OK, so I would be seriously lying if I told you all that nothing much has happened since my last post :( The truth is, I have been seriously slacking in the blogging department. I just noticed that the last post I put up was from the beginning of April. So yeah, I am thinking I need to stay on top of this more. I will try and do my best to keep you updated, considering I will be here for another year!
Sooooo... I'm going to tell you about the most memorable trip I've taken since the last post and then I will start over from there... how does that sound?
FORMENTERA. One of the most beautiful places you will ever see in your life. If you have the opportunity to go there, please don't miss out. It is the second smallest island in the Balearics, but has so much to offer. It is known to be full of tourists in the summer, mainly Italians (and im not quite sure why), so we decided to go in the end of June just before all the tourists started getting there.
There were 8 of us. Seven Spaniards and me. Made for an even more interesting experience :) It was my roommate Encarna, Annita, Maria, Pau, Palou, Lluc, Torrado, and of course, me. We rented this adorable little house with an attached apartment there and a car so we could move about the island on our own schedule.
The beaches in Formentera are incredible. The water is a color blue that you'd never have seen before, and you can walk for miles without the tides passing your knees. It was simply amazing. Each beach was distinct from the others too. At some you could see for miles out into the ocean, and some were more like quaint little coves made up of a rockier sand and surrounded by rocky cliffs. But they were all equally beautiful in their own ways.
At one of the beaches we saw these strange man-made rock formations all over the place. None of us was quite sure what they meant. I kind of felt like I belonged in some sci fi film; it was really weird. I'm not sure where they found all the stones to make the structures either. It wasn;t a very rocky beach. Some one must have started it and then the tradition was maintained ever since. Who knows. All we knew was that it was worth taking pictures of....
On each far side of the island there is a light house. We decided to drive to the larger one to check out its surrounding cliffs and beautiful views. The light house itself was beautiful, but we were not able to go inside nor even get very close. The areas around the cliffs on the other hand, they were worth the visit. We didn't realize it on the drive over, but we were soooo high up! On the highest point of the island. The cliffs seemed to drop off for miles, and the waves came crashing in violently at the bottom.
We found an opening in the ground that led us through a cave and out to the edge of some of these cliffs. It was beautiful. Someone had created a make-shift ladder that lead to the inside. A little shaky but it still worked OK. We sat on the edge of the cliffs for quite a while, looking out into the ocean and admiring where we had the pleasure to be.
At the house we had our fair share of good times too. We planned to all meet in the middle of the day and each night to prepare a lunch and dinner together. Luckily there were a few of us that loved to cook. Torrado more than anyone. He made us a variation on paella one night that was to die for. At night, while tired after wandering the island for all day we would often eat pa amb oli, which is like the Mall0rcan open-faced form of sandwich, made with special brown bread, olive oil, rama tomatoes, and then some deli meat on top, usually serrano or some other form of ham. The food was just as good as the company.
One night the girls and I visited the local mercadillo, where there were little shops and street vendors selling traditional clothing and jewelry from Formentera. We spent a couple hours there looking and buying gifts for friends back home, and then we came home to the meal that the boys had prepared for us at home. What a treat, right?
Our last night there, we all went to see a yearly tradition in Formentera, known as the "despedida del sol". Every night, at least in June and August, everyone gathers in one specific beach to watch the sunset. We found our spot, set up some blankets, and watched the boats sail by as the sun slowly set. It was truly a memorable experience, not to mention the most gorgeous sunset I've ever seen.
In the morning it came time to pack up all our belongings and head home. We dropped off the rental car and waited for the ferry again. It was a wonderful weekend, but it was time to get back to our island ;)
