When The Folks Came To Stay

Hey everyone. As the halfway mark approaches of my stay in Mallorca, my parents and brother Ethan gave me a visit over the weekend. Here's what we got up to.

The 3 of them arrived in Mallorca on the Thursday however I didn't get to see them until Friday. This is because after sorting out their baggage collection and car hire at the airport, they couldn't enter the address of their hotel in Alcúdia into the sat nav which led to them spending the best part of an hour asking for directions around Alcúdia before eventually finding meaning that they had no time to visit me in Palma. Fortunately I was otherwise occupied as Thursday was a national strike over the TIL education laws which meant no school for Simó and Júlia but a day which included attending two demonstrations and forcing me to watch their favourite film-Teen Beach Movie. At both demonstrations outside the Institute of Education near our flat and on the Passeig de Born once more, there were members of the communist movement handing out information leaflets and carrying the red and yellow flags of the USSR. Along with the musicians playing traditional Mallorcan instruments such as bagpipes (they're not just in Scotland you know), this added extra flavour over the previous demos and it does make you wonder how restless people are getting over the current Spanish government especially due to how hard Spain has been hit by the credit crunch in recent years.

Communist flags on the Passeig De Born

Traditional Mallorcan Musicians playing at the earlier demo

Red flag of one of the communist group members

Despite arriving as I did into a country in turmoil, this didn't affect the rest of my family's stay in Mallorca and I was reunited with them late the following morning after having to power-walk across the city to meet them on the waterfront. In the early afternoon I became my family's personal Tour Guide/Translator, a role I played for the rest of the weekend, and took them around the various sites in the centre of Palma using the information I had gleaned from Pau's tour just a month before. My Dad was particularly interested in the street performers and illusionists that line the more touristy areas of the city especially the ones who appeared to be sitting cross-legged in mid-air holding nothing but a simple pole for support. We  figured out how the illusion works however in order not to ruin your entertainment, we shall keep our musings to ourselves but I'll leave you with the cheeky picture I took of one such illusionist.

Here's my picture of the illusionist, you're not supposed to take pictures of them without paying hence why I took this behind him. How rude!

The garden next to the Palacio Real, one of the most beautiful places in Palma

We found an open garden whilst walking around the city so I got some even nicer pictures

After having a relatively cheap lunch, we wondered along the harbour looking at the various expensive yachts and wondering how many million each would cost as well as spotting  a few sailing boats and a 'Pirate ship' out in the bay. We then jumped into the car and headed up the hill to visit Bellver Castle except this time I did get to enter and for 4 euros a ticket it most certainly worth it. Bizarrely enough for a Friday afternoon during half-term holiday week there was a real lack of tourists so we had the castle pretty much all to ourselves. Inside the main section, there is a large circular courtyard with various statues and bits of information about the castle through the ages then when you get to the top, the view is STUNNING. You can see the whole of Palma as well as the mountains in the distance and the coastal terrain just north of the City which at first left me speechless especially with the excellent weather we've had of late and Friday was by no means an exception. Needless to say, I took plenty of snaps.

The courtyard inside Bellver Castle

The view from the top minus me

Me with the view

80% of the family reunited 

Blogger caught in the act

The next day, now both me and my family were based out in Alcúdia, we decided to take a road trip into the mountains of the Serra de Tramuntana, Deia the destination of choice. My Dad is a big fan of the obscure, psychedelic, space rock band-Gong whose founder Daevid Allen used to live in the town so for him it was some kind of pilgrimage however for the rest of us Josep had described it as a 'must-see' in Mallorca due to its natural beauty. Despite getting slightly lost around Pollenca, we eventually found the road that twisted and wriggled its way through the mountain range offering some incredible vistas of the landscape around us. After stopping at various places along the road to soak in the atmosphere around us and to take some pictures we arrived in Deia feeling relieved as both Ethan and I had been getting queasy from all the winding mountainous roads and Dad had to concentrate not just because he was driving a european car on the wrong side of the road but because of the sheer difficulty of the narrow country roads. Deia is a quaint village perched on the side of the mountains that overlooks the sea below where many rich/famous people go to live in luxurious farm houses so there was a lot to admire about the place. We had lunch at a Trip Advisor recommended  restaurant in the centre of the village where there was a leafy green garden that was just begging for a photo op which all made for a really idyllic location. Overall, I can only describe the Serra de Tramuntana as breathtaking and is a place you should visit if you want a change of scene from the beaches and vibrant towns while in Mallorca. I think I will be heading back up into the mountains at the end of November for a weekend adventure with the family and some of their friends but I hope this isn't the last I see of this area while I'm here.

Tunnel vision

The port of Sóller taken from Mirador de Ses Barques

By a mountain reservoir

Deia

The garden of the restaurant where we had lunch

One happy Dad

After a mad rush back from the mountains, my parents dropped me off at the 'Poli' (sports centre) in Sa Pobla so that I could watch my first 'El Clasico' with Josep, Marta and Pau. The bar was filled with Barca fans like Marta and Josep with me as the only neutral and Pau as most likely the only Madrid fan (Marta claims he was changed at birth). The game was everything I expected with lots of drama, action and lots of Barca fans going through the inevitable emotional rollercoaster of it all. A 2-1 win for Barca meant for a satisfied audience (well, apart from Pau) especially considering how good Alexis Sanchez's breathtaking chip was that won the match. :O I then met up with my family again in the centre of Alcúdia to have another meal out and to spend some more quality time with them.

View of Puerto de Pollenca taken from the car

Early on Sunday Afternoon, I convinced my parents to visit Pollenca. Sundays in Mallorca seem to be Market Day so there was added interest for simple tourists like ourselves with Market stalls littered across the main square and the narrow alleys of the town. The last time I visited Pollenca with the French rellies during my first week in Mallorca I had wanted to climb up the stairway of Calvari, 365 cobbled steps that lead to a small chapel and more importantly an incredible view at the top, however French contingent deemed it to be too exhausting so we didn't make the ascent. This time I followed through with my wish and we embarked on the steep climb in the sweltering mid-October heat (about 29 degrees). It was much harder than I imagined due to the humidity yet I reached the summit with Ethan and my parents trailing behind me. The sound of Spanish guitars from two buskers welcomed me at the top with a few trees offering some much-needed shade and a viewing area overlooking Pollenca and its nearby Port by the sea. For some reason it all made me think of being in a country like Greece or Cyprus as it all seemed much too idyllic to be the Spain I know but I appreciated it all the same.

Flower stall in Pollenca

Start of the climb up Calvari

Spanish guitarists

The chapel

What a view!

King of the Hill

Before my family headed home that Sunday evening we had a sumptuous barbecue back at the house which was cooked expertly by Josep and Pau. There, my parents had the chance to chat with some of family members I have got to know over these past weeks while Ethan tested out the pool-making huge splashes in the process! For dessert we had 'Panellets', traditional catalan treats that Josep had made the night before which were very popular (the coconut ones were my favourite) and are subsequently my pick for FOOD OF THE WEEK. He says they are traditional to have around Halloween so we have been having a few throughout this week too. After the meal, I went back to Palma with my family firstly to prove to my Mum that I was keeping both my room in Palma and Alcúdia tidy and so I could say goodbye and wave them off before I next see them again for Christmas. I must admit my first bout of homesickness crept in slightly during the days that followed and I have noticed that although it hasn't been that long they have already changed slightly which is something I have never really noticed before. It won't be long till I'm back with them in the UK though. This is was Ethan's first trip to Spain and despite the fact he didn't really try any of the local cuisine and that he complained a lot of the time saying it was "too hot" he did give the conclusion that he liked the country though he didn't comment on whether it was better than our normal holiday destination-France.

BBQing at the house

FOOD OF THE WEEK: Panellets

 So that was my weekend. I hope my family enjoyed visiting me in Mallorca and that they think I haven't changed too much for the worse but more for the better while I've been here. I would just like to finish by making a disclaimer to my Gran who by no doubt is reading this post right now. Mum told me that she was worried that I was drinking and eating too much out here. I'm sorry Gran if I'm giving off the wrong impression. The truth is that many of the more exciting episodes that I have been writing about in my blog have indeed contained some form of food or drink. There have been plenty more mundane occasions in which I have been eating healthily and exercising regularly so when I arrive in Norfolk for Christmas I shall be in good shape!

FP

#FraserOnTour

  

My Birthday Weekend-I went a little photo crazy...

Helloooo,

So, my 19th Birthday Weekend has been and gone and now whilst appropriately listening to "Not Nineteen Forever" by The Courteeners I shall tell you how I celebrated it.

Friday was by far one of the best days I've had out here in Mallorca. I decided to take the day-off doing TEFL in favour of doing something more touristy. I borrowed Marta's bike again so I could go and visit Bellver castle, a lovely Gothic style castle perched on top of a hill overlooking the whole of Palma. I had nearly made the journey there the previous day but due to some shoddy planning by yours truly I got halfway up the hill climb to the castle when I had to turn around to go and pick the kids up from school. Despite my idiocy, I did reach the top and managed to get some great snaps of the castle and of the stunning view which it looks upon.

Outside Bellver Castle

Me with Palma in the background

As usual on Fridays, we went to Basketball and Swimming at the San Josep school/sports centre. Whilst doing my usual circuit training around the park, a Spanish guy approached me asking whether I knew anything about American Football and if I would like to join the team there. He had seen me working out in the park and thought I would be good at it so we got chatting about the sport and I told him about how I used to play Rugby back in England. He was very impressed and I told him I'd think about joining however it doesn't look like I can fit it into my current routine which is a shame. Must say I was flattered to be noticed though, clearly I haven't let myself go too much while I've been out here!

That night, I went out in Palma to perform at my first Open Mic and coincidentally my first gig in Spain. Josep, Marta, Damian, Aina, Pau and Silvia joined me for the night and gave me the pleasure of taking me to a really cool Cervecería/Bar in the city centre called 'Lorien'. The keen nerds out there will have noticed that this in fact the name of one of the elven realms in Lord Of The Rings so the whole place was decked out with LOTR memorabilia and celtic designs making it a worthy sister bar to 'The Hobbit' pub in Southampton. This is no ordinary cervecería not just because of the LOTR theme but because they sell over 100 different kinds of beer from across the world which led me to have a few drinks, choosing beers solely on how interesting the name was as there was such a large variety to choose from. Damian is a regular there so I may find myself in there again sometime soon for another obscurely named beer.

"Welcome to Middle Earth"

Lots and lots and lots of beers

One of the beers I tried, Judas from Belgium

The Open Mic itself was at a bar called Agua that I had checked out the previous week and it was great fun. Rich (the barman) introduced me to Luke who runs the Open Mic there who was very welcoming and I managed to play 5 songs which is more than I would normally get at an Open Mic back home. The bar was jam packed with Brits, Germans and Spaniards a like so I didn't need to address the audience in Spanish which was a bit more pressure off my shoulders. Not only was it my first gig in Spain but it was also the latest I'd ever played a gig (about 11:20PM and 12:10AM) and the first time testing out my new pickup I'd got for my A level results which overall went down well. The crowd especially enjoyed my covers of Wetsuit/Norgaard by The Vaccines and Lightening Bolt by Jake Bugg in which one of the percussionists who resembled a native american decided to join in with me by keeping an awesome beat for the song which made it sound even better. My Spanish friends referred to him as 'Pocahontas' for the rest of the night. Overall I really enjoyed myself and considering I got free drinks for playing a few tunes that's a good excuse to play there again sometime!

Action shot

Playing Lightening Bolt by Jake Bugg with 'Pocahontas'

Saturday afternoon I wetsuited up for a swim in the sea out in Alcúdia. The water was really clear due to the brilliant weather we've had here recently (28 degrees most days, I think it's been over a week since it last rained here!) so it was pretty cool being able to see all the sea life and fishes swimming around underneath. Really wish I had a waterproof camera to take some pictures with when I go swimming :( In the evening we went to the Sports centre in Sa Pobla to watch the Barca match and I had a chance to speak to the bar owner-Pep who is a relative of Marta's hence why we go there so often. Like myself, he is an Alt-J fan so I told him how I was playing 'Breezeblocks' at the Open Mic the previous night and we discussed possibly getting me to perform sometime on a Friday night which I would love to do at some point.

That night, I went on a birthday night out with David, Sonia, Aina, Marga and Mireia to Banana Club in Alcúdia. Once the night eventually started when we left the house at 2AM, I had my first experience of the infamous 'botellón' which I had studied so thoroughly during my A level Spanish course. Botellón is essentially a glorified name for street drinking which consisted of us drinking Vodka-Lemonades from plastic cups outsidea a Lidl-very classy. The club itself was pretty decent and they must have known I was coming as the theme for the night was called Suit Up!. This was a night in tribute to the ever popular character Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother (which incidentally is my favourite TV show!), an international ladies man known for using a wide-range of methods 'plays' for picking up women (author of 'The Playbook' and 'The Bro Code'), playing laser tag and wearing suits of course so Guys were encouraged to come suited up for the night to get cheaper entry and a free glass of RedBull/Champagne. David knew some people who work at the club so he got me free entry as well as various free drinks for the rest of the night while I showed off all my 'best' dance moves to the various Spanish and English hits that were played. I found it funny how whenever there was an English song everyone seemed to turn to me expecting me to know all the lyrics including such hits as 'Bangarang' by Skrillex, 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls and the last tune of the night: 'Hey Soul Sister' by Train which is ridiculously popular over here! The night finished at 6:30AM, a whole 3 and a bit hours later than most nights out in England however having done 24 hours of being awake during Leeds Festival this summer that didn't really bother me. I fancy going out again for Halloween so hopefully I'll be able to celebrate at Banana as well.

David and I on My Birthday Night out. I stole this picture from David so Muchas Gracias David!

 

All of the gang

The girls and me

On Sunday, Pau and Silvia joined us at the house in Alcúdia to have a birthday meal for Silvia who turned 30 last Thursday which I helped to cook using my mediocre yet improving skills in the kitchen. The main dish was Pimientos Rellenas (literally translates as filled peppers) which were huge red peppers containing meat and melted cheese, went down a treat.

joint FOOD OF THE WEEK: Pimientos Rellenas. A dish hailing from Silvia's native Basque country

Pulling my weight in the kitchen

Silvia with her birthday lemon tart

That evening I headed back to Palma with Damian and Aina to go and watch Real Mallorca vs Real Madrid Castilla (Real Madrid's B Team) in a Spanish 2nd Division match at the Iberostar Stadium. When we arrived, I met with Marta's work colleague, Hugo, to watch the match (Damian and Aina are season ticket holders so they had different seats) in the hardcore supporters area of the stadium where there was an MC in the crowd leading the various chants with a microphone which were in Spanish as opposed to Catalan so I could join in! Hugo is a football fanatic from Asturias who travels all over Europe to watch matches so he was great company and easy to talk to about all things football related. Considering tickets were only 8 euros each and Mallorca winning 2-0, I may be joining Hugo for another match before I leave. The Football in general here is much more entertaining to watch than in England even if the crowds aren't quite as animated.

My view of the game

the Mallorca fans with the MC in the middle doing his thing

My ticket for the match, 8 euros!!!

My actual birthday was a fairly chilled affair. Being on a Monday, it was just a normal day really however Marta and Josep did make me a meal of my choice for dinner. Tortilla Española (which along with the pimientos rellenas is my FOOD OF THE WEEK), Salad which was NOT drenched in Olive oil or salt for a change and home-made sorbet for dessert. I then spent the rest of the evening Skyping with Josh, Peter and my family to get a scoop on what life is like back in Blighty and so that my family (plus a cameo appearance from Ethan's friend, Edwin) could sing 'Happy Birthday' to me. My family (minus Imogen) are arriving here in Mallorca on Thursday and will be spending the weekend here so we can spend sometime together while doing some touristy things and maybe watching 'El Clasico' (Barca vs Real Madrid) with Marta, Josep and co. if I can persuade them. There is also a national strike over TIL on Thursday so that should be interesting.

So that was my birthday weekend. Fair to say it was better than going out for Monday night at Jesters which would've been the other option had I been at Uni instead of here. Hope you liked all the pictures!

I would just liked to say a big thank you to everyone who wished me Happy Birthday whether it was on skype, on my facebook wall, on my twitter or in person. I know that for most of you reading this that I'm not really in your life at the moment but it is nice to know I haven't been forgotten :)

FP

#FraserOnTour

joint FOOD OF THE WEEK: The Tortilla Española Josep made for me

Special Birthday Message from Google

One Month Gone In Mallorca! My Daily Routine And Many More Things

He ya Hey yaaaaa! Uh Oh! It is now OFFICIALLY a month since I arrived here in Mallorca! My, how quick it has been. I have sacrificed a regular Thursday night out to write this post so y'all better be greatful lol. As promised, here's a post about my new daily routine during weekdays out here in Palma. It looks a little like this:

8:20/8:40AM: Wake up- After having the usual fight with the snooze button on my alarm, I begrudgingly pull myself out of bed. Depending on the exact time I wake up I may decide to have breakfast or after I take the kids to school (when Top Gear is on TV)

8:50AM: Take Simó and Júlia to school- This is just a short walk through the local park before crossing two fairly busy roads which takes about 5 minutes at most depending on how quickly the kids decide to walk.

9:00AM-1:45PM: Free Time- During this time I have free roam to do whatever I please. On Mondays and Wednesdays I go to Silvia's at 12 for my language exchange and I should be starting a second one with Aina and Sonia sometime soon. I spend the rest of this time either doing my TEFL course online, playing guitar or doing some exercise-usually Running or Swimming however I've now started to do some more Cycling. I'm slowly but surely becoming an all singing, all spanish speaking, all english teaching triathlete!

1:50PM: Pick up Simó and Júlia from school

2:10PM-ish: Lunchtime- This is usually cooked by Elena. Whilst we eat Josep arrives home from work

3:30PM: On Tuesdays and Thursdays Simó plays Football at school. This leaves me to play some games and speak English with Júlia (and with Simó on the other days) while Marta arrives home from work, has lunch, then goes to pick Marina up from nursery

5:00PM: Activities for the Kids- Everday there is something happening. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays Simó has Basketball while Júlia has gymnastics and on Fridays both girls have Swimming lessons. I go with Simó to Basketball for the hour while Marta goes with the girls to the sports centre for Gymnastics/Swimming. I don't have to watch Simó all the time while he's playing Basketball so I tend to stay and play FIFA for 30 minutes before either reading a few chapters of The Motorcycle Diaries (the travel diaries of Che Guevara, thought it would be good for my gap year) or doing some circuit training in the exercise park next to the sports centre. This park is incredible! As it is designed for exercise there is equipment dotted around it such as chin up bars and rowing machines with plenty of grassy areas for chore muscle exercises. It's like an outdoor gym! If only there was one like that in Stockport...

On Tuesdays and Thursdays ,after picking Simó up from Football at school, Marta, the kids and I take the bus into the city centre for Júlia and Simó's music lessons- Piano for Júlia and Guitar for Simó. Júlia has Ballet at 6 so Marta takes her to the dance school while I wait for Simó. I use this time to have a wander around the city centre which often ends with me watching the buskers outside the FC Barcelona shop before going in for a quick nosy.

8:00PM: Dinner with the kids and Marta. At about 8:30 Josep returns home from the IT course that he leads. We tend to head out to Alcúdia around this time on Fridays so dinner is a little later on.

9:00PM: Kids bedtime although Marina often stays up watching TV with us anyway

9:15PM: Off Duty- Once the kids are in bed, I can relax. I sit down with Marta and Josep and watch a bit of Spanish TV or any Football that's on whilst catching up on the internet world. Occasionally, Marta and Josep will go for a run at this time leaving me to babysit.

11:30PM onwards- This is more or less the time I go to bed but if I'm heading out like on most Thursday nights then that will be much later...

I know I haven't said too much about the actual Au Pair work I've been doing here but there isn't too much to say. The main idea is that I create an English speaking environment as much I can when I'm with Simó and Júlia (sometimes Marina) whilst playing games, doing music practice and preventing them from becoming slaves to the TV (la caja tonta). I'm compiling a list of all the games and activities I've done with the kids and I'll be putting it up on here by the time I leave Mallorca for anyone interested in becoming an Au Pair in the future. I have continued to get on well with all the kids. When I first arrived here, I must say I did feel a little unwelcome with the kids as they were used to their previous Au Pair Ollie so it was a bit like I was stepping on someone else's turf. However, as they have got to know me better and vice-versa, I have manages to create a rapport with them in which we share our own personal jokes and they're almost constantly going around the house singing the songs I play for them on guitar which I find amusing. I have spent a lot more time with Marina as the weeks have gone on and although she refuses to call me by real name and instead insists on calling me "Efrer", she has got used to me being around and we've even traded words in our respective languages! I have taught her "Hello", "Thank you", "Shoes" and "Sock" and as she only really speak Catalan; I have learnt several new words which like with my Au Pair games I'm adding to a list to be uploaded onto here by the time I leave. The word which she seems to use the most is "Aquest" meaning this/that however the first Catalan word I have learnt here was "Gelat" which means Ice Cream!

For many of you who have been reading my blog posts over the past month, you will have seen that I've been writing a lot about all the exciting things that have been happening so far on my gap year all of which have given off quite a positive vibe. Now I don't mean to be a party-pooper but, I'm afraid that many gap year blogs and other such things only seem to go on about the good side of things so I would just like to take a minute to put into perspective the harder and not so glamorous things I've had to deal with so far, a lot of which is mainly psychological. A gap year is something quite strange and different. It requires you to really step out of your comfort zone and to grow as an independent being. Thanks to the discipline I have gained through swimming over the years and as a solo musician I often consider myself to be quite a strong-minded individual who has never really needed a close family, a large network of friends or a relationship to get by. I often like having some alone time to myself yet what I hadn't accounted for during this year was the sheer loneliness and isolation that I have felt at times so far which has caused me to have what I like to call 'University Envy'. Now I'm on my gap year it feels like I've just hit a massive pause button on my life. Whenever I look to Facebook/Twitter or Skype with two of my best friends-Josh and Peter, I see people my age at University having a ball of a time. Meeting new people, joining sports clubs and societies, making friends, starting relationships, getting stuck-in to their degree courses. In short-becoming the person they're going to be for the next 3/4 years and for the rest of their lives. Everyone seems to be moving on with their life while I watch on alone which for someone who has been researching going to Uni for nearly the last 2 years is hard to take and it does make me question why I agreed to do this. I suppose it would help if I knew a few others 'gappers' like myself however for now it feels quite solitary. I find myself reading just about every article in the Soton Tab and Wessex Scene so I get more of feel for what Southampton is like yet I'm now starting to think this is quite unhealthy for me as I'm probably over-hyping the whole idea of University and not living in the moment. To counter this, I have been getting my head down and into my TEFL course so that I can finish it and move on with the next phases of my gap year which is hopefully getting myself a TEFL job in Asia or South America where I expect there to be a lot more 'gappers'. I've been looking up trips on sites like STA travel to motivate me and so far I've completed the 30 hour grammar course and half of the 50 hour learn how to teach TEFL course with just Video section of the course left untouched. At this rate, I should be done by mid-November at the latest!


In other news... I managed to watch the England vs Poland match on Tuesday night from a live stream on my laptop. Marta and Josep were watching Spain play Georgia on the TV next to me on the sofa at the same time so I had the privilege of keeping up with both matches and they found it especially funny when I lept up off the sofa when Rooney and Gerrard scored the two vital goals to send England to Brazil next summer. Spain also won 2-0 to qualify so everyone was happy. I may have to find a way of getting myself to the samba nation this summer whilst I'm still on my gap year!

It's now only 3 days until my birthday so I've got somethings planned to help me celebrate over the weekend. Blog-wise, I have introduced a new feature in my posts called 'FOOD OF THE WEEK'. I will be posting a picture of the dish I have most enjoyed during the week of any post I do and I have also applied this to all my previous posts if you would like to check those out (once more?). Although this week isn't finished yet, I think I've found a winner from Mondays lunch time: Marta's Courgettes filled with meat filling and topped with a layer of thick Tomato purée. Just like a Cornish pasty but with a vegetable casing, gorgeous.

I do apologise for how boring and in some cases how depressing this post has become but I felt it had to be said somewhere so why not make it my 2nd post of the week?

That's it for now, make sure you stay tuned for more posts which I can almost guarantee will be much more happy and interesting than this one. I shall have some more news for you very soon.

Ta ra for now,

FP

#FraserOnTour

FOOD OF THE WEEK