The weather was very warm when I arrived so I began my relaxing with time by the hotel pool, swimming and working on the suntan. Every day has been sunny and warm, with enough of a cool breeze to keep the weather pleasant, and every night has been balmy and warm.
Saturday morning, after we all had a great English breakfast at the cafe near the marina and said farewell to Jim Conway, Robyn and I went food shopping at the fabulous Santa Catalina market and it was just like returning home to friends, with tastes of juicy melon, cherries and apricots at our favourite fruit stall, the most expensive Spanish jamon (made from the black pigs fed on acorns) and Mallorcan cheeses at the special deli, and olives and white anchovies from the gorgeous lady who talks non-stop to me in Spanish, thinking that I understand her. We filled the jeep and bags with all kinds of goodies before returning to the boat for a little unpacking and lunch. Later that day Rob and I went in to the old town for coffee and to Cortes Ingles for some serious shopping in the ladies clothing dept, before meeting up with the boys for dinner at Forn. This is one of our favourite tapas restaurants in the centre of old town so we enjoyed delicacies such as tempura white anchovies, ham croquettes, grilled baby lamb on skewers, grilled baby octopus rings, wok vegetables and dessert of sweet, juicy strawberries with a little of the centre scooped out and filled with creme brulee. The Spanish red wine was from A2 vineyard.
John Bailey left early Sunday morning and eventually Rob, Doug, Andrew Wilkinson, Greg and I sailed across to anchor at Palma Nova for lunch on board (lots of yummy jamons, cheeses, baguettes, salad, fruit and rose) and a swim. We returned to the marina in time for Andrew to head off for his flight back to London and as the four of us felt like a light dinner we each had an excellent bratwurst sausage on a roll, bought at the Grillmeister shop across the road. (German tourists are good for something!)
Monday we rented a car for a scenic driving day, up the spectacular western coastline north of Andtrax to Estellence, one of the many beautiful villages where the buildings are all made with a warm, sandy colored stone. After meandering around the cobbled streets we lunched on a Mallorcan treat which is tomato and olive oil on farm bread which is then topped with jamon or cheese or Sobresada (a Mallorcan sausage style spread). We seem to have a late lunch every day at about 2.00 or 3.00 pm and then we don't have dinner until after 9.00 because it is light until after 10.00.
Our mountain-top drive continued up the stunning coastline, through the pine forests to the terraced village of Banyulbufar and then inland to wend our way to Santa Maria, the starting point for a drive up to the beautiful mountain village of Alaro and then up the unmade mountain "road" to the farm style restaurant Es Verger. We were not ready for dinner but wanted to show Rob and Doug the amazing view of the vast agricultural plains below, where many of the island's olive and almond groves are planted.
Back down the "road" and through a pass to Orient, a very pretty little town that boasts two charming hotels in beautiful old buildings, each with an excellent restaurant. We had a G&T (Greg a beer) at the hotel Dalt Muntanya and then wandered around the grounds of the hotel Finca Son Palou, overawed by the terrain of the surrounding mountains and the valley sweeping down one side, below the endless pool set into the hillside. Greg and I will definitely return for a night to really savor the experience.
We returned to Palma after the twisting drive down through the wooded valley and found a waterside restaurant (El Tono) at Portixl (just on the eastern edge of Palma), where the boys had veal t-bones and the girls had grilled turbot with a finely sliced potato crust, all delicious.
Tuesday morning I went to the market to stock up on the goodies again until the others joined me at the bakery for fresh orange juice, croissants and coffee for breakfast. Rob and Doug then went walking in old Palma, following a route where many of the homes have interesting courtyards. After lunch we spent the afternoon and night in a lovely cove called Portals Vells, which is on the south west coast of the Bay of Palma and consists of 3 small sandy beach areas and is surrounded by a few private homes and apartments plus some caves dating back to Phoenecian times. It's difficult to get here by road so the visitors are mainly people on boats. We had a very enjoyable swim before pre-dinner drinks with our favourite nibbles from the market (white anchovies marinated in garlic and parsley, the tiny sausages similar in taste to salami and the best tasting green olives we have ever had), followed by dinner of baby lamb leg and shoulder roasted on the barbecue (flavored with garlic and rosemary sprigs), with tiny roast potatoes and long flat beans that are typical of this area. Dessert was ice cream and raspberry sorbet with fresh berries which tasted sweet and luscious like berries should. Mallorcan red wine from the Sio vineyard was a suitable accompaniment. It was a superbly peaceful evening to be anchored in the cove.
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