Tonga Ca'n Picafort

... Mallorca was the first place we’ve been where it hasn’t rained while we’ve been touring although, we only missed the storm by a couple of hours – by nine o’clock it was wild and the sea was quite rough although in a ship this size, it doesn’t move around that much.

Pictures will have to follow after I unload the camera

More when we hit Tunis on Suzanne’s birthday.

We arrived in Cala de Calobra around 5:30. We anchored in the small bay and took a tender to shore. The little village has a small pier along one side of a steep hill and the village is crowded on the hillside raising between two much larger and steeper hills. The whole thing looks like some Hollywood set because of its idyllic setting on the small bay. There are several bars and restaurants where we got drinks and ate an early dinner.

We left Ciutadella around 8 AM to cross back over to Mallorco and into the Bahai de Pollença. It is a deep cut and large protected bay on the northwest corner of the island. We anchored out in the bay, away from other boats and the crew setup everything for watersports. Since everyone was more spread out and busy with different ...

Just south of the town of Portocristo are the Cuevas del Drach, which are really four caves all connected to each other. This cave however has a large lake in it, called Martel Lake. It's large enough to ride a boat in and to see all the stalactites hanging from the ceiling. It’s a beautiful place ...

... waded around in the surf or fell back to sleep on the beach. It was good to get rehydrated after all the alcohol and dancing from last night. It was a nice relaxing afternoon with a beautiful beach view with several other yachts in the bay and a parade of nude or topless people walking by.

One of the girls met a guy on the beach. They spent a few hours chatting and getting to know each other. It was ...

I take a bus to the other side of Palma where there are some small, pretty beaches. Finding them is a little tricky but they are pretty, for city beaches and have a much more Spanish orientation. Some really nice beaches are supposed to be available but I lack the time to work them in (it is large island with slow transit).

My roommate and I go out for the night in Palm central. We walk around and find a little place on a side street ...

... afternoon at the beach back in Playa de Palma. It is so nice to have warm weather with sun. Quite a contrast from Scandinavia. This is an area full of German tourists. Mostly Spring break atmosphere. Apparently it is dominated by package deals. I have seen very few other nationalities here. As an indication, at the airport, Air Berlin dominated the airlines (even though this is Spain it is not Iberia or SpanAir).

... has 4 beds). He is from Madrid but speaks English well. A good chance for me to work on my Spanish. He is 24, in Mallorca for a week to get away from it all. A very nice guy. He had met a woman from Slovakia which keeps him busy during much of my stay.

Dialects of Spanish make it much harder for a novice. I learned Playa for beach in Spanish while in Mallorca it is Platja. Even names of places Mallorca vs Majorca, Ibiza vs Eivissa. This part of Spain speaks Catalan, a ...

... bad at all!
And in the evening we all went out for a big dinner, before my sister and her friend set off to Germany the next morning already.

So I spend a lovely time with my parents, sleeping in in the mornings, having a big breakfast, spending the afternoon at the beach, enjoying the sun and the breeze, having yummy spanish food for dinner! Just perfect to relax!

Also I ...

I've been enjoying my unemployment to the fullest, and Porto Petro is definitely a good place to enjoy it in. The sky is perfectly cloudless and although it is quite hot, the soothing sea breeze gives you some relief to the heat. The sea is clearer than a few weeks ago when we arrived, and I don't know if it's me, but it seems bluer. Warmer sea currents have come into the shores so now the water is beyond flawless. And that is the ...