For our last day on this ruggedly majestic island, we decided to go down to Palma - the biggest city on the island to tool around - see the cathedral and the port and what city life on Majorca has to offer.
Driving into town on the biggest highways we had been on all trip was a bit of a shock -- big box stores and strip malls lined the route driving in. I'd had enough already.
Ok so maybe I needed to give this another shot...we parked in the center of town to have lunch at Simply Fosh - an affordable yet highly regarded restaurant where three courses of excellently prepared food were available for under 20 euros -- not a bad deal for our only meal out on the trip. Walking from our parking spot to the restaurant, I started to see more of the appeal of town - snaking cobblestone streets set on hills with small little shops and restaurants hidden from plain view.
Arriving at the restaurant in an old converted monastery, we were all quite pleased. A modern renovated courtyard offered outdoor seating for our lunch.
What did I have?
I started with a summertime yellow tomato gazpacho topped with a dollop of homemade guacamole, a few local cherry tomatoes and little dollops of mango purée. I know it sounds like a weird mélange of flavors but it was fabulously refreshing and fresh! To follow I had a sautéed sea bass topped with local olives and white beans finished with a tomato bisque. The essence of Majorcan flavors - olives, olive oil, tomatoes and fresh fish. Perfect with our glass of Verdejo! And finally to end - warm goat's milk cheese with fresh asparagus, sundries tomatoes and arugula. A nice savory end to a delightful treat of a meal! It was fun for us to experience some of the local cuisine that was not home prepared but I'm happy to be back at our house thinking about what to cook for dinner.
Leaving the restaurant, we explored a bit of Palma before heading to our fourth beach of the trip in the southwest of the island -- bright bluish turquoise water beckoned surrounded by a steep rocky cove untouched by civilization -- perfection!
After a few relaxing hours on the beach, we headed back to our mountain perch confident that we had made the right decision about where to stay during our week on this island in the Mediterranean. Overall, it has been exactly what the doctor ordered -- plenty of relaxing, reading, sun, fun, running, home cooked meals, and wonderful times with some of my closest friends -- what more could you ask for?
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