Mallorca!

Subtitle:
"Planes, Trains,and Automobiles...and buses and tractors?!"

The 18 months we lived in Alabama, Twinz and Mom got very used to going down to the beach every chance we got. Our first summer break here in Germany was kind of lonely and boring, therefore, it wasn't long before Kay and Cole were asking " SO, when are we going to the beach?" Good question...

The possibilities were endless, and a bit daunting for me, so I put it off WAY too long until pretty soon - it was time for school to start. My children were NOT happy with me and I was disappointed in myself - SO, called the travel agency to see what was available. We had many exotic choices, but in the end - I decided on Mallorca. One of the Balearic Islands, in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Spain.

We had an AMAZING time, full of many firsts, and to date is the biggest adventure the 3 of us have ever had together.

Our trip started with a very early morning train trip from Pegnitz to Nurnberg ( 1st train trip!). Then it was on to the subway (Ubahn) in Nurnberg to get to the airport (Flughafen). ( 1st subway trip!) And then a short Air Berlin flight to Palma , the Capital city of Mallorca.

Steven has always said ' If we can ever move the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico - THAT is where we will retire'... Well, Baby - I found it! That IS Mallorca...

I was very surprised at the landscape. For the most part, the interior of the Island looks just like New Mexico. I found myself thinking about the Spanish explorers who set out to find the new and exotic world and to prove the world was round. I wonder, really, if any of them thought they had just gotten lost and gone in a circle? I was blown away by how much this Island of Spain looked just like the Southern United States and Mexico...

So, outside Palma, you have flat farmland, full of livestock, scrub, and barrio towns, surrounded by mountains, and then edged in tropical paradise...

The other surpise for me was the German influence. There are 3 languages spoken in Mallorca - Mallorqui ( like a Catalan Spanish), English, and German. Mostly? I just heard German - in the airport, in the buses, the shops, signs on the road, and even my favorite German store was there - Mueller's. Steven insists I share my "language experience" here and I might as well- at the end.

Anyway, Our bus ride was twice as long as our flight over , but SO worth the wait! Our hotel was situated on the sand in a cove called a "Cala". It was called Cala Romantica and it was breathtaking! Now, the main body of the hotel was right on the beach, but the rest of the small guest villas were situated from the beach up to the hill. Naturally - ours was at the top! It was kind of neat, though - there was, literally, a large farm tractor that transported us up the hill when we needed it ( Another first!). Our view of the Mediterranean was well worth it!

We spent the whole week just swimming in one of the 3 different pools, lying in the sun, eating too much (all inclusive) of the local foods, resting, enjoying the scenery, playing - the hotel had 3 playgrounds, shuffleboard, mini-golf, archery, a Kids club! - and hanging out at the beach...

For the first time, the kids got to go snorkeling and body boarding. They got to have fresh pineapple and coconuts from a guy with a wheelbarrow on the beach.(Colby and Kailey both have ALWAYS wanted to drink coconut milk from a coconut - Colby liked it, Kailey, not so much...). They also got to see a lot more nudity than they are used to. I had warned Colby about the topless women and mostly - he didn't even notice. However, neither Kailey nor I, were prepared for the rather large German men to take their Speedos off right there in the open and put on pants...

The Cala was unlike anything I have ever seen - from the beach out to the open Sea - it never got deeper than my chin, except for when a wave came in, which was rare. The water? Oh, my! SO clear you could see my nail polish from 4ft. + up - NO fish, NO seaweed,NO shells, No debris...Sometimes the sand would kick up when you walked, but would quickly settle down. I normally don't like to swim in the ocean, but we never wanted to get out.
It was very easy to see why the pirates loved these Cala's - one of the best parts for Pirate-loving us was the fact that the REAL Pirate CPT Barbossa called Mallorca "home" back in his day!

Unfortunately, the days passed all too quickly in paradise and it was time to go home. Of course, in order to GET home we had to go thru check-out ( at 0400) and then repeat the bus, plane, subway,train, and automobile routine...

Some of our more memorable highlights from the trip:

The gecko. And I don't mean that tiny little green one with the precious Aussie accent that works for Geico either. I'm talking, palm-sized, brown -striped, UGLY , climbs all over, local species that was our roommate all week. He would not leave - we would not sleep for fear of waking up with him on top of us. I don't *think* he came home with us, but just so we'd never forget - we bought a local handmade pottery one...

The food. Colby ate about 20 beef empanadas one night - he just couldn't help himself. Kailey and I were addicted to the local olives, cheese and fruit. I tried a local tuna one night, but then left the seafood alone after that - all of the dishes had a card on them in the 3 languages - on one fish dish it said "NOT a poison fish". That led me to believe that if there needed to be an identifier on THAT fish - better leave the others alone...

Marine biology. Not the ocean life kind, but rather the kind that takes place between a human male and female standing up having full-out relations in the 5 ft of water, RIGHT where myself and the 8 yr olds happen to be snorkeling...

Gerardo - the flirtatious bartender who called me "Senorita" every evening,kept the kids high on sugary concoctions with fruit, and made me his 'Colada Especials' ( I don't ever want to know what those shots were really made of...). Thanks for boosting my ego from the geographically- single Mom!

My new favorite language - Steven insists that I share my experience in conversing with the locals. So, here it is verbatim from the email I sent him:

"Baby? FYI - "Spanglishman" = language, not noun. Span (ish) + (En)glish + (Ger)man It's complicated... For example:

Juan Carlos - Buenos Dias, Frau Griffin!

Myself - Buenos Dias! Como esta?

JC - Ser Gut, Danke. Going swimming today?

Myself - Ja! Unless die wasser is muy frio

JC -( laughing at me, again....) Si, si! Do you need anything ?

Me - No, ser gut. Gracias..

JC - OK, Adios!

Me - Tschuss!


I actually much prefer it - communication was much easier with the staff ( who all speak it) than the Germans..."