I visited Mallorca over Easter break, taking a couple of extra days off. It was my first trip abroad after moving to Uppsala and my first time leaving the cats with a sitter here. All went well on that front, which is very promising for future longer trips.

The island is breathtaking - the mountains, the view of the sea… but most of all the company.

I have ridden a bike, but…

Apparently my little folding bike doesn’t count.

P had a lot of faith in me being able to cycle for the first time over the twisty, hilly roads of Mallorca. We went for a 3-hour ride the day I got there. And the elevation and the cars on the roads, while a little nerve-racking at first, weren’t even my biggest challenge.

The biggest challenge was stopping.

And - one time - starting.

He said he’s never known anyone who’s fallen off (or with?) the bike 5 times starting out. I am generally pretty good at physical activities. My hand-eye coordination is kind of decent and I thought my balance was, too. And yet I kept unclipping my left foot and falling onto my right. Repeatedly. By the end I was bleeding at multiple exit points on my right side - ankle, knee, elbow. My left side got off easy.

The first fall or two, I actually expected. By the end I was rattled. I will learn how to use the death traps that are clipless shoes. I just won’t learn in Mallorca.

Aside from the staying-upright challenges, the ride itself was really fun! Especially when I relaxed a bit from the initial road-vigilance and started to appreciate the view. Seeing the mountains, the sky, and the hawk flying overhead… it was pretty fantastic (as was the fika stop!) Now that I’ve been introduced, I’m excited to cycle more in Sweden as well.

Wandering and hiking

The next few days were spend wandering, hiking, and exploring Deia and Palma.

The architecture in Palma was really something else:

But for the place to actually stay, I loved cozy Deia:

One day we took a half-day hike up and down the mountains, starting at Deia and finishing at Valldemossa:

I have always enjoyed travelling alone, but with the right person it’s so nice to share these experiences. From hiking to biking to falling to chilling and watching Black Mirror at night, doing it with someone you really care about and get along with adds an irreplaceable ingredient to the experience.

Coming home

I’m now back in Uppsala with the cats, already missing Mallorca but happy to be home. For the first time since 2012 I travelled in the opposite direction of Stockholm from Arlanda.

I think the moment I got on the train going the other way is when it really sank in just how impulsive this move was, and how fast. I usually think bigger decisions through much more carefully than this - and if I did pause and analyze it more, I probably would’ve doubted my own reasons and stopped myself.

But for some reason this one didn’t feel like that big a decision in the grand scheme of things at the time. And instead of thinking too hard I let it just be based on a feeling followed by very quick due diligence for the financial and logistical aspects. In retrospect, it could’ve all gone very wrong - but so far it’s been going very right instead.