Mallorca and a Homecoming

The view of the lovely blue sea from our balcony.

For our last side trip, we took a mini-vacation to the island of Mallorca where we stayed on the beach and enjoyed sunning ourselves, though I think we all had a little too much sun. The peeling is proof of that.

Aside from the sun, though, our feet enjoyed the weekend of sand, flip-flops and rest. For the first time on our side trips, we didn’t walk three miles a day around a city and our sore feet and legs took relief in that.

Mallorca, though, was full of delicious food. Hanna and I ate at the same place every day because we loved their pizza and really liked their spaghetti Bolognese. It didn’t hurt that it was a cheap place to eat.

Our intern appreciation dinner/Hanna's birthday dinner.

The Monday we were there was Hanna’s birthday and for dinner that night, Imagewest hosted an appreciation dinner. I had a steak for the first time since landing in Europe and I also tried monkfish, which I didn’t hate. It was one of the best dining experiences we’d had and it seemed a bit like the cherry on top of a great trip. On top of that, though, Stephanie, Courtney, Hanna and I decided it would be a good night to visit some of the infamous clubs in Mallorca after we’d all contributed to the consumption of a giant bucket of…a beverage. We went to one place called “Black Magic” and all I can say is that it was…interesting. We had fun, though, and that’s what matters.

On Tuesday, we flew back to Barcelona, finished packing, fell asleep and woke up early Wednesday morning to take our flight out of Spain. I never want to haul a giant suitcase through train stations and Metros again.

As we stood in the customs line, we read a sign that stated we were crossing the border and would not be able to go back, and it made us a bit sad. Hanna and I referred to the area past that line as “International Limbo.” We ate at the McDonald’s in International Limbo land and then Hanna and I attempted to clear out the vending machine with all the change we had left from the trip.

After boarding the plane, Hanna and I built a pillow fortress with our hoodies, the airplane pillows and our 75-cent IKEA pillows. It was comfy. The pillows also hid from Hanna the fact that I was crying as the plane took off. I knew that I would probably not see Barcelona again (at least not for a long, long time) and I had grown to love the city so much that it broke my heart to leave.  I know it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences and I want to remember every little detail, but I know I won’t. My memory isn’t that good. I’ve promised myself that I will try to make it back to Barcelona before I die. Who knows if I can actually do that, though? I guess we’ll see in time.

Me, watching the Spain vs. Germany match in the Philly airport.

After an eight-and-a-half-hour flight, we landed in Philadelphia where we breezed through U.S. Customs and were able to watch the first half of the Spain vs. Germany World Cup semi-final match. It wasn’t until we landed in Nashville that we found out that Spain won.

My mom and my sister greeted me in Nashville and while I was a bit sad to have left one of the greatest cities I’ve ever visited, I was so happy to see my family. I was so happy to see them that I couldn’t wait to give them their gifts. Whitney absolutely loved the Venetian mask that I bought for her and she enjoyed the Barcelona bag, too. My mom adored the pearl necklace I’d bought for her in Mallorca. I enjoyed the luxury of my mom’s 2009 Taurus on the three-hour drive to Louisville and I stayed awake long enough to give my dad his Dalí puzzle and Guggenheim mug and to bathe before falling asleep when I got home. It was a good homecoming after being away for so long.