Mallorca

     Hello my name is Aidan Arbona and my last name originates from an island off the east coast of Spain called Mallorca. Two years ago my family and I decided to investigate the origins of my father’s last name. We almost stayed at a hotel owned by a family named Arbona, but settled on a hotel in an ancient town called Soller in the northwest corner of the island where it was dry and dusty, yet warm and bustling around with many pepe. Although it was sandy and dry, the island was mountainous and the beaches had clear, cool water and were very rocky. My mother heard from the owner of the hotel, who spoke English, Spanish, German, and Catalan, that there was a beautiful beach over the mountains. So we decided to pack our goggles and swimsuits and started an adventure that I will never forget.

     When we started out, I stated “this is going to be awesome!” not knowing the horrific experience that we were about to have.  It turned out that to get to the beach we had to traverse a beaten-down narrow road scaling the side of the mountains. “Steve, look at that!” my mother said happily as my father drove white-knuckled down the hair-pinned death trap. “Sorry honey I’m driving down a narrow road on the side of a mountain, I’m trying to look at the road” stammered my father (who is afraid of heights). As we swerved on a hair-pin turn, a huge tour bus almost ran into us and barely missed. “Holy _ I can’t believe what just happened! That guy is a horrible driver.”   Little did we know that this trip would be one to remember and one we would never be able to forget.

     Even though it was the most dangerous trip I’ve ever seen sights that were as beautiful than on that mountain. As we were driving, we saw three types of things: rivers and forests, natures finest creations, the green plants, I remember that the air was humid and soggy. “Well at least it was only a onetime thing with that bus, right?” When I finished asking that, another bus proved me wrong.

     When we finally made it to the beach it was cold and beautiful. The water was so clear that even from a distance you could see fish, around the water was a very rocky landscape which made it seem natural to the extreme. When I began to swim under the water it was very cool but still I could see fish swimming with me.

So in the end, to see that beach, the drive really was worth it. It being the crying, screaming, amazement, stressing, yelling and blaming. 

     

     In the end we decided that the trip was worth it the cloudy sky dusty ground and amazing people. We didn't skin my mother alive and the drive back was quicker. The best thing to come out of it though was the fact that I am no longer am I afraid of heights.