After the usual morning ablutions, we set out for both Soller and Port de Soller at about 10am. I decided not to take the mountainous route to the town, preferring instead the motorway and the tunnel to get to our destination. Sadly, the train from Palma wasn't operating as we would have taken this again, so enjoyable was it the last time.
The motorway wasn't busy and we took the turn off for Bunyola, where the train also stops. Once past Bunyola, we travelled on lovely, smooth roads to the tunnel which cuts through an enormous mountain. I thought we'd need to pay for the privilege but there wasn't a toll, so that was a bonus. We still had a descent to the town of Soller where I asked Sophie to direct me to a car park. She found one in the middle of the town, a short walk from the main square and shopping street. I had to navigate increasingly narrow streets to get there, though! At one point, the road was the width of the car with tiny paths alongside! I just closed my eyes and hoped I wouldn't hit a pedestrian!
We walked along pleasant tree-lined streets to the centre, window-shopping along the way. We remembered this street from our previous visit to Soller back in 2021 where we stumbled upon a Christmas market.
Coming out at the main square, we took a seat at a café (where we'd had lunch in 2021) and enjoyed a drink. Sophie ordered a glass of Sangria, which she said was very strong, more Brandy than wine! I'm glad I stuck to a small beer!
 |
| The gorgeous ornate church in Soller |
It was lovely to sit and do some serious people-watching! This was a Monday morning when normally I'd be at work!
After our drinks, we strolled back to the car, stopping at several shops on the way. I bought a small bottle of Hiervas, a Mallorcan liqueur to add to the Ratafia and walnut liqueur we have at home, and Sophie bought some beautiful small bowls. We really need to display these somehow in the kitchen as they're so lovely.
We also visited a shop specialising in spices, wine and oils where Sophie bought a packet of spices to make a curry paella and a jar of aioli. We were also on the lookout for slippers for Keith and stumbled upon a shop selling products made from cork, which reminded me of Lisbon!
Back at the car, we set the SatNav for the Port de Soller and I navigated the narrow streets again. We had a slight mishap but made it the the port without incident! The next goal was to find a parking space and after a trek halfway up a mountain, we found a multi-storey with tight spaces. Why are car parks so horrible? The steps down to ground level reminded me of a particularly nasty car park in Northampton!
Emerging out into the town we could see the sea and it wasn't long before we arrived at the promenade. Before us was a gorgeous vista of the curving bay and shuttered, almost Italianate, buildings lining the road. Expensive yachts were moored in the harbour and people were strolling along the seafront, with some families enjoying the beautiful beach.
The last time we were here was when Sophie was a baby and my Dad had driven us over the mountains. Soller is famous for pilchards and I remember my Dad eating them the last time we visited. We were hungry by now and looking for a restaurant where we could have lunch in the sun. The place was packed with visitors and we turned right towards the town, hoping we'd made the right decision!
To the right of the promenade were the tram tracks. It's possible to take the tram from Soller to the port, which we had done back in 1996. We walked further into the town and all the restaurants looked full. It was amazing how many people were about on a Monday in December!
Luckily, a restaurant called Albatros had a table free and we were seated and given menus. We chose a couple of tapas dishes for starters - Padron peppers and dates wrapped in bacon. We all had beers to drink and our mains were fish and chips (Keith), chicken burger (Sophie) and breast of chicken in a honey sauce with rice (me). The starters were delicious - I'm tempted to do dates with bacon when we have our "Christmas" dinner at home on Saturday!
There were so many people eating, that it felt like it should be summer! As we sat and ate our meal, people were constantly queuing for a table and I couldn't understand why some places had made the decision to close? Was it the gorgeous warm and sunny weather that was making people visit?
We lingered over lunch, enjoying the sunshine and ambience. After paying the bill we strolled back to the car, deciding to have an ice cream at a shop on the way. They were doing great business as people queued up for a sweet dessert!
It was great to amble back to the car and I would consider Soller and the port as a holiday destination in the future... as long as we could drive there from the UK!
The journey back was fine, apart from one hiccup when I was in the wrong lane and I was forced onto the motorway towards Palma! We had to come off at the next junction of the motorway and retrace our steps! We arrived back in Pollensa and strolled slowly back to the house. The square was quiet and the town shuttered and sleepy. It was great to get back and relax and try and warm up the house!
I downloaded the Sky app onto my laptop in the hope that Keith and Sophie could watch the Newcastle - Manchester United game, but I was told that it wasn't possible in Spain. I recorded the match instead... I hope it worked!
I even contacted a local bar - U Gallet - to see if they were showing the match. I messaged them via Instagram and had a great conversation with one of the staff who said they weren't showing it because the manager was ill. Clicking on their website, I somehow inadvertently attracted a malicious pop-up that took me a while to get rid of. Not what I wanted after a long day!
In the evening, Keith and I watched the film, A Knight's Tale starring Heath Ledger and the gorgeous Rufus Sewell and James Purefoy... what an end to an immensely enjoyable day!
No comments:
Post a Comment