And we’re off — first stop Palma de Mallorca!

By Glen Bruels
This is part of a series called Pan European Sojourn 2023
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When we left Barcelona, the rainstorm of the previous day got a boost with massive winds.  Luckily, it subsided during the night, and today we visited Palma de Mallorca, one of the Balearic islands within the archipelago of eastern Spain.   We learned, however, that the winds had been so strong in Palma that one of the big cruise ships had broken free from its moorings and drifted across the harbor.  Yikes!  Actually, the storm did have one benefit — it brought the temperature down about 20 degrees and lowered the humidity a lot!

A few yachts in town. Check out the size differential with the sailboat next to it!
Lots of other cruise ships in town. It must have been amazing to see one of these behemoths breaking loose and crashing into another one!
A beautiful sunrise with the storm clouds fading away. A lot cooler too!

Mallorca is around 60 miles in length, but is quite narrow, with the Serra de Trumuntana mountain range extending down from the northwestern coast of the island. The island has a population of less than a million people and yet they get over 10 million visitors per year, including many of the glitterati (Michael Douglas was in town while we were there…)!  Despite being quite dry, the island is very lush, especially as you get into the mountains.  Anyway, we decided to skip the city of Palma in favor of visiting the mountains and rocky northern coastline.  Our first stop was the UNESCO Heritage Site of Valldemossa, a rural village in the mountains.  This area goes back to the period of Roman conquest, along with all the rest of the band of hooligans that followed.  It turns out that Mallorca sits at a strategic crossroads for trade between Europe and Northern Africa — hence the were pillaged and conquered for much of their history. The Moors probably had the most lasting influence in the area, terracing the mountainside with over 4000 km of dry stack stone walls to enable agriculture.  After the Arabs were defeated, the area was taken over by the Catholics and the beautiful palace of La Cartuja was built.  This served as a Carthusian monastery and later a royal residence.  After Spain tried to decrease the power of the Catholic Church in Spain, they “asked” the resident monks to leave and it became available for private use.  One of the most famous temporary residents was Frederic Chopin who, along with his girlfriend George Sand (a nom de plume used by her as it was hard for a woman to get anything published.  Anyway, they were quite a notorious couple within the village during their 3-month stay.  Despite the fact that Chopin was severely ill (probably tuberculosis), some of his most famous works were created there.  After touring the church and the palace, we wandered around the village which has become a tourist destination.  We also attended a short piano concert of Chopin’s works by a local musician.

The gardens outside the palace, with a bust of Chopin in the foreground.
The building terrace down the hillside. All buildings use the same materials and generally look the same. Very beige!
The old church when this was a Carthusian monastery. The founder, Bruno is the statue to the right. There were lots of “cells”and gardens in the monastery since all monks lived like hermits in total silence and isolation.
Despite the monks’ getting kicked out of their monastery by the government of Spain, the pharmacy was allowed to stay since it was open to everyone in the village.
“George and Frederic.” These are two paper maché figures that are carried through the streets during the annual Chopin Festival. You can see the little cutouts so the person carrying them can see!
Inside Chopin’s apartment, with a number of preserved pieces of memorabilia…
… including Chopin’s death mask and whatever you call a death mask for a hand.
Looking down onto the valley. The addition of terraces on both sides by the Arabs really increased the agricultural production here.
Wandering around the streets of the village. Lots of little shops and those famous manmade Mallorca pearls!
By the way, you see signs like this all over Valledemossa commemorating St. Catalina Thomas, their home grown saint. As best that I can tell, she didn’t perform any miracles, but she was visited by angels and devils and went into ecstasy for the last years of her life. No matter; the locals pestered the Vatican until she was beatified. They really love her here!

From there, we were off to Son Marroig, the rocky, northern coast of the island.  While not heavily populated, a number of large estates were created there.  Along the way, Archduke Luis Salvador of Austria started buying up large properties in the area, redeveloping and selling them, and thus started attracting tourists from all over Europe to the area.

Looking down the northwestern coast of Mallorca. Not white sandy beaches here; just cliffs and rocks. Beautiful!
There are lots of fruit and nut trees in this part of the island. This is a carob tree that produces beans that are used as a chocolate substitute. But did you know that we get the weight measure for stones (carat) from carob seeds? It’s true — Google it!
There are also lots of prickly pear cacti; when I told the guide that we make jam out of the fruit, she looked at me like I was from the moon. She noted that they sometimes gave them to domestic animals, but mostly they just leave them for the birds.
Visiting one of Archduke Luis Salvador of Austria’s properties along the coast. The tower dates back to the 16th century.

We then headed up to the little town of Deia, a small village that started to become popular with expatriates from Germany, England, and the US after World War I.  This area became a magnet for famous artists and writers of time and the village developed an artistic vibe that continues to this day.  As a haven for hippies in the 1960s, the village was also seen as somewhat avant garde, attracting jet setters from all around Europe and the US.  Richard Branson started buying up property and converting it into high end hotels and resorts.  At one of those (La Residencia — apparently a favorite of Tom Hanks), we enjoyed lunch made up of all the specialties of the region.  It was a pleasant afternoon of sipping wine and tasting a variety of local delicacies.  On our way back to the ship, we did a “drive by” through Palma and learned some of the history there.  After our afternoon of indulging, we didn’t give the city the attention it deserved.  There’s always next time!

Coming into the village of Deia. Once again, consistency in architecture is the name of the game!
Entering La Residencia, probably the nicest hotel in town. These big properties were similar to haciendas in Mexico — during periods of reform, these were broken up and given to peasants. Branson turned this place into a jewel.
Not sure if this was an art installation or a metaphor for the increasingly high ATM fees…
Our server describing yet one of another products produce by (or for) the hotel that we enjoyed over lunch. This is more or less an orange limoncello.
This entry was posted in Cruising, Europe, Spain, Travel
Glen Bruels

I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.

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