The storm seemed even worse on Monday, it almost felt as if the waves would never calm down again. But of course, they did. That didn’t make the force of the storm any less impressive. The kids just loved watching wave after wave crash against the cliffs, one taller than the other, and just standing in the wind force and feeling the impact of it all. Show me how you’ll teach them that in a classroom. I’ll wait.
But of course, the storm disappeared as quickly as it began and by Tuesday, even though some of the waves in the distance still showed some white caps, it had mostly returned to normal. As I am writing this blog post I am back outside in the warm summer sun, trying not to get a sunburn. In January. Did I mention enough times how much I appreciate that this is our life now?
Looping back to what you can’t teach them in a classroom, at the beginning of the week we went and visited a farm really close to us. After being here for a while we noticed that there were signs all over for Queso de Menorca, something the people on the island seem to be very proud of. So we checked in with our current Airbnb host – who is simply the coolest btw. – and asked what that was all about. He explained that the people of Menorca have a long history of making a special cheese that is only made here on this small island. So everyone who has cows takes great pride in making it.
Enough said. We are a family of cheese lovers, after all, so we found the farm he recommended that sells cheese they make right from where it is made.
It was a huge farm with donkeys, chickens, pigs, and of course cows, so Jane was in heaven checking out and interacting with all the animals.
Then there was the cutest little shop that sold all kinds of homemade things directly from the farm. The main attraction was – of course – the cheese in many, many variations, they also had homemade cookies, wine, and ice cream.
Given the summerly temperatures we had to give the ice cream a go and it really did taste a lot fresher and creamier than the store-bought stuff. Pretty amazing place. That day the kids actually got to experience the products these people make while also seeing the animals and the farm at the same time. Beats any textbook by a long shot.
We also went back to the highest mountain on Menorca since the view was a lot better after the storm and enjoyed the view all around the island. It really isn’t all that big, but I believe that’s what makes a lot of its unique charm. As I have mentioned before, I’ve been to Mallorca several times, and I do like it there, but Menorca has this unique “homey” charm that can’t be described. It’s just calm and comfy. Right after we enjoyed the view from the mountain we went back to Torre d’en Galmés, the ancient village to do some star gazing. They have a neat little star chart where you can put your current date which then shows you exactly what you are looking at in the real actual sky above you. Pretty cool and led to a lot of conversations, not only about the stars we were looking at but also about satellites, astronauts, and rocket ships. The best part is: They don’t even notice they are learning. They are simply having fun.
Later this week we took another hike, this time to Pont d’en Gil, a natural gate in one of the cliffs. Pretty stunning to see and again it led to a lot of questions the kids initiated. I keep repeating myself, but there is just a certain something about being there in person that makes learning so much more fun.
After the hike, the kids still had more than enough energy left – another thing btw. that happens naturally when traveling, the kids get off the screen, off their chairs, off their desks, go outside and MOVE – so we went to a cute little playground and let them run crazy for a while.
After that – as every now and then – we did something very special. We try to go out to eat typical foods in every country we visit and this time it was extra special since a great Spanish restaurant that was recommended to us happened to be inside an old windmill. The windmill itself is almost 400 years old and they serve authentic Spanish and Catalan food of all kinds.
The food was simply fantastic and I want to point out that while the menu didn’t have many vegetarian options (4 out of the 6 of us are vegetarian and another one only eats meat on rare occasions), after asking the staff, they rattled off an entire list of vegetarian possibilities that they would make fresh for us “no problem”. Wow, what kind of great service is that?! Thankfully one thing on the list – that I was secretly hoping for before even going – was vegetarian Paella. I mean I can’t think of any meal I think of quicker than Paella when it comes to eating in Spain. Three of us of course ordered it and they actually brought it out in a huge Paella pan, freshly made with vegetables from their own garden. It was an absolute dream. We splurged on some Cream Catalan and homemade Spanish cheesecake with vanilla sauce, not knowing that after that they would bring us an entire plate full of homemade cookies and ice cream! I can not even tell you how full we were after (probably should mention at this point that they also had a bread basket with olive oil and cheese to start the meal). It really was a super special experience and I can only highly recommend it.
Another thing that stood out was how absolutely amazing the staff was. We have rarely laughed so much when eating out. They were interacting with the kids and it just absolutely made their day. From being very silly with them about their orders, calling them Senior and Seniorita, treating them like adults in a hysterically funny way, all the way to handing Jane the bill cause “it’s always the adults that get it, today it’s your turn”. And afterward handing her a HUGE plate full of ice cream and cookies on the house – cause after all she paid the bill. – they were just incredible. Amazing night.
Today we’re going to end the week by going to a beach that is famous for its jumping terraces, where people actually jump off cliffs all summer. We’re not going to jump, but will have a look at how far up it is, and then we are going to enjoy the sunset at an old castle while listening to the ocean waves. I am sure there’ll be some teaching moments involved, but “pssst”, don’t tell them, they don’t know.
To wrap this week up, two things I think need repeating:
- they will never learn any of this stuff in any classroom
- I can’t believe this is our life now.
The boss, the general, and the brains of the operation. Anya is the mom of this crazy group of misfits. When not traveling the world and teaching her kids to be decent human-beings, she likes to bake, sing, be goofy. Aside from all that she does for Five of a Kind, she is also a short term foster mother for infants in need.
She also enjoys unreasonably spicy foods and is searching for a hot sauce that is spicy enough and yet still has some kind of flavor to it.
