{pollença market...}

I've always believed that the best place to learn about a new place is at the market. Food tells you so much about a culture, but the way the locals sell and shop for their wares tells you so much more!
We started our Mallorca trip with a morning at the local Sunday market. The local olives were to die for.

I'm a people watcher (I get it from my Dad), and could sit in an old square for hours at market time just watching the folks go by... How precious is this old couple? It took them about 10 minutes to walk across the tiny courtyard, I think they're off to a party! Look at the little gift bag he's holding ;)

photos by me.

{suitcase tuesday: a villa in mallorca...}

Without a doubt, the winning feature of our villa was the wrap-around patio. Both the north and south side had beautiful, 14 foot harvest tables - one with a view of the pool and the other with a sweeping view of the Serra de Tramuntana Mountains.
Sadly, I did not get a proper photo of the outdoor kitchen just next to this table, but the hanging baskets on the kitchen door give you a tiny sense of its rustic charm.

We all agreed that a villa vacation is the ultimate way to travel as a family. We shopped at the Sunday Market (photos tomorrow!) and cooked the entire week, just as if the villa was our own home. Everyone was so relaxed and truly had a chance to unwind and enjoy the beauty of Pollença, Mallorca!

{off to mallorca!...}

The day has finally arrived and we are jetsetting off to España's beautiful Balearics Islands! (don't you love this Chanel Zorro-styles pic?!)

While I'm gone, several of my favourite bloggers and artists have agreed to post in my absence. I'm thrilled that Lana of Lanalou Style, Monika of Splendid Willow, Sandy of Cookie Cutter and Debra of Petits Mots will be guiding you through their favourite cities next week!

Many thanks ladies and we look forward to traveling with you!

{countdown to Mallorca!...}

The countdown is on! Just 5 more sleeps until we arrive on the beautiful island of Mallorca to celebrate my Mom's 60th. I am so excited!

Sadly, we won't know if C can come until the very last minute (gggrrrr work!), but I'm holding my breath and crossing all fingers and all toes!

{snails and chicken in barcelona!...}

When C and I went to Barcelona a few years ago, we had an amazing dinner with my cousin at Los Caracoles (translation: snails) after a bike ride around the city.
In the heart of the Bari Gòtic, you're easily lured by the scrumptious smell of roast chicken pouring into the street. When you first step in, you stand with a cerveza in the busy front bar before your name is called and you're led through the open-fire kitchen and into an enormous, rustic underground taverna.
I've saved a post card on my desk in case we ever had the chance to go back, and now we have a reservation for our night in Barcelona after our week in Mallorca!



* photos from here, here and here.

{mallorca!...}

As a surprise for my Mom's 60th birthday, we rented a house in Pollenca, Mallorca! These are a few shots of our villa. I can't wait to drink my morning tea with this magnificent view!

{memories of mallorca...}

I recently helped my grandmother with her memoirs
(she's 93 and wrote 26 pages of her life on a typewriter!)
I adore her story about a trip to Mallorca with my grand-
father where they hosted themed cocktail parties every
night on the veranda of their little cottage rental. When I
think about that story, I imagine them in a place like this
one, the Finca Son Foguero, a little boutique hotel in the
countryside of Mallorca.