Tuesday 8 May 2007

Now entering phase 2

So. Here we are. In Mallorca. Sunny Mallorca, that is.
We arrived here yesterday evening, after a smooth n' easy journey. Unless you count the minor luggage crisis we had yesterday morning after reading the small print regarding luggage allowances on FlyGlobespan. We discovered, to our horror, that the luggage allowance of 20 kg INCLUDES carry-on bags. We set about shedding 15 kg, discarding many potentially useful items along the way (towels, for example). Of course they didn't even bother weighing our hand luggage, but never mind.
As it turns out, Fettler is well equipped in the basic necessities, including towels, tea and balsamic vinegar. We spent the day sorting through all the contents of the boat and, like mad dogs and Englishmen, working in the noonday sun. Lovely thing, the sun. Perhaps we'll tire of its company in the days and weeks ahead, but I doubt it.
When we arrived, Sonja's bag was the very first one to appear on the carousel and mine was only a few behind. Certainly the first time that has happened to us and hopefully a good omen.
We picked up the rental car (a Fiat Panda - much changed from earlier times, but still boxy) and drove across the island as the sun set behind the spectacular western peaks. After dropping our gear at the hostel, we were just in time to take part in the local dinner-hour - 2200. We went to the same bar where I had eaten back in December, just across from the boatyard. It's a tiny wee place but popular with the locals and the chef serves up some very fine tapas. Previously, I had supped on langostinos and frog's legs. This time, we had chorizo infierno (i.e. doused in brandy and set alight) and eel in garlic, followed by cheese and quince jelly for dessert. Sonja wasn't so keen on the eel at first, but I prevailed and she was entirely satisfied with the result.
After a long hard day rooting through lockers we followed the recommendation of our hostel keeper, Britta, and headed for a small beach nearby. Many were clearly shocked by the fact that we went into the water, but it was warmer than Lake Huron last summer, or the North Sea off St. Andrews at any time in summers past.
Just now, we're relaxing with a bottle of Mallorcan red (a snip at 2.5 Euros) and girding our loins for further adventures in the sun tomorrow. Salud!

3 comments:

Kristina said...

Wonderful to hear that you made it back over the pond in one piece. I’m looking forward to follow your adventures this summer.

Kristina

Marc said...

Jim, Jim. Did you forget that the towel is your most important piece of equipment? You dodged a bullet there.

Unknown said...

I think alot of people are going to have problems with their baggage allowance this summer, so many rules have changed since the last summer.

To help everyone with their summer holidays we have put together a list of links direct to airlines baggage information pages , I suggest everyone checks with their airline before starting to pack this year.

The list of links can be found here:

Now at least you don't have to worry about baggage weights for home journey.