T he Spanish Balearic Islands have been everything we hoped for and more. This chapter of our adventure began on June 5th, when we sailed from mainland Spain, through the night, to arrive at the beautiful small island of Formentera. For a few days, we took advantage of its pretty beaches, good hikes, and intense blue waters. Formentera also had more super-yachts (and much more male nudity) than we expected. At one point we were parked next to a 300 foot yacht owned by the developer of WhatsApp. Behind his boat was its “support yacht” which housed, among other things, a helicopter hanger and small catamaran (which happened to be our exact size). It was like Russian nesting dolls….. but boats.

Next was the island of Ibiza, which is where we picked up Ben and Sam. While the island is known for wild nightlife, and we did see a bit of this, it is also beautiful and there are gorgeous bays far from the tourist hotspots. It was so wonderful to have the boys here; and we spent most of our time with them exploring a third Balearic island, Mallorca. Mallorca is a huge island, home to a mountain range, miles of sandy beaches, touristy towns, quaint Spanish villages, and countless coves (called calas). The water here is an incredible shade of turquoise and we never grew tired of it. The boys’ favorite stop was a pair of protected beaches adjacent to a nature preserve where they were able to jump from cliffs and swim through a cave.

Another once in a lifetime experience involved meeting up with old dear friends from Columbia, MO (the Mermelstein, Stoy, and Liu/Carl families)! A few months ago we learned that our time here would overlap and hatched a plan to meet. It was so much fun. We enjoyed some land-time at their rental house, swimming, catching up and eating yummy food. The property happened to be home to a huge herb garden and lemon trees; and now my freezer is full of herbs and juices to use later.

The last chapter of our time with Ben and Sam was in Barcelona. During the long sail there, the boys worked on their sailing skills and enjoyed the sunset. We were visited by a pod of dolphins who played around the boat for about half an hour. We are just thrilled that the boys got that experience. There is nothing more magical.

Our marina in Barcelona was pretty nuts. It was recently converted to serve as a base for the America’s Cup race, which made for some interesting people watching. We were the tiny ones in a marina full of super-yachts, and almost couldn’t get off the boat because we were so much smaller than the height of the dock. The marina’s location was incredible though. We were next to the Gothic Quarter, La Rambla, and Barcoloneta, so we were able to explore and take in most sites with ease. I enjoyed taking the boys to places that I’d seen at their age, ranging from a rowdy beer hall to the majestic Sagrada Familia Cathedral. The night before Ben and Sam flew home happened to be the night of Barcelona’s biggest celebration. Nit de Foc (Night of Fire) is a celebration of the summer solstice and the birth of John the Baptist. On this night, the city parties from sunset to sunrise. Thousands gather in city squares and beaches for bonfires and fireworks that last for hours. We only lasted until about 1 AM and loved every minute of it, not wanting the next morning and the boys’ departure to come.