love under the Spainish Sun.

I Love Mallorca.

We had the pleasure of Johnathan Boatshed's company last week. Was so nice to share what we are experiencing, reflecting on our surroundings and of course talk about Waiheke. we miss Oscar... and can't wait to eat at Viola!
Palma really is magic with it's old cobble stoned paths, sea air, and people everywhere all of the time, eating, drinking, singing....like an old movie set. the hardest part of the day is deciding on where to eat! Spoiled for choice. even the Thai restaurant is fucking excellent.

The season kick's off Monday. This will be interesting.
the owners where on broad last weekend for a trail run, making sure everything is in place. hanging the art ... Goldie, Hammond, Cotton, Henderson, ...she's like a floating NZ art Gallery. the Goldie in particular....WOW! when ironing the bed (YES i iron beds to make the sheets perrrfect) gets a little out of perspective i look up and marvel at my surroundings.
And of course this was Paul and I's first trip out in the big bad Med, and unfortunately all those Waiheke ferry and fishing trips with mad Blake didn't prepare us for what we hope we will become accustomed to. I didn't look in the mirror but am pretty sure i didn't go the shade of green that my dear Pee went. it was nasty. mid service too! our life flashed before our eyes.

But all was well in the morning, the food was a hit, Pee was the star, the Dolphins tranquil, the ocean Azure, the coast line some thing u could write a book about and no photo would give it Justice.
work for me is work. knuckle down do it well.

Enjoyed a weekend under the sun in Mondrago south East of Palma a couple weeks back. The Sea is like a giant swimming pool, found a few good rock jumping spots. BOOBS out (not by choice and because thats what u do in Europe but bcos i left my bag behind.. was rather lucky really that boobs out is very common!
Champagne whilst watching the sun going down on the Med, dinner in a quaint fishing village. Good for the soul.


Off again for a dirty weekend tomorrow West side . the last weekend b4 we he head to Italy.

ITALY..............

Dead center of Palma

Ventured out o the City today.
As my last blog may have referenced there are a lot of rules to abide by whist on board. Which is understandable as she is a very expensive floating piece of pleasure . but man, its all new to us !

So yeah nice to take the car and Drive. there was a wee interior motive thought..
CAMPERS factory store. Shoes and lots of them! we did show some restraint and only got 1 pair each.... BUT! it is only an easy 25mins drive. ekk.
That was Saturday and if that was a great day! Sunday was AMAZING.
Crew outing.....
Captain Trevor's choice. and did he do well.


This is the place you see Rick Stein visit in his Mediterranean series. THIS was better then meeting God last weekend. The Drive alone was something else, the fields of almond trees precise and green in fields of brown...till we reached the turn off. ever done that drive from Queenstown to Cardrona, going up the hill that bends on itself like 10 times, 20k, don't look down one? The Drive was like that but like 100 years old, and in the real world a one way. Lined with hand made stone walls and olive trees with trunks the size of a Kauri tree... that old! (thankful for the flaming coffee/ rum/ sugar/ orange concoction making the journey home that much easier)

I was swept away reaching the top. cliffs surrounded the place and smell of sheep's poo over whelmed the nostrils.(the only thing up the top, so you better bloody like eating lamb) We were their early so was not too busy, time to chat with the staff. Got myself a tour of the kitchen.... chatting up the old fella. don't think health and safety gets up there much. never the less the food was tasty. Paul ate Snails,yuck! and we had a dish of livers to start, yum! which is saying lots cos i don't like them usually. and then 9 lambs!
Sorry Mr Burrill, this woodfired oven kicked your ass. the 75 year old women(she only came up to my shoulder!) must have had 10 trays of... mmmm probably a whole sheep in one, on the go. Apparently(as translated in my best Spanish) they boil it for 24hrs then finish it in the woodfire. my goodness what a feast, crispy skin like nothing else, fall of the bone, fill flavored SHEEP! big serve of potatoes(good like they had been cooked in sheep's fat) and salad, 12euros.


A nice break from the RULES!

Rules

Fuck

GOD

yes i am lucky to be alive..

Palma is centered around the most amazing Cathedral, made of golden sandstone in majestic proportions, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, essentially in a Gothic style, gargoyles and ecclesiastical figurines watching you from every angle. And apparently all this only took 500 years to complete. And of course Antoni Gaudi had his hand at it from 1904 - 1914.

It's a place that is hard to avoid! So being the Church goer I am, I dragged Pee along to Sunday Mass. We flocked there to the sound of the Bells in our Sunday Best (jandles, shorts and singlet)

Whoa were we taken back..... the circular strained window flooding the space with glowing yellow, red, blue and green. intricate craftsmen ship beyond belief. the sound of the choir floating to very corner.  it could almost turn you religious .

we settled in, mumbled some Amen's, absorbed ourselves in all that is strange and beautiful.
And that's when it happened, from nowhere. shooting up from the ground, floating down from the heavens.... the bloody Organ started up, like a hot knife through butter it cut through my "moment" and what did i do... cursed the good Lord himself, not just a lill' either, eek! I think my exacted words where...."Jesus F!#ken Christ".  
OMG what a dick and then of course i got the giggles. paul ducked for cover!

We headed straight to the beach to drown my sins!

but u would not believe what happened Monday....... moments after signing my contract, the captain said "welcome to Hell"...... What!

Luckily for the Captain the next conversation was about taking the crew to 'Rick Stein famous' restaurant up in the hills to eat Lamb Braised in Beer. YUM!

xxx

Palma Nova

Boat life.....

the end of 3 weeks, wow still pinching ourselves. How LUCKY have we been.
the good ship Awaroa . She's a beauty 40 meter 4 story giant. Kiwi Owners, 7 crew, and a "you would not believe it' seasons itinerary coming up!

Adjustment. We really aren't in Rock Bay now love. Living on board is something else, as is the lingo..... i don't sleep in a room, i sleep in a cabin, the living area is a mess, the bathroom is the Head, and Paul will be found in the galley.

The Mess..... this is were shit goes down. it's the TV room, the Office, the dining room. at the moe there is 4 of us, Toni, the Kiwi head Stew, and Neil the young Canadian deck hand.
It's a challenging aspect... varied characters being in a squeezed living space.

3 weeks... really? is that it. g it sure has filled itself up with drama.

the most memorable the dismissal of the Captain. here today gone tomorrow. ...the nature of the beast.
but it seems getting on with the owners shan't be a problem. Adrian was here staying in a hotel. He rang Toni 1 nite, he need a phone charger and came down to the boat just as i put dinner on the table. As Toni went up i jokingly said to invite him to the Mess for dinner. He Accepted! Classic moment.. Meatballs and vino with the Boss in the mess.

i love being on the water. the lapping of the sea against the boat, the banging of leads against yacht masks, the odd sway, which when in the interior actually reminds you, you are on the water(it's that big !). the breeze smelling like salt, and the light! so bright it could blind you.

we still have a life at the moment. dining out never stops to amaze me. 10pm the place is alive eating and drinking and eating.
the football Real Madrid vs Mallorca was a good one, 10pm kick off, family affair. felt a little out of place cos i wasn't wearing my high heels.

11th April. Palma. What a place ..... we are happy people!
We arrived late avo Friday 9th. straight to Apuntadors Hostel (which we later find out has the charm of a pigs A hole.... i won't elaborate!) Drop bags & we're off...
1st round Pintos @ Tast, Patatas Bravas, chorizo, Jamon, goats cheessy, fishy little morsels of heaven on crusty bread, Beer!

time for a stroll. We are located in the old town.
6 story high apartments with beautiful Terrence windows an array of colours line the cobble stoned alleys with a multitude of food establishments below street level. the trees are in blossom and everyone is out enjoying the evening. The Cathedral a focus point for both local and tourist... it's BIG and very demanding of the area. but just behind we find the sea.

2nd round.... TAPAS @ Cuevo. a little 'vino tinto de casa' and we've settled in for the evening!


Saturday. We meet what is now our local coffee establishment, Bar Born, on Passeig Des Born. Bocodillas with tomato and spanish tortilla + coffee for 2 = 5.55 euro. sorted! a lovely fello runs the show with his wife & his home sourced eggs... yum and the good, good olive oil, a simple table compliment like that of salt and pepper.

Then we walk..... and walk....... and walk...

eventually we hit a beach. sun action, a really cold swim in our undies (well i got to my knees...muy freezo). Summer has only just began!

Back to Cuevo for more tapas.... what a way to eat!

Happy!

Sunday we found the food market that we have only ever dreamed about.....
The Hustle & bustle an attempt at using Spanish. Chorizo to die for. Jamon enough to feed a nation. cheese i wondered if there was enough milk in a day for, veg as big as ur MFA, fresh, pickled, poached.. OMG food heaven people!

We have now moved into an apartment, much better then the pre mentioned hostel and much cheaper. no more Diego(Tapas) but! it's self contained..... p's back on the cooker.... pero no problemo con esto.

hard core job hunting now.....

much love and cross ur fingers for us! XX




WELL! you must have all had your fingers crossed cos we have work.
Tinny bastards we are being at the right place at the right time.
just when all was looking pretty miserable (we were even thinking of plan B) we were drinking 2 euro Sangria and the Agents were putting a real downer on us... shit like "I know chefs with Michelin stars who can't get work" " and as for a stewardess, if you don't do this course for $800 to learn to fold napkins, you won't be getting work".
Well did we have the pleasure of giving them the twin carrots!
but to be honest the dock walking thing was a bit daunting. something that took us a bit of guts and a few warm ups. But it only took as the one walk at Portals, about 15mins bus from the main center. sweet smiles, CV's in hand and a few pleasantry's... BINGO. We got to the end of one dock and there was this most beautiful sail yacht and not a bad looking fella on board too. caught his eye and he came out for a chat. "no work here, but have you gone to that boat. apparently they are Kiwi owners and only hire Kiwi's."
we were off like a shot! 15mins walk later we meet the Owner on the wharf, a hour & half later we are set to return the next day to cook. walking home we were in disbelief 'did that just happen?'

Luckily a few days previous we discovered that most amazing food market. 9am Saturday off we go... the amazing race vs master chef.
Pee kicked ass..... big time! a tidy little 4 course
Baked Mackerel with green olive salsa on a rocket and manchego salad
Harissa prawns on a cheeky little garlic and bread crumb anglehair pasta
Duck Beast with a sweet mandarin glaze on a pink grapefruit and fennel salad (was goin to be parsnip Scordalia, but we couldn't find any parsnips, but this worked in our favor cos not only is Duck Adrian's absolute fav, Peter's fav is Fennel)
all followed by
a black plum frangipan tart
WOW
we started work Monday!
M/Y Awaroa. 39.5 meters.


Two weeks on, we re still pinching ourselves but have settled into a routine.

AMSTERDAM

Arrived Amsterdam early am Tuesday 6th, -5 degrees! P in jandals and shorts.... shame! made our way to hotel, easy. check in drop bags go. What a city, beautiful. we're in a great location, walking distance to everything. we are little kids in the candy store. Canal boat trip 1 hour another perspective.
The light is that early spring kind, sparkling on the water and everyone is making use of the warm sun... people everywhere. not downtown Oneroa now!
Bikes today. Love it! so hard core... remember to stay right and if it all looks like its going to go to shit just keep going don't hesitate. that's the rules.... until when you stop at a coffee shop. instead of a DblFW there is a joint.. (don't tell mum!)
enjoying the atmosphere of this place so much. busy.
i think a trip to the country side tomorrow. slow the pace abit.

Amanda




Hey

Amsterdam wow! Full on.

We are staying in a little hotel with a corner room, quite good really. Ten minutes walk and we are into the out-shirts of central Amsterdam where thousands of people are doing the same as you, walking around looking at stuff and looking for a seat in a restaurant facing the sun (must have been a cold winter!) drinking beer or coffee of course.

The bikeers here are so crazy, I can't get over the ordered system they have. Its so intense when you go walking so have to look both, sorry all ways...cars, trucks, people and did I say heaps of bikes. They seem to live a law in themselves. Incredible!

This is from our room






We hired two bikes today. Nine o'clock sharp we were there to pick two of the finest bikes for the day. We headed to Jordon in the N-West of the city. We headed there looking for a brown cafe that was recommend by the Rough Guide website as being the best in Amsterdam...it was closed of course. So we found another one, called The Greenhouse... We found ourselves there at 10am starting with a coffee (shite) and after a nervous contemplation we had a a wee puff. Wasn't the best timing I must say. Getting back to our location was a mission. Did really well in the end. A few map issues! She recons it was nearly a divorce..I was right of course....hehe..

Jordon was great place, heaps of cafes, small streets and of course bikes galore.


We left the bikes at home!

After a small rest we then walked around some more for a few hours. No shit the longer the day goes on the more people come out. We walked to a beautiful spot where this cafe was right on the canal. We saw it on the boat trip. Beautiful place I must say. It took us some time to get there. Tricky and massive this city is...you think you have sussed it then all of a sudden you are saying..."Hell...I don't recognize this place!" Consult the map and we are back on track.

This is from the cafe by the canal...




This is such a culture shock for us. So much to take in. There is everything you may want from all cultures. You feel like you are standing-out but there are thousands of people in the same shoes as you.

Now food. I'm enjoying the food but Its hard to put my finger on it. I have been starved for so long the choice is over whelming! It takes along time to decide even what type of food we would like. There is everything you may want to eat. There is not really a strong theme of Dutch food....in saying that our complementary breakfast each morning consists of fresh bread, cheese and slices cold meats. Interesting to say the least.


Well we are off again on the bikes..

Till later....

x peeeee