August 4, 2014, Palma de Mallorca
Jan and Jim left this morning and the day was already too hot by 9.00 AM for us to eat breakfast in the cockpit. Yesterday we had spent most of the day relaxing on the deck and in the cockpit of the boat but there was a lovely sea breeze making the weather perfect for doing that.
Our dinner on Saturday night was at La Taberna de la Boveda, one of the most famous places in Palma for tapas. There are actually much better tapas at other places, but tables outside at Boveda are highly sought after because the restaurant is on Paseo Sagrera, the main road along the waterfront near the Cathedral. So you can watch the world go by and enjoy the banter of the waiters who have been at the restaurant forever. We also love the special drink they give to some customers at the end of the meal - a sort of sorbet made by mixing Lemoncello in a soda syphon. Thank goodness we are always included in the 'some customers'. Going to Boveda also meant we could visit the nearby Sa Llotja, the 15th C merchants' guild building (which we had been told was the original wholesale fish market). Considered a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, the building has been recently restored and is now used as an art gallery for special exhibitions. (For photos see www.mallorcaobserved.com)
We had a great night last night, firstly visiting Castell de Bellver, an extremely well-preserved 14thC royal fortress at the top of the wooded hill that overlooks the Bay of Palma. It is unique in Spanish castles in being round and three large towers surround the two levels of the central courtyard, where concerts are held in the summer. The ground level has semi-circular arches and the upper level has Gothic arches and rib vaulting. For many centuries the castle was used as a prison and in more recent times it has been a museum of municipal history, tracing the development of Palma through the Talaiotic, Roman, Arab and Spanish periods.
After that little excursion we went to the restaurant De Tokio a Lima (at Can Alomar Hotel C/ Sant Feliu, 1, Palma 871-592-002) for dinner and had a surprise treat on the way because a Mallorcan traditional band was playing folk music and locals joined in with folk dancing. We were able to continue watching them from the balcony of the restaurant where we were seated for dinner. The service (by beautiful Spanish waitresses) was outstanding and the special gazpacho with the cucumber sorbet and orange pearls was a big hit again. The balmy evenings make outdoor dining a pleasure and a glass of Pedro Ximénez in the cockpit when we returned to the boat was a fitting ending to the night before we retired.