Blogs from Balearic Islands, Spain, Europe - page 11

‘Barcelona Such a beautiful horizon Barcelona Like a jewel in the sun’ Freddie Mercury got it right; though the written words do not have the famous “Barrrrrrrcelonaaaaaaaa” accompaniment. Landing in Barcelona and experiencing the heat, the sun, the blue sky, and the skyline is truly spectacular. I had a few memories from my previous trip to Barcelona in 1990 but I had many more from watching the 1992 Olympics. You could never tire of looking at the Barcelona horizon and if anything sums it up it was the Diving competition from those Olympics where the competitors seemingly floated over the city as they completed their dives; no indoor pool will ever beat that atmosphere. We spent a great deal of time high up in the Montjuïc area, which looks out over the harbour and gives the ... read more

Geo: 38.9129, 1.4423To get to Ibiza we had joined Silver Sea's Silver Spirit in Barcelona and sailed overnight. We joined the ship the previous day in time for lunch (of course- because the food is very good!). The Sail away party was at 6pm followed by drinks in the bar and then dinner. We met lots of people on this first night so good socialising.I was expecting Ibiza to be a bit like Torremolinos so didn't have high hopes. However the ship docked at Eivissa, an old port and marina and we were pleasantly surprised. From the dock we were bussed nearer to the town and then walked up the steep streets with many steps and passageways to the Dalt Vila or old town, which is very pretty and lined by little shops and nice looking ... read more

So its now July and we’ve been working away for over a month now. It’s a hard graft as we knew it would be, but we both work roughly the same hours which means we get to see each other, and we get on really well with the people we work with (well that is in our opinion we think we do lol). We’re also enjoying our little flat, its great getting home at night and being able to sit out on the balcony with a beer and some food. A few nights ago we also rescued a little chick from greg’s work. I can’t even describe the look on my face when greg walked in with a tiny bird tucked up inside the sleeve of a cardboard cd cover. The poor little thing had fallen ... read more

Menorca- Mayonnaise was invented in Menorca and a traditional cheese made on the island (fromage de Mao) is named after the city. It has more beaches than Mallorca and Ibiza combined. It has had an adventurous history based on it's position in the middle of the Mediterannean. Mahon has the second deepest natural harbour in the world: 5 km long and up to 900 metres wide. The water is deep but it remains mostly clear due to it being slightly enclosed. We visited a small working town in the middle of the island- Es Mercadal, a rural, working town with a working windmill, but also a pretty upmarket and cheap holiday destination. The ferry from Alcudia to Ciutedella takes about one and a half hours. Ciutedella is a great place to visit with it's Moorish buildings ... read more

We regretfully had to check out of El Vistamar this morning. After one final breakfast, one final session of “stuffing of stolen treats into Rach’s handbag”, and one more demolition on the pool table, we left our Majorca paradise and waved goodbye to Tomeu’s. Armed with a Google search of Majorca’s best beaches, we proceeded to visit S’Amarador Beach, a quiet little beach paradise hidden amongst a national park. I emphasise HIDDEN…we couldn’t find the bloody thing. Sue the stupid GPS was barking instructions to head down streets that didn’t exist and we ending up on bloody goat tracks that our little Toyota buzz bomb was never equipped to drive down. To say we were lost was an understatement as we almost drove into a drug lords beach side mansion (let’s go with that anyway). After ... read more