Making friends and treasured moments….

Monday 7th July

What a fantastic sleep...and definitely needed!

[caption id="attachment_1181" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Good morning Puerto Soller[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1182" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The view from Windekind this morning...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1183" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Looking out to sea….[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1184" align="aligncenter" width="640"] On the beach…ready for our walk...[/caption]

Being Windekind bound for the last few days, we decided that we would head off into the hills behind Puerto Soller for a walk. The weather was overcast but warm...perfect ambling weather. We climbed the hill towards the lighthouse, stopping for a drink and a little tapas on the way.

[caption id="attachment_1185" align="aligncenter" width="640"] A view back towards the port...[/caption]

Once at the top we stopped to check the map and got chatting to a Danish couple who were walking the same way as us. Well, you know BT, he talks to everybody, and it wasn’t long before Lars and Birgit were walking along with us and BT was our tour guide!!! It was a fabulous walk, through orange and lemon groves...trees just bursting with deliciousness and dripping with fruit, olive trees seeming to be just clinging on to life yet somehow still producing little black gems.

[caption id="attachment_1186" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Looking across the hills…the port just out of sight...[/caption]



We stopped at a farmhouse where, in the past, BT had had freshly squeezed orange juice. Unfortunately, today it was closed, so we sat under a massive plane tree, ate some lunch and got to know Lars and Birgit a little better.



[caption id="attachment_1189" align="aligncenter" width="480"] The orange juice cafe was closed :([/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1190" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Getting to know you….Lars, Birgit and Billy...[/caption]

All was not lost, however, as far as having freshly squeezed orange juice was concerned....as we wandered through the stunning landscape we came across the most amazing boutique hotel. The sign said that we could go and have freshly squeezed orange juice there. We knew it would be gold plated, but it was the most beautiful place set high in the hills with far reaching views over the bay and Soller. We sat in a Moroccan looking arbour with bright pink bougainvillea creeping over the top...



luscious cushions spread all along the seats and a very flamboyant lantern hanging from the centre. It was absolutely perfect and the orange juice was to die for...I’m sure the oranges had been freshly picked that day!

[caption id="attachment_1192" align="aligncenter" width="480"] More pictures of the hotel…Soller in the distance...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1193" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Banqueting table!![/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1194" align="aligncenter" width="640"] An amazing place to sit and eat….[/caption]

 

Once in Soller, Lars and Brigit left us to catch the little tram back to the port and we decided to walk the few kms.

A few weeks ago I wrote about how a wrong turn can sometimes open up new unexpected opportunities and experiences. Well, today we had another of those wrong turns. On our way back to the port we wandered down a road that we thought woud lead us to the track we needed, it turned out to be a wrong turn but also a chance meeting that would be of great benefit to us. We came across a guy stood at the end of a driveway looking rather lost. He asked if we were local as he was trying to work out, looking at all the fruit tress around, which ones were orange trees, lemon tress and lime trees! It turned out that his family had just arrived at the house that day for a weeks holiday, and had been told by the owner that there were orange, lemon, lime and peach trees in the garden and to just help themselves to as much fruit as they wanted. Well, we thought it would be easy to tell the difference, but once you begin to look, a small baby orange looks much the same as a lime!! Anyway, BT, who talks to everyone, asked if they might have some fruit we could have!!!! “Of course!” he said, so we followed him down the driveway which was lined with oranges set on stones….

[caption id="attachment_1198" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Driveway lined with oranges[/caption]

to the house which he entered, seconds later returning with a bag and a pair of scissors to enable us to collect fruit with him!

[caption id="attachment_1196" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Collecting fruit[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1197" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Bounty![/caption]

A few minutes later and many expressions of thanks, we emerged from the fruit orchard with a bag full of fresh peaches, oranges and lemons!! Another wrong turn turned good!

It’s been a day full of wonderful surprises, little treasured moments and making friends!

[caption id="attachment_1199" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Back on board after another lovely day[/caption]