Wednesday April 12th - Friday April 14 2017

Today, Wed, we left for Mallorca.  We had an early morning flight, so we were out of the apartment by 6:45.  The moon was full as we cabbed out way to the airport.  The flight itself was only about 45 minutes, and we were in sunny Mallorca by 9:30!  Alyssa had arranged a country villa for us to stay at, but we were not expected til noon.  We rented a car and made our way into Palma (a coincidence?), the capital city/port.  A most beautiful place!  The first thing of note were the numerous windmills scattered over the landscape.  I couldn’t help but think of Don Quixote – but what of him? – a little research is in order!

So… PALMA… is this beautiful family I’m traveling with of Spanish descent or Italian, as we always thought?  Well here’s a history lesson.  The first city up to the point of being named by the Majorcans: simply “City” (Ciutat).  Due to the influence of the Italian Renaissance, it recovered its ancient Roman name during that period, PALMA and the double name survives to this day!   (so take your pick - I vote Italian!)

Because of its location and excellent bay, it was highly valued and became a Roman settlement.  Can you picture the Vandals, Byzantines, and even Arabs coming through, making claims? 

La Seu (the cathedral) dominates the bay.  It is what we consider to be a typical church; rectangular ground plan with three naves.

 

 

 It possesses impressive examples of Gothic and Baroque art but also guards inside a monumental votive lamp – that seemed out of place to us.   Surprise!  It was the handiwork of Antoni Gaudi, modernist extraordinaire!  It was funny how we could pick out his work!  We spent time ambling through the numerous chapels and then browsed through the shops and outdoor vendors.  We lunched beneath the cathedral, overlooking Parc de la Mar.  A musician was playing guitar and singing at an Irish pub!!  It was a little incongruous but much fun. 

We made our way to the countryside, to our villa!  It was called the Estate and Megalith PanoramaTramontana.  We were met by the caretaker, Mathias, who had delicious homemade wine waitingfor us!  He went over the lay of the land then left us to our own devices.  Mare, Vin and Len went shopping, the girls sunned themselves by the pool, and I took a siesta in the hammock!!  DELIGHTFUL!!

 

Having our own place was great – we had 2 home-cooked meals, compliments of Vinny.  Lenny bar-b-qued.  Chicken and a variation of paella was the order of the day.  Truthfully, the wine went down very easily!

Alyssa planned our excursions for our entire stay in Mallorca, and she did a great job.  Thursday brought us to Valldemossa. 

It may be the most well-known village in Mallorca.  Chopin is just one of the famed people who put this tiny village on the map.  There was an entire museum dedicated to him.  I did want to go in to see his piano, but I was overruled.  Instead, ice cream and a stroll through the gardens took precedent.  A side-bar – Michael Douglas created the Costa Nord centre where you can enjoy a good meal and attend concerts or other cultural events.

We shopped in town, Maryann gathering things suitable for lunching on the beach.  Beaches abound in Mallorca, and as far as we could tell, one was prettier than the next.  We made our way to Platja (beach) des Trenc.  We passed the salt marshes and piles of salt – I actually thought they were tents on the beach!!  Salt is a big export of Mallorca.  We purchased flavored salt to try at home.

 

On the way home, we stopped for steaks, and our dinner – again fabulous!  The vodka, and wine were flowing and we had a great night – telling family stories and traditions of the “old” days!

Friday, we had an afternoon flight, so we decided to take in as much of the island before heading to the airport.  We stopped at Badia de Pollenca for a café and couldn’t believe how beautiful the bay was.  The colors of the water were phenomenal – and crystal clear – the fish were jumping and the sun was strong!



 

From there we went up the mountain to Cap de Fomentor, the most impressive scenery in the district of Pollenca.  It’s cliffs and rugged mountains that rise majestically to fall heavily into the sea are invitation to hikers and bikers alike.   It reminded me of Amalfi and the Blue Grotto in Capri. The amount of the bicyclists going up that mountain were too many to count!!  There had to be a number of different groups and tours… speaking every language possible.  The road winds and crosses the peninsula ending at the Cap de Formentor, a spot of dramatic beauty that rises gently to two hundred meters above sea level.  It is at this juncture I should mention Maryann’s fear of heights! 

Suffice it to say, she survived!  From there, it’s possible to hike to various coves and take in the numerous species of birds nesting in that area (none of which we did).  We went back to the beach in Pollenca, had a quick lunch, then onto the airport. 

Now we are back at the apartment, unpacking, doing laundry and getting ready for dinner.  All in  all a fantastic 3 days!