With the arrival of summer, many are those who dare to practice scuba diving. Nothing compares to the pleasant feeling of calm that produces snorkeling in crystal waters and between unique species as you discover all the wonders that the seabed hides.

This exciting experience is available to everyone. Making diving a passion and the more you know, the more addicted you become.

If you are already an accomplished expert, in Menorca you will discover a wide variety of possibilities. If you start now, in the diving centers scattered through the island, they will teach you the techniques and procedures for a progressive development, putting at your disposal the best material.

The descent to the wonderful water depths of Menorca is a unique experience. Its warm, clear waters and colorful environments, have nothing to envy to the Caribbean beaches.

In the north of the island of Menorca, in the stretch between Cap Gros and Sa Punta des Morters in the Mola des Fornells, there is the Marine Reserve, a zone located very close to the coast that does not exceed the 30 meters depth. A dramatic landscape with unique marine species, natural caves, galleries and wrecks.

In this Marine Reserve we find special interest areas for underwater diving, such as S'Illa des Porros (or illa de Sanitja), with a coastline without buildings and a seabed with abounding wildlife, such as large groupers, barrucadas, dentones and false pollocks. There are also remains of boats that have succumbed to their waters. Accessible to all levels because of the shallower side doesn’t reach the 8 meters and the deepest reaches 30.

In Cala en Morts there is the so-called Swiss Cheese Cave, which gets its name from the many galleries that form it and that communicate with each other. A nice dive with the penetrating rays of light that create a beautiful set of lights and backlighting.

Es Pont d'en Gil is the name of a natural bridge that hangs on the cliffs in the middle of the sea. It is close to Ciutadella and you can dive in its waters to reach Sa Cigonya, a beautiful cave, about 200 meters, full of stalactites and stalagmites. If you go through you can access a vault with a fine sandy beach.

South of the port of Maon there is a diving paradise. These are the surrounding funds of Illa de l'Aire with their rock arches and abundant wildlife. About 20 meters under the islet of Cagaires we discovered a whole system of natural galleries with walls covered with coral, anemones, and sponges where groupers, moray and eels hide. The waters of the Illa de l'Aire collected the remainings of centuries of navigation disasters. In the sand and rocks there can still be seen some objects as anchors, cannonballs and other pieces of artillery.

If you want to know more about the possibilities that Menorca offers for scuba diving with excursions for all tastes and levels, take a look at this guide.

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Pictures bt buenaventuramenorca.com

The architectural oddities we find in every city end up being the greatest attractions for tourism.

Some examples are the narrowest street in the world, Spreuerhofstraße, in the German town of Reutlingen, is only 31 centimetres in the narrowest part and 50 centimetres in the widest. In Spain, the narrowest street in Hervás, a town by the north of Extremadura; a little alley in the old Jewish neighbourhood that is barely 50 centimetres wide at the widest part. Another attraction for tourists is in San Francisco, Lombard street is a winding street, not longer than 120 meters, with up to eight turns on the way.

Besides the building at Singel street, number 7, in Amsterdam, a building in Valencia is considered the narrowest in the world. The difference is that in the famous building in Amsterdam, even the front is only one meter wide; the interior is a little bit wider. So, if we want to be precise, it’s the building with the narrowest façade in the world.

The building in Valencia is so narrow that it has only one room per floor. In order to make it liveable, rooms have being distributed high rather than across, as usual.

It’s located in the city centre of Valencia, at Lope de Vega square, number 6, right behind Santa Catalina’s church. In this case, Guinness World Records certificate is the widest in Europe.

Not long ago, cities were built across because there was enough space. But there was a time when cities started being overcrowded and new buildings were built high, because of it. That’s what happened at the world capital city for paella, apparently. We are not so sure, though, if it was build like this because there was not enough space or just to fill in an empty spot, but is clear that they were not pretending to build a skyscraper like those from Chicago school, not at all.

Anyway, less than a meter wide is the reason why hundreds of people take photos in front of this building every day and why this building became one of those unique architectonic attractions, catching the attention of everyone. With time, the building has become a remarkable landmark in the map, a place to go for tourists as much as other classic monumental buildings in Valencia, like the cathedral, or the modern Arts Palace. After years being unnoticed, the owner restored the building and even put a funny sign on it, which informs of the exact wide: 105 centimetres.

It’s strange that not many locals noticed the building. Maybe because it’s right in the middle between two bigger buildings and neither its 5 meters high nor the bright red colour were enough to catch their attention. Despite the building by the canals of Amsterdam or even some narrower houses in Japan, who could imagine that Valencia was part of the competition the be the narrowest building of the world?

Why not take a trip to Valencia? Have a look at our flights here!

By Michael Shuermann from Easy Hiker

I still remember the first time we came into contact with Ventimiglia market – without even knowing that such a thing existed. We were boarding the local train from Nice to Menton, eastwards down the coast of the French Riviera in the direction of the Italian border. We were amazed to find it packed to the rafters at around 11 am on a Friday. From other trips on that line, we had been used to having a choice of seats on a weekday morning, but on that day, it seemed as though the entire population of the Cote d’Azur was on the move.

We did not find out until much later what was going on, but all these crowds were going to the Italian border town of Ventimiglia – the last stop on that line – for the popular weekly Friday street market.
The market mainly offers clothes, handbags and other leather goods – of mixed quality, it must be said, but occasionally, you can find well-crafted products at large discounts.

One of the market’s attractions apparently has something to do with the fact that – whisper it – the Italian police is less strict than its French counterpart in pursuing brand counterfeiters, so the French customs occasionally stop people on their way back from the market, asking them where they bought their shiny and new “Louis Vuitton handbag”. Be forwarned.

The market also features a section where farmers offer domestic food products. You can buy specialties from all over Italy here – Calabrian sausages, Parmesan cheese, olive oil – but also local produce such as sun-dried tomatoes and home-made pesto sauce, one of the things for which the province of Liguria (which includes Ventimiglia) is famous.

Have a coffee in one of the many charming little coffee houses around the 1930s municipio, the City Hall. You are only 15 km away from the French border town of Menton, but you will already feel a marked difference in the general liveliness (and noise levels) of the street life.
On market days, there is also a particularly large number of ambulant traders around who are walking from cafe to cafe peddling key chains that glow in the dark, small novelty household items and the like.

We have gone shopping many times at Ventimiglia market, and often, what we have bought from the peddlers turned out to be our most unforgettable purchases. What would our lives have been without the cicada fridge magnet that starts to sing when somebody approaches it?
You can reach Ventimiglia conveniently by local train (TER) from Nice. Trains leave frequently, generally every 30 minutes throughout the day. Don’t forget to bring a valid ID!

By Michael Shuermann from Easy Hiker 

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Dakar offers travelers the chance to enter a world of exotic flavors. It is the best place for a curious palate eager to travel between new flavors and scents of spices, as Senegal’s cuisine has a reputation as the best in Africa. A cuisine influenced by France, Lebanon, Portugal and Vietnam but with its own character and complex flavors.

Dakar, being surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean, floods its restaurants with the best seafood and fish, brought by the fishermen’s colorful canoes of the area to be sold in the Soumbédioune market immediately. Shrimps, lobsters, sea urchins, grouper, tuna, monkfish, mackerel, swordfish and crabs are exquisite.

A good dish of meat, fish or senegalese seafood always comes with rice (Yassa), base of their cuisine along with wheat and millet.

The most popular Senegalese dish is indeed the mix of these two ingredients: rice and fish marinated to elaborate the traditional tieboudienne, their national dish.

Yassa au poulet is another of their popular dishes, a recipe based on chicken marinated with lemon and onion or blunt maffe, which used to be prepared with lamb and rice and accompanied by a delicious peanut sauce.

Quenching the color with fruit juices made in the are is a pleasure. The ones that you will easily find are those of roselle (Hibiscus), Bouye (from Bwee, baobab fruit) and ginger. They are very refreshing and provide many vitamins.

Street stalls and markets are great places for a quick meal. The vendors are placed around the market with their stalls selling beignets, fritters that will sweeten your day. The best market to find them is Sandanga, located on the corner of the Pompidou and Lamine Gueye Sandaga avenues.

Just4u
Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop
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Two leading national prides are brought together here: gastronomy and music. The best place to enjoy the city’s musical talents , extraordinary musicians like Youssou N'Dour, Didier Awadi or Baaba Maal started here. With a daily schedule of concerts, you'll enjoy a lively evening in this cozy outdoor restaurant.

Le Djembe
56 Rue Saint-Michel

Dakar has a large Lebanese community. Although the place is owned by one of those expatriate Lebanese, the restaurant’s menu is Senegalese. Ideal to taste the best typical recipes like the thieboudienne or chicken with rice served with refreshing juices as Bouye (from baobab) or bissop (hibiscus).

Cabane des Pêcheurs
Plage de Ngor
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One of the best places to try the local fish and seafood on the seafront in the lively beach of N'Gor. Its interior is decorated with lots of nautical motifs.

Le Toukouleur

122 rue Moussé Diop
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All the colorful African culture gets together in this restauran, with a courtyard decorated with painted clay statues. Perfect to try out a mixture of refined local cuisine and international flavors.

Why not take a trip to Dakar? Have a look at our flights here!