Top ten European island beach destinations

by Scott Carmichael on

European hotel booking site Trivago has compiled a list of the top ten most popular European island destinations.

The one thing these islands all have in common is amazing beaches. The lineup varies from the couples friendly island of Santorini, to the party capital of the world – Ibiza.

So, if you happen to be heading to Europe this summer, or just need to dream of a destination not commonly found on the “must visit” list of most Americans, check out the top ten lineup for some beachy inspiration.

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Ferry crash in Spain strands 1,000

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Imagine spending 20 hours crammed onto a ferry with almost 1,000 strangers. This is exactly what happened this weekend when strong winds forced a ship going from Orán, Algeria to Alicante, Spain to crash into the dock. Those on board were able to get off, and the next wave climbed aboard … where they would wait for almost a full day.

On Saturday night – after boarding Friday night – some of the passengers were permitted to step off the boat for a while, before trying again. Only around 40 people did so. Traffic in the other direction was a nightmare, though. Close to 120 cars showed up for the Saturday night ferry, only to find it canceled.

Given that this was a ferry, there were no reports of time being passed via shuffle board and low-rent lounge acts. There did not appear to be a buffet, and if there was a Captain’s table, it probably had folding legs.

It looks like the Alicante-Orán service could be working again on Monday.

Two more injured at running of the bulls

by Sean McLachlan on

I have a personal motto: “Experience is the best teacher. Other people’s experience is the second best.”

I think the folks in Pamplona need to learn this.

Just two days after a man was gored to death at the famous running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, two more people were injured in the same manner. The two men, both Spanish, were seriously hurt at another running of the bulls, which takes place daily at the annual Festival of San Fermín. The run was well attended despite the earlier death. One man was gored in the neck and trampled. The other was impaled in the chest and tossed into the air several times.

The Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported the two men were both Spanish, aged 44 and 53. The paper has a website with video and photos of the festival.

Drunk British tourist hands out $83,000 at Mallorca airport

by Scott Carmichael on

Usually when a Gadling article mentions “drunk tourist”, it’s about some kind of trouble an inebriated group of tourists managed to get themselves into. We’ve seen tourists that tried to open the aircraft door mid-flight, or a group of tourists that forced a plane to divert due to their behavior.

But this article is different – this drunk tourist left a bathroom stall at Mallorca airport and started handing out massive amounts of money. In total, he handed out GBP52,000 ($83,000).

Apparently the money was left to this idiot through an inheritance, and the combination of booze and downright stupidity made quite a few strangers at the airport a bit richer.

There is one snag in their happiness though – only GBP2000 of the money was in cash, the rest had been put on travelers cheques (yeah, these were British cheques), which means they won’t be able to cash them, as they can only be used by the person who purchased them, as they need to sign them.

Local police arrested the benefactor, who was described as “smelly” and “looking like a tramp”, and after verifying through the British Consulate that the funds were legitimate, they let him go. Once sobered up, I’m sure he will be quite happy that he chose travelers cheques instead of cash for his transaction.

Click the images to read more stories of booze gone bad in the skies

Man gored to death in Pamplona’s running of the bulls

by Sean McLachlan on

A man was gored to death today at the famous running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. It is the first such death since 2003.

The victim, reported by Spanish media to be a Spanish national named Daniel Jimeno Romero, 27, was killed when a brown bull named Capuchino broke away from the main group and attacked a crowd of runners. Three other runners were injured.

The running of the bulls is part of the week-long Festival of San Fermín. Crowds of people traditionally dressed all in white and wearing red kerchiefs run through the streets toward the bullfighting ring, being chased by a herd of bulls. Later in the day matadors fight and kills the animals.

As seen in this video, the man was knocked to the ground before being gored in the neck. He was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery but died of his injuries. This longer video shows the entire run as well as the fatal incident.

The festival was made famous by Ernest Hemingway in his book The Sun also Rises and attracts thousands of runners a year, many of them foreign tourists. It remains a controversial and dangerous event. Since the running of the bulls started in 1922, fifteen people have been killed, including one American, and hundreds injured.

We here at Gadling extend our sympathies to Señor Romero and his family and want to remind our readers to think twice before engaging in risky activity while on holiday.

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