Abaco

Thanks to J for getting the boys from tennis, we made it to the office at the train station in Soller, got our shiny new passes and took the train to Palma. AKHF and mv were waiting for us and we spent the afternoon wandering through Palma, visiting an exhibition in La Caixa, a few coffees and with a bit of tapas to sustain us. We also met the lovely pearl seller to royalty, Antonio, who delighted in talking to us for half an hour about pearls of the world and showed us examples of the most incredible colours that nature produces.

We had a bit of a do with the driver of the horse and cart ride, who tried to charge us 100 Euros for 30 minutes. Five times the agreed price. His colleague took us instead after a little discussion with an angry me, and the boys were happy, because they got the grey horse they preferred anyway.

We played at hotel inspectors at Santa Clara, a lovely urban hotel, and then saw the difference between having a few drinks and sandwiches at a 'local' bar - 12 Euros - and this place, Abaco. It is luxurious and splendid, with extravagant decor, but not exactly reasonably priced. Something to do once in a lifetime anyway, and the boys felt very grown up. Actually, I did too. Thankyou to A and P for a lovely afternoon. Really memorable.