This morning when we got up, in our sheltered marina it was blowing 20 knots of wind with gusts of up to 40 knots. The portion of the bay protected by the sea wall was full of whitecaps. And, of course, it was raining. Eric adjusted the lines to prevent chaffing. We wished we had a second mooring line. All the boats in the marina were rocking away in the heavy wind.

By noon, the wind and rain had lightened up significantly, so we headed out. We took the bus into the center of town. Downtown is probably only a couple of miles east, but definitely beyond walking distance. We got off in the main town square. The town square has a lot of greenery and a few statues and is a pleasant place to sit and relax. Then we walked around aimlessly. Downtown is eclectic. There are buildings that are probably at least a couple hundred years old standing next to brand new buildings. Every style of architecture that has been popular over the last few hundred years is represented. There are high rises and little one story buildings side by side. It is a neat mix of modern and old, a town filled with diverse character. The streets are wide, modern and tree lined. There are a few monuments scattered about which add to the character. We like it.

After about an hour, we decided to get some lunch, more because we were cold than hungry. Once again, it took effort to find a real Spanish tapas place. But we did see all kinds of world cuisines represented. Just about any kind of food you like Middle Eastern, Asian, Indian, European, etc. all are easily found here. We finally spotted a Cerveceria (beer bar), with a huge list of tapas on the menu. And plenty more on offer for adult beverages than beer.

For those that don’t know, the Spanish are known for often making a meal of lots of appetizers, called tapas, rather than getting a standard main course. “Tapas” places usually have an extensive choice of appetizers on their menu. We ordered three tapas: calamari Andalucian style, which we were disappointed to find out was battered and deep fried rings. We also got mushrooms in a cheese sauce, which was great. We got a Spanish style omelet, which turned out to be a frittata (scrambled eggs that are baked instead of fried) with French fries inside it. We got one main course, chili rellenos (stuffed mild chili peppers) that were stuffed with cod instead of the usual cheese. The sauce for it was some kind of creamy red bell pepper sauce that was excellent. The photo is of the rellenos.

After lunch, we took a bus to the tip of the southern peninsula that forms the west side of the Bay of Palma. Eric wanted to see the 18 foot waves for himself. On the tip is a nautical school and a military base. We were dropped off at the gate of the base. Through the fence we could see the crumbling remains of a medieval fortress, and some mules grazing on the grass around the fortress. The base also has a few strategically placed tanks around the perimeter. They may be for decoration, but maybe not.

Across from the entrance to the military base, you can walk down to the cliffs at the edge of the water. At this point the wind had completely died, but only three or four hours ago the wind was at 40 knots, so we figured the seas would still be huge. They weren’t. Man, the wave conditions really do change on a dime here. Even though the waves weren’t huge, they were still rapid and sharp, with a lot of velocity. When the waves crashed on the rocks, the sea spray was wild, which means any boat out there right now was being beaten up by the force of the wave motion hitting the boat. We are glad we aren’t out there.

It started to rain again, so we caught the bus back to the marina. The wind was still dead, but we were rocking and rolling in the marina almost the same as when the gusts were at 40 knots. It was like being at sea, and not nice seas. On the way in, we had noticed one of the boats was bashing up against the concrete wall, and you could visibly see damage being done with each crash. Scary.

At dinner time it was still raining, so we went back to the restaurant across from the marina entrance. Last time we forgot to take notes and photos, but we did this time. We had Thai coconut soup, with chicken, vegetables and coconut milk. Obviously, not a traditional Spanish dish. We also got an appetizer with goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, oranges, asparagus, a few sprouts, and a few tomatoes. It sounds weird, but boy, was it good. We got a salad with lamb. We were shocked when a tower of salad came out topped with 5 or 6 lamb chops. Talk about an enormous portion of food. Once again, the food was phenomenal.