As mentioned in our last post, a holiday (or even lots of holidays) in a place is a wonderful thing and yes, you do get to know where everything is and some familiar faces, but ultimately you get on that plane again and you go.......home. Because that's where you spend most of your time, where you might be working, where you have all your friends and most likely all your family, where you speak the language, where you take a lot of things for granted....... the list is endless! But if you are considering a move to live abroad you'd be wise to approach it with a different mindset and see it in reality - warts and all.
With this in mind, once we had our apartment, we started coming out three times a year (and let's face it, flights are cheap enough if you fly at the right times) and TOP TIP have now been to Mallorca in pretty much every possible month, season and weather. So when we've been sitting in our apartment with the heating on and watching TV whilst the rain or hail lashes down outside (if you live in the UK is this ringing any bells?!) this is the reality - yes, the weather in Mallorca is amazing BUT it is an island and does get some pretty impressively bad weather too and not just the premier league storms which are dramatic and over with relatively quickly. We have had grey, rainy days and we have been in winds so gale force it was actually quite difficult to stay upright. We have also been in snow (admittedly in the mountains but we mean snow on the walls and around the roads snow, not just on the mountain tops). We have worn our sweaters, coats, boots, hats and gloves. And despite all this, we still adore the place! And for us the weather is in inverse proportion to the way it is in the UK; in other words, when we all get very excited when the sun shines in UK and run around buying BBQ stuff before it sells out, that feels like roughly the same amount of time that the weather in Mallorca is actually what a reasonable person would call 'miserable'. It seems like a 'no brainer' to us! We've also made sure we know exactly what the island, and specifically Puerto Pollensa, is like out of season when the tourist 'buzz' has gone and things are quiet. It is very different but just as lovely and it's actually our favourite time of year. Unlike some parts of the island, Puerto Pollensa is a proper working town which means that whilst many frontline amenities may shut over the winter, lots of wonderful places just off the seafront remain open and over the last year or so we've actually noticed a number of frontline facilities staying open now too.
It seems pertinent here to mention another, related, aspect. The light. As in daylight. It occurred to us that it wasn't so much cold days that 'got' to us as the dull, grey ones. And every winter we have hated the dull, short, grey days more and more. We noticed that the minute the daylight improved we felt happier even if it was cold. If this resonates with you and you are lucky enough to be able to consider a move to more southerly climes, then such a move could be the right thing to do.
This is a view from Pine Walk during the 'off' season - just beautiful.
During our visits to Mallorca we have done very little stereotypically 'tourist' things and focused instead on relaxing and importantly, on TOP TIP getting to know people. We know some people find this easier than others but really do encourage you to make the effort. We have met many people out and about, and the vibrant live music scene in the port has provided a great backdrop to get chatting. If you decide to make the move you will most likely be leaving behind a long established social network and it's important to start investing time and effort into creating a new one. We think this is important as the people you meet are a wonderful source of advice, encouragement. hospitality and support as we have found to our delight. Try, where possible, to meet not just people from the UK but also the locals. This may involve the 'hardship' of eating local food in locally run restaurants and drinking (don't forget the tapas!) in local bars but it is really worth it. If you don't speak Spanish don't let that stop you (and we'll address this in a later post)! The wonderful musicians in the port are from all over the world and we are lucky enough to have got to know many of them too. Then use social media - Facebook is ideal for this - to stay in touch and also make new friends linked to where you want to live.
In such a way, we've come to see Puerto Pollensa as our home, and the UK as a temporary situation. This in no way guarantees our move abroad will be a success but we think it probably maximises our chances :-)
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