Chasing the Sun(sets)

One of my favorite songs these days is by The Wanted, "Chasing the Sun" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFS5N_yAGTo).  So when I was thinking of a title for this entry, that was the first thing that came to my mind.  Because essentially this week, that’s what we’ve been doing.  A few nights we met up with Ignasi at a designated spot in Ciutadella to then make the run to a location where the views to watch the sunset are the best – chasing the sun before it sets!!  And other nights it was us trying to get back to the house in time to watch the sun touching the horizon (and not always making it in time).

Our first night here we actually didn’t see the sun set as we were at dinner with the kids no where near a good location.  But knowing that one of the perks of our villa was that it had the perfect viewing location for a sunset, I wasn’t all that concerned as we still had six more nights. 

What I didn’t expect was for Nasi to take us out the next two nights to watch the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen.  The first night we went to Cova d’en Xoroi.  It took us about 40 minutes, down sometimes very narrow, windy roads, to get to the south east corner of Menorca and when we did there was a huge line (which thankfully moved very fast).  Being after dinner time for the kids (we tried to feed them unsuccessfully before leaving the house), they were in semi meltdown mode before we even saw the line. 

Aidan having a meltdown before we even got into the Cova d'en Xoroi

But it was worth it.  While open all day long, at night it turns into a club and I can imagine just how cool it is to be hanging out just above the water on the edge of a cliff while dancing the night away with your friends. 

The Cova is actually a series of caves which was really cool.  Perched up on a cliff there were a number of viewing areas where you could see the Mediterranean below and the sun setting ahead.  There was a number of bars, both indoors and outdoors.  Definitely a very cool place to hang out… an even better place if we hadn’t had the kids with us (who were definitely in meltdown mode now).  Next time we come to Menorca it will be with a sitter so we can experience more of these nighttime activities! 

I think this was one of the most stunning sunsets I've ever seen and the location only added to the allure.  For sure this is a place that I don't believe would exist in the US due to liability issues which made it that much more special to be able to experience!!

Kids checking out the vistas

Liam showing off his free drink ticket...

View of one of the outdoor areas from above

Walking through the caves

One of the openings of the cave on to the Mediterranean

Walking through more of the cave

Liam has the best view in the house - above everyone else!

You can just barely make it out, but there is a boat going in front of the sun

So you can get an idea of how high up we were and how close to the edge... how cool is this place??

Outdoor area after the sun set

The next night we headed north to the Faro de Punta Nati, a lighthouse on the north west corner above Ciutadella.  Built in 1912 after several ships had been wrecked off the north coast of Menorca, it's located in an area that is completely barren of human life.  As with the beaches, we would never have known where to go if it hadn’t been for Nasi.  We followed him and his brother down yet another very narrow windy road towards the lighthouse (these roads are reminding me more and more of the ones in Ireland, but at least we get to drive on the right side of the road this time!).  Liam managed to get 98% of the way there and then puked (on himself and the car) right as we were trying to park. 

An ariel view of the lighthouse that I found on http://www.farsdebalears.org/en/faros-lighthouses-balears/faros-lighthouses-balears-faros-menorca/faros-lighthouses-balears-punta-nati/.  The road coming in is on the left and if you look to the far right on the rocks you can see a small building - that is where we watched the sunset from.  

For those that know me well, know that I LOVE lighthouses and anything to do with them.  Yes, Cova d'en Xoroi was amazing, but to me, this is the ultimate.  A "hidden" road to get to the lighthouse.  No crowds (yes there were people but they were pretty spread out), gorgeous cliffs and of course, wonderful company to share the experience with.

We walked down towards the lighthouse but then you have to jump over a (broken) wall to get to the vistas as the lighthouse is closed to the public.  The kids loved the idea of rock climbing to get out to our destination.  Both were disappointed to find that there was no food or beverages in sight (we tried to tell them but they wouldn’t listen!).  We got out to the point and there were people sitting atop what looked like might have been a guard house area long ago.  The boys, of course, wanted to explore.

The road leading to the lighthouse

He's just been told there are no drinks or food here...and by the way, he did not draw in the journal he insisted on carrying (that I ended up carrying) a single time

Views in the distance

Josh and pukey child taking up the rear

You can't get in to the actual lighthouse area

Sunset reflecting off the cliffs behind us

I was hoping they would actually stay right here but no, that wasn't happening

Josh was sitting on the very edge of the precipice which made me nervous in and of itself but then the kids kept trying to walk over there which made me even more anxious given it was at least a 100 foot drop to (their death) the bottom.  In the end, it was a magnificent, albeit slightly nerve wracking , sunset, the likes of which I’ve never seen.  There were no crowds, we had plenty of room with  no one blocking us and the fact that we had to trek to the middle of no where to see these vistas made it even more worth it!!

Josh watching the sun set

Faro de Punta Nati

The kids loved exploring this little guardhouse

The drop on our side was about the same... yes, this is why I wanted the kids to sit still!

Exploring

A bit close to the edge for my comfort

Goofy kids... 

Surrounded by handsome men... I'm so lucky!

Josh and the sunset again :)

Lluis and Ignasi

They are laughing because they are saying boobie in Spanish... ahhh boys....

Much needed family picture (it's been a long time!)... thanks Nasi :)

The drop in front of us

Aidan looking thoughtful

Liam exploring

Almost down

After watching the sunset we went over to climb on top of what used to be sheep houses – we’ve seen these dotted all over the island and had been curious about them so this was a chance to see one up close and personal.

Heading to the sheep house

Sheep house

Lluis, Ignasi and Liam on the sheep house

All smiles...

Liam announced "I'm king of the world!"

So Aidan had to do the same

Fake fighting

Our final sunsets have been from outside our villa – it actually took us being here 5 days before we actually saw one here as we missed it a few times since we were out of the house but we made it a point to be here at least once during the trip so we could sit out on the rocks near the villa (ok, I sat on the rocks and Josh joined me at the last minute while the kids played up at the house) and just watch the sun go down.  Magnificent and super easy since it was right in our backyard!

View from our backyard right before the sun starts to set

Porous rocks along the back of our villa that stretch to the edge of the Med

View of the back of our villa (we only have the part with the two windows on the right and on the bottom)

Starting to see the orange glow of the sun setting

Sailboat crossed at the perfect moment

LOVE how the clouds make the sun look like it's on fire (well, I guess technically it IS on fire anyways)

Besos,

Julie

Kiddie Adventures on Menorca

One of the things about travelling with kids that we’ve learned is the art of compromise.  Yes, this is a beach vacation, but it is also a family vacation.  And while the kids love the beach, we also recognize that we need to arrange for more than just the beach to entertain them all week.  Hence, the home rental with the pool…

My friend Nasi was really sweet the few days he spent with us.  Not only did he take us to some of his favorite hard to find beaches, but he also made plans to do something special for the kids as well.  Yes, the kids love love love the beach, but this was something specifically for them.  And they had a blast!  It was a small park with water slides, a little playground and a mini golf course.  OMG, you would think that they died and went to heaven. 

They had no interest in lunch which we told them they had to have before they went in the water.  Then we got them tickets to go on the water slides.  And a bargain at 5 euros for something like 30 rides… yes, wicked cheap.  Aidan used probably 25 of those 30 – going up over and over again.  He even made a few friends along the way.  He and Nasi did a few races which he loved and Liam made use of the pool more so than the slides (which he actually did do twice but we had to catch him at the bottom of the slide). 

Getting ready to race!

Aidan going down the water slide

More of a Liam sized slide

Having soooo much fun!

Aidan learned the trick to going down faster is to do it without his swim shirt

Enjoying the pool

Josh going down the slide

And Liam coming down right after

This was NOT Liam's favorite part

The aftermath

After the slides we played a savage game of mini golf (of which I forgot to take pictures during).  Ignasi had to get used to not only our American fast paced way of played (which is how you play with a 5 and 8 year old), of our children cheating (do you really think Liam can hit the ball like an 8 year old can?  Of course, not, so he has to push it in more than tap it in and he gets to start much closer to the hole), and that you can not shoot any more than a 6 (otherwise we’d be there forever with just Liam alone who often was shooting an 11 or more).  I have no idea who won, but it was close between Josh and Nasi – I told the kids that I lost since they both seemed keen on beating the adults.  Let them think they beat at least one adult, right? ;) 

On another afternoon, while having lunch in Los Delfines, Josh spotted what looked to be another park down the road, and it was!  Aqua Center had some bouncy castles as well as a small park of water slides.  With promises to behave from the kids, we told them we would take them the next day, and we did. 

The kids had a blast and Liam had some more milestones.  Not only is he swimming without a bubble these days, but he learned to swim underwater while at the water park!  He also went down a decent sized kiddie slide several times (which is several times more than I went down!)!  Go Liam!! 

Aidan going down the little kid slide

Liam content in the water

You guys are the best parents EVER!!!!! (of course this statement was taken back later in the day when we once again became the WORST parents EVER!)

Liam sized slide

Liam in his imaginary world

Working on his swimming!

Josh helping Liam swim

My boys

Touch the roof!

Look at Liam go!!!!

Aidan on what he called the "slow" slide

And now the "fast" slide!

Josh on the fast slide

Liam and his mommy

Liam doing some kind of ninja move

Liam on a "big" slide...as a side note, this slide was so slow, he actually had to push himself most of the way down

Josh and Aidan coming down the double tube slide

Liam does the "big" yellow slide - I'm so proud of him!!

Brothers...happy for the moment

Aidan and Josh had a great time on the bigger slides with Aidan venturing down on his own as well.  He’s my daredevil for sure!!

We found that a lot of restaurants in the more touristy areas also had play areas for the kids.  While this might not be our normal way of going out to dinner, nor does it help to encourage our kids to sit still at the table while eat as a family, once again, we must remember that this is vacation and that means being a bit more flexible.  So while the restaurant choices weren't necessarily top notch nor mine and Josh's ideal, it meant that we could have a peaceful meal while the kids played... compromise is good.  Mixing up fun for the adults and the kids made the vacation so much more pleasurable - keeping the kids happy means keeping the adults happy!!

Besos,

Julie

Balearics Bound – Off to Menorca!

It’s been a rough few weeks for me (and the kids).  With an exodus of friends, I’ve been finding myself already in hibernation mode.  I’ve had no desire to leave the house (not to mention it’s a million degrees in Barcelona these days) and so it’s been a bit of a catch-22.  Yes, we’re just chilling and relaxing but we are also totally up each others’ asses.  The kids and I have been at each others throats for weeks and yet, I just haven’t cared enough to do much about it.  I know it’s a mentality that needs to change and I keep telling myself when school starts again things will be better.

But things are already looking up.  On Saturday we left for our family vacation to Menorca, an island just off the coast of Barcelona, a mere 30 minute flight.  I’ve never seen Aidan so excited about a flight – mainly because he couldn’t actually believe that a flight could be that short.  And it was.  I actually dared to turn on my ipod for a moment only for the captain to announce we had to shut off all electronics as we prepared to land – I wasn’t even a full song in… yes, that short of a flight. 

Walking thru Barcelona airport on the way to our gate...

Josh sits with the kids on non trans-Atlantic flights - that's the price you pay for me flying with pukey kid every year by myself....

Waiting for our bags

The owners of the villa we rented seemed to think that it was going to take us 3 hours to get from the airport to them, yet the island is a mere 30 miles (need to confirm this info) long so not sure if they were anticipating that there was going to be that much traffic or what???  We got a better idea of why when we were in baggage claim.  Let’s just say it’s a good thing we rent through Sixt and not Europacar.  The Europacar line had AT LEAST 50 people in it waiting for car rentals.  Ours…none.  Yeah, we were out of there in less than 30 mins and on the road within 45 after securing our little Opel for the week.

Oh and the car gods were shining down on us because we were blessed with an automatic.  Though believe it or not, I was almost hoping for a manual because I knew that Menorca was pretty flat and I thought I might get some practice in.  But in reality, that probably wouldn’t have happened anyways and I’m glad that we got the automatic so I can share (and enjoy) in the driving. 

However, even though it was an automatic, Josh chose to drive on day 1 and given we got lost a few times, I’m thankful for that one.  And I will admit, the first time we got lost was entirely my fault.  You see, on the contract from the owners was an address in bold.  I assumed that was our address because it was the only one in bold on the contract.  Makes sense right?  Odd though because my friend Ignasi, who is from here, could have sworn we were staying Cala Blanca and not in Los Delfines, but no, that’s what the contract said.  So we were off to our villa.  Only we got there and it wasn’t our villa from the pictures we’d seen.  Hmmmm… must look at contract again.  Oh, it’s where it’s not bolded at the bottom that has our actual address.  Of course!!!  Why didn’t I think of that! 

Off again to attempt to find our villa.  We found the neighborhood but couldn’t find the house.  They had the name of the house next door (no where to be seen anywhere) on the contract but not an actual street number – and just as an FYI, the house next door’s name is NOT the one that’s listed on the contract which explains why we couldn’t find it.  I called and they said they were waiting outside.  I even got out and was walking around trying to find it.  Eventually after about another 30-40 minutes we found it.  And yes, it was just before 4 at this point, so I guess the owner was right in the end.  So much for getting there at 2:30! 

It was worth it though.  110% worth it.  The views from our villa are beyond stunning.  And while the views at our villa in Paxos, Greece (reference blog entry here) were equally breathtaking, it was differently so.  We are perched upon a low cliff, on the first line as they call it.  So literally, the pool to our villa, is on the cliff (albeit a good 100 feet from the edge of the cliff thankfully).  We look right out on to the beautiful Mediterranean from the back of the house.  Well worth it! 

Outside of our villa

Olives

Inside the villa

Living room with very badly placed IKEA light

And the piece de resistance... the pool with the amazing view of the Mediterranean!

View without Liam :)

Close up with flowers

Back of the villa

Checking out the local plants

I took a walk past the pool towards the water... rocks were porous which was interesting.

Climbing the outdoor shower

Josh went out in hunt of groceries and the kids and I jumped in the pool.  A mellow, chill afternoon after the chaos of trying to find the villa.  We decided that since the Los Delfines area seemed to have a bunch of (touristy) restaurants, we would go back there for dinner and we did.  The restaurant, the Tahiti, was definitely cheesy but the food was actually decent and bonus, they had a big screen tv with kids cartoons playing, old school ones like Snagglepuss, Looney Toons and more – exactly the kind of stuff our kids love and it kept them nicely entertained. 

Loving the pool...notice NO BUBBLE!

Josh with the kids after getting back from the store

About an hour before sunset

Enjoying their chocolate milkshakes

We ended the night early, preparing for a big day on Sunday with my friend Ignasi and his surprise plans for us… I wonder what we are going to do?????

Besos,

Julie