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5/5/2008 - Vacationing in the German Isles

I cancelled class on Thursday for an "important trip to Madrid". I had to catch a plane to Mallorca. The Balearic Islands. In the Medeterranean Sea. I will, til death, stand by my decision to cancel class that evening.
Jess and I left Ciudad Real, battled the madness of Madrid's metro, got groped by airport security and made after flight in just three short hours of public transportation and non-anal security; I will miss Europe. The anticipation during the one hour flight was killing us; we had to be warm and by water pronto! We were on our way to celebrate Katie's birthday and couldn't wait to do nothing for three days. Katie and her boyfriend, JR, had already arrived so when we got there she called Fernando, our CouchSurfing host, and asked where we should meet him. The words that came out of her mouth after the phone call made us all do that confused-sideways-head-tilt that dogs do. "He said we should take a taxi to some discoteca called MegaPark and he will come outside to meet us." Disco? MegaPark? Luggage? Airplane grossness? Great. Not to mention the warmth that we were expecting left as soon as we touched down and it seemed as though the Manchegan winds had hitched a ride in our carryons.
We hailed a taxi and it dropped us off in front of a gigantic disco with fake stained glass windows and that was full of Germans. Full. Germans. Mallorca. We didn't get it, either. JR and I guard the luggage while Katie and Jess go searching for Fernando who had, in the five minute cab ride from the airport, somehow accidentally turned off his phone. After searching around inside with no luck, the girls came out to fill us in on the plan, wander around looking for hostels, and trailing along behind them was a huge German bachelor party. I don't know where everyone gets off saying that everyone in Germany "speaks English" but, if I was to base my opinion on these guys and the trip I made in October, I would have to deny that claim. These guys were cracking up at their cleverness; they had made matching shirts that said "Game Over" on them with a bathroom sign-esque drawing of a bride and groom. The groom-to-be had a red one. The were running, and falling, all over the place speaking an unidentifiable language that was a blend of German and English... all we wanted to do was get a roof over our head and a bed to lie down in. The bachelor party suggested the beach umbrellas and the sand but we passed on that once-in-a-lifetime offer and started walking. We did the best we could for the night and crashed in a place right off the beach too tired and sore from travelling to do anything but sleep... on top of the covers because the place was a little, mmm, used.
We woke up early to search for a place to stay and to check the weather... we were really hoping for sun but the clouds were still hanging around. Over coffee we got in touch with Fernando and head over to his apartment with a little grudge and low expectations for the apartment.
We were oh so wrong. In a really good way.
The apartment, on the ninth floor, had two huge balconies, overlooked the ocean and the docks, and had an enormous living room but with the most uncomfortable sofas on the island; Katie and JR have the most uncomfortable sofa in the universe and mine is the most uncomfortable in Ciudad Real. Fernando, from Argentina, was as sweet as he could be and, although at first I didn't believe him, he felt awful about leaving us high and dry the night before. He introduced us to the only one of his three roommates who was there for the weekend, the Sicilian, Francesco, and then the four of us headed out to rent a car. There was no way we were getting into our swimsuits, the disgusting weather required jeans and long sleeves, so we decided to see what we could of the island.
As we drove north through Valldemosa, Deya and Soller we stopped and watched the glass blowing, tried the various liquers that are taken as digestive aids after dinner, had lunch and took posey pictures with the boats and our rental car. Winding through the hills, up the mountains, switchbacking around curves and wandering down into the valleys I felt like I was in Valparaíso, Chile and also a little nauseous. Our mini tour took about three hours to get to the northern coast and JR was taking full advantage of both the accelerator and the brakes... I tried not to be a back seat driver. On the way home we took a huge tunnel that goes straight through the mountain and we got back to Palma in about 13 minutes which ended up being cancelled out by the hour that we spent looking for a parking spot. Not having a car has its benefits like not having to go by the bus schedule, but I do not miss parking lots or gas stations at all.
That night we got to experience MegaPark, and more German bachelors with "Game Over" T-shirts, for ourselves. We met up with three other Argentines, friends of Fernando and Francesco who live in the apartment building next door. Their apartments are so close that they holler and whistle at each other from the balconies to communicate instead of using phones; it reminded me of Guanajuato. Andres, Maxi, Emiliano, and of course the other two, were all so welcoming. It was a feeling that I hadn't experienced in a long time; an immediate connection and an awesome sense of friendship. Of course I have Jess and Katie, we do make up la trinidad after all, but to not have a group of people who automatically know that you will spend the evening together, eat dinner together, go out together or do nothing together, was extremely comforting. We danced with the Germans and drank Sangria out of straws that were as tall as me then went home to rest up for the next day. There was a "famous" German rapper that was performing that night. Some Germans told us that he was a huge star and that we were should consider ourselves lucky to see him. Jess dared me to try to get on stage and wish Katie a happy birthday so I went up next to the stage and pretended to understand what he was saying. Jess was there the entire time with the camera and when he pulled me up on stage she captured it all on film. Don't get too excited, though, because only about 7 people could comfortably fit on the podium at a time. He started chattering away in German and I just nodded my head and said, "Ja!" I grabbed the microphone out of his hands and, in Spanish, wished Katie the best and gave a shout out to the Argentinos, and that included Jess. She was definitly in her element with the Argentinish. I know how awesome it feels to hear the Spanish that you learned first, it is like being at home. So, Katie got sung to in German and the night was complete. The weatherman had predicted clear skies so we went to bed with visions of dolphins jumping in our heads.
I like traveling with Jess and Katie because we have the same mind set: get up at an early enough hour to sight see before the crowds get insane... but not when it is still dark outside, see what there is to see in the city and then relax, eat all of the pastries and snacks, and taste all of the wine. After a yummy breakfast of café con leche we load up on Japanese snack mix, minicroissants, water, sunscreen and litronas. The sun was fierce but the wind was worse so there was still a little nip in the air as the girls read in the sand, the boys played soccer and Maxi practiced his Capoeira flips. I was taught well to apply and reapply my sunscreen so while I stayed white, save some blotches on my back that my suit rubbed off, Katie and Jess turned into bronzed beauties. I bought a big black floppy hat, like mom always wears in the sun, and I managed to keep it on despite the wind. Later, we went and visited Fernando while he was working at DinoPark and yes, there are huge statues of dinosaurs.. He was very quick to point out that it was not a discoteca like MegaPark because at DinoPark they have minigolf and food. Apparantly there are only three families who own all of the restaurants and clubs on the island, another striking similarity to Guanajuato... and to the world in general. Those who have a lot, have it all; everyone else works for them.
We started Saturday night just like every birthday should: with a Mickey Mouse ice cream cake and frozen pizzas. The boys were absorbed by their soccer games and YouTube videos so the girls and JR went out dancing. The rest of them followed later and we celebrated another year in the life of Katie Daehler. Not everyone gets to spend their birthday on an island in the Mediterranean so we had to make it big.
The next day, the cold weather came back and we hung out in the apartment and spent the day being lazy. YouTube videos, movies, reading and lounging around seemed to be on everyone's itenerary but at one point cabin fever set in and w went down to the beach for a photo session. We were wearing jackets, not bathing suits but the corny poses like jumping in the air, pyramids and climbing on the rocks were a must. We were at the beach and we were going to enjoy it even if the weather was being moody. We usually say anything is better than staying in Ciudad Real but I think the paradise that we found in Palma could be better if it included hardboiled, potato gravy covered, deep fried eggs. They are even more delicious than they sound but, surprisingly, not as messy... and the pride of our flat, non-touristic town.
That night, Sunday, Jess and I decided it would be easier not to sleep because in order to catch our 6:30am flight back to the main land we had to leave the house at 5:00. Sleeping for a couple of hours can sometimes be harder than not sleeping at all; that is why I don't usually take siestas. We all decided to stay in and watch movies so we spent our last night on the island indoors in front of a screen wallering all over one another for the best seat as if we had been friends since the beginning of time.
It was hard to leave, especially knowing that Katie and JR still had the entire day in front of them to lay out on the sand in the sun. Jess and I took the depressing weather back with us to Ciudad Real and, after crazy connections and close calls, we made it to the train station at 11:08am. I hopped on a bus and made it just in time for class at 11:30. I was disgusting and still smelled like sunscreen but I made it. I pointed out that if I can make it on time, and honestly with about three minutes to spare, from Mallorca, then they have absolutly no excuse for arriving late to class. I don't know if they understood me.
The vacation was great and not only for the experience of seeing a Mediterranean island but because of the amazing people we met. If my next big adventure cannot be Cuba then I am dead set on Argentina. I have found while traveling that no matter how amazing a city can look or what incredible things it can have, if the people who you encounter while I are there are not friendly, it changes my opinion completely. People are what make a place come alive, they form the culture and the energy. Through CouchSurfing you have the opportunity to see how the people who work, do dishes and pay bills live. Live happens on islands, too, and we got to see first hand the lives of these great people. We loved it so much that Jess and I have planned our return already. We are hoping for sun this time.
xoxcr

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Filed under: bachelor party, beach, birthday, german, island, mallorca, mediterranean, megapark, sunscreen