Saturday, May 5, 2018

MALLORCA

Palma de Mallorca


About 36 hours from the time we awoke on Saturday morning on the ship, we finally arrived in Palma de Mallorca, capital city of the Ballearic Islands, which have been an autonomous region of Spain since 1983. The main language spoken on the island is Catalan (local dialect mallorqui), with Spanish being the other official language.  Fortunately, most people involved in tourism speak Spanish and English at the very least, but are quite multi-lingual.  Palma dates back to the early 13th C. Christian reconquest of the Island from the Moors.

We were very happy to settle into the Hotel Blue Bay in Sant Agustin (https://www.mllhotels.com/it/Blue-Bay-hotel-cala-mayor), about four kilometers from Palma, and not to be taking another flight until it's time to go home.  We had half board, a lovely ocean view and a swimming pool. 




Old town Palma was a bus-ride through windy, hilly streets away.  The first day was sunny and we walked and walked, into the centre where the Palau de l'Almundaina and cathedral dominate, through narrow medieval passages and restful squares (placas), along the old City wall (Dalt Murada) to the old Arab baths, still well preserved.  For our admission to the baths we got to use a bathroom, a real find as there don't seem to be any public facilities available.  The second day, May 1st holiday, the squares were filled........until the skies opened up and everyone made a bee-line for shelter.  We found it (and a bathroom) at McDonalds!  After that places were much less crowded.


Passeig de la Rambla

narrow lane near cathedral

"Lady of Spain"

Palau de l'Almudaina, originally an Islamic fort, later converted to residence for Mallorcan monarchs

artistic tribute to Mallorcan saints

Arab Baths, dating from 12th C.



Palau (L) and Cathedral (R) 

Cathedral (La Seu)

Can Rei, Catalan Art Nouveau building

Plaza Mayor after the deluge

Soller:


After three days in Palma we boarded the vintage narrow-gauge wooden train to Soller, 27 kms. north, in the Serra de Tramuntana.  www.trendesoller.com  The train has been travelling this route since 1912.



Soller from train above town



The train passes by olive orchards and through 13 tunnels plus a series of bridges and viaducts, stopping for a view of Soller and the mountains before descending, pulling into the 17th century mansion that houses the train station as well as an art collection of Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso.

Picasso's pottery and etchings



breakfast just off the square

Tram to the Port, church spires and train station

"street grunting" in Soller


Our room was near the square, with the church and many restaurants and shops.  The first day we hiked the GR  path around and above town down into Port de Soller  where we enjoyed sangria and tapas by the beach.



We saw many bicis and their riders


Though the second day was rainy it wasn't bad enough to keep us from hiking to a couple of villages nearby:  Biniaraix and Fornalutx (means 'oven light').  Both towns began as Arab Algeria, or farmsteads.  We passed through numerous orange and lemon groves and dry stone walls in the peaceful countryside.


an old wash house, Biniaraix

Biniaraix was originally an Arab alqueria, or farmstead, 2 kms from Soller




Today (Sat. May 5) we picked up our rental car for the drive south to Cala d'Or on the south of the Island.  The weather was very wet as we left, and we'd planned to taxi to the Port, but as it was market day in the square, there was not a taxi to be had.  We backpacked to the bus station a kilometer away and caught the bus to Port de Soller, where we picked up our Yaris rental, then wound our way around the western coast, stopping for lunch in Banyalbufar.   Unfortunately parking was terrible in Deia and Valldemossa, so we didn't stop to explore those towns.  Highway Ma 10 skirted the coast, shrouded with fog and rain, sandwiched between the Serra de Tramuntana and the sea.

outside Deia

west coast Mallorca, near Banyalbufar


Cala d'Or, Southern Mallorca:


The weather improved as we passed through Palma en route to the south coast.  We made our way down quickly but got confused in the maze that is the affordable European package holiday destination of Cala d'Or.  People either know where a hotel is or they don't; addresses don't help.  Prinsotel Alba  (https://www.prinsotel.es/en/hotels-cala-dor/prinsotel-alba.html) is located on Cala Gran, one of six calas (coves) in the area and where many, many large hotels are located.  Ours was lovely and spacious, and we enjoyed the modernity and convenience, easily 5 times as roomy as our room in Soller, for virtually the same price.  We were ready for a kitchen of our own too; it was good not to have to do the "restaurant stroll" in the evening. 

Mallorca has jokingly been referred to as the "17th Federal state of Germany" giving you an idea of where most of the tourists are from.  There is no doubt it is a beautiful resort area but you have to share it with many others.  We did swim in the Mediterranean but it was colder than Vancouver in the summer, not surprising as it was so early in the season.  

Cala Esmeralda

wildflowers in Mondrago Natural Park

Parc Natural de Mondrago

lunch at Pura-Vida, Cala Figuera, where the staff spoke German to us



Porto Cristo

poppy field on the south coast


On our last day, on our way to the airport, we stopped for lunch at La Caricola in the nearby fishing village of Portopetro where I enjoyed calamari and Jim (not so much) rabbit at a table on the water.  And then it was back to  Palma for our Easy Jet flight to London Gatwick and home the next day on Air Transit.  



Wednesday, May 2, 2018

TRANS ATLANTIC CROSSING on the Wind Star

Our two-week crossing on the yacht Wind Star was a repositioning cruise from Barbados to Lisbon, with 90 passengers on board  and crew outnumbering passengers.  Mostly we were under power with assistance from time to time from the four sails.  It was easy to get used to being pampered and to enjoy the gourmet dining.  The small pool and jacuzzi were open for most of the trip, and there were numerous organized activities to keep us amused, but also plenty of time to kick back and relax.  While we made our way across, some of the crew were (mostly) quietly making repairs and freshening up the ship to get it ready for summer cruises on the Mediterranean.

on the flying bridge

Deck 4 Aft, being set for "Candles" outdoor dining

fruit and vegetable carving

sunset from Deck 4 Aft





Arrival in Madeira


On the second Monday the captain announced, as we suspected, our arrival in Europe would be delayed.  Both our delayed departure from Bridgetown and less than favourable trade winds slowed our speed and altered our course.  The crew was forced to end the cruise in Funchal, Madeira, one of a group of Portuguese islands off the coast of North Africa.  We arrived in Funchal before dawn on Saturday and awaited the pilot boat to guide us in.  At the dock were two other ships, the large vessel Costa Pacifica and the Wind Star's sister ship, the motorized vessel Star Breeze.  Our scheduled departure for 12:00 was delayed due to problems with the charter, but while awaiting transport to the airport, the cruise line provided a bus excursion to part of the island.  We were taken to three places around Funchal and felt fortunate to get to see this beautiful and interesting place.  This appeased most people but the delay in departure caused further difficulties with passengers' plans, including ours, requiring further changes.





               

                                                                          
Funchal, Pico dos Barcelos
Funchal is the home of Portuguese football Star, Cristiano Ronaldo, who has done a lot for the community.

Flower Festival, Funchal




Sampling Madeira wine 

After the wine tasting we were transported 550 metres by cable car to Monte, where we walked through the village, past a botanic garden and saw a traditional mode of transportation in action, carreiros do Monte.  You can be pushed two kms down the mountain in a toboggan.



Farewell Wind Star!
Finally, it was time to say farewell and make our way to the airport for the charter flight most us took to Lisbon.  Some passengers stayed on the ship for an extra week to Barcelona and others made other arrangements.  For us it was the start of a very long journey (in time, not distance), taking four flights with many delays but about 24 hours after leaving Funchal, we arrived in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.  Unfortunately, these delays in schedule seem to be the norm now.  More about Palma soon.