Our emigration adventure is over

It has been 4 years since we started our adventure in Mallorca and since 2 years we also live on this beautiful island.Time flies, we have learned a lot, met new people, made nice steps with our company and certainly the last few months a lot has happened. Louisa and I have talked a lot about our life on Mallorca and our future. We come to the conclusion that our emigration adventure is over...

Perfect period for a holiday in Mallorca

Our last blog was about decion making stress. Lots of questions, little information and therefore it was very difficult to find the right answers and make choices. In mid-May we flew back to Mallorca with the plan to settle things here and then to live and work in the Netherlands for the rest of the year. However, in those few weeks it became clear that the borders in Mallorca would open again from mid-June and that we would be able to receive guests again. Our reality now is that we live and work on Mallorca again. In the meantime we are back in business and receive many guests again. Although it remains exciting what the virus is still going to do, it is currently a perfect period for a holiday on Mallorca. Maybe even better than ever, because it is relatively quiet and you don't have to share all the beauty with so many tourists. Of course there are restrictions such as wearing a mouth mask. But if you can accept that nowadays this is part of your personal standard equipment, then it's great to stay here. This is also the feedback we get from our current guests. Advantage of staying in your own villa in a rural environment. No masses and you don't have to wear a mouth mask very often. Of course this is not obligatory at the villa, but also not in a restaurant, cafe or on the beach....

Back to the Netherlands

Where Louisa and I are in Mallorca, Maartje and Floor are staying in the Netherlands. Of course Maartje has been living there for a while now, and she has gloriously completed her propaedeutic year at the university in Wageningen. She is completely settled in Wageningen and enjoys her (student) life to the fullest. I know few people who are as energetic, social and full of zest for life as Maartje. We miss her enormously. Fortunately, there are modern ways to keep in touch. Louisa and I are very happy that in a week or so she will come to celebrate her holiday with us and that we will be able to hitchhike with her cheerfulness and energy. That will be shopping, enjoying food, hiking, cycling etc.

Floor has made an important choice in the past period. She is going back to the Netherlands to live there (with grandma Wil and grandpa Baer) and to go to school. A very brave choice because she is going to leave her parents' nest (us...) now and a special and wonderful period on Mallorca will end soon. In the end we understand very well that living in a cottage on the mountain with your parents is fun but can't compete with the social life that a teenage lady normally has. With the choice to go back to the Netherlands, Floor chooses for herself and fully steps back into her "old" social life. Girlfriends, boyfriend, go out, have fun, go shopping... Through the Wereldschool she has now completed VWO 5 and she will start her exam year VWO at her old school at Dendron College. Real compliments to Dendron College and the Wereldschool how they have guided and made this transition possible. Floor will have to do extra work in the coming period but she is happy to do it. Louisa and I have to get used to the fact that Floor is no longer with us on Mallorca. We miss her already but we are also very proud that she has made this choice. We do have two great daughters!

Intense and beautiful

The past period was intense but also very beautiful at the same time. Certainly the death of my father, the circumstances and the situation with my mother (dementia) are tough. Now more than ever I feel and notice that there is a physical distance between my mother, sister and brother. Of course we videocall regularly but that's a lot different than being there. All care comes on the shoulders of Mariëlle and Gé. They do that fantastic! I can only respect this. But I also feel guilt...

On the other hand, such a intense period also produces a lot of beauty.Knowing that you can rely on and trust each other, an unlimited appreciation for the close relationship with family and close friends, the unconditional love for your parents and peace and tranquility.  Tranquility because all that beauty is there and does not always have to be visible. Mariëlle, Gerard, Gé, Wil, Baer, Wendel and Gerard; muchas gracias!

A future in Mallorca

Our great adventure is over. Our life on Mallorca is far from over! Louisa and I are at home on Mallorca, we are settled and live with great pleasure on this beautiful island. It no longer feels so much like an adventure. It's "just" our life. We now have a nice social network, know the way, have experienced many things once and manage us a bit with the language (uhum...). Despite the economic setback this year, we continue to have confidence in our company. We already dare to look ahead and make new plans. We will get a second villa of our own (11 persons) and keep our eyes and ears open for an extra villa of our own (6 persons). No overconfidence but a reaction to the growing demand for a (cycling) holiday in a villa (and not a hotel). We have experienced that having our own villa is by far the best thing to do. We are then responsible for the villa and the guests. In addition, we continue to work on the development and growth of our website with almost 40 Bike Villas that we can use on a commission basis. Still plenty to do. First of all we want to enjoy our daughters coming on holiday in the coming weeks...

Hasta luego, Ed and Louisa