Spain

We have been a little tardy in keeping our blog updated but things have been all go on our side of the world. Marion and Mike, Andrew and Emma all headed over to go on vacation with us in Spain and to see a little bit of London which was exciting given that we hadn't seen any of them (except Andy) since we left NZ last year. They spent the first three days cruising around London and seeing the sights until we finished up at work and headed off to Valencia to watch Team NZ race. We had booked an apartment in the heart of Valencia and about 20 minutes from the America's cup base which was very cool but on the fourth floor in a building with no lift and some of the steepest steps we have ever seen. Right across the road was an indoor food market with fresh produce, cheeses and salamis etc so we shopped up large so that we could picnic in our apartment. The America's cup village was incredible - we watched the first race on the big screen outside on the grass in the 45 degree heat and spent the second out on a spectator boat up close with the winning action of our boys. The bars were packed with kiwis who were all in high spirits and chatting to anyone and everyone from New Zealand. Mike was in his element and spent the day wandering around high-fiving other kiwis. We ate plenty of tapas and indulged in mohitos at the cup base and one night caught the light and audio show down the canal which just took our breath away. After a few fun packed days in Valencia, we flew over to Majorca (one of the Balearic Islands) and spent the rest of the week an apartment on the beachfront that cost next to nothing but was incredible. We lazed about the beach during the day, swam tons in the clear clear water and barbequed every night - a fantastic way for us to relax from the hectic-ness that is London and to catch up with the family. We loved every moment! We toured the island one day and checked out some of the other beaches (gorgeous!) and wandered through an amazing bar built into the rockside about 50 feet above the water. We went back over to Barcelona for a night before heading back to London and did a little shopping and wandered the board walk down by the beach for dinner and drinks. It was an amazing holiday in the sun - much needed!