My arrival

My initial destination in Mallorca was Es Trenc. I vividly remember arriving from Palma airport after a flight from Ibiza, the island where I was living that year. Mallorca first welcomed me with a paella at the Club Nàutic Sa Ràpita.

From the restaurant I could see the whole sweep of Es Trenc beach. I ate the paella with a Mallorcan wine and watched the light move across the water. It was not a ceremonial arrival, but it became one of those memories that fixes a place forever.

After lunch, the best thing is a walk along the beach. The remains of old machine-gun emplacements from the Civil War, 1936–1939, still stand there. They have been transformed into artistic interventions, covered with poetic phrases in Catalan that speak, often, about peace and love. The contrast is powerful: structures made for war standing on a beautiful beach and carrying another message.

Campos beyond the postcard

In winter, after the meal and the walk, I recommend driving the nine kilometres to Campos for coffee and something sweet at Pastisseria Pomar on the main street. It is a classic Mallorcan establishment, run by generations of the same family and still an obligatory meeting point in the village.

On Saturdays, from morning until early afternoon, Campos holds its weekly market. It is a good moment to walk without hurry and take in the cultural, commercial and gastronomic life of the town. The old centre and the interior of the church should not be missed. I also remember attending Sunday Mass in Catalan: an architectural space, a local language and a moment of peace coming together.

What to do after work?

Who would not want to leave work and spend the afternoon at Es Trenc on 18 September, when the beach is almost empty, there are no parking problems and Campos is only ten minutes away? To sit with the sea a few metres from your feet, breathe the breeze, think or meditate in complete tranquillity is one of the great privileges of living here.

I have always enjoyed finishing the day and going there alone or with friends. The Sa Ràpita yacht club is a few hundred metres away if you want something to eat or drink. Campos may not have the social life of Sóller or Palma, but it offers peace, security and calm, even in summer.

What is there to do after work? Sometimes, nothing. Enjoy the place we chose to live and enjoy life. Because sometimes money is not what we need in order to be happy.