3 Days in Mallorca

Hola compadres,

I have just returned from a much needed rest-cation in beautiful Mallorca. It's a lovely Spanish island (with several different spellings which are still unclear to me) off the coast near Valencia and Barcelona. We (my homestay roommate/dear pal Lauren, and I) ultimately decided on it after browsing SkyScanner's "explore option" for cheap flights. We were between that and Toulouse, France, a charming fairytale-ish small city. I'm down for all types of travel. I love to explore new foreign cities, see their must-see sights, eat their must-try foods, climb to the top of city hall or cathedral or rooftop bar and see the entire city from above--but this trip was a proper vacation. I mean that there was no itinerary. It was all about resting and recharging. I'm talking little-to-no wifi, nothing-to-do-but-lay-on-the-beach-snack-and-play-cards, sleepy-beach-town-goodness. The flight ended up being around $60 round trip, with the Air Bnb around $43 per person for two nights. Not too shabby.

It was Lauren and I and three other pals. We landed in Palma, and after a bit of fumbling around looking for how best to get to Colònia de Sant Jordi where our Air Bnb was, we boarded a bus and took the hour and a half long journey. We first dropped our stuff off at the Air Bnb, changed, and headed straight to the beach, which was a mere five minute walk. We only had three days, and as soon as I stepped foot in the water, I instantly wished we had booked it for longer.

This has been my third insanely beautiful Spanish island visit (Ibiza and Formentera last year) and it was every bit as wonderful as the first two. The water is so insanely blue and clear and CALM. Unlike the water at the Delaware beaches where you can wade in shin-deep and still not be able to see your feet, the Spanish water was like a clean, calm pool. I swam farther out than I ever had in the ocean, without fear of a crab or jellyfish or shark or sea monster grabbing me and pulling me into the deep murky seas. Nor was I afraid of a wave pummeling me during my indecisive struggle to either dive under it or head towards the shore. There were no waves. Maybe surfers would not enjoy this type of water, but for me it was paradise. Eventhough I worked at the Delaware beaches for a summer, this trip made me feel like a proper beach-person. I found myself not wanting to leave, and part of me wondered how I could define myself as a city gal, when the life the people have there is so peaceful, beach-ful, and blissful.

The last day we explored the city of Palma a bit, checking out the architecture and the royal palace, as well as a tapas place and a cafe. The city is quite cool and still right on the shore, but I was glad our Air Bnb was in a sleepier part of the island.

When we weren't at the beach, we were eating snacks, drinking wine, and playing card games. Unfortunately for my pals, I am a former camp counselor and take my card games extremely seriously. There's a partner card game called KEMPS, which Lauren and I naturally dominated at continuously and then bragged about throughout the trip. It's honestly a surprise anyone can stand to be in the same room as us. But in my opinion, if there's a time and a place to release your psychotically competitive side, it's a vacation with people you met only a few weeks ago.

Love always,

Dana