Last days in Mallorca.

IMPRESSIONS OF MALLORCA

MAMILS.. Middle aged men (and others) in Lycra. There are so many German cyclists on the roads here it's unbelievable .. All claiming their space on the narrow roads which they have to, to avoid being jammed up against a stone wall!

Stoney fields, walls, houses, churches, towers and cobbled streets. Terracotta roof tiles.

No road kill. Little rubbish except cigarette butts and 'doggie do'. Not much graffiti. Few billboards.

Few fuel stations

Orange blossom scented air. Loquats heavy on trees

Green doors and shutters

'cow bells' on sheep

Quiet

Productive gardens. Security conscious farms with high fences. Many small farms of 1-2 acres. No attention to outward appearance of property except for some gardens and flowers.

Few large animals -goats, chickens, turkeys, a few horses and some cattle. No flies.

Church bells and chiming clock towers, Kids soccer in town square.

Blackboard menus

Tapas, Umbrellas and outdoor tables.

Fresh air, Poppies growing wild.

Markets with fresh produce

No louts, yobbos, road rage, anti-social behaviour, yuppies or ostentation. No obvious rush or stress.

In the last few days we have covered a lot of ground driving to places we haven't been and eating food we had to try.

At Colonia de Sant Pere, a peaceful village named after St Peter, with a shady beach, we went to the highly recommended Xarxa restaurant for seafood and had black tiger prawns and sea bass. It was a cold day and we were glad to be inside looking out at the bay and eating fine seafood.

Alcudia, north Mallorca, is a maze of narrow streets enclosed by medieval ramparts and has one of the richest histories on the island. After walking the restored city walls we descended into the old town and imagined what life might have been with shops spilling their wares onto the streets under Arab rule.

New and old.

 

Sineu

On the way home we happened upon dancing in the town square in Sineu. We think it was the local teachers and their students performing for the townsfolk but mums and dads joined in with little kids too.We parked the car and spent a lovely time watching the kids and parents enjoying themselves.

This little boy in the blue and white scarf stole the show!

 

Peninsular de Formentor?

The peninsular is all wild: pine trees mostly, with scrub and clump grasses, oregano, cactus and wild palmetto everywhere.

Don't ever come to Mallorca without seeing this jutting spur at the northern tip of the island. It is sensational.

 

 

The lighthouse

 

Lunch on the beach near the Hotel Formentor. A few brave souls went in the water but not these little black ducks!!

 

The following day we set out early for the scenic drive up the west coast of the island from Andratx to Monestir de Lluc, a distance of 140 kms highlighting the sheer drama of this coastline. We bailed out just before the end, halfway down the hairpin bends into Sa Calobra when my stomach and our nerves could take no more! It was just amazing.

 

 

Torre des Verges, one of the Mediterranean's most dramatically sited watchtowers.

Crazy rock-climbers above a narrow section of road on the cliff face.

MAD!

Heading home exhausted through Soller, Binaraix and lovely villages.

 

 

 

 

Our final full day.

We opted for a low key, close to home outing and went to the enchanting Jardins d'Alfabia in the shadow of the Sierra d'Alfabia mountain range.

We had a delightful, leisurely day in what the Koran calls paradise.... A garden.

A legacy of Moorish talent for landscaping and irrigation designed in the 13th. Century, these gardens are made possible by a spring which flows all year round....unusual in this very arid land.

This is the Queen's bath, an open ended cistern which is the water source for the entire garden.

The sound of rushing water and sprinklers, birdsong and fragrance made this a special place. It comprises a terraced cascade, an English garden, pergola and walkway, dense plantings, hidden pools and ancient walls as well as a hacienda and stables. Trees include fir, maple, cedar of Lebanon, cypresses, poplar, date palm, oak, carob, lemon, magnolia, walnut, eucalyptus and acacia. It is a working farm as well.

 

 

 

Garlic chives.

 

These bronze-covered hobnailed doors doors were originally those of the Palace of the Inquisition in Palma.

Something interesting happened this afternoon. Last week we bought tickets online, for a show at the Tivoli theatre in Barcelona. Today we went to a La Caixa Bank machine here in Llucmajor village where we were able to put our credit card in the slot, follow the directions in English, and have the tickets for the show printed, with a receipt, on the spot. How good is that?

Home to pack and off to Barcelona tomorrow and more adventures.