Salt and Sand

On my first full day back in Mallorca, I swam in the Mediterranean Sea (this time it wasn't ice cold!). We drove to a small town down the coast from Palma and gathered salt!

The drive to S'estanyol was outlined by the loose, handmade, rock walls that line the road. As we got to our destination, we parked up the beach and began our trek to find some salt. The beach is a mixture of rock and sand. The very edge of the coast where the water meets the sand is covered with sea grass (posidonia) that was pushed up on the shore by the waves. This pile of grass helps prevent erosion, so it is left where it washes up. As you move inland on the beach, it becomes rocky. And there are lots of plants and trees living on the coast.

We hiked along the coastline until we found a decent place to hop in the water. The water this time of the year is warm but not hot. Just the perfect temperature that doesn't require any "getting used to" before you can completely submerge yourself comfortably. There were some people there in the water, playing fetch with their dog, Pancho (who was wearing a red lifevest). A man was sunbathing on top of an old boat house right next to us.

As I stepped down the rocks into the water, I saw a really pretty pink and green shell. When I picked it up to admire it and show it off, I noticed a hermit crab's legs poking out of it. I guess the crab had thought the shell was pretty too.. and he found it first. I said my apologies to the crab and gently set him back into the water on the rock I found him on.

The water is so incredibly clear that it made depth perception difficult. I could see every blade of posidonia (sea grass) poking out between the rocks below me. They swayed in the current. I could see little fish, minnows maybe, swimming past my legs. Next time, I'm going to need goggles so I can take a closer look.  After our swim, we grabbed our bags and hiked further along the coast.

As we walked, the terrain became more and more rocky, until we were just walking upon sandstone that had been worn into crazy shapes by the water. We passed a lighthouse (el faro) as we trekked across the rocks.  It was small and painted with navy blue and white stripes. I noticed a sail boat on the horizon and could see why people used to think the world was flat. It was as if that boat was at the edge of the world.

Finally, we found some tide pools that had salt in them! It was amazing to simply reach in and dig up salt that was sitting in the pool of water that had been carved into the sandstone. I had expected my skin to feel really dry after digging up salt, but my hands felt surprisingly soft and moisturized. It was as if I'd put on lotion. That water was full of other minerals as well and was almost oily.

With our bag full of salt, we headed back across the beach with the last bit of day light that was left. The sunset behind us was beautiful as it dropped behind the clouds. It was a successful first day, and if this is any indication of what's to come, I'm going to have a ton of stories to tell when I get home.