The summer holidays have started. The school bags have been shoved in the back of a cupboard and school shoes have gone the same way. Ahead lay countless days of freedom, play and sunshine.
Suitcases packed we headed off on holiday.
Black squadrons of clouds were beginning to spatter us as we waited to board our flight to Palma from Bournemouth airport. " Hurry up" we kept saying to the passengers making their way slowly up the steps. Fortunately, we didn't get too wet and were soon flying above the clouds on our way to our new home for a week on the beautiful Balearic island of Mallorca.
It's always a real 'wow' moment for me when I see the view. And the large pool and alfresco "chill-out" zone is paradise.
Our happy place.
Grandad's quiet corner
The children did venture out to the Kids Club most days and had a great time. A tennis lesson, followed by Hamster Ball, then Arts and Crafts. I loved watching them in the Hamster Ball and by the end of the week they were quite good.
whilst Jamie was at the gym.....
and Mummys doing their own pilates, yoga class...
There is a fabulous terrace area where we dined and enjoyed the view and played Spot the Station for three nights in a row.
The space station looks like an aeroplane or a very bright star moving across the sky, except it doesn't have flashing lights or change direction and because of clear nights and lack of pollution Mallorca is a wonderful place for star gazers. The ISS,(because of its size 110m x 100m x 30m), reflects a large amount of sunlight, making it easy to spot with the naked eye. The ISS orbits the Earth at 17,500 miles/hour and at an altitude of roughly 200 miles over the Earth's surface. So exciting to spot.
From mid-July through August, it's high season for stargazers. The Spaniards call it "Lagrimas de San Lorenzo". - the tears of St. Lawrence : hundreds of falling stars shoot across the sky every
night. According to the legend, about 1,750 years ago Lawrence was treasurer of the Catholic Church in Rome. When Emperor Valerian, who persecuted Christians, eventually asked him to release the church treasures, Lawrence distributed all the gold among the poor of the city. As punishment, he was tortured to death on a hot iron grid. And it's said that the annual midsummer shooting stars represent the tears he shed.
We saw lots of shooting stars.
Our children very kindly treated us to dinner one night in Port d'Andratx. A wonderful fishing village that also manages to be one of Mallorca's classiest resorts. It also has a working fishing industry that supplies (amongst others), the port's restaurants.
The village itself is very small set at the bottom of a funnel-shaped valley. The harbour is one of the prettiest in Mallorca and a table at one of the many excellent waterside restaurants is really the perfect place to watch the sunset. We also had the grandchildren with us and it was very easy to have a look at their menus before deciding which one suited us best. Being a fishing village seafood is the main offering in town, with menus full of delicious Mediterranean recipes showcasing fresh fish and shellfish caught in the nearby waters. Of course, we chose fish and it was excellent.
And one of the best ice-cream shops in the world is located opposite the restaurants. Gelateria Capri.
The weather was fabulous. Beach weather everyday, even in the evenings its warm enough to go and take a dip.
I love Mallorca, especially when its raining in the UK, and yes it was raining when we landed back at Bournemouth airport.
Summer holiday trips are a wonderful time for the whole family to relax and enjoy themselves without the distractions and fatigue that work and school create.
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