Ibiza - Viva Espanol!

I pipped Brad at the post, and was the first to venture into Europe on a girl’s trip to Ibiza over the weekend, to celebrate Nat’s 25th birthday.

Ibiza was exactly as expected – full of English party-goers, Europeans strolling around in g-string bikinis (without their tops at that!), and ridiculous heat. We all know I love the heat and relaxing on the beach, but let me tell you this was insane and even too hot for me! The Mediterranean provided no comfort, and it was more bath-like than refreshing!

Our apartment was right on the beach, with a beautiful view, right in the hustle and bustle of it all. Complete with two pools, it was the perfect spot, although given the scorching heat, even the pools couldn’t stay cool and refreshing for long. The resort also charged NZ$40 to use a sun-lounger for the week – despite the fact you were staying at the hotel. Rip-off mongrels!

It was also ludicrously expensive, but thankfully my tighter-than-a-fishes-arse-ways saw me come away with a few Euros in my pocket. I was slightly bitter though when munching on a miserable bit of toast, with a few baked beans sprinkled on it – a meal that set me back NZ$10. We all ended up heading to the local supermarket and pretty much just eating dry bread, on account of the limited kitchen facilities in our apartment and the ludicrous prices of local eateries!

The nightlife was great, but other than that there wasn’t much else to do – aside from lie on the beach, For this reason I wouldn’t go back there, as I need a little more to keep me occupied. You could venture over to the other side of the island, but really all there was to do there was visit more beaches. The beaches were stunning, but the scorching heat prevented me from making the most of them. I wasn’t alone in this, and spent most of my time with Helen, who couldn’t stay in the sun for long either, on account of her gorgeous peaches and cream Irish skin! The birthday girl had a grand old time though, which was the aim of the game, and is planning to head back as much as she possibly can!

The highlight of the trip was hand’s down, being in Spain when they won the World Cup. It was utter mayhem, with people screaming and running through the streets chanting ‘Viva Espanol, Espanol!’ It was amazing to be part of that atmosphere, and is certainly an experience I will never forget.

Another experience I will never forget is the plane ride home. I swear, I actually thought I was going to die. People were screaming, and the turbulence literally threw a Hostess off her feet and onto someone’s lap! I was scared out of my mind, but the lovely Helen assured me that this sort of thing ‘happened all the time in Europe’. It was only when we got off that she told me, she had never been so terrified in her life and thought we were goners! She’s so blessed – despite being terrified herself, she was comforting me, as well as the girl next to me (who looked like she was saying her final prayers and was white as a sheet). The funniest thing was, when we landed the Pilot says over the speaker: “you may have noticed a bit of turbulence back there...” WTF – how could you not notice the turbulence? People were screaming and the air hostess was thrown sideways! It certainly answered the age-old question I have often wondered – if you ever had the misfortune to be involved in a plane crash, would the staff help, or run for their lives? I assure you, it’s the latter. No one offered any consolation over the speaker – it was each for their own. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see the pilot abandoning ship with his personal parachute. The cheap flights over here are great, but the service is just shocking!

Meanwhile while I was away, Brad was living it up far more than I was and went out all but one night, making friends with all and sundry! He had a grand old time and certainly wasn’t sitting at home moping, pining for my presence!

Today we popped out to Camden markets again (one of my favourite places in London) and Brad picked up something he has been coveting since our arrival, and his first visit out there all those weeks ago – a wrestling mask! As you can see by the picture, he was very excited and hasn’t taken it off. Gave me a blimmen heart attack as he stormed out with it on, screaming ‘GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!’

Tomorrow morning we’re off to Basel at the crack of dawn to visit Auntie Michelle. It’s crazy really – Basel airport services France, Germany and Switzerland (right on the border of all three), and despite our accommodation being just out of Basel, it’s actually in Germany! So as of tomorrow morning, technically we can also cross off Switzerland, Germany and France off our list!

Keep safe beloveds – rest assured we are!

xxx