of Ibiza is known for white sand beaches, great shopping locations, and wonderful five star hotels. Ibiza is also known, among the jet setters and the young, or young at heart who like to spend all night dancing in the clubs, then napping and tanning on those white sand beaches during the day. One of the most popular and happening clubs on the Island is Es Paradis. This is a very decadent venue, with decor of Roman design, complete with spirally staircases, and tall white pillars, it literally looks like a palace.

The San Antonio neighborhood of Ibiza is on the beach, one of the most action filled districts in Ibiza as far as dance parties, festivals and special celebrations. And the Es Paradis is one of the longest standing clubs of them all. Something is always happening here, every night of the, and during the summer months the Fiesta Del Aqua takes place each Saturday night. This is an incredible sight to see, for the entire dance floor is transformed into a giant pool, a swimming pool inside the club.

On this night–well, on any night really, party goers and dancing queens don’t even need to change as they usually simply walk from the beach, into the club, bikinis and all. Or, bikinis that’s all rather.  The music is eclectic throughout the week and there is usually something to please the tastes of everyone.  This ranges from techno-pumping dance beats, DJ’s spinning the newest tunes, classical rock, jazz beats and salsa.

This is one of the truly unique venues of the Ibiza club scene.  The parties in all of the clubs, usually end only as the sun comes up.  Most of the clubs, including Es Paradis, have have hours of operation being midnight-6am.  And once the clubbing is over for the day, there is ample opportunity to catch a cab or hop on a bus.  There are any clubs to choose from, however, a decadent night at this club on the waterfront will surely prove to be a favorite among the young, the hip, and the energetic.

Over the summer we decided to take a driving vacation heading down the east coast though North Carolina and South Carolina. We were not making a lot of plans for the road trip, mainly looking to let things happen as they come. Not wanting to have to keep up with a time schedule and meet deadlines we were just planning on getting in the car and heading in a general direction that we had mapped out. Our only laid out plan was the reservation at a Charlotte luxury hotel since we decided this would be out furthest point south we would travel to.

We started out drive south one morning heading south through eastern Pennsylvania. The day started out nice and clear but in a few hours we were heading toward some dark clouds. As we got closer to Maryland it was clear we were going to be hitting some rain, probably some pretty hard rain. We continued on and soon enough our predictions came true. We drove right into a driving rain storm. At one point the rain became so hard we started to look for some where to pull over and wait it out, but undaunted we pushed on and the storm let up about as quickly as it came on.

That evening we found ourselves nearing Richmond, VA and thought we should get a room for the night and start out again in the morning. After driving all day we were sure ready for a relaxing evening. Getting a little dinner and then a good nights sleep, a quick breakfast in the morning and on the road again, to Charlotte.

Our second day on the road was perfect! The sky was clear and the sun shining a perfect day for a southern drive. The rolling hills of the Carolinas are beautiful. lush and green. Stopping in the occasional antique and curio shop we took our time getting through North Carolina and South Carolina. Early that evening we arrived in Charlotte and found our way to the hotel, ready for another night of sleep.

In the morning we began out exploration of the beautiful and historic city of Charlotte, NC. It is a beautiful city filled with interesting historical facts. We are sure happy we took the drive and got away for a little while.

Jesse was in charge of planning the honeymoon. Lila took control of all of the wedding plans including the place of the ceremony and the reception, the menu choices and also the flower arrangements. She found and booked the wedding photographer and also the DJ. All Jesse had to do was decide where they should go and what they should do on their honeymoon. Lila even sent out all of the invitations and picked out Jesse’s tux and her wedding dress.

Needless to say she was a little nervous about what Jesse would do. Not because he was incapable of these things but because, as it might be becoming obvious by this point, Lila had something of a case of control issues. Jesse was a calm and relaxed person, and this aspect of Lila’s personality really didn’t seem to bother him. And sometimes it even made life easier. However, Jesse did embrace the idea of choosing and organizing their honeymoon spot and he created a fabulous tour of Spain for them.

He decided to surprise Lila with the trip and amazingly she let him do it. She had no idea where they were going until they go on the plane. When they landed in Barcelona, she was so overjoyed she almost fainted. They went straight to the Picasso Museum as Lila had been an art history major and Cubism was one of her favorite genres. They also spent many hours walking through the old city and touring much of the incredible architecture and historic buildings. They enjoyed great food and wine and small cafes and fine restaurants. They spent a week in Barcelona before traveling through the Spanish countryside and staying in five star hotels Spain in Madrid and Valencia. Ultimately Lila remembers the honeymoon as being her favorite part of the wedding ceremonies.

Oh this cold snap is making me dream of a trip to Miami. Cannot believe how cold it has gotten and so quickly here in Minnesota this year! Unbelievable that it is only early October, it isn’t winter heck it isn’t even late fall either! Just heard a funny one on the news, If Columbus had discovered Minnesota on a day like this he would have just gone home! I would have, this cold is miserable and to think we have 6 to 7 more months of this to go.

I am thinking of Miami, staying at our usual hotels Miami Florida near the beach. Sun drenched days and warm sandy beaches. It is a world away from where I am right now, snow, ice and cold. I dream of the lush tropical surroundings. Flowers in bloom in the winter, palm trees swaying in the breeze and warm sun shine falling on my body!

Last winter in Miami we had the best time! From our hotel we were able to walk to the beach in less than 5 minutes. We were also close to a number of resturaunts, cafes, bars and night clubs. It was nice that everything was with in walking distance. We spent our days on the beach soaking up the warm sun enjoying the sounds of the surf, people watching and taking in the ambiance of Miami. Late afternoons we usually hit a happy hour, get to meet some new people. That is always an adventure cause you never know where the people you meet might be from. We end up meeting people from all over the country and world at happy hour. Then a usual evening is dining and dancing the night away in one of the many Miami night hot spots.

I may need to get to making reservations now, knowing we will be going might make taking all this cold so early a little more bearable.

I’m halfway through my stay in Dubai and my wallet feels it more than I do. I’ve had a great experience so far and I haven’t done to much other than hang out at my hotel, eat at the great restaurants Dubai has, go shopping at the Mall of the Emirates and I might just check out the Madinat Complex tomorrow to see that indoor ski place I’ve heard about so much.

My hotel was great, the pool was marvelous, plus, I was upgraded to the higher floors and the room was spacious and larger than the standard room I was in. I don’t know why I was bumped up, but it sure made my stay even better! There were lots of small things that made the difference about my hotel, for example, I returned from the beach and an employee who I haven’t even met called me by name and bid me a good evening! Another example was yesterday, I was watching television, and there was a knock at the door and it was room service wanting to know if I would like a complimentary beach towel for my next trip to the beach. The bathroom tub was marble and the countertops too, I think I was told the marble came from Aswan, a place I just traveled to before Dubai!

I ordered room service for dinner the other night, a Lobster Thermador, Margharita Pizza, Caesar salad and for desert a Creme Brulee, oh and a bottle of bubbly. The dinner was superb. Afterwards I went swimming at the tub!

Tomorrow I plan to make a kill and the gold souk and really make my wallet feel it, but my friends will feel 24 karat gold on their necks, fingers and wrists, plus my own ankle, neck and wrists will look fabulous with gold dangling from anywhere I can think of.