October in Mallorca – Open water swimming, football and life with a toddlerOctober 8, 2021

I absolutely adore autumn in Mallorca. Or fall if you prefer. As we move from the full-on rentals season of the summer, I’m looking forward to recharging my batteries a little and making the most of these cooler months.

For me, it means being able to do sports, go hiking, be on the beach and, most importantly for me and my three-year-old daughter, go to playgrounds without getting fried.

On a personal level, I love it when the rain comes. It reminds me of my home country Denmark but it’s still warm and filled with light and outdoor life. For the next six to eight months, Denmark is quite dark, wet, and depressing.

The arrival of the rain reminds me how lucky I am to spend autumn in Mallorca.

I also like the cooler nights, finally being able to drink tea again and wrap myself into a blanket on the couch.

Returning to my open water swimming challenge

Probably because I’m Danish, I find myself more drawn to the sea when it’s fresh and cooling, when it has a little bit of a bite to it.

In summer I enjoy things like jumping from cliffs and snorkeling, but I don’t get much pleasure from the swimming itself. It’s almost too warm. For this reason, I lost my way in my open water swimming challenge until I finally stopped in the summer.

Now it’s autumn in Mallorca, I’m starting back up again, especially jumping in the Deià river that opens into Cala Deià whenever there’s been a rainfall. Out of all the places I discovered last winter, this was my favourite.

Getting back into football

One of the things that’s changed life on the island for me has been finding some lads I enjoy playing football with and hanging out.

It feels like I’m getting to know more about what Mallorca’s really like.

Back in 2019 I was invited to play by a German restaurant owner near where I used to live. No league or competition, just random guys getting together to play. Which doesn’t stop us getting heated on occasion.

From this, I got invited to a WhatsApp group where the games are planned and then another. I’ve navigated my way in and out of these groups until I’ve found the lads I play with now.

During the heavy restrictions last winter, we managed to play in Lloseta, at the amazing paintball facility there, and enjoy some rare social time with a BBQ afterwards. That was so important to our mental wellbeing.

Now I play whenever I can and wherever I’m wanted. I most enjoy playing central midfield if it’s a seven-a-side game because I’m lucky to be able to run nonstop.

I get transformed as soon as I walk on the pitch. I leave everyday life on the sideline and just enjoy an intense adrenaline rush, feelings of joy and irritation, and a complete stress release.

Afterwards we go for a beer, have some laughs and I feel profoundly happy.

This season I also hope to go and watch Real Mallorca FC. As a football fan, it’s great fun for me to experience the game in a different country.

If you live on the island, love playing football and haven’t found your tribe yet, feel free to get in touch with me. I’ll do what I can to steer you in the right direction. If someday we in need an extra player, I will call you.

School begins for my daughter

My daughter is three. This is the age children in Spain are invited into the public school system and start at kindergarten.

It’s important to apply for a place well before kindergarten starts if you’d like your child to be in the public system.

Of course, you can put your child in one of the private kindergartens but, as I understand it, it can then be difficult to get a place for them in a public school when they’re six and education starts for real.

My daughter loves her school and I’m very happy with it. But it is challenging to have to fill out so much physical paperwork time after time and it’s in Catalan, which makes things even harder.

I’m looking for someone to teach me Catalan, preferably as an exchange with someone who wants to practice their English. (Or Danish.)

Exciting projects on their way

At Charles Marlow, we’re working on some really exciting projects. I’m looking forward to really getting stuck into these in the quieter months.

I’ll be making sure to put the time aside to swim and snorkel and get a few hikes done in parts of the island that are new to me.

Finally, I recently found the marine mud spring in Llucalcari and tried it for the first time. It was amazingly refreshing! So now I’m aiming to get good and muddy once a month.

Don’t forget, we have wonderful homes in and around Deià available for rent at attractive prices throughout autumn in Mallorca. If you’d like to experience the joys of being on the island during this time, please do get in touch.