Mallorca, Chasing the Sun

I spent a long weekend in Mallorca. When my friend said his birthday was in February I asked if I could take him out for dinner and quickly added, “or do you want to travel somewhere to chase the sun?” The sun has barely showed herself this winter in the Netherlands and I needed some vitamin c. We had amazing weather! Karma. Good karma.

Mallorca is an island within Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean. Since it is a summer destination it was fairly quiet but it was so nice not battling other tourists. I visited here in 2019 with Travel Buddy Steve as well. 

Over the four days Lisa, our lime-green Mini Cooper, drove us around the island taking in the sites. As with Steve, I was fortunate Oliver took the wheel while I half-attempted to navigate while soaking in all the beauty outside the window. Mallorca is surrounded by beautiful beaches as well as mountains to the West. The weather was around 16-18° daily (63°f) which isn’t swimsuit weather but we did find ourselves basking on the beach to soak up the rays a couple of times. 

Next winter I will plan a couple of sun-seeking trips as the lack of sun this winter is getting a little long. But I am so looking forward to living in Den Haag this summer and frequenting Scheveningen beach with Gabby (my bike) just ten minutes from my home.  

I hope you are surviving your winter and looking forward to the world erupting this spring as well. 

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Prague, Czechia & Annie

For my companies first Wellness Day of the year I flew to Prague, Czechia to meet Annie. Annie is from Slovakia and lived with our family as an exchange student in 2014. It was a great weekend filled with endless talking, food, and drink. 

Annie was an amazing tour guide. She planned the entire weekend and I simply followed along. We walked a ton of the city and moved around on their excellent transit system. The first day we visited the Prague Castle, checked out the Lennon Wall, and the astronomical clock. 

We stopped for some dessert and then at her local pub for beer, which is no regular beer. They serve a Pilsner with either little, medium, or almost all foam (milk). You order the full foam one as your last drink of the evening to signal this is your last one. It is a bit weird to me as we consider a huge head on a beer to be bad. Then we went to her apartment for some dinner, wine, and more talking. 

The second day we walked the city again visiting Petrin park and seeing the beautiful Charles Bridge lit up at night. That thing was built in 1402, 623 years ago!

We ended the evening at a cool cocktail bar and a couple of Irish pubs. It was a fun evening. 

Monday I slept in and met Annie and her boyfriend, Josef, for lunch. 

When Annie lived with us, I wanted to give her a good American experience. It was so fun discussing her impressions of that time. I learned it was much more impactful on her than I would have ever imagined. I am so happy we remain in contact and I cannot wait to host her in my hometown, of Den Haag. 

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