Spain

#5 Spain – Palma De Mallorca (Trip 2) – June 2022. Age: 28

Spain is maybe my favourite country in the world. Other than England, my main ambition for spending extended periods of time is to have a little place in Spain. I love the people - everyone is beautiful. The language is beautiful. The food is my food. The cities are all so different. I’ve been to most recently Costa Brava, Granada, Gran Canaria, Madrid, Barcelona (multiple times) and Granada with next on my list being Barcelona again (for Primavera 2025), Bilbao, Pamplona, Seville and Valencia in 2025 for Tomatina! Honestly, I could write an entire set of memoirs on this country, just like France but I think it’s best, as this is technically a travel blog, to abridge the recollection. I’m sure I’ll cover the other cities again down the line as I inevitably will go back to all of them.  

I’ve chosen to cover Palma, Mallorca in this section though. I’ve been there twice and honestly, it has been a sanctuary for recuperation. It’s where I first learned to water ski on a trip with mates to stay post university in 2015 – my debut Instagram post in front of the cathedral as a matter of fact (#BoringFacts). Christ… we all look young there (21 years old)

It’s endless excellent sea food. Fresh oysters. Good wine. A vibrant nightlife as well as a calm seas to swim and snorkel. Great weather. Calm energy. Inexpensive. It’s just one of my top spots for relaxing. 

I don’t have too much more to say on this one. As I mentioned, I’ll be adding to this segment in good time when I’ve established more of a home in Spain and I can flesh it out with fresh memories. 

I’ve changed my mind… It would be remiss of me not to cover my most recent trip to Costa Brava (September 2024). For some background, 2024 has been a year of significant change, with chapters closing and new beginnings. From the sale of my 8 year business TauRho, the beginning of my search for my new home which is well underway, and perhaps most significantly, the realization that the person I love the most was right in front of me all along, my best friend of the last 4 or 5 years, Bex. This last year, 2024, has proved to be tumultuous. It’s not my place to put to paper the challenges that they have faced but they would have knocked down most permanently; Bex is far more resilient than most. On the flip side, most of my changes have been part of an upward trajectory. On both sides, we have been there for each other always. They are my rock, and I am theirs. We realized we were in love in early summer in July. It was a rocky realization and a rollercoaster of emotions before, in August, we decided to formalize our partnership, and in September, I joined them on a rather impromptu retreat to Costa Brava. 

We stayed at the Zel hotel retreat in the mountains. I splashed out on an Audi A1 which was an absolute delight to zoom around the mountain roads. I like to think I am a bit of a racer but in reality I am like 95% of idiots who think they’re racers; just cocky middle of the road drivers (pun intended). 

This was a mix of recuperative, affirmative and actually quite loose as holidays go. We played lots of tennis, ate incredibly healthily from the buffet and kept the booze to a reasonable low for the most part. Bex is unbelievably talented at most things, including tennis, but with a very impatient attitude; here we saw the birth of Coach Gaz, an alter-ego of mine. I am a qualified coach and I took it upon myself to improve their game, much to Bex’s dissatisfaction. Quite a dynamic. Frequently they would pound tennis balls at me when my patience and instruction got on their nerves!! We chilled on the beach, read our books, got on with work and altogether had a wholesome stay. 

One of Bex’s best friends, Paulina had her birthday while we were out there. I’d first met her in early August and we clicked immediately; I think Bex invited her to the pub to vet me as a potential partner; clearly this went well! Her partner, Diego was driving her up from Barcelona on the weekend, as a surprise, and we welcomed them to the hotel for a night which was very loose. I hadn’t met Diego before; he was very inspiring, having started his own business and been on the path a lot longer than I – he is 40, 10 years my senior and I learned a lot in the brief stay. Paulina is just a beautiful person, so kind, caring and grounded. She really welcomed me to the family of Bex’s support network, of which, she is a key part; a platonic life partner, as Bex describes her. 

We had drinks on the beach, in the mild sun. Diego swam around the whole bay. I tried to keep up and made it about 20% of the way before turning back, desperate for another beer. 

In the evening, we ate dinner, got drunk and partied late into the night. Aside from a brief moment of distress when Diego had a minor faint, we returned to the room and watched Boca Juniors and nattered the night away. 

The following day, Diego and Paulina left to return home. Bex was staying on in Barcelona, so I whisked them off – we found a beautiful secluded spot in the mountains for a “pit stop”, before driving them to their bus to head to Barcelona. I returned to Girona airport feeling in bliss. Excited for our next adventure together.