A R O A D T R I P T O D E I Á & S O L L E R

On Friday Ashley and I took the day off and had the most wonderful time! We rented a car and drove through the mountains to Deiá, the sweetest and most charming Mallorcan town. The drive was incredible; with the windows down and the wind tossing around my hair, there was a moment when I took a deep breath, smiled so big and said to Ashley, "We're driving through the hills of Spain!" It's easy while at La Serranía to forget that we are experiencing this crazy adventure - everything there feels familiar and comfortable. Being out on the road, we felt so free and so excited about each new view around every corner.

Bikers, bikers everywhere! They are constantly crowding the roads of Mallorca. It took us a long time, lots of stopping and waiting and passing. 

Our first stop in Deiá was Nexus, a little boutique owned by a sweet older English lady, Claire. Ashley wanted a hat and Claire was happy to help her choose the right size and color. We spent a little time in there, trying on her bright pink linen shorts (I should have gotten some) and pretty, island girl tops. I asked her where we should go for lunch and she told us about The Village Cafe - so we walked down the road and enjoyed a perfect, light meal in the sunshine. We started with a Sea Breeze Lemonade (gin, lemonade and... something else - does it really matter?), then I had the bruschetta of the day and finished with almond ice cream. So good!

I felt like I was living in the past, everything about Deiá felt so nostalgic. I must admit I was pretending in my mind that I was like Rosemary (I am reading that book - Tender is the Night - slowly as I do not want it to end), a young American actress in the 1920s on holiday in the Mediterranean. At least the latter half of that is true and didn't take much pretending! I think this could have been one of the most simple and happiest moments of my life - or at least of this trip so far.

After our lunch we inquired, "Dónde está la playa?" and followed the signs to the beach. The walk down was so lovely - I felt like I was walking through a dream. When we arrived at the beach (not the sandy beach we were hoping for but I'm not complaining!) we sat on some rocks and dipped our feet in the water. We took a different route back and struggled up the steep hill to the town center. We had to stop twice to change our clothes - it was too hot to continue in our jeans and long sleeved tops. We were laughing as we pulled our pants and shirts off in the middle of the trail, counting on nobody else to suddenly appear. I think we must have been feeling pretty liberated! I would have been hiding in the bushes were I at home.

Once we made it back to the top, we stopped in at La Residencia to relax and enjoy a glass of sangria and a snack. Tim told us about the hotel - a fancy place where the celebrities go, so we knew we had to go and pretend - despite the sweat on our brows, that we were rich and completely unfazed by the prices on the menu. It was a beautiful place - I wish I could afford the time and the money to stay there even just for one night.

After lounging at the hotel, we hopped in our little European car and popped over to Port d'Soller for dinner (it is so much fun to zip around the island!). We got there just in time to watch the Spanish sun set and took a little walk up and down the small beach there. Sand - sort of! I actually thought it seemed more like powdery dirt, so the search for a sandy beach continues. ;)