Sweet Spanish Summer Story

Back in January I booked myself a little treat to Mallorca to see the total solar eclipse. I’ve been wanting to see another ever since Reims in 1999. I’ve been looking forward to it and excited about it for 27 years! I thought Mallorca would be a good option as it would be quiet and have clear skies, but I was a bit worried about the high temperatures. Needs must… This was to be a solo trip and I splashed out on a gorgeous little rustic, adults only farmstead hotel with only a few rooms, a pool and peace and quiet. But, of course, then Huw came on the scene and I wanted him to come along and he agreed to join me. Everything was already booked and paid for and organized so all he needed was flights and then he could be my wingman for the short two night/three day trip.

Tuesday morning I woke up at 3.30am, had a speedy breakfast, fed the cats and jumped in the car. Fifteen minutes into the drive two low tyre pressure warnings appeared on the dashboard. I didn’t have time to stop so I kept my fingers crossed and watched them to see if they were steady or dropping. Ten minutes later I got a third warning even though nothing had changed so I pressed on with heart rate high and thinking how typical that it would choose today to be a problem. Coming into Glasgow a sign announced the Erskine bridge was closed and I almost had a panic attack as I didn’t have time for diversions! But just before the turn off another sign said ‘from the 14th’ so all was well and I could calm down again!

I breezed through security, comparing progress messages with Huw who would be arriving about half an hour before me, having flown from closer to home. Once we were all boarded we were told the flight would be delayed by two hours due to a technical breakdown in the control tower, but that the time might come forward. I read my book and just an hour later we had a take off slot. The flight was good and Huw was waiting for me at the bar right by my arrival gate. After a quick coffee we headed out to collect the car and set off for the hotel which was only half an hour away.

The hotel was beautiful - Petit Hotel Son Perdiu! A handful of couples joined us at the pool side and we were probably the noisy ones. It was 36 degrees but under the canopy and lying on the sun loungers it was pretty nice. We swam in the pool and had a drink and then headed out for dinner in Sa Rapita, finding a nice Japanese restaurant. We had sushi, steak and salmon and an amazing chocolate brownie dessert and then headed back to the air con chill of the beautiful room for a decent catch up sleep after our crazy early mornings.

• 

• 

Wednesday 12th August was THE day! We started with an incredible breakfast and me feeling suddenly deeply grateful for that moment, this holiday, life in general and an amazing person to share the experience with. I don’t know if it was because I was on holiday, or if everything was actually perfect right then but I suddenly realized how amazing everything seemed to be. From every bite of perfectly ripe watermelon, to the incredible sense of deep relaxation, the beautiful surroundings and the easy company and being able to share that moment, and have that memory to share later, felt truly incredible. The sheer perfection of the moment was the kind of happy that makes you cry. After a leisurely breakfast of multiple courses, trying every beautiful item on the buffet table from honeycomb to soft bread rolls and silky salami to perfectly ripe flat peaches and yellow plums it all tasted like heaven and every bite was a treat.

We spent the next few hours at the pool side, in and out of the water to keep cool, and relaxing, chatting, working out that over 10m we were equally matched swimmers regardless of the stroke, and generally sinking into a state of deep contentment. Then it was time to head to a good viewing spot for the main event! I had planned a walk but then realized that the sun would be very low to the horizon at the point of totality and that the walk I had researched might not look west enough. So a quick change of plan and I found a small rocky cove with a lighthouse that should have a good westerly view of the horizon and swimming potential and we set off.

It was not meant to be. The road to the lighthouse was closed for an event - it would be full of people, so we decided on a spot a little further up - a huge and beautiful beach that looked devoid of any sign of tourism. But again, the nearest town was full of cars and crowds and every other road that Google maps suggested appeared out of bounds - gated or non-existent. We were running out of time. Huw was navigating and as a last ditch attempt he suggested we head for the hills and a monastery on the top that was half an hour away and looked like it had a good outlook.

The road started to climb and we could see the building atop the hill but there were lots of tall trees so we weren’t sure it would be a clear view, but we pressed on as we were out of options. We turned towards the monastery - the Sanctuary of our Lady of Monti-Sion - and the road was closed about 1.5km short of our destination. So we parked the car and got out into the heavy heat and started walking. By the top we were damp with sweat but hopeful. There was a gap in the trees in the right direction and a small group of like-minded people stood waiting. The only question now was whether the event would happen before the sun dipped below the hill on the horizon - it was touch and go.

We shared a pair of eclipse glasses and watched as the moon slowly ate a bigger and bigger chunk out of the sun and the excitement built, the sky began to darken and the cicadas got louder. And then at 8.31pm the light went from the sky, the birds flew home to roost, the cicadas went silent and the glasses were discarded so we could marvel at this spectacular natural phenomenon for the minute of totality. It was as magic as I remembered and I was so completely enchanted by this rare moment of wonder. It is so stunningly beautiful it takes your breath away. Huw was impressed too, having been a little skeptical at first, and agreed it was worth the trip. As the moon crept out the other side and the light returned to the sky the sun dropped below the top of the hill and the moment was over. It was so perfect. Full marks to Huw for finding our place to view.

• 

• 

• 

He had also noticed a sign pointing into the monastery advertising a restaurant. I was imagining a pop up soup kitchen specially for the occasion, with rustic bread and a hearty broth, but no - it was a posh restaurant on a terrace overlooking a stunning view with white table clothes and strings of lights … and it was fully booked. But they served us cold Estrella beers and we sat out enjoying the cooling air and sent our families photos of the eclipse and read out their messages back and felt satisfied at our good luck that things had turned out so well.

We wandered down the hill and headed out in search of food, deciding on a restaurant a few doors down from the previous night - more of a local place selling a lot of sea food. We shared a huge prawn salad with melon and avocado, then Huw went for sea bass which came out with the head and eyes still in place, and I got the cod with mashed potatoes and slightly sour apricots. We got back to the hotel at about 11.30pm, cooled off under our own fabulous private outdoor shower, and sat out in the dark to watch for the perseid meteor shower which also happened to fall that night. We saw a few and one really good one and the fact that it coincided with exactly six months since the very first messages we exchanged felt somehow quite incredible and very special and I was feeling very blessed.

• 

• 

• 

• 

The next morning was another incredible breakfast which we enjoyed for about 1.5 hours, just to make sure we had tasted it all, and then we paid up and decided to head to the beach and lighthouse which was the original plan for the eclipse viewing spot. It was absolutely roasting hot and we parked the car, applied suntan lotion, hats and sunglasses and made the short and searing walk along the coast to the lighthouse and our very own spot to hop down off the rocks into water that felt like a warm bath and cooled us off nicely. It was clear and green and just the right depth and we put our heads back and floated, weightless in the perfection of that setting. I felt as light and free in spirit as I did in body. And I said to Huw that there wasn’t a single thing more that I could possibly have wanted from our first trip abroad, and I truly meant it. It had been everything I hoped for and more, and it wasn’t over yet.

We walked slowly back along the beach and had to stop half way for another long dip in much shallower water where we could lay on our fronts and let the cool water lap over our shoulders and cool us down while we shooed away hermit crabs and decided that Huw is a savoy cabbage - he has a heart but many layers to get to it, and I’m a peach - soft and sensitive, but fuzzy.

• 

• 

Then it was time to head back towards the airport on the scenic coastal route, accidentally finding a fabulous traditional, old restaurant serving incredible paella in huge pans with everything cooked on a slanted grill over an open fire. We had fun with crabs legs, peeling prawns, langoustines, muscles and cockles, along with chicken and pork. Huw also ordered bread with lovely, garlicky cream cheese and a traditional Mallorcan fried dish called frito mallorquín of lambs kidney, liver and heart with peppers and chips and cold Fanta lemon with ice. It was spectacular and slightly out of my comfort zone! We even had several friendly chickens for company and they finished off the paella we couldn’t manage.

• 

• 

• 

Time for one more surprise - a short walk in the blazing sun to a lighthouse with a brilliant view from the cliff top over the startlingly blue water with small boats below.

Then, sadly, it was time to hand back the hire car and find our way to departures. We had ice creams and awaited boarding, and Huw’s flight was delayed by an hour and he had work at 6.30am but it was nice for me that he was there to see me off and I miss him already. And I can’t wait for the next trip and the next adventure … whatever that might be.