Hasta Luego, Espana!

We left Menorca about the 3rd of August, sailed for 2 nights and a day to make a brief stop in Northern Sardinia to chill out, snorkel, and relax.  We started for Corsica at 2 am.  Night crossings are tedious, and nobody particularly likes to stand watch at night, but we are realizing it is better to do them so that the kids can sleep and it maximizes time on land.

Code and I do 4 hour shifts.  He usually takes the 1-5am shift, which is the one really hate.  I take 9Pm to 1am, then  5 am till 9 or so when Code wakes up.  I sit on deck working on needlepoint (I use Aethan’s  headlamp to see), or I read, or do yoga, or take little catnaps.  Sometimes a pod of dolphins swim by, there is usually bioluminescence to the water, and the stars are amazing.  It usually gets quite damp, which I think is the greatest discomfort.  Other than that, I am getting used to it and am tolerating it better.  Time flys by, which is not what I expected.  There is always some puttering to do on the boat like cleaning, little projects, reading, and needlepoint.  Next thing you know, it is time for dinner, then bed.  The kids occupy themselves, too.  Legos, drawing,  watching videos, and varied games. 

We spent 3 nights and 2 days in Corsica in an area called Bonafacio. It was great to be in a country where I am at least familiar with the language (French).  I can read it and understand French, but I don’t speak French very well.  My pronounciation is so bad!  Code is just the opposite.  He has the pronounciation down, but not as much vocabulary or grammar.  Together, we are able to muddle through better than in Spain.

On our last full day in Menorca, we rented scooters and zipped around to see the Neolithic ruins (about 1500BC) which are all over the island.  It was a real treat to travel by ‘vehicle’.  Weird to think that since June 22, we have had no cars, bikes, telephones, or TV.  Riding on a scooter felt downright civilized!

 The town where we stayed, Mahon (yes, the birthplace of mayonnaise) presented many challenges for one reason after another.  One was that the city is on top of a cliff.  There are steps and ramps to get up to the city from the waterfront.  Not to bad for us, but for Graeme, it was like climbing Everest.  He was usually exhausted, hot, and whining by the time we got to the town.  Both kids did OK if we bribed them with candy, of course.

I am also looking forward to a normal daytime schedule.  The siesta thing in spain did not work well for us.  Typically we get up, tinker around the boat, swim, have breakfast, decide what to do that day, maybe have lunch, pack up and go.  By then it is 1 pm.  Stores and streets are deserted by 1:30 pm, which is usually about the time we’re ready to run errands, etc.  The entire country shuts down and goes silent until 5, so we usually didn’t get half as much done as we had planned.  After a month you would think we would get it, but it is amazing how habits die hard! 

After a few days on Corsica, we left for Sardinia for 2 nights.  Then it is a straight shot to Rome and then Southern Italy.