Thanksgiving in Mallorca

We got back from Barcelona on Sunday, worked 3 days and then took off for Mallorca Spain on Thanksgiving Day to spend the holiday weekend there.  We  flew Air Algerie again on a dual prop plane.  We were sitting at the gate that the flight was scheduled to go out of when an announcement was made and a whole bunch of people got up and left for another part of the terminal.  It was about the time that our flight should have been boarding so I went to the gate agent and asked, in my very bad French, about the flight to Mallorca.  He told me, in his very bad English, that the flight had been changed to another gate and they just didn't change the information on the display boards. Good thing I asked!!  We had to take a bus from the terminal out onto the flight line where we boarded the little crop duster.   This flight was, you guessed it, also not on time!

We were scheduled to sit in the very last row....oh crap!  Thank goodness Kirk's seat didn't have a seatbelt and the flight wasn't full so we got to move up a couple of rows.  I wish I could explain the odors to you but I just can't find the words.  Not bathing every day and the spices/foods that are eaten in Algiers make for a very pungent aroma and it is hard to escape when you are on a plane!

We landed in Mallorca around 8 pm and caught a bus from the airport to a very busy square in Palma, Mallorca.  We then had to find our connecting bus, at night, in a foreign language and figure out which direction we were supposed to be heading!  Thankfully, alot of the people at the bus stop spoke English.  I was trying to pull out my Spanish but it was coming out as a mix of French, Spanish and English all jumbled together!!  I was really trying to speak Spanish but my brain was thinking in French and then my English would just come out automatically!  It was quite humorous.  I tried to say yes and this is what came out....oui, I, mean si, yes!!  Even the clerks and waiters got a laugh out of my language jumble.

We had a beautiful seaside room at the hotel with a balcony.  We were hungry so we wandered out into the neighborhood to find something.  We didn't want a big dinner so we ended up at a little tapas bar that was in a neighborhood full of signs in Russian (don't ask, I have no idea why).   We ordered cheeseburgers and fries to go and bought a cheap bottle of wine to take back to our room.  We opened the sliding door to hear the ocean and enjoyed our Thanksgiving cheeseburgers with a great view of the Mediterranean while watching NFL football telecast in Spanish!
 

I guess there are alot of German/Russian and English tourists that visit Palma in season because everywhere we went the signs and menus were in Spanish, English and German, which worked to our advantage.

We spent the first day with a map and just walked all over the city.  Palma has the most beautiful architecture and the coolest little alleys with cobblestone streets.  There were beautiful old cathedrals, castles and houses.  The shopping was fabulous!!  Even Kirk tried stuff on and even bought himself some things!  It was great to have shopping options and there was a store called El Corte Ingles which rivals Macy's.  There were Christmas decorations up and Christmas music playing in some of the stores.  We soaked it all up since we certainly won't get any of that in Algiers!

We were down by the water and found the Hard Rock Café, where we bought a souvenir glass to add to our collection.  Somehow, we started that tradition years ago, so now when we go to a new city with a Hard Rock, we have to buy a glass for our collection.  (Yes, we also bought one in Barcelona!)

The desk clerk at the hotel recommended an Italian restaurant just up the street called Il Paradiso.  WOW!!!  The building itself was spectacular and we got a table near the window overlooking the sea.  The atmosphere was wonderful, the music was relaxing (think Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Tony Bennett). We had a bottle of Prosecco (one of my favorite sparkling wines) and the most excellent meal I have had in a very, very long time.  We lingered for almost 3 hours and enjoyed every second.  Looking back now, I wish we had eaten there every night!!!

The next day, we decided to have a more relaxing day.  We wandered out into our neighborhood and headed toward the marina where we found a cool place called Mojo Beach.  There must be alot of English tourists who use the Marina because all the menus were translated into English and they had mostly English type breakfasts on the menu.  Most of the people eating there had British or Australian accents. We ate here both mornings and enjoyed eggs, bacon, sausage and fresh squeezed orange juice (again really enjoying the pork!!). 

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped a local grocery store where we bought some fresh bread, ham, and cheese for a picnic on the beach.  We spent the afternoon laying on the beach, soaking up the sun.  My first clue that we were in Europe was that I was the only one still wearing my bikini top!  And it wasn't just the ladies enjoying their freedom...one guy gets out of the water and strips off his bathing suit to dry it off on the rocks!  We are not in Kansas anymore Toto!!  LOL

All in all, it was a great way to spend the day.  We got cleaned up and caught the bus back into the city center to walk around and find somewhere for dinner.  There was a street festival going on down at the port and we wandered around there for awhile.  I bough a glass of wine (in a solo cup) for 1 euro and bought some jewelry.  We found a steakhouse where we were so surprised to enjoy our salads so much!  We don't get much salad here in Algiers because it is such a hassle to make it (bleaching, rinsing and it is expensive).  It is funny the little things you miss or take for granted, like getting a good salad whenever you want.

The next day we did more shopping, loading up on (you guessed it), more pork, cheese and alcohol to take home.  LOL  Whatever it takes, we find a way!

We headed back to the airport, dragging our feet, because we didn't want to leave.  On a positive note, our flight was on time!