Hi all, jer here. I just got back from my vacation and wanted to check in.

Great news, the webcam survived 7 days without any supervision as Ena (my galfriend) and I were in Mallorca and Menorca for a week of well deserved rest and relaxation. Yes, even those of us who live in the paradise that is Madrid need a break once in a while . So, the test was a success and I am not so paranoind anymore about leaving the camera on when not at home for long periods of time. You all would have been proud of me since I took a true break from this computer stuff and only checked the camera once from Mallorca in 7 days. This alos had to do with the fact that the Internet Cafes in the Balearic Islands are f#€#ing expensive (300 pesetas for 15 minutes while here in Madrid 200 pesetas get you an hour). You all may have noticed a lack of activity by me on the message board this past week, well now you know why but I am back into the swing of things now. I must admit though, leaving the site and the webcam behind both physically and mentally was a bit difficult, kind of like leaving your baby behind I guess.

Back to my trip, For newcommers to Spain, Mallorca and Menorca are two or the Balearic Islands that are part of Spain and lie in the Mediterranean Sea just off the coast of Valencia/Catalu�a. This was my first trip to this region of Spain and was actually the last of the 17 autonomous regions of Spain on my "to visit" list so I was psyched to go and now my cycle is complet so to speak, I have now been to every region of Spain, a feat not often achieved by many gringos.

The Trip:
We were short on time to arrange the trip since our plans to go to England and visit my newborn nephew (Zachary Dean Reines) and my bro and his wife fell through at last minute. So, we went to a pretty good and inexpensive travel agency here in Madrid called "Halc�n Viajes" and signed up for one of those "Vacation Packages". I do not usually go this route since I am more of a get the flight and set up the hostel on my own types of travelers but I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and price. We took a deal that was 7 days in Malorca at a 3 star hotel with "pensi�n completa" ("full meals"). The price of 50.000 pesetas per person ($275) was amazingly low since the package included airfare as well. So, not actually believing the deal we got, we were off to the isles. We stayed in the "Royal Park Hotel" in "S'Arenal" (a town about 14 Km from Palma, the capital city of Mallorca).

Having heard many tales of "Baleares", I was pretty prepared for what I saw although still surprised by the extreme invasion of Germans and Nordic peoples in the Islands. You hear the statistics of 3.5 million Germans visiting the islands every year but until you arrive you do not realize the impact it cuases. I guess with 147 flights daily form Berlin to Mallorca you get a few tourists coming in. Absolutely everything in the "touristy" Baleares is oriented towards the Germans: restaurants, clubs, shops, tours, etc... Even the computer I used at the Internet Cafe to check my site was using Windows in German and a German Keyboard. There are pockets of Spaniards who hold out for the locals and Spanish tourists as well such as the "Disco Pub Espa�ol" on the main strip along the beach in S'Arenal that boasts itself as the last club left only for Spaniards.

The official language of the Balearic Islands is Mallorqu�n but it is really a dialect of Valencian which is much like Catal�n. You will hear mostly German and then many other languages being spoken so the best thing to do is speak Spanish if you can or your native tongue since I am sure they will speak it better than you.

The first few days in Mallorca, Ena and I stuck to the beach, pool, walks around the town, etc... and it was nice, especially the 3 meals a day which, although not great food, were convenient and included in our trip package.

On Monday we were off to the capital city of Palma which in general is a dirty, loud and congested city with way to many motor vehicles. The historic sights are nice however and we saw the amazing "Palau de l'Almudaina" (Almudena Palace) which is a huge palace of Islamic origin and was the residency of the Mallorcan Royals during the middle ages. Take the guided tour of the Palace, it is well worth the extra 100 pesetas. We then moved on to the "Castell de Bellver" offers amazing views of Palma and much of the Island. The castle is 14th century gothic in style and is the last remaining circular castle in Spain. You can take a bus (#21) from the "Plaza Reina" to the foot of the castle but then you must survive the hike up to the actual castle itself. Another option is to take a taxi up to the top of the castle. We walked up and in the sweltering heat of the island it nearly killed us

On Tuesday we went on a guided excursion to the island of Menorca. Menorca is to the northeast of Malloca and is much smaller (only 53 Km long and 18 Km wide). It is the most eastern of the islands and while more expensive than mallorca, it is much more "pure" and uncongested. In fact, it is a protected island and large hotel and highrise construction is no longer allowed. Our tour took us on a ferry from Mallorca to Menorca and all around the island from the port of "Ciutadella" to "Ma�" (the current capital city of Menorca). The towns are much more quaint than on Mallorca and the beaches are equally as amazing with the crystal clear and cool Mediterranean waters. One of our last stops was the amazing monastary of "lluc" which sits at the highest point on the island from which you can see the entire island of Menorca.

On Wednesday we took another guided trip but this time back in Mallorca. The trip included a boat ride along the coast with views of the incerdible seaside cliffs, coves and rock formations and a ride on an old wooden train form the beautiful town of "S�ller" to Palma.

On Thursday we left for Madrid.

All in all it was a great trip:

The positives: AMAZING beaches and waters, some excellent monuments, the beauty of the mountains and unspoiled regions of the islands, the international crowd.

The negatives: the overcrowdedness of many of the touristy beach towns, the incredibly humid heat of the summer, the lack of "Spanish" culture and tradition in many areas due to the huge amount of tourism.

As for cuisine, typicall of Mallorca are the "Ensaimadas" (traditional round pastries) and their liquors.

Also, the shoe industry is huge there not to mention the very famouse "Majorica" pearl factory and the "Menorquina" Ice cream plant.

Hope you enjoyed reading this as nuch as I did my trip.

Saludos,
jer...

p.d. The official website of the Balearic Islands is at
www.baleares.com and is in German, English, Spanish and French (a very impressive site that took them 4 years to put together).

Hi Jer, wondered where you were this last week! Obviously first thoughts were that you had made it to good old Blighty, but I like your choice of the islands. Majorca is a favourite of mine and love the old Porto Colom area, Cala D'or and Alcudia. Minorca is also a lovely island particulary Ciudadella the old capitol which is a nice change from the beach areas.
Glad to have you back!

Hi Mad-Sue, thanks for the welcome back salutation. The trip to Jolly Old England was cancelled because my brother had no time off after his 2 week fraternity leave from his job. So, Mallorca/Menorca was a last minute thing. I enjoyed the trip but prefer the Canaries (from what I have seen of both sets of islands) since they are less crowded and the cities and towns seemed quite a bit cleaner. I will surely go back to the Balearics though and spend more time in Menorca since we only had one day there. As for visiting my bro and new nephew, I guess we will wait until the little rugrat has some personality and is not just a drooling lump-o-baby
Saludos,
jer...