A Cheeky Supermarket Sweep

 No holiday experience in foreign climes .......

..... would be complete without a cheeky troll round at least one large, Mallorcan supermarket ........

...... to look for, among other things, the odd comestible treat to take home to try and/or review, crisps, biscuits, a sauce mix!

You just never know what you're going to find of an interesting type nature........

.... I mean, who knew that Spain had its very own version of our beloved Hello magazine, in the guise of Hola!

Then, there are the smaller, independent and gifty shops for a choice, much considered souvenir .......

..... some more "welcoming" than others.

And, when you find two that have the same name as your upstairs neighbour, well, it would be rude not to have a gander.

Needless to say, several considered purchase were made, by both Darrell and myself, if not the actual ones featured ....

.... ours were more of the fridge magnet, coaster, crisp and confectionary kind, although Darrell did also splurge on a bottle of Sangria that he said he will wait until Christmas Eve to get out to, and I quote "Evoke memories and the spirit of sunshine, warmer times and far flung climes!!  What on earth is he like? 

Ignorance Is Sometimes Bliss

Nearing the end of our holiday ....... 

...... I have to admit to being a little remiss as to studying the local information boards scattered along the beach and into town .......

...... as we never realised, until now, that all the time, beneath our sunbeds, we could have been innocuously incubating a whole colony of baby turtles!  Can you imagine if Eric had been with us?

However, fortuitously Darrell also remained blissfully unaware of the possibility of there being flocks of jelly fish in the sea either .......

....... otherwise he'd have remained a total stranger to the waters of the bariatric Balearic, not even daring to dip his toe in for the teeniest of paddles! Perhaps ignorance in such circumstances is bliss!

More Of A Chore Than A Duty

Darrell has suffered a huge bout of purchasers regret after relentlessly ploughing through his holiday reading of A Royal Duty by Paul Burrell (part of a 3 for £1 deal from Evesham's Salvation Army shop) .......

....... all because he didn't think his (usually) Greek based Victoria Hislop quite fit this year in Spain, although, it has to be said that he'd read The Return several holidays ago in Crete!

He had really hoped he'd be able to swap it for something of a little more riveting nature from the hotel library, but unfortunately books of an English ilk were in very short supply, to wit, non existent!  

When he finally turned the last page (Darrell, as you know, will never admit defeat), he wrote a short review in the front, to warn  advise any potential readers of it's erm (in his opinion) shortcomings, i.e it didn't tell you anything you didn't already know and it was very much Paul, Paul Paul, with his voice ringing in Darrell's head with every single word he read and recommending the almost impossible to find (or afford) The Housekeepers Diary by Wendy Berry instead .....

..... before dropping Mr Burrell's tome off at said library, where there still wasn't anything for him to read! Oh well, you can't have everything!  Next year I've told him, luggage allowance permitting, that he might consider packing more than one book, instead of the relying on a hotel's bookshelf to bail him out for extras or when he gets his first choice wrong! 

When In Rome ......

It would seem that our resort is very popular with the good people of Germany and as such, there are quite a few restaurants that cater to the Germanic taste 

...... and well, while in Rome, as they say, it would have been rude to miss out on such an opportunity to sample the food of yet another country (while in another) while the option is there. So, we've given bratwurst, in the most wonderful spicy sauce a go and liked it soooooooooo much that we did it all again on another evening when we didn't fancy a proper sit down meal.

Dipping our chips in the thick, creamy mayonnaise felt soooooooo decadent and exotic.

Then on another night, we slipped over the border from Germany to Austria to indulge in their wiener schnitzel with fried potatoes and cranberry sauce.

OMG, it was one of those meals where I thought I'd died and gone to heaven, it was out of this world.

They even had a whole page of the menu dedicated to the asparagus, which as you know, is the famed and historic crop of Evesham. I was very sorely tempted, but in the end the schnitzel won out.

All of which had me wanting to tell to Darrell, that perhaps we should forgo sun, sand and sea for fresh air, mountains and yodelling next year, it was so truly magnificent!  What am I like, if not extremely fond of my belly!

Speisekarte | Salzburger Stubn

Underused Facilities

It has to be said that Darrell and I have been a trifle lax as far as partaking in the entertainment and day time activities proffered by our hotel.

Had the little fella and the ever fragrant Alice been with us, it might have been a very different kettle of fish .....

 

...... as I know Eric would have definitely offered up his own inimitable renditions of "My Way" and "Simply the Best" at the very least .......

...... while Alice would certainly have embraced everything of a dance or water sport type nature! 

However, I'm afraid both Darrell and I have let the side down re: visibility and performance wise, in just listening and watching at the "discotheque" door when we've come in of an evening from our own, perhaps more sedate, entertainment in town.

..... although the odd, cheeky jig was the occasional no brainer, especially when waiting for the lifts to sort themselves out, deciding what floor they would eventually to turn up on!!!  Happy days!

Daytime TV In Foreign Climes.

We have a TV in our room and though we don't really watch it as there are a lot more exciting things to do, I'm still a little daytime TV curious as to any foreign clime we're in .......

...... so, with Darrell in the shower, I availed myself of a cheeky gander. I think I found a Spanish version of DIY SOS .......

....... and a German type shopping channel ......

..... and then, more excitingly, a Spanish cross between Judge Rinder (who we absolutely adore) and Judge Judy, to wit Casa Cerrado

Goodness only knows what it was all about, but I too wasn't impressed by the way "someone" had left a bathroom.  

Mr D are you able to translate and unravel the mystery?  My apologies for the din, there were water activities going on in the pool outside our open balcony window and the music was rather loud!

However, when I flicked channel again and Loose Women popped up, (in English), I quickly took my leave .........

I leave programmes of that ilk to Darrell, unless of course Judge Rinder is a guest! 

Experimenting With Our Spanish Evening Drinks

While our beach drinks, during the day, are always of a strictly non alcoholic type nature .......

...... in the evening, before our much anticipated and oft planned for meal, we have been experimenting a little, but as of yet, I don't think we've really found our quaff of holiday choice.

Darrell's biggest disaster so far has been a colabier, to wit a mix of beer and cola, much favoured by the German visitors.  Let's just say, he pretty much had drinkers regret as soon as the first sip hit his lips!  He did manage to finish it, perhaps leaving just a few dregs at the bottom of his glass, but sighed, it wasn't for him and never the twain etc ........

However, an unfettered San Miquel did slip down a lot more easily the following evening, especially when accompanied by a beautiful view of the beach laid out before us.

And then, there is Sangria in all it's wonderous variations ......

...... Cava Sangria (a pale version with obviously cava) ........

..... and Tinto de Verano, both of which come with a veritable "free" fruit salad ........

..... so, a drink and desert in one glass!  What are we like, if not quite as cultured and refined in foreign climes as we'd like to think we are!!!

Strangers To Our Room ...... But Not The Balcony!

We've not mentioned much about our hotel room, because, to be honest, we are only in it for the quickest of showers and change of clothes before we go out on the town in the evening (and the same in the mornings)

........ or we're simply comatose!

That being said, we have to say it's one of the nicest rooms we've ever had in Espania, (even if it's our first), although you know Darrell, he'll rearrange any room we're in, in his head at least. 

The only piece of art work, something Darrell always takes a keen interest in, is, in his "humble" opinion, simple and to the point!

The best part of our room, when we are actually in it?

Without a doubt our balcony, where we like to end our evenings, sharing a convivial nightcap, usually a Kas with a light sprinkle of vodka and a cheeky ice cube or two from our "in house" fridge .........

....... and then Darrell can erm ...... demonstrate, unbridled, that he still has the moves ".....like Jagger", like a true pro!  Happy holidays!

Our Non Alcoholic Spanish Drink Of Choice

As you know  we are particularly partial to a refreshing, lemony type drink when we are sur la plage......

...... and this holiday is no exception.  On our first day we made a bit of a mistake in opting for a bottle of Tu Limonada, which though perfectly pleasant, proved to be still, rather than our preferred effervescent.

However, the following day ......

..... we hit liquid gold, in the guise of Kas Limon!

It's just perfect, we really can't get enough ........

......being a lot tarter than the Fanta we get at home, which compared to said Kas is fizzy sugar with a hint of lemon in a can!

I think we've had it in every size can and bottle we can find, although sadly its presence has proved elusive in all of the restaurants we've frequented so far, they only purvey the aforementioned weak Lemon Fanta, which is a shame.

However, trust us, we're taking full advantage of Kas while we can.  I swear we slosh when we come off the beach at the end of the day!!  What are we like?