What is the best city in the world?

September 8, 2026September 6, 2026 / antonioyrocinante / Leave a comment

Enjoying a coffee and a read at St Paul's Green

World traveler is not a description I would use for myself; I know a handful of them, and I am definitely not like them. Yes, I have traveled a bit, but, for example, I have never been to Asia or Africa. However, I have spent time in many major cities. This summer, I went to London for the first time in 22 years to visit a dear friend. The visit was short, only three days, but I know London, having lived there for four years during my secondary school, yes, back in the 80s.

Ranking, grading, or listing cities is, of course, highly subjective, but for me, London has to be the best city in the world. Ah, you scream, what about New York? Well, as much as I love New York, it obviously lacks London’s deep history, which dates back to Roman times and gives it a unique character that I find truly inspiring.

The question then becomes: what makes a city great? Sure, does it have great restaurants? But it goes beyond that: accessibility, especially for walking and cycling, beauty, green spaces, culture, education, safety, and the vibrant mix of attractions that make London so captivating for everyone.

While no city is perfect, London not only checks off all these boxes but also has a degree of sophistication enriched by immigration, the previously mentioned history, amazing parks and architecture, improved transportation (since I was last there), cycle paths, and the elusive ‘aura’ that makes it feel alive and special to those who visit.

London is a huge city, so it is impossible to know every little corner. I spent most of my time in Hammersmith, exploring its historic 19th-century bridge and the surrounding neighborhood. I also revisited Shepherd’s Bush and Camden, discovering (for me) St John-at-Hampstead Church, one of the oldest churches in London, with the last big renovation dating to 1740!

I spent most of my time visiting my friend, but I also took long walks, which allowed me to see these elements and led me to my conclusion: London is the best city in the world.

What do you think makes a city great? Is it history, food, or something else? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the best city in the world.

La cerca de Felipe II – It’s not that kind of wall.

August 27, 2024August 19, 2024 / antonioyrocinante / Leave a comment

There is a lot of talk lately about walls, and there are a lot of walls, no need for me to mention them here.

But I recently explored a lesser-known wall, which had a quite different purpose than most walls…

You see, Felipe II, in the 1500s decided to build an almost 32-mile wall around his Escorial Palace (the largest Renaissance building in the world, read about it here), but not to keep people out, there were plenty of gates, but to keep wildlife in, as in hunting game, so he could hunt it!

This wall, the Cerca de Felipe II was not finished in his lifetime, nor his son’s Felipe II, nor his grandson’s Felipe IV, but continued being built into the Bourbon dynasty in the 18^th Century!

My exploration partner Jaime and his sister Teruca led the way, taking advantage that the Valdemorillo reservoir is exceptionally low due to maintenance work on the dam. After a nice walk we found the wall and a bridge!

The wall is impressive! Over 8ft tall (2,5 mts), 20 inches wide, and not a drop of cement to be seen for 32 miles!

This reminded me that I had driven past an excellently maintained part of the wall -and a gate- near our village since I was a kid! The wall has “dips” which back in the day would have sand ramps on the outside to allow animals to jump into the walled area. Once in, the animals could not escape, ergo more hunting game for the king.

At any rate, the wall nowadays about 50% gone, but some remaining bits are in excellent shape as you can see from the photos.

What I ❤ about Mallorca

July 19, 2022July 17, 2022 / antonioyrocinante / 1 Comment

Yes, I have written about Mallorca before, but I just love it, and I am blessed that I get to spend a few days there every Summer.

My family has been going on and off to Mallorca since the late seventies. We always go to the same small beach, and lately to the same hotel.

For me there are three key things that I love about Mallorca:

There is nothing particularly special about the beach, it is a small beach. But it does have a peculiarity: there is an island in the middle of the bay, the cala, which is reachable by a small wooden bridge. The island is mostly taken up by an excellent restaurant. There are a few rocks which you can jump off from. You can also swim to the island, climb the rocks, and jump off. This is my favorite moment of the year; the moment my feet leave the rock and the seconds it takes to reach the water. Bliss.

Mallorca is endowed with plenty of Mediterranean pines. I love going for a run in the forest breathing the wonderful scent. There is an observation tower (many were built during the 15th and 16th centuries to spot and warn of the many pirates that roamed those waters) on a hill next to the beach, and that is my objective, run to the tower and back. The views, the smell, the air, the deafening sound of the cicadas all make for a memorable run.

The third item is a food which you can only really taste in Mallorca (you can buy them elsewhere, but the taste is not the same). The Enseimada.

What are the things that make your special place special? Leave a comment below!

Summer excursion

August 4, 2020August 3, 2020 / antonioyrocinante / Leave a comment

The other day my dear friend and fine art restorer extraordinaire took me on a whirlwind excursion to see some of his recent work. We took the opportunity to enjoy a nice lunch and ended by visiting our friends at the Paular monastery and to check up on them with the whole pandemic to-do.

Our day started with our traditional morning coffee at our local village café/bar/restaurant/social center: Marcelino. From there we drove over the Guadarrama mountains (yes, the ones where Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls is based) to the lovely village of Rascafría. We had a leisurely lunch at a cool garden restaurant “La Pradera” (the natural translation “prairie” has taken the American meaning and spirit, being much larger than a Spanish “pradera” which is more of a field, but enough etymologies, and translation theory!)

After lunch we drove to the small village of Canencia. The root Can from the Latin “canis” for dog (oh no, back to etymologies) is because this village is where the kings’ dogs where bred during the Middle Ages. Jaime restored the gorgeous Gothic pulpit at the church last year. A stone’s throw away from the village is a very elegant Medieval stone bridge.

A short drive away is the town of Lozoya. A manorial village as testified by the many coat of arms decorating entrances. The main door of the church is in a beautiful Plateresco style, which is unique to Spain because it keeps the Gothic style but incorporates Renaissance elements. Jaime is scheduled to restore the pulpit there, a delicate Renaissance piece.

A tiny hamlet nearby is Pinilla del Valle, again with a lovely old church and town square. Jaime is working to secure the restoration of the portico of the church, damaged through the centuries.

We ended our excursion visiting our dear friends the monks at the Paular monastery. They are all fine, including the oldest ones. We snuck in for a quick visit. You see, Jaime restored that monastery from scratch years ago, so he knows it well and I have gone on two retreats there -as you might know from previous posts, so I also know it a bit.

After that visit, it was time to head home over the mountains.