The Magic of Majorca with David, Åse, Jamie & Netty

 The Magic of Majorca

The sun was shining and we couldn't be happier to be here! The hotel pool was the perfect way to cool down and we loved playing games and practising our swimming. 

It was a hard life relaxing on the sun bed, topping up our tans! 

It was time for our best Robin Hood impersonations down at the archery range. Over the week we had a few attempts and we got better every time. The activity team presented us with a certificate for our efforts. 

Raring to go we headed down to the harbour where our glass bottom boat was waiting for us. We boarded our boat and headed along the rocky coastline Santa Ponsa. The views were breathtaking. Luckily for us we stopped off in a beautiful cove where we were able to jump off the boat and swim in the crystal clear water. It was an amazing experience being so deep in the water with so many fish swimming around us. Drying off a little we then went down to the bottom of the boat where we looked out of the glass bottom and got a different perspective of the wonders of the ocean.

Beach days are the best days and luckily for us it was only a short walk from the hotel. The water was crystal clear and we could see small fish swimming around us. We even challenged ourselves to a go on the paddle board. Good balancing skills were needed! 

Like proper tourists we caught the bus to Palma, the capital city. There were plenty of bars and cafes for us stop for a drink in the sunshine before we just wandered up and down the cobbled streets of Palma taking in the sheer beauty of it all. In the heart of the city stands the magnificent 14th century cathedral known as La Seu and, as the most emblematic building in Mallorca's capital, it’s a must-visit. It was impossible to miss this imposing golden sandstone building: it’s one of Europe’s tallest Gothic structures, perched above  Parc de la Mar and a superb sight for those arriving by sea. We watched the cruise liners moored up in the harbour and we all wondered how they moved as they were colossal

We stopped at the local market, which was vast! There were lots of stalls selling fresh fruit and vegetables, meats and cheese, jewellery, clothes and other homemade trinkets. We enjoyed browsing and picking up some souvenirs to take home for our friends and family. 

The evening entertainment was fantastic. The Mongolian dance troop amazed us with their dare devil routine. 

We had a great afternoon watching a cocktail making class before sampling a few special concoctions from the bar. 

There was more fun in the sun joining in with aqua aerobics and making a splash in the pool.

Painting & Drawing in France with Jamie & Rachel

Painting & Drawing in France 

It was the first of our art lessons and we couldn’t wait to show off our artistic talent.  With our canvases ready Dominic showed us how to draw the arrangement of flowers in the vases he had prepared. Our creative juices flowed as we focused on our masterpieces. We all agreed they looked fabulous. We even signed them like real artists! 

There was a great little market in the local town of Etaples. Everyone was keen to try and converse with the stall holders so in our best French we brought some great gifts, searching for a bargain or two! We couldn’t resist the smells of the freshly baked French bread and other produce for our lunch.

Back at the Gites we all enjoyed playing some pool and table football and games whilst putting some cool songs on the jukebox! 

 We love celebrating a birthday on one of our holidays and this time we had double celebrations! 

An amazing morning was spent at the Nausicaa Sea Life Centre. We had a fantastic time seeing sharks, sting rays and a very large manta ray who gave us an amazing display in the water. We walked through an underwater tunnel with all the sea life swimming over our head. It was amazing as we listened and learnt about their well fare and how they are looked after. It was a great experience! 

Making the most of the glorious sunshine we headed to the local seaside resort of Berck and strolled along the promenade, admiring the long stretch of the golden, sandy coastline. An ice cream was welcomed, and we all picked a variety of flavours and toppings. There was a spot of souvenir shopping as we browsed the quaint little shops.

Our second art lesson commenced as we were guided through how to paint a pig, duck, a sheep and a baby lamb. We achieved some amazing artwork, learning how to mix our colours. At the end of the session Dominic very kindly gave us a recipe book that his daughter had written, and he had illustrated. We thanked him and we were all very grateful for this special gift.

Taking advantage of this beautiful weather we enjoyed a few BBQ dinners, with everyone getting stuck in to help. Of course we couldn't resist a toasted marshmallow or two! 

It was off to Le Crotoy for our steam train experience. We brought our tickets and took our seats on the old fashioned carriages and we were soon chugging out of the station. Our relaxing scenic journey took us around Dela Baie del Somme, alongside the stunning coastline with lots of wildlife to be spotted. Arriving at our destination at St Vallery, a quaint seaside port we were able to enjoy a leisurely stroll along the estuary to the sea where we were lucky enough to see seals bobbing and swimming around. 

We still had a little time left in the day, so we visited an amazing chocolate factory where we watched the chocolatiers  demonstrate how they make some delicious chocolate treats. Luckily for us we got to sample a few of the products and we were sold! Everyone bought some gifts to take home…..well if they made it that far! 

We took a drive to  Le Touqutte, a beautiful seaside town. We set up camp and as the tide was out we had to walk quite a way down to the shore. So much fun was had splashing, jumping and swimming in the sea; the perfect way to cool down. Before the tide turned we made use of the vast sandy space and played some ball games. We then sat and enjoyed our picnic; we couldn’t resist the French bread! Relaxing in the glorious sunshine we topped up our tans.  

With a number of us being interested in war history and some knowing that their great grandfathers who had served in World War l, we were keen to visit the was cemetery at Etaples. This is the largest site where a hospital once stood during the war and contains 10,771 graves, the earliest dating from May 1915. 35 of these burial graves are unidentified. It was very peaceful and moved us all. 

What an amazing time we have had in France. We thanked our hosts Helen and Laurence for their wonderful hospitality and making us feel at home.