If we are being honest, I have started to watch Lost on Netflix so when I decided to go to the island of Mallorca I was just hoping it would not be the same experience. Thankfully Mallorca, Spain was a beautifully peaceful island complete with white sandy beaches, an interesting history, and loads of adventure (for those daring few).
When we landed on the island, our host was nice enough to pick me and David up from the airport. We dropped our bags and headed straight for the beach. Though the water was a little chilly, the weather was perfect for an afternoon lay in the sand. Curiously enough, Mallorca has a very large population of Germans and English. Because the weather is always nice, they have their own little communities in different pockets of the island. There were quite a few different groups of Germans playing beach volleyball. Free entertainment! That night we meet a couple that was staying in the Airbnb with us that were actually from Minnesota. We hit it off immediately and spent the entire night playing cards and talking until our host kindly asked us to go to bed. Oops..
The next morning we joined two of our other friends from the University of Oviedo on an excursion called “coasteering”. None of us really knew what we had signed up for, but we were ready for anything! Fun fact: Coasteering involves jumping off of cliffs, zip lining, and free climbing. Let the adventure begin! First off– cliff jumping. After suiting up with all of the necessary gear, we started with 3 meter jumps and worked our way up to 10 meters.
We then had a brief free climb against the side of the cliff. I was under the impression that we were climbing along the cliff because there was no other way to get to our next jump, but apparently the climb was the event. After a few near falls, clinging on to the edge of the cliff for dear life, I finally made it to solid ground! I probably looked a bit ridiculous with my legs spread out and my fingers trying to scramble for holds in the rock. I was just happy to not have fallen!
After a short break, our guide, José, set up a zip line across the cove and we took turns letting go into the water, trying to do tricks from the rope. I tried to do a back-flip but failed miserably and ended up doing more of a flop than a flip.
José told me and David we were the best jumpers and would allow us to try the 12 meter jump, which is about 40 feet. Well actually, he told David to come with him and then looked at me and said, “You too, más o menos…” “Más o menos?” I replied. It was enough incentive for David to drag me along, whether I liked it or not. So there I stood at the top of a 12 meter cliff, trying not to focus on how much space there was between me and the water below. And how I could see the bottom of the ocean very clearly. And how my whole body was slightly shaking. And I asked José one last time, “Are you sure I can do this?” And he goes, “Yeah, sure. Of course!” And before I can think about it again, I jump. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at once.
The next day we went to the beach in the morning and spent the rest of the afternoon in the city. With a short detour after taking the wrong bus, we made it to the Palma Cathedral. Unfortunately I didn’t take a picture, but it was impressive nonetheless. From the center of Palma City we followed the bike trail along the beach back to our place.
Now I am back in Oviedo, where it is forecasted to rain for 10 days straight and the temperature is around freezing. Oh how I miss my nice island time.