Vacation to Mallorca es Muy Bueno!

Aww yeah! The tasty coffee at Lavaaza in the Palma airport! That moment when you are checked out of apartment, security deposit returned in cash, taxied to the airport, checked in to flight, all bags taken free of charge, and through security in no time--and you can relax and reflect on a great vacation! Even sprung for Winter lattes for the kids--with nutmeg and orange and plenty of whipped cream!

This was a great trip!

Aww

We loved Mallorca, it's warm climate and easy pace were just what we needed after finals week.

There were things to do, but not ok much! Again, just what we needed. We even enjoyed watching Peter Pan in Spanish on TV one night! I will share some more photos, including the awesome sea kayak we got to use on our last day!

I 💗 Palma Aquarium!

Molly decided that she wanted to visit the aquarium and everyone else decided that sounded good too! A bit of a long bus ride, but the transportation is great, we wait no more than 30seconds for the #3 bus whenever we are taking it! The trip doesn't disappoint. This is the off season in Mallorca, so although the hours are shortened, there is no one here, so we can really enjoy the exhibits. When we attend the talks, we are one of four families and have lots of time for questions! We see the Sharks fed, the stingrays, Darwin, the rescued turtle that is being rehabbed for release and finish by feeding the koi fish. Have you ever done this? It is pretty cool, the koi have no teeth, so they just hoover the food pellets out of your hand...the sucking sound is really audible. All of the exhibits are very well presented. There is a touch screen at each tank and you can choose which language to read in, Spanish, German, English and more. So we were able to learn a lot. I made Dagwood sandwiches on fresh baguette and we had a picnic midway through. We caught the 3 back to the centre, Placa Espana, and bought a freshly made bag of hot churro a from our favourite stand. Oh my goodness, they are tasty! Back at our flat we relax with some Spanish beer and coffee, before dividing up. Charlotte and I stay home and relax and eat, while the other three head to a Brazilian steak house. What a feast! Empanadas, ribs, potatoes, pizza, flank steak, sausages, and bread with dipping. The best--reports the crew!

Beach and pool on 20 December!!

Life is good on the Mallorican Coast! A leisurely breakfast on the terrace as we watch the sunrise, coffees in hand

A mass in Spanish for the fourth Sunday of Advent. We couldn't understand the ho,ily but the priest was very passionate. We stopped at the market and grabbed pastries...after all it is Sunday! Then we played and lounged at the beach and poolside all day.c

I made a chorizo sausage and pasta dish for dinner, with a big salad and baguette. And of course there was UNO!

Saturday in Palma, Old Towne

Well we walked about 8 1/2 miles today, and really got a taste of the flavour of Mallorca. The twisting streets, gorgeous Mediterranean colours on the buildings, the sunshine, the peaks of the sea as we walk....we're certainly not in Belgium anymore! 

Charlotte and jerry overlooking the harbour

Jerry and Danny find the store of their dreams!

Outside the palace walls

Our first planned stop is the Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma is a Gothic Roman Catholic Cathedral built on the site of a pre-existing Arab mosque. It is 121 metres long, 55 metres wide and its nave is 44 metres tall. By way of comparison, the height of the central nave reaches 33m in Notre Dame de Paris, 38m in Reims, 42m in Notre-Dame d'Amiens and 48m in Saint-Pierre de Beauvais, the highest of all Gothic cathedrals.

Designed in the Catalan Gothic  style but with Northern European influences, it was begun by King James 1of Aragonin 1229 but finished only in 1601. It sits within the old city of Palma atop the former citadel of the Roman city, between the Royal palace  and the episcopal palace. It also overlooks the Parc de la Mar and the Mediteranian Sea.

The story goes that James looked like he would be beaten in the battle and pledged to our lady to build a church if he was victorious...and so he did! There is a wonderful audio tour that even the girls could manage. It was a great combination of fact and stories and art work, perfect for our group. The setting, looking out the main door to the harbour, is breathtaking. 

We also visit the Arab baths, a bit of history included below, but in actuality they were a bit underwhelming. Oh well, as jerry says, everything can't be a home run! The 10th century baths are virtually all that remain of the Arab city of Medina Mayurqa (now known as Palma)They were probably part of a nobleman's house and are similar to those found in other Islamic cities. The tepidarium has a dome in the shape of a half orange, with 25 round shafts for sun light, supported by a dozen columns.

each of the columns is different - they were probably salvaged from the ruins of various Roman buildings, an early example of recycling. Hammams were meeting-places as well as wash-houses, and the courtyard with its cactus, palm and orange trees would have made a pleasant place to cool off after a hot bath. The garden outside is very pretty, and the twisting streets to get to the baths are really neat!

We also popped in and out of four other gorgeous churches, one of which we thought was the cathedral because it was so grand! One of the nicest parts of touring was strolling in our summer clothes. It isn't as warm as Molly and I like, but is is lovely. The stores are decorated for Christmas and that adds a lot. We visited two Christmas markets, one of which specialized in the elaborate manger scenes which we see everywhere. They Re designed to look like they are built into hillsides, and families and churches must add to them year by year. The pieces are really neat.

With cathedral in the background

Beautiful door, above, and famous Rose window below

Christmas Vacation!

Yay! After a two hour delay caused by an electrical issue at Zaventum, we took off southward to Mallorca. By noon we were in the apartment, taking pictures on the terrace with the sea behind us! What a view, what a breeze! Sunshine, temp of 20c--just what we were hoping for.

We headed to the beach, and in spite of the water more closely resembling Lake Superior than the Mediterranean, brave souls Molly, Jerry and Danny went swimming. Charlotte and I sunbathed! We went to the market for food, made baguette sandwiches and ate on the terrace watching the boats go by. After lunch we went to the pool, also unheard, sadly, and again, the brave three jumped in. The natives at the poolside bar, in their puffer jackets and scarves, laughed and asked us where we were from. They would never swim in December! We took a long walk to a boat basin and saw some lovely yachts. Two minutes from our flat we stopped at a great middle-eastern place for dinner and then had cookies at home as a treat. Early bed(since we were up at 4:30am!) and then off to the Center of Palma tomorrow to visit the cathedral and see what else we can see☀️☀️

Great Words From Paul

Paul said.."For I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therefore be content" Phil.4-11

How's that for a good philosophy? I have it written down and taped on the microwave door, the place I am constantly standing in front of as I reheat my coffee! I am trying to write it on my heart as well!

Haven't blogged in a month? oh well! house not as clean as it could be? Let it go! Lost my temper at the girls? Try again! And under and over it all, ask God for strength and be content! Make the very most of where I find myself at any given moment. What do you think?!

Here is my microwave! 

Concessions Mania!

Saint Johns International School has a concession stand! It is run by the booster club a group of parents of kids in athletics The money raised is used to support the Athletic Department in any way they need. This year a new weather resistant computer and timing system has been purchased which will be used by the cross country and swim teams. Last year a large chunk was donated to the school wide campaign to put lights on the sportsfield. A Turn on the lights party is scheduled for 11 Dec.

The girls and I began volunteering as soon as we arrived, staffing the counter after school on Thursdays and extra shifts when needed. Molly and Charlotte have both gotten fairly proficient with the euro, making easy change, bagging popcorn and restocking drinks coolers.i am very proud of them, and grateful to the wonderful women who welcome their participation. These gals understand that they might need help, and are very sweet about it.

Well this week-for 3 wild days-StJ's is hosting the Boys Volleyball Tournament-called the ISST (international school sports tournament). 10 schools from all over Europe are in town to set and spike and those boys CAN EAT! The concession stand is open from 9-6ish and we prepare and serve "American Burgers", cheese burgers, hotdogs, chili dogs, bowl of chili, BBQ chicken sandwich, veggie wrap, frites, nuggets, cheese toasties(grilled chees!) and fresh baked cookies, along with candy,snack foods and drinks. School is on a break this week, so many volunteers are away and those left are volleyball mums. So we have stepped in to provide extra help! Shift on Thursday-10:30-5:15, followed by shopping to restock some items, Friday 8:30-5 with a break from 1-3, followed by shopping again! Saturday I report at 8:30 and we will see how it goes! Now you might think this sounds like drudgery but it is actually a blast! The volunteers have a great time laughing and talking while we fry and pop, and we get to meet the athletes and parents from other schools as they come to spend money. The moms from The American School in London love to visit because we sell wine and beer! After all this is Belgium! On Thursday they held a cocktail party upstairs on the roof terrace and were raving about how nice it was. They get a kick out of drinking at school I guess!! What a fun weekend hanging out at school, but I can tell you I'm not ready to go back to the Burger King job of my Highschool days-I'm beat!!

Mia, Lena.Amie,Molly and the Captain, Carrie, taking a break

Photo posted on school blog of our big seller "American cheeseburgers!"

Carrie decided to change our sandwich to a wrap, while the boosters president is in Zurich at the CC ISSTs. She called it "going rogue" ! A nervy move! 

Cross country-European Championship

We traveled to Baumholder Army base in Baumholder Germany on Saturday for the European Championship Meet for cross country. 12 or so schools were running, most of them schools on Army bases all around Europe. A couple of funny observations: the base looked exactly like the bases Jake was stationed at in the US-same beige/ugly barracks-different continent! Also, most everyone was American-makes sense since they are all US Army folk, but it was surreal, just like being at a meet in Michigan! Unfortunately the weather was just like MI too!  In spite of the prediction of 64 and sunny, the temp never rose above 45, with fog and a stiff wind blowing across the golf course where the meet was being held. And we were dressed for 64 and sunny. When I went to the portojohn after a couple of hours, I realized that my hands were so frozen that I couldn't unbutton my jeans! Yikes! The course was very hilly and times tended to be a bit slow. Danny had hoped to break 20, but ended up with a 20:40, a bit off his PR. He was pretty disappointed, but since he was running varsity, his score pushed his team into second place in the division! The girls team took first, with his teammates Kayla and Sophia taking first and second in the meet and making the all European team! Kayla also broke the course record--her fourth course record this year! Our day was long and not particularly thrilling, the drive each way was about 3:15, and on the way home we hit an accident that added 40 minutes. The  last meet, a big tournament for the international schools called ISST's, is in Zurich this year. We will not be attending so we were happy to travel to cheer on our Danny! Check out the photos!

Alex, Danny, Hidde, PJ and Issiah, with Sydney photobombing!

Coach Stephanie, the team, and Coach Matt

Poland, Holland, America, France, America!

More pics of Bologna!