Una vida Holandesa en Mallorca

Did I mention we almost went over the limit luggage wise this trip and had to leave some stuff in the storage in Italy? Well, it was all for a good cause, because I brought my Bose speakers back home:-) It was worth it only seeing the faces of the guys at the x-ray machine at the airports (but I brought odder things: the amplifier, een afzuigkap). And we finally have a decent sound system in the house (last Amsterdam trip bought a nice amplifier). In general, in the Spanish houses and the stores here, I have not seen a love for music. They content with a ghettoblaster type or even (yes, my friends!) play their cd´s over the speakers of the tv. I located two stores in Mallorca but of the horribly expensive kind. So that is why we are all Dutch-imported concerning the sound system. To test I almost blasted my Italian (who thought all this trouble was highly overrated, his ghettoblaster was fine no?) from his chair with the first sound check and connected everything from cd to tv. So neighbours beware, the next loud tv-show at 3am will be punished by some excessive hardrock:-)
 

Well I sincerely hope the rate of events will slow down even though it IS an interesting day. Before 10:30 I already started the day with a mayor nose bleed (dripping on the bathroom floor, nice!), something I never have. Then the architect who was supposed to supervise the new bathroom arrived to finally pick up the papers to ask for permission to work (the bathroom is finished, how long? 3 months?). Then when I wanted to drive to work my car was covered by a mayor heap of earth. I parked it next to the building site in our street and they just HAD to put the earth there, covering my front wheels, making it impossible to get out! The men where very friendly though, they dug out my car with their big machine (while I was hoping they would not scratch the car). Anyway, when I finally arrived at work, my new contract was finished so I signed up for another 3 years, starting the first of January 2008!!!!! Then they hurded me to the new building, to my new room (shared with 3 instead of 8 colleagues). I apparently  have to move today. Everybody is moving, but by rank, today is the day for  the 3rd movement, the postdocs.  When I got back to my old office to pick up things my student called that he will be over in 20 minutes to arrange the papers for his application (let´s hope he´ll stay my student and they give him the contract!). And of course when I checked mail, 2 decision letters  came in for handed in articles..... One far too fast (no hope), the other could be..... after all it is a second revision........ And it is not 11 yet! This afternoon I have a Spanish exam and then we´ll go out to dinner, saying goodbye to a friend. After this day I´ll need 3 to catch my breath!

Het was redelijk koud het weekend. Maar toch leuk naar de kathedraal geweest, eindelijk de nieuwe kapel van Barceló gezien. Vond het idee leuk, uitwerking minder. Relief had meer gekund en de kleuren waren mat, uitgelopen en dof. Daarna van het uitzicht genoten op de berg sa Randa. de volgende dag excursie dichtbij Palma. Dat merk je: we kwamen eindeloos veel mensen tegen ondanks de relatieve kou. Maar geen regen:-)

Last thursday around 17:00 the sky blackened, really like night completely, and an awful storm struck the institute. Storm like no electricity/lights for 30 minutes. Then the caretaker of the institute called from Palma to ask if there were any casualties. We thought that was a bit over the top, it hadn´t been SO bad but apparantly in Palma the storm had struck far more heavy around 16:30. Friends adviced not to take the road back over the uni because it was blocked. So we left around 18:00, afraid for our house (windows have not been known to be watertight and we already had leakage from the roof directly over our bed), following the road over establiments. Which turned out to be blocked by huge trees over the road. The other cars stuck there told us they already tried the road form Soller & Valldemossa. So we figured we would try the road form Puigpunyent. Good idea, later we found out it was the only option from the Tramuntana region where we were into the city. Our appartment was indeed flooded (salon & kitchen) but our biggest fear was proven wrong (luckily) as the pipe from the stove was still standing upright on the roof. So we only needed to dry some furniture and mop the floor. The city was one big mess though, we still find many branches ripped off. I could not help wondering HOW high the water in the metro would be;-)
Ik zeg dus: noodweer.
 
 

Op een (regenachtige) zondagmiddag Petanque gespeeld in het park bij ons huis. Na mixen van de teams hadden we de Fransman en dik gewonnen natuurlijk:-)
Vandaag het veld in en gelukkig schijnt de zon:-)

The other day when walking on the very hot pavement in my neighbourhood (St. Cataline, Palma de Mallorca) I found a mini-SD card. I have a new phone supporting this so I inserted the disc and found pictures, video and music. On a glance the disc belongs to a (girlfirend of) a blond (real? I have not made up my mind yet) Spanish girl with fashionable too-big sunglasses. She and her posse went to a (rave?) concert in Magaluf. Therefore the chance is minumum I would know her but maybe she sees herself on the net and claims the card back ;-)

Gisteren kanoes gehuurd in Santa Ponsa. Dat is pas leuk op zee. Mijn camerahuis deed niet leuk mee en er zijn dus geen fotos:-( maar het was MOOI. Hoge rotskust (met lelijke huizen) en fris briesje voor het af koelen.
´s avonds pizza gemaakt met de hele (Italiaanse) familie. Lekker. Zit alleen nog steeds vol.
Vandaag in de brandende hitte naar Consell, de rommelmarkt. Echt ik smolt weg..... Leuk voor het voorjaar, winter en najaar.