Firstly we drove to Soller and then started the long climb along the mountain road passing by pine forests and areas terraced with stone fences to grow olive trees, up one of Mallorca's tallest mountains, into a tunnel cut through the top of the mountain and out the other side to an area of sparse vegetation. The two large reservoirs providing most of Mallorca's water supply are along that part of the road, on the way from Soller to Lluc, before the turn-off to Sa Calobra. Soon after turning off we had a magnificent view of the road winding down through the valleys and could easily see any buses that were on the way up. With the hairpin bends and even some 270 degree turns the road is difficult for the big buses and cars were crawling along behind them. We had chosen the right time to be going down, with no buses ahead of us. Soon we had the spectacular view looking down on Sa Calobra, a pebble beach surrounded by many cafes required to feed the hundreds of daily visitors.
The reason for the large numbers is the walk cut through the base of a cliff, making it easy for people to get to the beautiful area where a river comes down a long gorge into the sea. If the weather is right, and before the river swells from winter rains, people walk the few km up the gorge, but we were satisfied just to see the area at the mouth of the river where the ground is covered in millions of pretty coloured stones, worn smooth by the sea.
After lunch at the cafe on the edge of the cala we drove back up the winding road and travelled home via another scenic route back to Palma. At last we had been to the famous cala we had been wanting to visit for 3 summers.
We were lucky it hadn't rained and our luck held out that night so that we could sit outside at La Boveda to enjoy the rapport with the amusing waiters and their excellent tapas: ham croquettes, potato omelette, roasted peppers stuffed with meat and covered with a tomato sauce, a plate of Iberic meats (jamons, sausage meats, salamis) and a dish we hadn't tried before, white bean stew with smoked sausages. All excellent. You can't help but feel good just being there.
Before retiring for the night we had to take John and Chris for the customary visit to the amazing Abaca bar. As with every other visitor, they were overwhelmed by the opulence of the place and the amount of fresh fruit and flowers on display.
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