Our family vacation this year (including Auntie Ulli, who rented the house for all of us - a big THANK YOU to you) took us to the island of Mallorca. As popular as the island is with German tourists, we had never been there. We had a wonderful time! The finca we stayed at was only a 10 min walk from the city center of Alcudia, a 10min drive from a kid-friendly beach (shallow water, no big waves), yet totally secluded. We loved that place! Lots of space (a big house with 3 bedrooms and a little house with one bedroom), a big pool, a vegetable garden, fruit trees and chickens, ducks, cats and a horse in the adjoining pastures. The biggest hit with the kids was of course the pool. We were very happy that it was not an in-ground pool, at 5 feet deep and with two non-swimmers that would have caused me some sleepless nights. But as it was, there was only one ramp leading up to the pool and we were extra careful to always know where both kids were at all times. Finn and Lily were also pretty understanding and good at following our safety rules, so we all thoroughly enjoyed having our own big pool.
Our vacation got off to a good start at the Munich airport, where the friendly Lufthansa guy let Finn and Lily check in their own bags. (On the flight back they wanted to go behind the counter to check in their bags again, and could not understand why the lady wouldn't let them, ha ha.)
We safely made it to Palma, met Ulli at the airport there, got in the car and drove across the island to our finca. Minutes after Toni, our landlord, had left, the kids were in their swim suits and ready to hop in the pool. When I unpacked some inflatable pool toys Finn exclaimed, "Wow, Mama, gracias!" He took to the island like a duck takes to water. :)
Inside the big house. Most days we stayed indoors for a siesta during the hottest hours of the day. Lily sometimes even napped, but mostly we played, read books or watched a movie.
Our "breakfast spot" right outside the kitchen door.
Sunrise as seen from the breakfast patio, around 8am.
The outdoor kitchen
Ready for a walk into town to buy some fresh fruit on the market.
Lots of things growing around the finca: pomegranates
oranges
olives.
Sometimes I even got to relax in the pool without two little kids splashing and jumping all over me.
Lily was always the first one up in the mornings. Most days I got up with her, made some coffee and watched the sun coming up over the mountains. Lily (still in her PJs) needed to make sure the chickens were okay first thing in the morning. One time, as Lily and Neil were watching, a cat actually stole a baby chick and ran off!
Early morning walk with daddy. The drive leading up to the house was lined with olive trees and date palm trees. The dates were not ripe yet, though.
Jane, I mean, Lily, looking for Tarzan in the jungle.
Ready to go in the pool again!
Time for supper! Neil quickly got the hang of barbequing with charcoal. Burgers, chicken, vegetables, Spanish sausages, you name it - he grilled it.
Play hard, rest easy.
In the next post I will post some pictures of the island we took. Stay tuned! Better go check on my too-quiet-kids upstairs. :)
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