A Busy Month!

January has been a busy month. I returned home after my little holiday in the mountains and spent the rest of the month working flat-out with only Sundays off. However, whilst working I did manage to include a trip to the Palma Aquarium ,

a tour of the Es Baluard Museum of Modern Art












and the Art Gallery at the Palau March in Palma,



and all in the first 2 weeks! Lucky me!









The third week in January is a special one in Palma as it sees the celebrations for San Sebastian, the Patron Saint of Palma. On the Tuesday there were live bands playing music on large stages set up in the main squares of the city centre and people wandering from one to the other or stopping at the barbecues to cook their steaks and sausages. All good fun, but for me the best night was the Saturday. A night of fire and a bit of madness that somehow manages to avoid being banned by health and safety officials. To put it in a nutshell, people parade through the streets dressed up as demons and set off fireworks on the end of sticks held in the air so that sparks fly everywhere. I also saw at least one fire eater and a man carrying a home-made flame-thrower (with a tank of petrol strapped to his back)! What larks! The night is finished off with a massive firework display set to music.

A great way to finish a great week which I had spent at the Club Robinson in Cala D'Or. Club Robinson is a chain of resorts, mostly used by Germans, with high quality facilities. I was fortunate enough to spend a week there helping a group of lovely people from Munich with their English. Lucky me again!









I was able to show them a few places that most people don't see when they come to Mallorca, such as a couple of rather nice beaches which are deserted at this time of year, so it wasn't all work for them,

The other exciting event was a little earthquake in the Bay of Palma just after 8 o'clock on the morning of the 30th January. It measured 3.0 on the Richter scale and worried more than a few people as they munched on their cornflakes. I felt the building of my apartment block shake a little and it was an unnerving experience. Mix all this together with a couple of really nice dives on my Sundays off and you have a recipe for an exciting and fantastic start to the year.

Happy New Year

The weather forecast I looked at on the internet said it would be sunny all day. As I drove over the mountains from Soller towards Pollensa yesterday morning I was not convinced. The clouds were low and dark and there were occasional drops of rain. The plan for the day was to almost complete the final stage of the GR221 long distance walk which runs from Port Andratx to Pollensa. I have been walking this route in stages with my friend Mark and his dog Miguel. When I arrived at our meeting point it was raining so we decided to go into Pollensa and look for a cafe and consider our options.

We decided to leave the high mountain route for another day as the weather was not so good. Instead, we headed out to the lighthouse at Cap Formentor,

having left Mark's vehicle in a carpark near the Formentor Hotel. By now the skies were clearing and the wind had strengthened, almost blowing us over as we got out of my car at the lighthouse. Neither of us had walked this path before and the signposts were not so good but we eventually made it back to Mark's vehicle, having seen some wonderful views along the way and without having any more rain.

A good start to the new year!

So this is Christmas......

I am staying in Soller over the festive season. A very nice couple wanted to go to England to visit family for the holidays but needed someone to look after their cat and I volunteered. It was a good decision. The cat is a dear old girl with failing eyesight and she keeps on bumping into things but otherwise she seems as fit as a fiddle. Apart from staying in a warm, modern apartment there are added benefits such as home made chilli con carne, mince pies and some chocolates. Add to this a view across the town to the mountains which would make a perfect jigsaw puzzle and you have the makings of a very comfortable couple of weeks.

Yesterday (yes, 25th December) the sun was shining for the first time in a few days so I took full advantage and went for a walk. Driving out of Soller in the direction of Lluc there is a mirador - viewpoint - with a carpark. The view looks out over the port of Soller and this is a good point to start a walk along the mountain paths in the direction of Cala Tuent. It isn't too hard a walk and the scenery is breathtaking with occasional glimpses of the sea between steep mountain slopes and terraces filled with old olive trees. The air was cool but the sun was warm, creating strong thermals for the Black Vultures circling above the highest peaks - I counted 16 of them at one point.

After the walk, making a mental note to return another day to explore some more, I returned to Soller to shower quickly before driving to Palma. My one acknowledgement to the passing of Christmas was to spend the evening with friends enjoying a traditionally English meal - huge quantities of turkey, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, peas, beans etc. etc. Many thanks to Annie for her hospitality.

Today the rain has returned but the weather forecast promises another opportunity to put on my boots tomorrow. I will keep my fingers crossed.

/http://bvcf.joopbox.com/eng/index.php
http://twocrumbliesandacat.blogspot.com/

Its been a good year for diving. I have now completed my PADI Divemaster course and Wreck Diver Speciality course as well as notching up over 100 dives. This shot was taken whilst completing a standard safety stop after a dive to the wrecks just outside Palma horbour. Thanks to Ingo for taking the pictura nd to Marc for sharing. Should you be tempted to give diving on Mallorca a try (and obiously I can recommend it) then give Marc a shout - take a look at his website at http://www.tauchenaufmallorca.com/english/index.htm

Views across from Cabo Ses Salines to Cabrera as autumn storms pass by. In fact they didn't all pass by exactly, one waterspout was forming right next to us and passed over our heads before it had time to develop, thankfully.