I'm sorry I haven't been keeping my blog up-to-date in the recent weeks. I have been so busy and a lot has happened since I last wrote.
On Friday, April 16, Mimi and I woke up early for our flight to Mallorca where we met Patterson. Mallorca is part of the Balearic Islands (Menorca, Mallorca, & Ibiza) off the east cost of Spain. For all of you tennis fans, Mallorca is where Rafael Nadal is from. Because the islands are so close to Barcelona (only a 20 minute flight), they are often referred to as the Catalan Islands (Catalonia is the region that Barcelona is part of). So, it would make sense that all of Barcelona would go totally nuts over Rafa Nadal. Well that's far from the truth! Apparently, Nadal is a Real Madrid fan and for this reason, he does NOT have the support of Catalonia. Anyways, that's beside the point...just a little fact to share with you.
We arrived in Palma de Mallorca just before noon after a quick and calm flight. Patterson had already arrived and we were all anxious to get to the beach as soon as possible. We checked into our hostel, walked a ways to the beach, and settled on a beautiful beach called Illettes with a delicious restaurant on the beach. Everything about the first day was absolutely perfect: the food was delicious (and very American, something we're always looking for!), the weather was perfect, and I was with two of my best friends. After a long afternoon on the beach, we relaxed for a while before heading to dinner at a local British-run restaurant called Port Cafe.
On day two, we returned to the beach for another wonderful day. The weather was a bit cloudier than the first day, but we were still able to get nice patches of sunlight and another tasty meal from the beach club. Perhaps my favorite part of the day was the early evening, when the three of us bought a couple of bottles of wine and just talked for hours on the beach. It was truly a perfect moment and I will never forget those few hours! As we were sipping wine and chatting, the time got away from us and before we knew it it was past 10:00. We're so Spanish now! We headed to a local pizza restaurant where we indulged in a giant pizza (no crumb remained at the end) and some burnt but good nachos. The three of us went to bed relatively early that night as we prepared for an early wake-up call for our flights home.
And the drama begins...We got to the airport and I went to the Vueling ticking counter to get my boarding card. When I asked for it, the lady looked at me like I was absolutely crazy! Little did we know, the Barcelona airport had become the next victim of the volcano in Iceland and had closed. Amazingly, Patterson got out before the Mallorca airport closed and made it home with no problems. Mimi and I, on the other hand, weren't so lucky. We were 2 twenty-one year olds that had no idea what to do! Every counter we went to at the airport sent us in a different direction and we felt so hopeless.
Mimi and I finally found a tourist counter that gave us information on a boat that was leaving at 11:30 that night. Knowing that many tourists would be anxious to get back to the mainland, we left right away and headed to the other side of town where the port was. Little did we know, our day was just beginning! We got to the port and saw no sign of activity. All of the ticket desks were closed and no one knew what was going on. It was at this point that I stopped being a "mature adult" and broke down and called my dad. As if he could really help me at 4:30 am in Charlotte...but hey, that's what dads are for, right?
We walked outside to regroup (and keep complaining about our horrible situation) when a random Spanish lady approached me. Amazingly, she wanted to help me out and pointed us in the direction we needed to go in order to purchase boat tickets. When we got to the ticket booth, the line looked pretty short and we were sure we'd be out in no time. Wrong. We ended up waiting for 3 hours, getting more and more frustrated as people kept on cutting in line and no one really knew if any tickets remained. When we finally got to the front of the line, we learned that the next available boat wasn't leaving until 2 pm the next day. At this point, we were willing to take and pay for anything...we just wanted to get home! So, $134 and 3 hours later, I had a boat ticket for Monday back to Barcelona!
All smiles after getting our tickets!
Mimi and I headed back to our hostel for a third night, walked around the town a little more, and had a wonderful dinner at the Jamrock Cafe. Exhausted, we went to bed early and woke up anxious to get home. When we arrived back at the port, we again stood in a long line and eventually got our official boarding cards. It wasn't until we talked with the helped that we learned the boat was running THREE hours late. On any normal day, this would have been fine. But with 3 exams in the upcoming week, I had another melt down. My poor dad got another call from me...thanks dad. I love you!
Back to Mallorca
Mimi and I joined the hundreds of other refugees in the lawn in front of the port and soaked up the rays for three more hours. Finally, at around 6:00, we boarded out CRUISE SHIP. Little did we know, we paid $134 for a good reason...we would end up spending the next 8 hours living in luxury! We had our own private room, beds, and bathroom. There were restaurants, bars, shopping, pools, and beautiful views. It certainly was the fastest 8 hour trip I've ever had. We finally arrived in Barcelona at 1:30 and made it back to our apartment at 2:00 am.
This week, I took three exams and wrote a final research paper. It is now Saturday afternoon and I have two more exams to take on Tuesday. I spent the afternoon studying (and laying out!) on the beach as it was a beautiful day in Barcelona. While I am ready to have my exams over with, I wish time would freeze so I could enjoy Barcelona a little bit longer. I am set to go home on Thursday :(. I have to go now...I am tearing up just thinking about leaving this perfect place.
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