Now is the time to buy your place in Spain. Or anywhere in the Balearic Islands. The Socialists have made a mess of their economy, so prices are reasonable. A pal recently bought a villa on the north coast of Majorca.
We loved this restaurant and tapas bistro (Las Olas) in Palma, Majorca. I ordered the gazpacho. It was beet - the gazpacho del dia. Remolacha. Wonderful, refreshing stuff for a hot day. I also tasted all of Mrs. BD's assortment of tapas, and we easily persuaded some wandering Brits to come into the place after I tasted the gazpacho and uttered an audible Wow.
I loved Palma. Lotsa photos below -
The menu:
A park in the old city. Sorry about the unpleasant McDonald's sign:
Bought some Majorca pearls for a BD pup's birthday at this place. They are hand-made synthetic pearls. Beautiful things, if a bit too perfect.
I liked this house, with the courtyard/garage -
Random Palma street scenes -
Part of the old fortress walls of the city -
Jaime 1 chased out the Moslem occupation in the 1200s, and most of the Moslem civilization was destroyed. The Moslems introduced irrigation and many other good things to Spain and Majorca. The only thing remaining in Palma is this old underground Moslem bath, which probably was under the home of a wealthy trader:
A government building in old Palma:
The Palma Cathedral still is incomplete, but most of its construction took place between 1240 and 1600. It was built on the site of a Mosque. It has the highest apse of any cathedral in Europe.
Gaudi was hired to build the canopy over the altar. My photo of his crown of thorns does not do justice to the wonderful thing which was also never completed. Better photos of these things here.