Travels to a Different Time: Travels of My Mother: ? February1971: Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Dear Barb:

And what a night. V.T. the ATS hostess whom I insist you must write to thank for her being so good to me gave me a ticket to the welcoming BBQ for the incoming tour. A women’s conference. Sure pick the winners but some had their sons there. Mostly dear old women like me but a few brought their husbands. If you ever have a chance to go to one of their affairs GO! We left the hotel at 7:30 p.m. for a twenty-minute ride in a beautiful new bus. There were 500 people at the do in a huge fabulous building and they started off with a Spanish cocktail party. Brother! Tables loaded with olives, almonds, you know the usual stuff. Then on to dinner. A bottle of red and white wine on each table. Started off with a huge salad, then chicken then a big suckling pig, then Champagne and ice cream. After this we went outside for an equestrian show. While sitting around the ring we were served hot rum. I will never ever forget this night. On the bus back to the hotel on the bus some 23-year-old asked me to go to Barcelona with him. I said NO! My daughter is your age! He said I figured you were 25!

I have a terrific tan and am too thin but I will put it back on soon. VT gave me a ticket for the farewell party for the outgoing group. There was salad, roast beef, potatoes, asparagus then fruit in brandy. No wonder Americans love their tours. They are fabulous price wise.

Tomorrow a real estate woman is picking me up to look at apartments as if you are still with the airline I will bring Rob here for the summer with Andy coming on his holidays.

I ate one of the oranges I bought yesterday and it was so sweet and full of juice.

Sunday

The real estate lady picked me up and we drove 12 miles to Palma Nova where the beaches are. The apartments all have marble floors and are absolutely new. A huge three-bedroom apartment rents for $300 a month and a smaller 3 bedroom for $200.

I had some money stolen from my purse after leaving it for a minute. It wasn’t much but they left the travellers cheques and Canadian cash. From now on I will go out with only the cash I need and put the rest in the safe. I will go out for my afternoon coffee and brandy at the outdoor café then come home for a bath and go out for dinner.

Once in bed someone knocked at the door at 2 a.m. then phoned at 2:15 and 2:45 and knocked at my door at 8:30 a.m. I was furious and answered nothing. I called VT at 10 a.m. to ask her out. We are getting a big kick out of all of this. He told her he’d been in London all day yesterday but I could have sworn I saw him out on the patio in the sun. So now we are more curious than ever.

Love Mum

Monday

Today I spent $25 on three pairs of shoes all gorgeous. One pair of these shoes in Montreal would be $50.

This place is heaven on earth and I love it.

Mum