Me Perdio Mi Corazon en Mallorca

I’m one of those people who plans. I’m also one of those people who lie awake at night going over my plans, walking through each step, checking each box. I even have a special picture I have to go to in my mind to force myself to relax and get some sleep. Well this process was on overload all of last week, but now the sweet relief of fulfillment and come and I now have an even better mental picture to soothe myself with...

It started out like the rest of my weeks here in London. I was tired, sore, and in no mood to commute to work. But I did and spent 2 ½ days writing feature articles. On Wednesday, I woke up feeling feverish but went to work anyway. After about 2 hours of not being able to concentrate on anything and a temperature of what I would guess was about 101, I asked if I could go home. This is when public transportation is the absolute worst option. I was so nauseous and shaky that every person who walked by wearing perfume or smelling like cigarettes, seemed to me a fair target. Thankfully I made it home without incident and went straight to bed. When I woke up, I was feeling a bit better and tried to force down some dry bread. This was a bad decision, and I spent literally the rest of the night in and out of the bathroom, not a fun time. I called in sick on Thursday morning and went back to sleep, only to be woken up by a teenage boy walking into my bedroom. He was part of the cleaning crew that comes to our flat every week, but I have determined that WAY too many people have a key to my place…I couldn’t sleep much after that.

But when Friday morning came, the excitement I felt about going to Spain pushed any sicky feelings to the far back of my mind. So if you don’t know, once you are in Europe traveling from country to county is quite cheap, sometimes as little as $5. However, what they don’t tell you is the amount of additional charges, travel, and lines you must wait in to make up for that price. Summer and I left the flat about 8am, walked to the tube, rode the tube for 20 min. to the train station, took at 50 minute train to Stanted Airport, stood in 2 enormous lines to have our visa check and then go through security, (minor side note: as neither of us were accustomed to flying with only carry-on luggage, we were quickly relieved of probably about 5lbs each, including shampoo, lotion, sunscreen, and my proactive solution which is quite expensive), once on the plane the flight was very pleasant and about 2 hours later we came over the incredible Mallorcan North Coast.

Once at the Airport, my first thought was to get money. Well there was only 1 ATM in the whole place and it was broken…hmmm, what to do. I’m very pleased to say that my Spanish was more than sufficient and I was able to communicate near perfectly the whole time there. I finally found a nice woman who told me there was a hidden ATM on the 5th floor, we found it and were ready to go. We then made our way to the bus stop that would take up to the bigger Bus Plaza in Palma, when the bus arrived, the driver informed me that he would not take more that a 10 Euro bill, we had only 50’s. After about a minute of him banging loudly on a clearly marked sign, I decided he was not going to budge for a nice pair of American tourists. Our only other option was to take a taxi to the plaza, which cost a pretty penny, but got us there. Once at the plaza we found where our next bus was and got some Coca-Cola and Water while we sat and waited. It was now 6pm.

Once on the bus, the drive was quite nice. It was great to see some of the island landscape and it reminded me a lot of Guam, but less tropical than Hawaii. 50 minutes later, the bus dropped us in Porto d’Alcudia, a small village on the northeast side of the island. Then it was up to me to get us to our hostal. We walked, and walked, then we walked a little farther. When there was no more beach to follow, I decided I must asked that super cute Spanish boy at the Italian restaurant (he returns to the story later). After just a few minutes and once again brimming with the success of my Spanish tongue, we were back on the right track.

Hostal Calma was quaint and homey and the owner was very friendly. She walked us to our room and even suggested the best place to go for paella. We got dressed quickly and headed out for dinner, it was now 8:30pm. We found the place she was said and settled in for a fabulous meal. I had calamari and summer had the famous seafood paella, it was all delicious. After that we walked around looking for some night life and then decided to call it a night.

In the morning we got up and ready for our much anticipated day on the beach. While the sun was hiding and there was a breeze, it was a most perfect day by the sea. Summer and I walked for miles along the Platja Alcudia, spent some time on the end of a dock in the water, and sipped on sangria (not the best I’ve ever had) while watching some serious beach volleyballers. One the way home we stopped at a hotel beach café for lunch and then grabbed some delicious gelato.

After showering and icing Summer’s sunburn, we headed out for Italian food, hint hint. We sat down at the table and right away, caught the eye of the nice boy who helped me before. The rest of the night he was standing at the bar with the other servers, starring at me. Summer was the one who kept noticing and saying “My goodness, he is burning a hole in you with his eyes!” Then he started walking over to the table, smiling, forgetting to say something, and then walking off. He did this more than 5 times. I thought it was endearing, Summer thought it was embarrassing. We enjoyed our pizza, steak, wine, and tiramisu for almost 2 hours before finally summoning the check. Oh yes, that is something that I’ve learned, servers do not bring you the check even if your plates have been cleared and they have asked twice if you want coffee, you must ask for it. We said goodbye, and must to my dismay, pretty Spanish boy did not run out of the restaurant after me…oh well, he was fun to look at.

Sunday morning we made our way back to Palma early enough to have a walk around the city center before needing to be back at the airport. We walked along the beach and around the Cathedral del Palma, a gorgeous gothic cathedral that is the face of Palma. We had lunch at a small café down a cobblestone alley; it reminded me a lot of Paris. We then made our way back to the airport and started the journey home.

So I’m back in London, continuing my internship, and I just keep noticing how truly happy I am to be here in Europe, finally fulfilling a long awaited dream of mine. Oh and that new picture in my head…me under a thatch cabana on the white sands of Alcudia, with Rafa lying next to me, of course…he!
Well, I shouldn’t wait so long to blog since this one is now longer than a novel of my life. This weekend we are set to go to Frankfurt, Germany to visit Summer’s college friend. That is assuming that the UK doesn’t close the boarders due to all the swine flu pandemonium.

Here are the pictures from Spain, again it’s much easier to post them on facebook and give you the links…enjoy!!

P.S. Just because I’m in a fabulous European city doesn’t mean that I don’t get lonesome for some love from home…

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=248606&id=501285626&ref=mf


http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=248620&id=501285626&ref=mf

Another Sunday

This weekend was super relaxed...almost too relaxed I think. Saturday I spend most of the day planning for my post-London trip and watching tennis. Summer and I finally went out for a night on the town with one of her co-workers and friends. It was a great time, but we both really hate the way a night out in London includes 3+ hours of traveling and walking before getting to your destination and then having to leave early enough to make the last train home...it's so much less work in the states!!

Today, we went to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. It really was great fun. Some of the figures are so good that you don't realize they are wax, you just assume they are another visitor. More than once today I did things like saying "excuse me" to Harry Potter or kept looking over my shoulder at the guy staring at me and realized "OMG, that's Justin Timberlake!" Definetley worth the trip.

Later, we finally made it to the London Eye. Today was a georgeous day and thankfully a very slow day at the Eye. We walked right on at about 6:30, just as the sun was starting to set. The sky was amazing, i don't even think my pictures do it justice. Then we made are way home and ran to our most favorite restaurant so far, Yo Sushi. Is any of my family surprised by this??? Didn't think so. And now I'm getting ready for bed, and not quite looking forward to the morning...but such is life in the real world, monday morning comes, ready or not.

The best news is that in just 4 days...MALLORCA!!!! I'm nearly giddy about the thought of laying on the beach with a permanent glass of sangria in my hand...oh the life

Here is the link to my facebook album with all of the pictures, I thought it would be easier this way...enjoy!!


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=245872&id=501285626&saved#/album.php?aid=245872&id=501285626&ref=nf

The weekend went as follows:

Friday

- Got up and ready for the trip to Stonehenge, got to the station, were told that we would not make the last trip home in time, traveled home to eat our picnic lunch on the living room floor of our flat.
- Decided to take the “Original London Bus Tour”, sat in the pouring rain for 4 hours driving around the city. While disembarking, I slipped on a wet rain shield and fell down the stairs of the double-decker bus.
- Hobbled my way to dinner at “Wagamama”, an Asian Fusion Noodle Bar and enjoyed an enormous “Tiger Beer” (It really helped ease the increasing pain of my klutziness
- Stopped in at a pub to enjoy some more liquid pain killers
- Crashed in bed, stiff and swollen at 9:30 p.m.

Saturday

- Slept in and spent the morning stretching my sore back and legs
- Summer went to Portobello Market and had a ball sifting through block after block of vintage clothing, “I got to touch vintage Chanel!!”
- Went to dinner at an Italian place called “ASK”, despite a great looking menu, it wasn’t very good, we won’t be returning

Sunday

- Woke up early to go to Easter Sunday church, forgot that the early service is the “family service” so I was surrounded by dozens of tired, sugared up yougins, not exactly the time I was looking for, but good all the same
- Picked up Summer and headed out to Buckingham Palace, Summer was not impressed and could not believe that the fountain out front had trash floating in it, “can’t she hire someone just to clean that everyday?”
- Walked all the way to the London Eye, saw the 5 hour long line, walked away
- Took the tube back towards Bayswater to Holland Park to have tea and cake at Patisserie Valerie (see pictures.)
- Went to bed early

Monday

- Woke up early and made it to the station to travel to Salisbury, fell asleep on the train, woke up to the sun shining over the beautiful English countryside
- Took the tour bus from Salisbury to Stonehenge, joined the herd of tourists (something I really hate) to visit the site, seriously considered jumping the “electrical fence” to cuddle with a little sheepy, gawked at the monument that no one to this day really knows how it got there, it really was amazing and most certainly worth the trip

All in all, a success. It was so nice to have 4 days to really dig in to life here in London. This week I will be busy writing articles about every one of our camps and events. I have only a 3 day week so I’m already looking forward to another weekend. Oh and plans have changed again, I’m thinking I should just not say anything until it’s done so that I don’t have to keep correcting myself. Summer and I will not be going to Paris this weekend after all. Since I have decided to go there for a few days during my trip after London to see the French Open and don’t want to go twice, Summer will be going while her dad and brother are here to visit in a few weeks. Instead, I would like to see more of the country. I’m thinking Oxford and Windsor, but who knows really.

Everything is going good, my body is feeling fine although still not totally adjusted to the time, and I’m still so happy and satisfied to be here. Can’t believe it’s been 3 weeks already!!

Here is a bunch of pictures, there will be more up in an album on facebook:

Tour Bus, before it started pouring and before falling
Regents Park

The National Gallery

Tower Bridge

The Tower of London

Palace Guard, I saw him shake his head

These girls were pissed (drunk) singing some song

The Buckingham Palace fountain

Big Ben

A protest against Genocide in Sri Lanka on the lawn of Westminster Abbey

Pattiserie Valerie

Our Happy Eater Frog and Elephant Eggs

English Countryside

Salisbury Cottage

Stongehenge

Listening to the Headset

Really cool...how did they get here, and why?

We were really happy to be in the sun

I loved the little sheepys

The "Heel Stone"

Not sure why, but I just like this one

Change of plans

For those of you who are keeping track of my travel itinerary, there has been a change of plans for this weekend. In light of the popularity, and therefore raised prices, of traveling over Easter, Summer and I postponed our trip to Mallorca until 2 weeks from now. We book our flights and our hostel so we are for sure going on Apr. 24-26.

So since Spain is taken care of, this weekend will be jammed full of everything England. Here is the plan: Stonehenge and Windsor Castle tomorrow, Camden Market and the London Eye on Saturday, Easter Church and an open bus city tour on Sunday, and for me, the London Zoo on Monday.

Next weekend is all set up also. We are off on the EuroStar to Paris, just for one night but enough to do what we want to do. So rest assured there will be many pictures coming soon.

Today is the last day of my week, and it has been a bit of a difficult one. I’m still adjusting to the expectations of my bosses and realizing that I’m no longer doing anything for myself, it is my job to produce what my client wants and it’s a big change psychologically. But as always, they more they tell me specifics, the better I can do the first time, we are getting there.

The good news is that I am doing my job well in terms of getting Let Me Play press time. I mentioned before about interviewing Richard Langley, here is a link to one of the papers it was printed in this week. They printed word for word what I wrote, not that the writing was great or anything, but it sure makes me feel good to see it in print.

http://www.getbracknell.co.uk/sport/football/goalpost/s/2048729_jamaica_star_hosts_ascot_soccer_school

Check back for pictures of the weekend, it’s gonna be a doozy!

Week 1 Down...

Sorry for the delay in blogging, the big city has kept me very busy. My first full week here in London Town was great, although I feel like I haven’t quite adjusted to the time. Most days I feel like I’m chasing the sun and just abbreviating long days at the office with little naps here and there. But I had a good restful weekend, so I think I’m finally back on track.

I started my internship last Tuesday. I’m working for a company called “Let Me Play” and they produce high profile summer sports camps all over the UK. Summer camp is not nearly as popular here in the UK as it is in America and LMP is at the very top of the sports camp market in England. Their camps are all residential and feature the highest qualified coaches from all over the world as well as coaches from prominent football clubs in the UK. They also have relationship with many professional players who volunteer their time to come do training sessions or even to just hang out with the kids. In American terms, it would be like going to a private club and being taught by the likes of Andy Roddick or the Williams sisters, that quality of players.

Speaking of celebrity contacts, my very first day on the job, my boss Amy put me on the phone with a pro footballer called Richard Langley, who will be coming down the camp going on next week. I didn’t even know his name as she was passing the phone to me, but he was very nice and easy to interview. I wrote a feature article about his going to the camp and it has already been picked up by 2 newspapers for features and one other who will be sending a film crew to the camp to interview him.

My job at LMP is quite comprehensive. As a company, they have never done any proactive PR or Marketing; everything has been knee jerk reactions to inquiries. So I will be building a company wide program from the ground up. It’s really exciting for me that they are giving me so much responsibility and freedom, but I must say I’m feeling a little nervous and inadequate. I just have to keep reminding myself that I’m good at this stuff, I know what I’m doing, and that I’m all together awesome.

Work days are really long. Start at 9 and go til 6. When you add in commute and walking times, I’m out the house about 8:15 and not home until 7. By the time I get home, I’m so hungry and tired that I have no energy for anything but dinner and bed, which really is fine because the cheaper I am during the week, the more I can splurge and play on the weekends.

One thing about my office…it’s seems to be a black hole that attracts the only good looking men in London. Seriously, all you see walking down the street are men who don’t shave, brush their teeth, wear deodorant (a major problem on the tube!) or give a hoot what they might be wearing. But everyday, at least one person walks into my office that is the kind of hot that you literally can’t look away, like a human bug zapper. As the new girl, I’m trying to be as quit and unassuming as possible, but if can’t figure out how to make my face cool down or wipe the stupid smile on my face, it could become a problem.

My bosses are so good to me. They give me all the freedom to be creative and are willing to help with anything I need. Also, they sent me an email saying that they would like to contribute to my entire London experience and will be paying me 10 pounds a day (about 15 dollars) and are giving me every Friday off to explore the city. SO GREAT!!! While the money is only about enough to pay for coffee and lunch everyday, it still helps let me able to do more fun things on the weekends, I’m very thankful.

Speaking of weekends. This past weekend was very relaxed. My roommate Summer and I both bought a bottle of wine and spent both Friday and Saturday night sipping and chatting, it’s been a pleasure to get to know her. We also went shopping on Saturday on Oxford street, a little like The 3rd street Promenade in Santa Monica, but with New York style traffic. Then on Sunday, we went to a fantastic revolving sushi bar right new our house, then for a walk in the park. I spent the rest of the day doing laundry and cleaning the flat.

Next weekend, we have a 4 day weekend for Easter so Summer and I have decided to fly to Mallorca Spain!!!! I’m so so so excited about this. Mallorca is one of the Balearic Islands off the coast of Barcelona, Europe’s Hawaii, and just happens to be the home town off my most favorite athlete ever, Rafa Nadal. No, I will not be stalking out his house (I already know he won’t be there)!! We just want to go lay on the beach and relax, we will only be there for under 48 hours, oh well.

Sorry about not having any more pictures yet. Just haven’t had the time, but I promise there with be a plethora when I get back from Spain.

I’m not really missing anything from home yet, just pinching my brother and good TV. I can’t believe that after 15 years of loyal watching, I missed the last 3 episodes of ER ever!! I’m so sad, and most websites won’t let you watch videos from outside the U.S. I also have no idea how Jack Bauer is getting along saving us all from total destruction, again. Instead, I watch bad British reality shows, and BBC News. There are no restrictions on TV here so there is a lot of cussing and even nudity. Crazy Brits… but at least I have my good friends on "the office" to keep me company. Cheers from London everyone!!