Day 12 29th April 2011

Well, lets say that the day started very calmly…did not even get out of bed til 10, and was ready by 12… The Hostel owners had organised my ride with on of the chaps who work there…when I got in the car he had some leb music on and then he was fiddling to change it and I asked him not to worry about it and he can keep it. This started another conversation and I found out that his name is Maured, (I think) he is originally from Syria and been living in Spain for 4 years. He has 3 brothers and none live in Syria, but he was worried about his parents getting old and living on their own so he wanted to know how he would get back there.

So this driver of mine was a chap that spoke English, Arabic, French, Spanish and Portuguese…oh and he is a dentist and working as a lackey in a Hostel it begs a question really of when will the world be unified in educating and accepting everyone to be equal? No matter…

Ok I got to the airport and still frustrates me the lack of WIFI in European airports??? Another stupid thing I did was locked my SIM and left the PUK code which meant a very challenging situation when I am getting picked up at the airport and have no means of contact…Thankfully, I am old enough to remember pay public phones and somewhat managed to use one…

Incidentally, Majorca’s airport is twice as big as Sydney’s international airport…in fact it could be 3 times as big so its no mean feat to understand where you are and explain it when most people don’t speak allot of English and I am dim wit that does not speak any Spanish (here is another mental note) learn more languages…more on that to follow.

I am greeted by three beautiful Senoritas (and I was politely corrected when I had faux pas and called her Senora) so stuck to English from there on. Lets just say that a random chat on a bus in Dublin leads to me meeting so many people in Majorca (which was not even on the travel chart…is amazing to say the least.

I am gob smacked by the hospitality and trust that these young ladies have provided me…They picked me up from the airport and sorry to lay the boot but this gesture alone neither of my partner/spouse/defacto EVER bothered to offer…In saying that I have great friends who simply did that and I adore my friends who dis this for me as I think it’s the nicest gesture…so you can imagine when really complete strangers do that especially when we had no means to communicate it was frustrating for all involved…

http://www.palmademallorca.es/IMI/PORTAL/PRD/floc_d4_v1.jsp?tipo=1&agrupacion=3&contenido=949&nivel=1400&language=en

They drove me around town…taking in the sites and photo opportunities…
http://www.mallorcawebsite.com/balearik/Cathedrali.html

Organised dinners with friends and families and its an experience that will live with me for a long time…
The rest of the evening was filled with laughter and lots of Spanish terms…and not forgetting the Italian in the mix as well. So here is what I am trying to recall “ques de le Primo est al Rimo” not even sure what it means…will be sure to check in and perhaps the Spanish motley crew care to comment or quite possibly correct it. The night started with Dinner and drinks and ended with dancing in a Jazz bar which was super cool

http://www.jazzvoyeurfestival.com/index.php
…you really quite easily can see why Christopher Skase never wanted to leave Majorca for Melbourne (more appropriately Melbourne Jail)

One last thing as I write this I am watching the rerun of the Royal Wedding in my Hotel room in Valencia. Needless to say, no one was watching it in Majorca.
http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/

Day 8 25th April (Anzac Day) 2011

Well everyone at home must be super excited about a 5 daylong weekend… I would have been too but the fact that I will have 8 weeks off in a row… I can’t be Jealous.

Well in London Town its still a Bank Holiday technically (Easter Monday) its weird that the Scotts didn’t really have any comprehension of the long weekend but the Londoners seem to have had. Anyway, continuing from my seventh Sabbath the previous day I decided to chill out some more and had not left the apartment before 3:30 ish … Sadder than that is I actually stayed in the apt watching the 10 commandments…Yes, its sad…but whatever…

When I finally got my arse in gear I headed straight for the London eye but the queue was horrendous so just took a few snaps of Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster, and Yes B(F)uckingham Palace…the thought that kept going through my head was this could potentially be the last Royal Wedding of my era… And at the same time…I was thinking poor saps their lives as the know it will be forever ruined after that wedding… I guess that’s what compelled me into buying the memorabilia items and I did so from the palace shop and not the “Tacky” convenience stores…that was my contribution to the wedding ☺
http://www.theukgiftcompany.co.uk/the_official_royal_collection/royal_wedding_pill_box_from_the_royal_collection/31308_p.html

I then hopped on the tube to Leicester sq… and wasn’t really sure why… but the place was abuzz as always and as I aimlessly wondered I just ended up in front of the theatre and Les Miserables was playing…I have heard the sound track and I might have even seen it but the fact that I was in London…I think the bucket list was owed something other than the adrenaline junk…so I decided time to splash out on the arts and yes it was worth every penny (and there were a few pennies spent) I dreamed a dream when hope was high ;-) well I am glad I am still dreaming.

http://www.lesmis.com/home

Going home I was elated to say the least and promptly added the Les Miz soundtrack to my library