21st of December, 2021
It is not easy to find a convenient house sit during covid times. You need to be patient and be willing to spend a lot of hours on the internet, browsing the house sitters websites. In the end we are rewarded with a great sit of nearly three weeks on the Balearic island of Mallorca. I never visited Mallorca in the past and in my imagination it was just one of those party islands, where nature is sacrificed for huge hotels and ugly apartment buildings. Images of our future house sit showed lushy gardens and panoramic views. When seeing the pictures of the two black labradors, we didn’t think twice!
We rush to the bookstore to get information about hiking trails (Rother guides) and interesting places to visit on the island and are very surprised to discover that Mallorca has many natural parks, scenic roads and historical villages.
In December Covid is still a big issue and we, as well as the landlords, have to try staying healthy! It all works out fine and we even don’t need to get tested! The house is all decorated for Christmas, the fire place works great and the doggies are adorable, so our holiday starts (and theirs too!)
We decide to take the dogs with us in the car on most of our outings. So we can stay away a bit longer during the day, while the dogs are having party time! Our first outing will be to Parc Natural Es Trenc, in the southern part of the island. Just before entering the parc, we pass Salines de Llevant. Several lagoons are nourished by the waters of the sea and later the salt is extracted and gathered into huge piles.
In between the artificial lakes and the 6 km long beach, you will find dunes with all kinds of plants, which are adapted to the salt in the soil. Once on the beach we let the dogs run free. This time of the year only a handful of visitors are present….
Our second trip goes to Cap de Formentor, in the northern part of the island. The peninsula is protected on one side by the Tramuntana Mountains and blessed with some fabulous beaches on the southern side. To reach the east of the peninsula, you have to drive a very curvy road. Don’t forget to stop at Mirador de la Creueta for some fabulous views!
Cala Formentor is our next hiking place. The turqoise sea looks inviting for a swim. Margot, the youngest labrador is afraid of water, but Rosie just loves to jump in!
After our walk and swim, we are driving back to Puerto de Pollenca, a lively fishing harbour. Here we find a great place to eat, right at the water side; “Stay Restaurant”.
The dogs are sleeping in the car, totally exhausted. Later, after we have had our supper, we will take them again for another outing on the beach, before we drive home.
