MOVING TO MAJORCA
Provence on Wheels! Unforgettable Characters!
ISBN: 0595090583

This book is about the author and his wife who motor scooter 700 miles across Europe one winter in search of the sun. They end up on the island of Majorca, halfway to Africa. Rollercoaster roads, high winds, and higher mountains are part of this adventure that lands them in a coastal villa with no running water but loads of helpful friends including those who have to be tricked to leave. Laurel and Hardy plumbers, a primitive artist, homebrew experts, island smugglers, the perfect mortician hotel manager, and "Pap" with his faithful dog "Fugly" who almost lose their lives trying to catch the island's largest uncatchable fish. This book is pure fun! "Provence on Wheels. A total delight! " 284 pages, 6 x 9 Paperback published by iUniverse.com © 2000

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Moving to Majorca is the true, humorous story of an American couple who motor scooter 700 miles across Europe one winter in search of the sun. fighting rollercoaster roads, high winds and higher mountain, their quest takes them halfway to Africa to the island of Majorca. Moving into a costal villa with no running water they learn how to survive paradise one day at a time. What makes their adventure such a moveable feast are the humorous characters met along the way. They range from the "helpful" pension lady in Italy who put warm wine bottles in the foot of their bed and stuffed newspapers down the front of their coats for warmth, to houseguests who have to be tricked to leave. In between are whimsical taxi drivers, a wily wood-man, friendly fishermen, con artists, expatriates, sneaky smugglers, a primitive painter and a pair of unforgettable plumbers. Not to mention brewers of illicit champagne, a mortician of a hotel manager, loopy hounds that won't hunt, and Pap with his faithful dog "Fugly" determined to catch the island's largest uncatchable fish and almost lose their lives doing it. If you enjoyed, A Year in Provence, you'll love Moving to Majorca.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

FROM THE BOOK:

    "My wife stood to one side of our test-driving area with a dubious look on her face. I got the impression that not only was she beginning to doubt my skill in driving the scooter across Europe, but there was some question in her mind as to whether I could drive it properly out of the showroom courtyard. Especially with her clinging tightly to the newly mounted gift pillion seat."

    "...When he could finally talk without choking, Miguel asked me again about drinking rainwater and I went over the whole thing with him, even to taking him out on the back patio and pointing to the catch-basin on our roof. That seemed to sober him. Now he seemed to understand what I was talking about.
    'Ah, no indeed. That shouldn't be empty. There must be something wrong with your...how do you say it?' He made an up and down motion with his fist. 'Your...BOHM-bah.'
    'My bomb?'
    'Yes, but no bomba with a BOOM! Bomba with a PAM, PAM, PAM for agua.'
    'A water bomb?'
    'Yes, yes, that's right,' said Miguel, his eyes brightening.
    But I knew it wasn't. Something was wrong somewhere. I brought out my trusty little Collins Gem Dictionary Spanish-English: English-Spanish and looked it up.
    For some really bizarre reason the word 'bomba' in Spanish means 'bomb' in English as well as 'pump.' Miquel had been talking about a 'water pump' not a 'water bomb!...."
    'Yours must have blown up,' he said.
    A quaint way to put it. No wonder they call it a bomb."

WHAT READERS SAY ABOUT THIS BOOK:

"This book is yet another image-filled story from a man who knows how to live life, and how to tell about it in a wonderfully entertaining way. A balance of travelogue, memoirs and local history, characters and culture all set upon a backdrop of almost-dangerous fun and adventure. By the time you finish the book you'll be out on the net looking into the availability of Lambretta scooters and planning your own adventure! I was."
—Eric Zillmer, Grand Rapids, Michigan

"Moving to Majorca by Robert F. Burgess is a wonderful chronicle of the author and his wife's adventures in Europe shortly after their marriage. The book begins in Neuchatel Switzerland then moves to Milano Italy at the Lambretta Factory where they purchased a motor scooter and readied it for a 700mile trip through Italy, France and Spain by following the Mediterranean coast. After a chilly, hair-raising, roller-coaster ride on twisty coastal roads through quaint villages and windblown boarder crossings, they finally end up on the beautiful island of Majorca where they spent the winter in a white stucco hilltop villa. This book is full of interesting people, humorous stories and exotic places making it perfect for anyone that wants a fun and memorable read. The exciting bullfight described in 'The Best of the Best' (Ch.33) makes it worth the price of admission."
—Doug Bogert, North Florida

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© 2000, 2001 Robert F. Burgess.  All rights reserved.