Palma de Mallorca

Earlier in the week we spent a few hours in Palma but hadn't gotten to see as much as we wanted. So on our last morning, we checked out of the resort and headed back to Palma, a lovely city that I'm told resembles Barcelona.  There we enjoyed the beautiful scenery, shopping in the charming alleyways, and took a tour of the amazing Cathedral. 

In front of the La Seu Cathedral, a Gothic Roman Catholic Cathedral built in 1229 (finished in 1601) on the site of a pre-existing Arab Mosque.

 The enormous stained glass window that 2 days each year projects colors on the opposing wall of the cathedral.

The kids at the harbor in Palma. 

Our last day in Palma was just delightful.  We spent 6 days in Mallorca and got a well deserved break from our routine and some wonderful relaxation.  

Spain, here we come!

After putting my parents on a plane Saturday morning, we packed up and got on a plane ourselves...to Mallorca, Spain. Mallorca is one of the Balearic Islands of Spain. We arrived late at night on Saturday at our resort at Cala Pi. Cala Pi is a remote area of the island with a few small businesses and houses. The resort had two beautiful pools and stairs down the side of a cliff down to a nice beach nestled in one of the island's many coves.

We enjoyed lots of time at the beach, relaxing time at the pool, many sandcastles were built, and the kids even made some friends. 

We did some walking around the coast and found a tower at the top of a cliff overlooking the sea.  This was a 17th century watch tower used for watching out for pirate attacks.

Most evenings were spent by the pool, Sean enjoying his wine, the kids swimming in the water that was too cold for most adults.

It was also really interesting experiencing Spanish culture a bit.  About 20 years ago, I took Spanish in high school.  I was amazed at how much of it came back to me.  I had lots of fun trying to speak and understand the language.

Our last day was spent in the capital city Palma....more details in the next post.

Warwick Eagles

After Wales, we spent a few days laying low and then on Good Friday, Sean had the day off so we brought my parents and the kids to Warwick Castle.  We had been to Warwick last Fall, but there were still things that we hadn't seen there.  Most notable, the Eagle show.  It was worth the trip just to see that in my opinion.  We watched several birds of prey show off their skills, skim the tops of our heads, it was really amazing!

Before heading home, we found a little Italian restaurant and got some delicious pizzas.  A nice last dinner out with my parents before their return trip home.

Mia got to have another Marguerita Pizza - her favorite!

Wales Trip - Wool Mill

On our last day in Wales, we stopped at the Trefriw Woollen Mill.  We got to see the beautiful woven merchandise and also the various processes for creating the wool thread and weaving it.  It was an interesting little excursion before we made our way back to Derby.

Wales Trip - Caernarfon Castle

 On our third day, we went to another Edwardian Castle, Caernarfon Castle.  This castle is also in ruins, though it is still used for rare royal ceremonies, specifically crowning of the Prince of Wales (currently Prince Charles).  Construction on the castle began in 1283 and was created not only as a military stronghold but also as a seat of government and royal palace. Caernarfon has a bit more on display than Conwy Castle, with an impressive museum inside that displays the history of the Welsh servicemen over history. There is also a room devoted to the history of the Princes of Wales.

Climbing to the tops of the towers is always a fun thing to do in these castles!

Wales Trip - Mount Snowdonia

 On our second day in Wales we rode a coal powered steam train to the top of Mount Snowdonia.  It was about an hour ride each way and we got to spend about a half an hour at the top.  The views were just amazing.  Mount Snowdonia is the tallest mountain in Wales at 3560 feet.

Wales Trip - Conwy Castle

After the kids got out of school on Friday, we were on our way to Wales. For those of you who don't know, the United Kingdom is currently made up of 4 Countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. We live in England, and Wales is a couple of hours west of us.

We stayed in a village just outside of the town of Conwy, so on our first day, we went to see Conwy Castle. Like most castles in the UK, Conwy is in ruins. Some of the interior walls don't exist anymore and most of the floors in the towers are gone. It's really interesting to climb in the towers and walk along the walls. You can see the areas where guards were posted to defend the castle. 

Construction of Conwy Castle began in 1283 by King Edward I who was expanding the English kingdom into Wales.  He built an "iron ring" of  Castles around Wales to subdue the rebellious Welsh population.  The town of Conwy is also surrounded by a wall to protect the English Colony within. 

Alexa outside a gift shop outside the castle.

Family Visit to the United Kingdom

I was so excited to have my parents visit us. This was their first trip to England, so we wanted to show them as much as possible in their short time here. They arrived a few days before the kids got out of school, so I showed them some sites nearby to Derby and just gave them a taste of what life is like here.

 Visit to Chatsworth....a must-see for anyone visiting Derbyshire.

Alexa got to show off her new reading skills, it's amazing how fast she's learning.

Lots of Updating to Do

OK, it's been a busy couple of weeks!  My parents have been visiting, we went to Wales and then to Spain.  The kids have been out of school for 2 weeks....I have lots of photos to share. First, let me share the most recent news....on our trip to Spain, Alexa lost her first tooth!  She has lots of wiggly ones, and one finally let go.  Here's a picture of her new smile, so adorable.

And yes, that is a Cadbury cream egg she's eating.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.  I'll be posting more photos of our adventures this week, so stay tuned!