Travel Tales, Parte the Thirde
Feb. 8th, 2008 08:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakSo far, I have not introduced you to the special guest star of this journey. My mother adores cats, and in Deia gave in to her love for them and bought cat food, so she would be armed when encountering one of the many Mallorquin cats again. She did meet several, but then discovered two actually grace our hotel with their presence. One, a Persian, decided to show on morning during breakfeast and each time we return to the hotel. It's called Chalky (I think it's a she, but Mum thinks it's a he, so, it), and I shall start the newest pic spam with this local royalty before I get back to gorgeous scenery and old buildings:
Mum and Chalky. See what I mean?
Chalky. We asked what happened to the ears, and were told back when the hotel adopted the cat, it had a horrible ear infection and so the ears had to be surgically removed. Poor cat. But she's not a bit melancholy, and very comfortable with visitors.
Okay, back to sightseeing. One of the girls at the hotel, Iris, had told us to visit a monastery near Randa which had a magnificent view over the entire island, or nearly so. Which we did. Iris forgot to mention every biker on the island loves the mountain this monastary is on the top of, too, or perhaps it was the giro de Mallorca, or something. Either way, there were a lot of bicycles. By which I mean there were four or so driving next to each other followed by three or four driving next to each other, on rather small Mallorquin roads. They wouldn't budge, so I had to perform some risky manouevres to overtake them. As you can see, I'm still alive. The car is whole, too. However, the result was worth it.
The Monastery (a Franciscan one, founded by Ramon Lull, earlier mentioned famous local theologian No.1, with Fra Juniper Serra of Californian Missions fame being No.2).
The view from said monastery:
Another tip from the hotel people was to visit La Granja. This actually had been on my dad's list of places-to-visit as well, but it was good to get some local reassurance. So when we did our Southwest-of-the-island tour on Thursday, this was our first stop. The whole place has been build around a mountain waterfall which the Romans already favoured. The Arabs made it a florishing farm, which was promptly declared royal property after the Reconquista, then handed up in the hands of the Church, then was sold to a noble family who sold it another noble family. It's still private property today which is hard to believe because it's so wonderfully well maintained, and every room is a little museum. Have a look at some inside and outside perspectives.
Next came a coast line between Banyalbufar and Andratx that was breathtaking, even to our by now spoiled eyes. At one point, the mist that still clung to the sea made me think Mallorca had briefly turned into the lost Atlantis.
Cunningly disguised product placement:
Alas, Andratx itself and all following places at the coast are what you imagine when you think "mass tourism" in the bad sense. In Andratz, the concrete hotels are more in the harbour, the old city is still intact:
But in Peregua and from there to Santa Ponca? Think bad buildings from the 50s and 60s everywhere in the world. They appear as ghost bee homes right now, due to lack of tourists, but I didn't take a picture. We went to Santa Ponca because it has one of the more important historical spots of the island, the one where Jaume I. landed when he brought the Reconquista to Mallorca. Now I'm not a fan of the Reconquista (if I ever get to watch one of the Spanish Moros y Christianos memorial games, I'll probably root for Los Moros), but it certainly as a turning point for the island, so, here's where it happened:
Then we turned our back to the West Coast and went inwards again, where the villages and small cities were free of gigantic concrete buildings. Calvia was nice, though the local church was, as most churches are here, alas, closed.
Sneaky roads brought us to a mountain from which we got an unexpected and great look at the capital, Palma de Mallorca, from above, with which I shall conclude this latest episode:
Mum and Chalky. See what I mean?
Chalky. We asked what happened to the ears, and were told back when the hotel adopted the cat, it had a horrible ear infection and so the ears had to be surgically removed. Poor cat. But she's not a bit melancholy, and very comfortable with visitors.
Okay, back to sightseeing. One of the girls at the hotel, Iris, had told us to visit a monastery near Randa which had a magnificent view over the entire island, or nearly so. Which we did. Iris forgot to mention every biker on the island loves the mountain this monastary is on the top of, too, or perhaps it was the giro de Mallorca, or something. Either way, there were a lot of bicycles. By which I mean there were four or so driving next to each other followed by three or four driving next to each other, on rather small Mallorquin roads. They wouldn't budge, so I had to perform some risky manouevres to overtake them. As you can see, I'm still alive. The car is whole, too. However, the result was worth it.
The Monastery (a Franciscan one, founded by Ramon Lull, earlier mentioned famous local theologian No.1, with Fra Juniper Serra of Californian Missions fame being No.2).
The view from said monastery:
Another tip from the hotel people was to visit La Granja. This actually had been on my dad's list of places-to-visit as well, but it was good to get some local reassurance. So when we did our Southwest-of-the-island tour on Thursday, this was our first stop. The whole place has been build around a mountain waterfall which the Romans already favoured. The Arabs made it a florishing farm, which was promptly declared royal property after the Reconquista, then handed up in the hands of the Church, then was sold to a noble family who sold it another noble family. It's still private property today which is hard to believe because it's so wonderfully well maintained, and every room is a little museum. Have a look at some inside and outside perspectives.
Next came a coast line between Banyalbufar and Andratx that was breathtaking, even to our by now spoiled eyes. At one point, the mist that still clung to the sea made me think Mallorca had briefly turned into the lost Atlantis.
Cunningly disguised product placement:
Alas, Andratx itself and all following places at the coast are what you imagine when you think "mass tourism" in the bad sense. In Andratz, the concrete hotels are more in the harbour, the old city is still intact:
But in Peregua and from there to Santa Ponca? Think bad buildings from the 50s and 60s everywhere in the world. They appear as ghost bee homes right now, due to lack of tourists, but I didn't take a picture. We went to Santa Ponca because it has one of the more important historical spots of the island, the one where Jaume I. landed when he brought the Reconquista to Mallorca. Now I'm not a fan of the Reconquista (if I ever get to watch one of the Spanish Moros y Christianos memorial games, I'll probably root for Los Moros), but it certainly as a turning point for the island, so, here's where it happened:
Then we turned our back to the West Coast and went inwards again, where the villages and small cities were free of gigantic concrete buildings. Calvia was nice, though the local church was, as most churches are here, alas, closed.
Sneaky roads brought us to a mountain from which we got an unexpected and great look at the capital, Palma de Mallorca, from above, with which I shall conclude this latest episode:
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no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 10:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 05:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 10:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 05:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 07:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 11:09 am (UTC)Very beautiful, again. I agree with the poster above, I'm really looking forward to your pictorial posts.
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Date: 2008-02-08 05:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 12:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 05:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 01:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 05:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 01:44 pm (UTC)Yup, we've had that experience too. It's the season I'm afraid, fewer coaches, but more cyclists.
Gorgeous photos and that coast road from Banyalbufar to Andratx is stunning. We've never made it La Granja which looks fascinating.
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Date: 2008-02-08 05:56 pm (UTC)Put La Granja on your to do list the next time you and J. visit the island. It was definitely a highlight for us!
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Date: 2008-02-08 06:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-09 06:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-09 03:47 am (UTC)I suddenly realized - is this the Mallorca Rafael Nadal is from? Because if so, I understand his love of the place now.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-09 05:24 am (UTC)I wish I could just transport myself over there.
*beam me up, Scotty*
no subject
Date: 2008-02-09 06:43 pm (UTC)