I was especially excited for our first stop on our European tour. Not only was I meeting Alex’s brother and family for the first time, but staying with them on an infamously beautiful island in the Mediterranean! We had a smooth flight with a layover in Amsterdam and arrived in Palma de Mallorca on a beautiful, albeit brutally hot day. When we arrived at their apartment, I got my first beautiful vista from their patio. A sprawling view of the harbor and the city. Both the city and the island were way larger than I was expecting. I couldn’t wait to explore! That night we went out to a restaurant near their apartment, a small joint literally on the beach. Beach meals and beautiful views – something I could get used to.
The 10 days we spent there went by so quickly and we packed so much in. It’s hard to even wrap my head around it! We joked that Alex’s brother Markus was our tour guide offering several “packages” for us to choose from. On our first full day in Mallorca, we chose the hiking package!
Hiking Package
Our first 7 days on the island were met with a pretty intense heat wave. We quickly and gladly adjusted to the afternoon siesta schedule. On the morning of our hike, Alex, Markus, and I left the house relatively early in an attempt to finish before the worst of the heat arrived. It was about a 30 minute drive to the start of the hike on the NW part of the island. We began with a gradual ascent, winding through groves of beautiful olive trees with huge gnarled trunks. As we continued up, we got our first view of the Bay of Sóller. I’m a sucker for a nice ocean vista. About halfway through the hike, we stopped at a little cafe for coffees and Cokes. I think this is one of my favorite things about European hiking – there is always a spot to grab a drink not too far away! As Alex would call it, a “cultural experience.” We made our way back, enjoying more panoramic views, and the boys ended the hike with a dip in the bay.
Boating & Snorkeling Package
The following day, all 5 of us went out on their boat! Being out on the water and feeling the breeze was the perfect way to beat the heat. We started by driving out to the edge of the Bay of Palma and anchoring near the rocky shore. I was blown away by the color of the water, the most vibrant I’ve ever been in. We spent a couple of hours swimming, paddle boarding and snorkeling. We even saw a little octopus tucked into some underwater rocks! Super cool. We then drove to the other side of the bay as they pointed out to us the different neighborhoods on the bay, tucked away beaches, and little coves.
Diving Packages
The day finally came that Alex and I had been anticipating for about 6 months – scuba diving! We hadn’t gone since our initial diving course in Colombia, so we were anxiously excited to try it again. Especially since our Colombian dives felt so intense. The diving experience in Palma was incredible! The water was calm and clear, so it allowed us a much more relaxed dive and gave us the chance to get some more practice. We did two dives on the first day and saw so much life! Most notably, we spotted a butterfly ray which we were told is very rare to see. We also saw barracudas, tuna, jellyfish, moray eel, and so much more! Markus, Alex (Markus’ partner), and Moritz all have really nice underwater cameras, so we also got some super cool photos of our dives.
We enjoyed the diving so much, we had to book one more before we left. Also, Moritz was sick and couldn’t dive the first time so we booked one for a few days later so we could all dive together. It was another beautiful experience, and I was finding myself getting more and more calm underwater. After our 45 minutes of diving, our guide gave us the signal that it was time to surface. As we burst out of the water, we were greeted with an intense storm! It was so surreal because it was so calm underwater, we had no idea how much the weather had turned. The waves were thrashing us around and we were being pelted with hail. The guides were shouting at everyone to get onto the boat and people were struggling to fight the current! Once everyone was on the boat, they were eager to take off…a little too eager. They forgot to pull a rope back in and it got wrapped around one of the motors. So we sat there, getting thrashed around by these waves while the guides worked for 10 minutes to get the rope free. I was freaking out! We then had the most intense boat ride of my entire life. The waves were HUGE, it was still hailing, and we were running on one motor. The sea is terrifying. I was so glad once we made it back into the bay. When we returned, we learned that the storm was so intense that it tore down trees and flooded streets. The winds caused a cruise ship in one of the harbors to break from it’s mooring and run into an oil tanker causing significant damage. And we were out in the ocean during it! Wild.
Food Pacakages
The food in Mallorca was an excellent introduction to Spain. We especially enjoyed frequenting the local market for tapas. Tortillas, pulpo a la gallega, boquerones, Tumbet, albóndigas, papas bravas, ensalada rusa – just to name some of the most memorable dishes! I love sharing food and having a variety of things to try, so tapas were right up my alley. We also enjoyed some of the best quality seafood I’ve ever had. The mussels, for example, were out of this world. And, of course, we loved sipping on a caña after a hot day of exploring!
Island Exploration Package
We also spent a lot of time exploring the city of Palma as well as other parts of the island. One highlight was the cathedral in Palma. The inside was definitely impressive, but what really got me was going up on the rooftop. It really put into perspective how massive these structures are and the amount of detail put into them. The view from the top was also beautiful.
Along with simply wandering around on foot, we also did little car excursions a couple of days. The driving is really beautiful, much of it along winding mountain roads. We visited small towns, a monastery, and got drinks at some of the famous coastal viewpoints.
I didn’t know where to start with this post. We enjoyed our time in Mallorca so much and it felt like the time just whizzed by. There was so much to take in and also things not pictured that were special to us, e.g. being introduced to all of Moritz’s animals, cooking dinner at home, watching Moritz & Markus dive with sharks at the aquarium, Alex BBQing for Moritz’s birthday. And simply just hanging out! I’m already looking forward to returning 🙂
And a few more photos just because…
Wandering Between Meals 
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