Change of scene

We welcomed our cat sitters yesterday and had a very convivial evening with them. Positive sign: Mystère didn’t approach them, but he didn’t leave the room either.

This morning our journey went very smoothly until we got to the gate at Toulouse airport and were informed, half an hour before boarding time, that the aircraft was still on the ground in Palma de Mallorca. But in the end it didn’t turn out so badly, as we ended up taking off an hour late, and the flight is only an hour.

Palma airport is *enormous*, which I wasn’t expecting. And very busy. We walked miles to baggage claim, but our suitcase arrived within a couple of minutes of us and we successfully joined Bundle and L, whose flight from Luton had arrived on time, and found our taxi driver.

Then an hour’s drive into the mountains to our accommodation at the Santuari de Lluc (blip). It’s a huge and palatial monastery with rather hostel-like accommodation. We all had a rest before drinks in a bar and then dinner in the Santuari restaurant which although it is in a very grand room, possibly a former chapter house, has a cafeteria-like vibe. Good food though. Great to be together again, with a few days’ walking in the offing; so far the weather is much better than forecast, if not as good as West Cork in July.

In unrelated sad news, terrible news that Hilary Mantel has died suddenly and unexpectedly of a stroke. What a loss. Apparently she had bought a house in West Cork and was planning to move there — freespiral could have had a very distinguished neighbour. It was lovely to read heartfelt tributes from other writers.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/sep/23/hilary-mantel-remembered-she-was-the-queen-of-literature