A Special Anniversary

Some special friends had an important anniversary recently when they celebrated their Ruby Wedding. We've known Dave and Jane Haworth for almost all of those forty years and we were delighted when they agreed to spend part of their celebrations with us. So, in the early hours of last Wednesday, the four of us caught a flight from Manchester to Palma Mallorca.

The happy  couple raising a glass in celebration (one of many)

Jane suggested the venue. Although Marion and I holidayed in Mallorca in the 1980s when Sarah was a baby, Palma is a city we've never visited and we were very pleasantly surprised by what it had to offer.

The stunning cathedral (where I amazingly bumped into a childhood friend)

There is an abundance of art throughout the public spaces in the city

Marion worked hard before we travelled and researched all the best places to eat and drink. The excellent Ombu offers a modern twist on classic tapas in a very central location. While we ate there was a fairly large anti-tourist demo going on a few hundred metres up the road. There's quite a growing anti-tourism movement in Spain at the moment but it didn't spoil our enjoyment of the break.

Across the road from Ombu

We stayed at the excellent Convent De La Missió , a modern boutique hotel in an old convent. 

The hotel is home to celebrated English chef Marc Fosh whose Michelin starred restaurant was one of the highlights of the break.

This was the tasting menu we enjoyed. Each course was accompanied by a paired wine and the result was three hours of gastronomic delight. So many courses suggest gluttony but each was just an extremely delicious taste. 

Marc visited our table a couple of times and explained the thinking behind several of the dishes. It was a truly memorable evening.

The city is a foodies delight. The indoor food market is one of the best we've ever seen.

Even Darren on Fram market would struggle to compete with the variety on offer here.

Marion and Jane at another of Marion's discoveries - Luna 36 in Soller 

No trip to Palma would be complete without cocktails at the amazing Abaco. It's totally over the top but a real "must see"

We didn't spend four whole days and nights eating and drinking and walked off some of those calories with long walks around Palma and the nearby marinas.

The Torrent De Sa Riera - Palma's river

Both footpaths and cycle paths are beautifully maintained

A rare photo of me at Luna 36

One of Palma's many striking buildings

We even had a rooftop pool at the hotel

We visited Nicolas twice. Fabulous fried squid and excellent service.

The marina holds more boats than I've seen in my life

More Gaudi influenced architecture

Cathedral grounds

We took the old wooden train from Palma to Soller. There's some spectacular scenery en route although Soller itself was a slight disappointment and we caught a taxi back to Palma in preference to spending over an hour on the return journey.

Hard to believe this young chap was celebrating forty years of marriage.

It was an excellent four day break and we were so pleased that Dave and Jane were able to spend the time with us. Marion's busy looking into future jaunts. What's the forty-first anniversary?