Mallorca: Paradise on Earth

I have found my future home, and it comes in the form of a beach paradise. The second I stepped off the plane I felt a wave of relaxation, that was only intensified throughout a long weekend of sunbathing and strolls on the beach. I know, tough life right?
This is really hard to write an account of such a peaceful weekend with protestors blowing whistles and screaming incessantly outside of my window, but I will try. Okay no, I can't do it, this is too stressful. I don't know what the heck they are protesting about, but they are yelling at the building to my left, and waving Catalan flags and HOLY CRAP put your whistles down!!! Okay I'm going crazy, I'll be back after class, hopefully they have run out of breath by then....
Okay, well it is two days later that I just came back to my blog, and what do you know? Another group of protestors. Oh well, I am blasting Beatles in my room to tune them out.
Back to the trip! We flew into Palma de Mallorca at 7am on Friday morning, after a short, 25 minute flight!

Getting ready for a beach vacation!...at 6am

We got to watch the sunrise over the sea as we flew over the fields and cliffs of the island.

Although we arrived super early, we caught a bus to our hotel and they let us check-in right away. It was called Hi! Lancaster Hotel, and was just 3 blocks from the beautiful beach pictured above. As soon as we entered the hotel, it seemed as though we had taken a wrong turn and found ourselves in a German retirement home. I am not exaggerating when I say that Palma de Mallorca, the Western side of the island, is like a "Little Germany" filled with senior citizens. I really don't know why it is such a popular vacation spot for Germans above all, but the entire tourism industry is catered to them. Restaurants serving Bratwurst on the beach, all ads and signs in German, waiters and shopkeepers approaching you on the street shouting in German. In fact, every time we needed to talk to someone, they would start in German, and I would say "English or Spanish?" and 90% of the time they didn't speak either language. Also, the entire time I didn't see a single person under 65 years, or what people would consider healthy body weight, or people who have been introduced to the concept of sunscreen. Just picture bright-red German-speaking oompa-loompas with canes. And in spite of this, it was one of the best vacations I have been on! I mean, I had great company with me already, and at least the older people weren't noisy and rambunctious (except for when Rachel and I came back to the hotel at 10pm to see a salon full of drunk retirees in a conga line to another singing karaoke on the stage!), and you'll get tourists anywhere you go, so this is no different. It just seems to be a shock when you get off the plane and have to ask yourself "I AM in Spain...aren't I?"
Here are some pictures from the hotel:

Right outside the hotel, 3 blocks to the water

Naturally, we immediately headed to the beach after checking in:

Crystal blue water :)

We came back tot he hotel at dinner time, and got our all-inclusive dinner, buffet-style. Nothing special, but they did have LOTS of fruit, including fresh pineapple, kiwis and oranges, so I was a happy camper.
The next day we headed out to explore the city of Palma. It was very cute, right on the harbor, very old with remnants of it's historical past in every direction. We just wandered all around, stopped for a few coffees, went to a market, and generally rambled about in the sunshine. Here are some photos:

An example of the people we encountered. They were so pushy, I was first in line for the bus and these ladies kept elbowing me, so I just stood back to wait.

Painted buildings in Palma

Gardens outside the cathedral

Walking underneath these flowers smelled like heaven!

Rachel!

A mime organizing his props in an alleyway.

Sweet outdoor cafe

That night we came back to the neighborhood by the hotel, right as the sun was going down.

The next day, we had a flight for 5pm, so we slept in a bit, and then headed out to spend our last day asleep on the beach.

The water was actually really pleasant, and you could walk out really far and still just be up to your waist. I took intervals of lying on my back in the sea, letting the waves roll beneath me, and lying out on the sand, reading magazines and listening to music. It was the most relaxed I have felt in a long time.
At lunch time, we went to a cafe on the waterfront, and Rachel got a milkshake which was just so picture-perfect, I had to capture it :)

After that it was time to catch the bus back to the airport. We got back to Barcelona in the late afternoon, with time to get ready for the week and settle in without having to rush around.

See you again soon, Mallorca!

A beautiful but terrifying view straight down from a sharp turn in the sky

On future news: MOLLY WILL BE IN BARCELONA IN 3 DAYS!! I cannot wait for her to get here, I can't believe how quickly that came, but now I'm just counting down the days! She will be here for a full week, and I am so excited to show her all around and take her to my favorite places! Since Mallorca was so amazing, I have booked a trip for us to spend 3 days there next week, on the North side of the island which has less tourists, undisturbed beaches, and beautiful nature. We rented an apartment on the beach, so I am very excited to be returning in just a few days. After that, the day after she leaves for the U.S., I am leaving for Italy for the second half of my Spring Break, for 7 days. My friend Alyssa and I bought InterRail passes, so we are taking Italy on by train, and spending 2 nights in Venice, 2 in Florence, and 2 in Rome!
Then, after that, 3 days later EMILY AND VICTOR are going to be in Barcelona!!! I am so excited for everything to come, I just hope it doesn't go by too quickly!!
I hope you are all doing well!
Os envio un abrazo desde España a California!
Meghan

Spring Has Sprung

Highs in the 80's, Barcelona has never looked better. The trees that peak over my balcony are covered in new blossoms, and the streets are filled with people soaking up the sun. Yesterday was so much fun. Joanna and I took her 4 friends who are visiting from other study abroad trips around Europe to the Barcelonetta beach. On the way walking to the sand, we passed a line of cafes, and from behind, I noticed someone familiar. It was my favorite female singer in the world--Adele!! I could tell it was her from behind, I play her music videos on YouTube all the time when I am hanging around my room, and recognized her red pony-tail and giant sunglasses. My stomach dropped, and Joanna and I frantically tried to decide if we should go over to her to say something or not. She kept walking down the lane of cafes, and time was running out if we wanted to catch her. So we sprinted across the street and politely said to her "Hello, Adele?", while trying to catch my breath. She said "Hello!", and I said "I am a huge fan, do you think I could get your autograph?" She was very nice and said "Yes, of course", but I am sure she was a little off-put by 5 overly-excited girls mobbing her when she was about to sit for lunch. I scrambled for anything for her to sign, and one of Joanna's friends had a piece of paper. She asked me what my name was, and wrote "To Megan, (heart) Adele", she spelled my name wrong, but I wasn't about to correct Adele....
She told us that she was performing at Bikini that night, but later when I looked online I saw the tickets were 35 euro...out of my price range. We got our picture with her too, and then said goodbye. Anyways, it was the first time I met someone famous, and not just any celebrity, but one of my idols! I have been following her career for years, and she is from England, and in the last year or so, she has become HUGE in the United States. Well, we said thank you, and giddily jumped and hopped all the way to the sand, continually shouting "Oh my GOD we just met ADELE!!!"
We laid out on the beach for a while, while I read a copy of Spanish ELLE magazine I found in the closet at my apartment. After about 30 minutes we got a call from my friend, Tamar, saying they got a volleyball court just a little ways down the beach. We all went to meet them, and ended up playing a pick-up game for about 2 or 3 hours. It was so much fun, and we met a lot of funny people who would pass by and want to join our game for a little while. After we finished at the beach around 5:30, we walked up La Rambla and stopped at La Boqueria for some fresh fruit. I bought 2 kilos of plums, red and yellow, a kilo of strawberries, and 2 kilos of red apples, and it all costed 4 euros! The fruit there is amazing too! If only I didn't have to pass through mobs of tourists to shop there...
When I got home, I scared myself looking in the mirror when I saw that my whole body was beet red! I seriously looked like a lobster from being in the sun all day without sunscreen. We went out last night for dinner at a tapas restaurant in Gracia, and came home after a lovely night. This morning, hoping to see a tanned version of yesterday in my refection, was disappointed to see that the redness had not only intensified, but had been accompanied by puffiness. Needless to say, it is 5 o'clock and I have not yet left my apartment. I am saving Barcelona from the horrifying sight. I will wait until night fall, and then am going out to dinner with some friends...just got to make sure to stay in the shadows!
Next weekend, Rachel and I are taking a trip that I have been dying to take and thought I would have to miss out on---MALLORCA!! It is the largest of the Baleric Islands, and a paradise in every way. While looking up hostels, I discovered that regular hotels are actually much cheaper than the multi-bed hostels we have grown accustomed to. So, I gladly booked us a room at the 4-star hotel on the beach, with THREE pools, 100 feet from the beach, with breakfast AND dinner included, for just 20 euro a night! I am so excited to spend a weekend laying on the beach or poolside with a good book, my ipod, and some of the most beautiful views Spain has to offer. Then, in just two weeks from today, Molly is coming to Barcelona!!!! I am so excited, she will be here for a whole week! The day she leaves, I head out to Italy for a week, and 3 days after I return, Emily and Victor are here!! Then, the weekend after they leave, I am going to Portugal for three days! I am so excited for everything coming up, I just hope it doesn't go by too quickly!
I hope you are all doing well, and I will write again after I get home from my island vacation!!!