Wednesday 8th - 14th July, Montpellier (France) to Barcelona to Mallorca (Spain)

After Nice we drive to Montpellier on route to Barcelona. We stop for the night and enjoy a night out in the town. We never intended to visit Montpellier, but after seeing the beautiful old buildings we wish we’d planned to have more time here. It’s got a great character, few tourists and a wonderful vibe. The locals are all out and about enjoying the warm weather!
The next day we continue to drive to Barcelona to catch our flight to Mallorca. We spend the next 6 days there with our friends Grant and Maria. Maria is Spanish and she’s organised our stay at a beautiful old farm house which has been recently renovated. It’s set on 150 hectares which is used to grow wheat and rear horses. It’s a wonderful rural environment and only a 10 minute drive to the nearest beach, Sant Jordi.
When we arrive at Sant Jordi, we naively move past the crowded section to a more open area and suddenly we are in a nudist beach! It’s not a particularly attractive experience but certainly eye opening! After this, we get some local tips about the best beaches to visit to avoid the hoards of German and English tourists.

We spend the next few days doing day trips around the island. One of the highlights was a day at Cala De Deia on the Western side of the island where we had local seafood for lunch overlooking the beach (the best sardines we’ve ever eaten!).

Mallorca is much larger than we’d imagined and there’s an interesting diversity of people and terrain. We pass very mountainous regions, open plains with golden wheat fields and quaint villages which contrast starkly to the thousands of ugly sea-side apartments built for the “Easy-Jet crowds” from the UK and Germany.

We really enjoy the beaches here as nothing can beat soft white sand! It’s been a really relaxing and fun week...we’ve indulged in some wonderful local food, spent hours in the warm, crystal clear waters and had plenty of laughs with Grant and Maria.