Of Coasts and Castles: Mallorca, Part IV

[selenak]

Friday and Saturday saw us exploring the east coast of Mallorca, going from the nearly people free peninsula Cap de Formentor to the packed (well, for the season) beach towns like Cala Ratjada, with a lot of fortresses from towns within the country in between. My trusty camera clicked away, sometimes with maternal assistance. (It's tough to take a picture when you're driving and a car behind you on a small road makes it impossible, or at least very impolite, to stop. Thankfully, more often than not, the lack of traffic made other solutions possible.)




This is what you find when you drive all the way up to the most eastern corner of the North Coast, or the most northern corner of the East Coast, as the case may be. First, you arrive at the bay between Port de Pollenca and Cap de Formentor.




This would be Port de Pollenca.




And then, once on the peninsula, you get this:







My mother, having defeated her vertigo, wrestled the camera away from me and told me where to go and pose:







And then we went back to admiring the landscapes:









The light tower (is this the right English phrase) marking the end of the peninsula:






From there, you have this view:




But the sea isn't the only thing making the pensinsula beautiful. Here's what it looks like with no coast in sight:




The very first Hotel on Mallorca was build here, on Cap de Formentor, in 1926, by an Argentinian. Alas, it's closed until April, so we couldn't see it from the inside, but we did walk a bit on the beach of the Hotel Formentor, where you have this view:



The hotel itself:




And one more look back:



Saturday gave us finally a church that was open. St John's in Muro.












Then we visited Arta, where you have a great view over the town with its terracotta roofs. You also have various museums which are closed until March and April, including the one which exhibits the findings from Ses Paisses, the nearby bronze age evacuation sight. However, there is still the outside of Santuari de San Salvador and the view to admire:







Next, we went to Capdepera. Which offered the huge remains of a castle that was meant to keep the entire population of the town inside, if necessary. I couldn't get a photo of the whole area, but here are pieces, and a view:








Then it was time for another light tower, this one at Cala Ratjada:






Cala Cantyamel, on the other hand, went for a 13th century tower:




We also visited Petra, which is a sleepy town in ocre and yellow with just one claim to fame: it's the hometown of Fra Juniper Serra, the No.2 famous monk from Mallorca. Californians, this was your founder, so to speak. Well, he did found just about every mission in California. The house where he was born is now a museum:












And finally, Sineu, our last stop:









Back at the hotel!

Comments

[thepouncer.livejournal.com]

Lighthouse, but when it's so beautiful, who cares what it's called?

[kathyh]

My mother, having defeated her vertigo

I know how she felt. We went to Cap Formentor with my parents and my mother wouldn't go near any of the edges at the viewpoints.

Lovely photos. We haven't been to Arta or Cala Ratjada so that's two more things on the list for next time.

Just wondering if your mum is going to try and take the cat home with her. They look very comfortable together :)

[shezan.livejournal.com]

TERRIFIC portrait of your Mother With Cat - and great pictures all round. I never saw half of this in Mallorca. I bow to your superior Tourism Technique.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

My tourism technique was learned at the feet of the master, aka my father.*g* Two days and our departure day on Wednesday left, and my mother has bought more cat food...

[selenak.livejournal.com]

My mother would be seriously tempted - and not just with this cat - were it not for the fact that we're here by air plane. (The car is rented, remember!) And I don't think she could smuggle the cats on the plane...

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (I really wanted to know.)

[shezan.livejournal.com]

At this stage, shouldn't she be buying a cat-carrier? This cat will MISS HER HORRIBLY if she leaves without it!