Monday, December 7, 2009

20 Million Year Old Caves





What would you have to say if you were 20 million years old?

Last week I visited the Caves of Drach, aka, Dragon’s Cave on the eastern side of Mallorca. Drach means dragon in Catalan or Mallorquine. I recently found out the two are actually the same language. The first inhabitants of Mallorca gave the dragon three qualities, evil, sort of a devil, a symbol for strength and the sentinel or protector of a treasure.

The Drach Caves are cave formations created some 20 million years ago and have been visited by tourists for many centuries. An example of these visits is two tourists from Barcelona who went there in 1878 and got lost inside and nearly died of starvation. It’s most famous visitor was a geographer from France named Martel. He visited the caves in 1896 and discovered a large, until then unknown chamber with a large lake. The most impressive of the lakes in these caves is this lake discovered by Martel, named after him, Lake Martel. It is 230 meters wide by 177 meters long and is considered one of the largest underground lakes in the world.

The caves are full of interesting rock formations with many stalagtites and stalagmites and column shapes created from the coming together of the two. Some of the rocks protruding out and forming interesting shapes are pure white in color and we were told they are pure calcium. The various rooms in the caves have cool names like Asian City, The Window and Cave of the French.

There are other lakes in the caves too with names like the Blue Cylinder and Diana’s Baths. A tour guides takes you through the caves in about 40 minutes and for a grand finale there is a 10 minute classical music concert on lake Martel, given by musicians who go by in a canoe.

The water in the lakes have some salt content even though they have no connection with the sea, at least not at the present time. The depth of the water varies from about 3 meters to 9 meters. At the end of the tour you get to exit the caves taking a small boat ride crossing part of Lake Martel.

When the guide told me the caves were about 20 million years old I wondered what they would say if they could speak? This is an akashic record I would love to read. In Hindu mysticism, akashic records are believed to collectively make up the book of life where all knowledge and experiences from all time are recorded. Some describe them as the collective consciousness of the earth. Every being, object and mineral is believed to have a contribution in this book. I stood there trying to absorb even a tiny little bit of what these caves might know and have recorded in their akashic records.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Cappuccino's




I recently read that Michael Smith, the interior designer of many Hollywood stars, the same one who was hired by the Obamas to re-decorate the White House, was hired by Grupo Cappuccino to decorate their latest location on Paseo del Borne in Palma de Mallorca. Grupo Cappuccino is a very successful Mallorquine restaurant group owned by Juan Picornell. Cappuccino is a unique concept that incorporates a classic coffee house by day and a popular bar by night. They serve light meals, fresh juices as well as delicious desserts in addition to a wide variety of coffee drinks and a full bar drinks menu.

Today I paid my first visit to a Cappuccino and went there for lunch. I went to the one closest to Deia in the quaint village of Valldemossa. I was especially impressed because they even had cream for my coffee, a rarity in Spain since the Spanish are used to drinking their coffee black or with milk, but never with half and half or any type of cream.

The atmosphere was elegant, yet casual. There was a cozy fireplace off in the corner keeping the air at the perfect temperature in contrast to the crisp air outside. Next to the fireplace you could choose from a variety of magazines and books to peruse as you're having your coffee. The cakes were displayed in a case and they had wonderful varieties like blueberry cheesecake, warm chocolate cake, almond cake, and apple pie. I had a roasted chicken sandwich on a seeded baguette with lettuce, tomatoes and olive oil followed by a delicious blueberry cheesecake and a perfect americano coffee with cream.

Cappuccino is also well known for its good taste in music. They play different tunes in French, Spanish, English and Portuguese, featuring great lounge music from artists like Chet Baker, Lizz Wright, Pete Mo, Charlie Haden, and also alternative, indie and folk/pop singers like Gary Jules and Alex Parks.

The ceiling had dark wood beams and there were modern, colorful paintings on the light colored walls. The lighting seemed to be just right, soft but bright enough to see the features in the room and the delicacies in front of you on your plate. The room was filled with round wooden tables and chairs. There were also bench chairs across the window-covered front wall. The furniture was reminiscent of a 1950’s classic coffee house style. I look forward to visiting the new Cappuccino on Paseo del Borne when it opens next year.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Flying through the streets of Valencia





Last week I made a quick trip to Valencia for a few days.

I met up with some friends and ate at what has become the usual spot I go to, a little bar/tapas place called La Rentaora. Rentaora is a woman who cleans by the hour and there are paintings on the wall depicting this imaginary woman scrubbing the floors. The place is tiny, accommodating about a maximum of 25 people, with a large bar to the side taking up at least 1/3 of the space. On this visit I ordered the same dish I was introduced to before, a melted brie with violet jam. It’s to die for, absolutely delicious! The violet jam is somewhat of a mystery because I have since looked for it in several stores and the people I asked said they have never heard of it. I was hoping to indulge in this Valencian specialty during some evenings at home but for now it only remains possible to enjoy this delicacy when I go to Valencia and pay a visit to La Rentaora.

The best part of the evening was cycling through the streets of Valencia with a dear girlfriend visiting from San Diego and two other new friends. It’s a cool feeling dashing past pedestrians and cars, jumping on and off sidewalks and roads and flying through the old town of Valencia on a bicycle. Oh and the whole evening started at about 10:30 pm, typical of Spanish time. The biggest challenge was that there were four of us and only three bikes so we had to improvise new ways of adding on a second person to a bike set up for only one. At one point in the evening, the bike carrying two took a tumble to the side. It looked like one of those cartoons where the characters fall and it looks so painful, but afterwards they just get up, dust off, laugh, and keep going. Thank goodness I wasn’t on that bike! I’m looking forward to going back to Valencia just so I can go flying through the old town at night on a bicycle.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Making Ceramics by the Sea

Joanna lives in Deia, Mallorca and is a ceramics artist. Originally from Chicago, IL she left 30 years ago after graduating from university. Since a very early age Joanna was around sailboats, sailing with her family on Lake Michigan and later doing charters in the Caribbean. This gave her a taste for the sea and living a simple life on the islands.

Joanna says she always knew she wanted something different than the typical life of a housewife in Chicago. She has always shown respect and concern for the environment. She wanted a simple life and especially to get away from the weight of American consumerism. She dreamed of a life on an island by the sea and the mountains where she could focus on creating art. So, in her mid-20’s she flew down to the Caribbean and posted signs up offering her services as crew on a boat. She worked a few odd and end jobs on boats until she got a job as a cook on a luxury yacht headed for the Mediterranean. She was commissioned to cook “healthy” food for the crew and owners, which suited her well since she was a fan of healthy shakes, muesli dishes and lots of fish and salads.

Her employer cruised all over the Mediterranean throughout the summer season. Like many other yachts, her's ended the season in Palma de Mallorca. One day Joanna decided to take a drive into the mountains to a little town called Deia, not too far from Palma. The visit proved to be a prelude to her destiny as she met her husband on that trip and has never left. She and her Austrian born husband created a life together in Deia owning various successful restaurants and a ceramics business. They also had two children. Today, a lot has happened since 30 years ago. Joanna is no longer married to the Austrian man and now has a lovely Norwegian boyfriend. She still lives in Deia and runs the ceramics business. Her customers come from all over the world and her pieces are displayed in various top hotels around the island.

I asked Joanna where she gets her inspiration for her art? She said most of it is definitely from nature, from the various plants all around, the mountains and the sea. This is apparent in her creations since often her pieces have flowers and greenery painted on them. She still lives a simple life, in a relatively small house, for American standards. She takes pride in driving a small car, when she's not walking, and generating a low carbon footprint. And she continues to love creating ceramics surrounded by the sea and the mountains on the beautiful island of Mallorca.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Trawling For Clues In The Sea Of Life





I recently spoke to my friend, Arturo Rhodes, who is a painter in Deia. Arturo is originally British but like many of his co-patriots, he came to Mallorca many years ago and never left. Captured by this beautiful land, its scenery, it’s ambiance and the tranquility of this village, he has made an art form out of living a good life by the sea in the little village of Deia. He las lived in Deia for about 30 years.

Arturo lives in a cool two story house perched up on a terrace above the Clot, which is a neighborhood in the village of Deia. Although he has a car he walks to many places in town. From where he parks his car, Arturo has to walk on a dirt footpath that winds around and later goes up about 3 sets of stairs before he reaches his house. He tells me that’s how he stays in good shape. Like most houses in Mallorca, his house is made out of stone. It has large picture windows bringing in lots of natural light, and it faces east with views also to the north and south. He has his studio up on the right hand side of the second story of the house.

Arturo and I spoke about where he gets inspiration for his paintings. I was sure he was going to say nature, the ocean, his imagination or characters he has met. He surprised me when he said he constantly looks for “clues.” He looks for “clues” in things he observes, conversations, dreams, images. You could say he is always trawling for clues in the sea of life. He sees a broken glass, a ball thrown into the street by a child, a red scarf, and then he sees a word written on a sign and puts all of this together into a package to create a painting. What a way to paint! Arturo is known as being a surrealist painter from the same style as say a Magritte or a Salvador Dali. His paintings often put together a known, familiar object with the unknown or unknowable. Or, he takes common images and puts them out of place from the norm, from where you would expect to see them. You could say Arturo's paintings challenge you to see life in a different way.


Sunday, November 8, 2009

Hotel La Residencia Art Exposition





Last Friday, October 30th, Hotel La Residencia in Deia, Mallorca hosted the opening of its art exhibit entitled “Collective Exposition in Honor of George Sheridan.”

George Sheridan was a British music composer who lived and worked in Deia and was considered a dear friend and mentor to many artists in this village.

Hotel La Residencia sponsored a contest among local painters and commissioned each of 32 artists to create an original painting with a music theme in honor of this late composer. What a great way to honor a late artist of this village and promote its current talent. A listing of the 32 artists is at the end of this post.

The collection will be judged by a panel of three judges and a winner will be announced by the end of this year. The prize will be the display of the winning painting in the gallery of the hotel and 1,000 euros to the painter.

Many in Deia and the surrounding artistic community attended the opening. All the paintings will be on display in the gallery for viewing until the winner is announced. Almost all paintings are for sale and a price list can be obtained from the hotel.

It was my first outing to an art exhibit in Mallorca and I really enjoyed it. I'm always amazed at the mix of people on this island. You often meet someone born in Denmark, of a Spanish mother but who grew up in Germany! It seems like no one is simply from one place. Everyone is a complete mix of nationalities, which makes for a richness of culture you don’t find in too many places.

Artists: Alice Meyer Wallace, Frances Baxter, Charlotte Mensforth, Jean-luc Charbonneau, Colin Hunt, Geoff MacEwan, Pamela Aldridge, Kerstin Unger Salen, Susan Robinson, Mariana Alzamora, Diana Palaci, Gioia, Eva Kircz, Ernesto Magnind, Phil Shepherd, Adell Blackmon, Leila Ward, Antoinette Mansker, Richard White, Alan Hydes, David Templeton, Elna Ernest, Jaime Colorao, Daniel Alzamora, J.J. White, Arturo Rhodes, Fliss Templeton, Lesley Woodward, Matias Durhssen, marta Mata Malas, Sallie Quirk, Miguel Oliver


Port of Valldemossa





The Port of Valldemossa is located a short 15 kilometers from Palma.

Last week I went there with a friend who came from Valencia to visit for the week. You drive down, yet another narrow cliff road for what seems like forever until you arrive at a tiny little fishing village that was deserted. We were lucky to find one place open for lunch where we had a delicious entire sole fillet, grilled with white rice and vegetables on the side, and of course some vino! The waiter told us that only 1 person lives there in the winter. Everyone else only comes in the summer. There are Spaniards, French, English, Americans and Germans with summer homes in the port. What a way to spend the summer! Personally, I prefer it in the winter with cool breezes, storms and lots of wind! It has spectacular scenery of the Med and the famous red rock that I'm so fond of!

Monday, November 2, 2009

VALLEY OF THE RED LIGHT



Deia, Mallorca is a tiny village of about 700 inhabitants, nestled in between the Tramuntana mountain range and the Mediterranean Sea in a western corner of Mallorca, just north of Palma, the grand capital of this beautiful island.

In Deia there is a certain time of day, usually in the last hour of sunlight for the day, when a light shines on the Tramuntana mountain range creating the sensation of an intense red light against the rock. The light looks red, but not like candy apple red or cherry red, or fire engine red, more like the red color of mud, the ground, what mystics associate with the color of “the source,” the great mother earth. Another color associated with “the source” is the clear color of crystal or white light. Before the red light appears, when the sun shines, you can often see a bright white light that shines upon the mountain illuminating the little stone houses, the gardens and the entire village. It is interesting to note that if you mix red, blue and green paint you get a reddish brown color, or you could say the color of the earth. If you mix red, blue and green light, you get a white, bright light. Mystics believe the red color of the earth is grounding while the white light provides guidance from above and spiritual clarity.

I’ve had a few people tell me this valley is enchanted and has lots of angels. Whether or not all of this has something to do with why many find inspiration here to paint, write poetry, do photography, ceramics, jewelry and other arts, who knows? But it’s certainly true that great art has been created here.

They say that creative types are dreamers and dreamers often lack grounding. Perhaps this valley and this tiny village offers artists a perfect combination of the two, the inspiration to dream so they can produce great pieces and the grounding of the red rock and the mountains so they can bring their creations that often originate in their hearts down to earth to be enjoyed by all of us.

The most famous poet of this village is probably the late Robert Graves. Here is one of his poems about dreams, called A Pinch of Salt:

When a dream is born in you

With a sudden clamorous pain,

When you know the dream is true

And lovely, with no flaw nor stain,

O then, be careful, or with sudden clutch

You'll hurt the delicate thing you prize so much.

Dreams are like a bird that mocks,

Flirting the feathers of his tail.

When you seize at the salt-box,

Over the hedge you'll see him sail.

Old birds are neither caught with salt nor chaff:

They watch you from the apple bough and laugh.

Poet, never chase the dream.

Laugh yourself, and turn away.

Mask your hunger; let it seem

Small matter if he come or stay;

But when he nestles in your hand at last,

Close up your fingers tight and hold him fast.

Many come here with dreams of creating great art or simply of having a good life by the sea, or both. Whether you’re an artist or not, living in Deia or somewhere else, Grave’s poem gives us all something real to ponder upon regarding our dreams.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

5 Rhythms Dancing in Palma de Mallorca


This week I went 5 Rhythms dancing in Palma at a studio called Earth Yoga, www.earthyoga.es. For all of you who don’t have any idea what kind of dancing that is here is a brief explanation. 5 Rhythms dancing was created back in the 60’s by an American woman from New York named Gabrielle Roth. It’s roots originated in a movement class she taught at the Esalen Institute. Gabrielle has been described as an urban shaman and her 5 Rhythms dancing utilizes shamanic and mystical beliefs. It also draws from transpersonal psychology. 5 Rhythms is practiced to move the body in order to release the heart and free the mind. The shamanic belief is that if you do this you can connect more closely to your soul and thereby unlock unlimited potentials in your life. I’ve also heard it described very simply as dancing through your emotions.

So on Thursday night, I made an attempt to do all this freeing up and connecting with the higher self or my soul. I can tell you that you sweat a lot when you do that! I arrived at the studio, my first time there, and was pleased that it looked very inviting and felt very serene, peaceful. The studio has wood floors, the walls are white with nice sayings written on them near the ceiling. There are long flowing white curtains separating the dance floor from another room. There is a small altar with the usual things you find in these places, some religious statues, some stones, a candle, and a Buddha of course. I sort of got lost in reading some of the sayings on the wall which said something like, “beyond right and wrong there is a field, I'll meet you there" and “I honor the God I have inside,” when suddenly the music started.

There were maybe 10-12 people in the room, scattered throughout the dance floor. As the music started everyone began to move very gently at first, with no particular rhythm or special movements, just movements that freed up whatever kinks they happened to have in their bodies, at that moment. Some moved their arms, others their necks while others did sort of stretches on the floor and others started to slide across the dance floor with pseudo-dance like movements. The instructor, a lovely woman from England named Jessica, plays a tape and sort of talks you through different parts of it.

The 5 Rhythms are: Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, and Stillness. Jessica encourages everyone to just move without paying any attention to what you might look like. A few years ago I took a three day workshop with Gabrielle in New York. When you are in one of these multiple-day workshops with Gabrielle she talks you through the purpose of each of the rhythms as you’re dancing. She gives you examples of what they mean in your everyday life. Like any art form, in the end everyone takes away whatever they connect with the most.

For me, Flowing is when you gently flow with life, going into the spaces that are open instead of those that are closed or occupied. Staccato is when you move through life stating who you are with purpose and conviction. Chaos is when you completely let go, free the mind, and in the process you can literally shake out of your body any emotions that don’t serve you, sort of like demons that you want to get rid of. Lyrical is when you try to connect with other people around you, you share yourself so to speak and you realize that often others are going through exactly the same things as you are. Stillness is when you just be, just stand there moving ever so slowly and just be. The shamanic belief is that you can connect closer to your soul through each of these states.

Jessica’s class takes you through each one of these rhythms, one at a time, over the course of about 2 hours. Yes, it is non-stop dancing for 2 hours, so whether or not you lose your mind, find your soul or open your heart, it's at least good exercise. I’m not exactly sure how closer I am to my soul but I felt really good after finishing the class and the notion of unlocking unlimited potentials in my life is certainly appealing! So if you ever have the chance to try a 5 Rhythms dance class and you’re not afraid to sweat a little, venture out there and do some gliding across the dance floor.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

THE KINDNESS OF SPANIARDS AND DOGS





This story is about my recent experience with a Spanish family and an airedale terrier named Brandy.

Anyone who has ever had an airedale will completely understand. Before I decided to adopt Brandy I remember reading “airedales have a mind of their own and are not for the faint of heart.” At the time I was intrigued by what that meant and I felt a little concerned. Now that I’ve had Brandy for 3 ½ years I can look back on that moment and say with certainty that I should have been a LOT concerned.

Of course what makes airedales so endearing is that they are full of spunk and character and they are mischievous till the last drop. I’ve also read that airedales have heighted senses, meaning that they see, hear, taste and smell everything far quicker and more intensely than other breeds. This is why they can appear to be so hyper and spastic. They are really very intensely curious and very smart. Of course they are also stubborn and therefore difficult to train.

I brought Brandy and Whisky, a standard poodle, with me from the US to live in Deia, Mallorca. I’m renting a lovely house on a cliff with a very large yard, which is great for the dogs. The first day I was there I noticed that there was a hole in the fence, in front of a pretty dense bunch of bushes and knew that Brandy would eventually discover it and try to go for a little walk on her own. I made a note to cover that hole as soon as I could find the right materials and tools.

I left the dogs in the yard on several occasions for outings to the store, running errands, etc. Each time I was gone for periods of time of anywhere from one to five hours. For the first few days nothing unusual happened and the dogs were right there at the gate, wagging their tales and ready to greet me enthusiastically as soon as I walked through the entrance.

Then on one Saturday, I came home at around five in the evening, after being gone for a few hours. Whisky was at the gate and was behaving a little more excited than normal, and Brandy was not there. I walked through the gate and looked everywhere for Brandy and no Brandy, anywhere. I quickly figured out she had escaped through the hole in the fence and took Whisky with me out on the trails in front of the house looking for her. My hope was that she went out for a little wonder and that I would find her quickly. The search went on for about 2 hours and there was no Brandy around. I went looking for her in the car, through the neighborhood and in the village, and still no Brandy. By then it was dark so I decided to go home.

Later that night I was lying in bed worried about her and resigned to do nothing until the morning. My biggest worry was that she would be out there hurt and with no one to take care of her. I wondered if she had fallen off a cliff or had been run over by a car. I hoped that if anyone decided to “adopt” her that it would at least be a nice family who would take care of her. Then suddenly I remembered that her collar tags have my US phone number on them and that if someone found her they might try to call that number. I checked for missed calls on my US phone and sure enough there was a missed call from a Spanish number.

I called the number right away and it was a family who had found her on the main road going into the next town of Soller, about three miles from the house. Mom and dad were in the car with their three kids going for a Saturday afternoon drive into Soller. They saw Brandy strolling back and forth across the road and slowed down when they saw her. My friendly Brandy went right up to the car to greet them, wagging her tail and looking at them with her teddy bear eyes. At first the family thought she might be with the hikers who were also on the road. They drove off and later decided to turn around and go back because they wondered if she was really with the hikers, or all alone.

When they reached the hikers they slowed down and asked them if Brandy was with them and they said no. The family decided to take Brandy into the car and take her home to figure out what to do with her because she was obviously lost and in danger, zigzagging all alone on the main road with lots of traffic on a Saturday afternoon. They said she was shaking and afraid when they put her in the car. She quickly warmed up to the kids in the back seat and they instantly fell in love with her.

So that is how Brandy ended up in the home of Tony and Ana and their three kids, Ana, Alvaro and Irene, 12, 10 and 5 years old. Tony went to the police station in town to report that he had found Brandy in case her owner would show up there looking for her. When he got home he called the number on her tag. Tony also saw that she had a tag for a microchip from a company called Home Again. He looked up the company on the Internet and sent them an email message. They fed her and later commented on how much she loves to eat chicken and rice!

This nice Spanish family not only took great care of Brandy by bringing her into their home and feeding her but they also went through great lengths to try to find her owner, and luckily with success. We have since become friends and they have even helped me to take care of both Whisky and Brandy when I had to go out of town for a couple of days.

There are very kind people in Spain!!! I feel the warmth of the people and I'm really enjoying my time here.

I don’t regret having an airedale and I love Brandy but it is definitely true that airedales are NOT for the faint of heart. Oh, and yes, I covered the hole in the fence.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

LIVING WITH LESS AND APPRECIATING WHAT YOU HAVE MORE




When you travel abroad you realize that America is truly the land of plenty and that not everywhere is the same. I know that this is not the case for the entire population but in general people in America have access to much more variety and quantity of items than in many other countries.

A lot of Americans are making the effort to live with less, out of their own choice, to simply their lives, and many have to live with less due to economic constraints, especially in today’s economic climate.

Traveling to far away lands can teach you many things and one of them is the notion of living with less and being happy with it.

When you rent and live in an average house in Spain you quickly realize that the average Spanish household does live with less, and they are perfectly happy with that. I mean, it’s not as though they feel they’re missing something or even less suffering in any way, they’re happy! They live with less in terms of items, stuff, less variety of stuff, and smaller sizes of stuff.

Most houses do not have a dishwasher, no garbage disposal, no dryer for their clothes. They save not only on the cost of these appliances but also on the electricity to run them. Sinks in the kitchen are small, kitchens are small and bathrooms are small. Come to think of it, the entire house or flat is small. In general they live in less square feet and are happy.

Imported items are very expensive and hard to find. Many locals don’t buy imported items, they only buy local. They strengthen their economy by supporting their local producers. I brought my two dogs with me from the US. I used to spend about $120 per month on food for both of them, for a very high quality but expensive dog food. Here the dog food I’m buying is the US brand Royal Canin, and it is costing me close to double what I used to pay, or about $225 per month. As far as I can determine it is close to equivalent, but not as good as what I used to give them at home. I’m looking for an alternative. Of course the weakness of the dollar and the exchange rate with the Euro is not helping matters.

When you go to the stores, at least in this part of the island of Mallorca, you realize that instead of 10 brands of something there are only 2-3. Wall-Marts don’t’ exist here and much less Costco’s, Sam’s Clubs or Nordstroms. There is an Ikea in Palma and since they are virtually the only such type of store I imagine they do quite a good business. Supermarkets are limited in what they carry and most don’t have the variety of non-food items we have in almost every supermarket in America.

I have to admit I was a pretty healthy shopper when I was living in the US, frequenting all of the above stores and more, and researching and often buying the multiple brands of many items. However, being in Spain I’ve learned that not having so much to choose from saves you a lot of time, effort and money! You simply don’t buy certain things because they’re not available and guess what you can live without them in most cases and be perfectly happy. You save money by not buying, you save effort by not having to understand the use of so many products and compare so many brands, and you save time by not going to the various stores and doing all the shopping.

Another positive side of all of this is that you appreciate everything you have and everything you buy so much more! When I go shopping I hold the 2 tomatoes I’m buying in my hand with care and carefully place them in my fridge so that nothing happens to them before I have the pleasure of eating them. I’m careful not to overbuy, not because of the cost or because I have to carry them up 40 flights of stairs after I park the car but because too much will not fit in my tiny little fridge! Every item of food and every item in general that makes it up my 40 stairs is precious and appreciated so much more!!!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Cliff Driving





I am an American and I don't speak Mallorquine. I do have to admit I have the tremendous advantage of speaking Spanish, all be it South American Spanish and not Castilian, Spain, Spanish but, it's still a big help.

I arrived in Deia, Mallorca 3 weeks ago and have created this blog as a way to record my experiences here in this beautiful land.

I will cover topics about daily life, challenges you encounter, things to do, the people who live here, the people who visit here, the incredible hiking trails and anything and everything else I find interesting from the perspective of an American for all those wanting to come to Deia for a long or short stay.

My first topic will be the roads. First of all, they are tiny, very very tiny. On the MA-10, the road from Deia to Soller, a small car fills up the entire lane and there are only two lanes, one each way. Beyond the lane there are parts where if you move more than a foot over to the side, you can plunge to your death or near death down the cliff. So, if you have fear of heights you must take this into consideration before coming here. On the positive side, everyone drives relatively slow. I guess they all really want to live. There are many hikers and cyclists on the road because the scenery is so, amazingly breathtaking with the Mediterranean sea, the cliffs, the greenery growing from the rocks and the waves crashing against it all. Since most of the time I'm driving I have not had the chance to fully take in this scenery and have only had glimpses of it when I dare to look away from the road, if only for a second or two. The first time I drove into the nearby town of Soller I wondered if I was really on the road because it seemed more like a wide sidewalk or an alley for one car. No, it was really the road. You navigate through it very carefully so as not to hit your rearview mirrors on the side of the stone buildings, yes, its that narrow! So, needless to say you better make sure you are not going down the wrong way on a one way street because turning around is a major problem. Of course, these narrow stone streets and the stone houses around them are what give these old Mallorquine towns their unique charm. Oh and you do need a car to get around. So do whatever you need to do, take a pill, take a deep breathe if you need to but do take a drive on these roads because it's worth it, despite the obvious dangers.