The island of Cabrera and my city of Palma

Event of the week was our boat excursion to the island

Cabrera.

We started off the journey at 9 am, lunches packed, and ready to take a relaxing boat ride to this island reserve we had heard so much about.
Psych.
Instead we were drenched with the saltiest sea water from head to toe within the first 5 minutes of the ride. Literally, this water leaves your skin with an extra coat of salt, handy for anyone lacking in their sodium intake for the month?

We got to spend a good 5 hours on the island. Here's what we saw:

View of the 14th century castle

Castle staircase

And then to my favorite part, the

BLUE CAVE.

Ho. Ly. Cow.

I'm tempted to say I've never seen anything so breathtaking in my life... it's definitely up there.
From above the water we were in aw, this water was literally a glowing cave of the richest blue. We were swimming around like we'd never seen water in our lives.
But wait,
then a blessed fellow-tourist had a revelation sent from heaven to lend a pair of snorkel goggles (we had jumped off the boat so excited, we left ours behind)...

My. Mind. Was. Blown.

I had her laughing pretty hard when I came up just gasping. Hardly breathing. Mouth in an "O". And then plunged back down. What I'd give to be able to post pictures of the scene I saw under that water for you all! The best description I can think of is to imagine swimming in an enormous body of aquarium water so clear that not a single fish was ever out of view. The bottom of the sea cave was clearer than if there were no water at all, it couldn't have possibly been any more luminescent blue. More blue than your fancy backyard waterfalls or pools with the deceiving blue-bulbed lights shining on them.
Unreal.

Oh. And I had my first encounter with a new friend, the Jellyfish. He didn't like my foot much - ouch :"(

August 27th

Sittin on the dock of the bay, wasting time...

Most definitely not a waste of a day buuuut surely a goody. I left asap after Marta got home today and took the first bus I could catch down to Palma.

The day turned into roaming without a care in the world for 5 hours straight completely caught up in the magic of Palma. I checked lots of good shopping for the family off the list, walked through a great museum, stopped to smell roses, sat to listen to some super talented street musicians and caught a few shots of the great city I live in.

I was around the corner when heard some music that made my heart skip a beat and HAD to see what he was all about.
Dear Enrique had perfect style to sing American classic oldies with catchy rhythm and almost a twang to his voice. LOVED this
He was from Uruguay but living in Mallorca at the moment. Had played for 20 years in a little band with other strings entertaining hotels and little parties. He let me choose his final two songs of the day before packing up and didn't disappoint me with his version of, Sitting On the Dock of the Bay.
Mmmmm

  Loved this fellow also, Blai Vidal Ponieku - He had me mesmerized for a good long while

Palma Cathedral which was started in 1226 and not completed until 1601
It's HUGE.

Final Thoughts...

“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.” 

“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”

- Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist 

HIGHLY suggest the book. It spoke in a few lines exactly a conversation we were having and more eloquently than I ever could have.

Just read it, you won't regret it :)