We woke up Thursday morning in Palamos, Spain.  Hola!

The day started with a 5-hour snorkeling adventure. It included an hour of snorkeling and very little adventure.

Saw some seaweed and a couple of fish, but it was so windy the grouper and other large fish we hoped to see apparently left town for the day,

The 40-minute bus ride to the marina and back was enjoyable as we got to see some of rural Spain.  The excursion also included a lunch of tapas and local beer, so all in all, not a bad way to spend the morning.

For the afternoon, we decided to walk around the quaint town of Palamos. Apparently pirates were a big problem here until about 200 years ago, at which point the town grew from a robust fishing village into a larger town that since the 1960s has been catering to tourists.

Walking from the pier into town we found narrow streets lined with shops and restaurants in almost every direction. It was 3:00 in the afternoon, and here is what we saw:

What the what? Did the rapture happen and we got left behind?

Was the entire town abducted by aliens?

Was this like New York City in 10 years and everyone has moved to Florida?

None of the above. We regrettably hit town just as the daily siesta was starting, and lucky for us, it continued right on up until we had to reboard the ship.

It was a little surreal to wander the desolate streets of what at other times must be a hive if retail activity. A dejected Shawna bounced from boutique to boutique, window shopping the shuttered stores – finding all the items she has wanted to purchase securely out of reach.

The obvious remedy was to return to the ship for a decktop siesta of our own.

Today, Friday, we woke up on the island of Mallorca in the town of Palma. The island is off the coast of Spain, and Palma exists primarily for tourism – at least according to our local guide on this morning’s biking tour.

Yes, it’s clear we are trying to complete the tourist decathlon: hiking, snorkeling, kayaking, biking, shopping, sightseeing plus gorging and drinking excessively. Just need to book a fishing trip and spelunking expedition and we can head to the Olympic Trials!

An increasing number of Europeans and Americans are moving here because of the outstanding climate, and the views aren’t bad either.

The remaining thing of note from today’s adventures was our first authentic Spanish sangria. We are hopeful our second authentic Spanish sangria will be a little closer to our high expectations.

Buenos Noches, Palma!