Mallorca favourites: Sa Foradada

Elliot would probably disagree with this, seeing as I grumble about it every time he suggests it, but Sa Foradada IS actually one of my favourite places in Mallorca.

About a 5-minute drive from Deià (in the north of the island), getting to Sa Foradada means a 45-minute hike down a winding gravel road. It's easy and I usually do it in flip flops, but the 35-degree heat definitely makes it a bit more challenging.

Here are some photos from the top of the mountain, pre-hike. You can see the winding road on the side of the tip of the island that is basically the last 10 minutes of the walk. (That's my sister and her boyfriend on a recent European sojourn from their travels through Africa.)

The start of the walk involves climbing over an iron gate (the only cars allowed on the road are those belonging to the restaurant owners at the bottom). This sign makes sure you're heading the right way:

There are plenty of olive trees during the first 10 minutes of the hike. 

Ever eaten a raw olive picked off a tree? I don't recommend it.

There are also loads of sheep during the first 15 minutes. They roam the dry land eating grass and they run away from you if you approach them. The big collars around their neck have big cowbells around them.

And then, once you get to the bottom, we usually go eat at the family-owned restaurant first. This man, who is in his 70s, has owned the restaurant for over 40 years, and still spends his summer days cooking paella for appreciative tourists.

My favourite paella in the world.

See? We have brought quite a few people here—at least four different groups of visitors, that I can think of—but Sa Foradada remains a favourite. 

After lunch, there's a little rocky cove where you can sunbathe (though to be honest, it's not the most comfortable as there's no sand...). Usually, though, I end up splashing around in the tide, trying to avoid being smashed over the rocks. 

Last time we went, we climbed up the side of the small mountain, but I got a bit scared once we got to the very tip of the cliff and had to hang on to the peak-marker. My palms were very sweaty (and they're getting sweaty now just thinking about it again)!

It doesn't look so scary here (I just look flipping ridiculous), but Elliot is taking the picture about 2 feet away from the edge of a 100m-high cliff. I won't be doing this part again!

Canada Olympic House... and more Britishisms

Today, a Canadian woman asked if I was Canadian... because she said I had a bit of an English accent. The horror! Seriously, I'm heading back to Vancouver in late August for a week, so if I have ANY SYMPTOMS of Madonna English, y'all had better tell me.

Anyway, this Canadian woman was at Canada Olympic House, which is at Trafalgar Square (also where the annual Canada Day celebrations are held). The house is, unfortunately, closed to friends and family, but I got a little tour of it and, I must say, this actually gives it more of a comfortable feel.

The Canadian sponsors are there - Petro Canada, Molson Canadian, and, of course, P&G, which is not Canadian but is a big Olympics sponsor and owns Crest, Pantene, Pampers, and Secret, among a few other beauty brands. P&G's Olympics campaign slogan is "Thank you, Mom", which is officially the biggest tearjerker campaign of the Games. If you haven't watched it, YouTube it.  

Anyway, they've set up a lounge where friends and family can, in true living room style, watch CTV-streamed Olympics content... which is such a relief. The BBC is wonderful, but their Olympics coverage has (obviously) been SO British-centric - yesterday, I was shouting at the TV in frustration as they named the gold, silver, and bronze winners in some sport, OMITTED ANY MENTION of the Canadian team in 4th, and then focused in on the Brits in 5th. Bah.

Canadians watching Canadians compete at the P&G "Home away from home" lounge at Canada Olympic House. There is Molson Canadian beer and poutine (although they make it with mozzarella... sacrilege! Apparently you can't find cheese curds in London).

There is also a Hudson Bay Company pop-up shop! Love.

Anyway, a few more random Britishisms to start your weekend:

• When buying coffee, if you want a "drip coffee" (as we would say in North America), you have to ask for "filter coffee" here (although many cafés don't actually have this). Basically, they're referring to a French filter coffee - i.e. coffee made using a Bodum.
• When ordering an Americano or a cup of tea, you have to specify whether you want it black or white. Essentially, white means it comes with milk in it - hot milk. Cafés here don't have Thermos' / carafes full of a cream, half-and-half, skim, or soy milk by the sugar and other condiments.
• The middle finger: it is used here, but it's much more common to use a two-fingered salute, with your palm toward you and a type of swipe-upward motion. Basically, imagine yourself saying "up yours" with two fingers in a backward-peace-sign, and you get the idea. (Apparently, this tradition derives from the Hundred Years War in the 14th century: English archers that had been captured by France had two fingers cut off their right hand - the fingers that drew the bow - so by flashing those two fingers, you were effectively showing a gesture of defiance.) 

That's it for now.

Happy weekend!