Sears house life furniture
Soon after a tasty residence-produced breakfast on the balcony of my studio apartment in Port d’Alcudia I was prepared to head out for a full day of explorations. Somehow, the northern mountainous component of Mallorca has an nearly magical spell on me. I had already spent the main part of my entire 1st week on this island in the northern Tramuntana Mountains, and I just had to go back there nowadays.
So around 9 am I headed out in my little rental car and began driving westwards on Highway C713. I exited at Binissalem, a modest country town with less than 7000 inhabitants in the shadow of the Tramunanta mountains. Binissalem used to be a significant wine-growing region until the late 1800s when the phylloxera plague destroyed most of the vineyards, some of which were replaced by almond trees. Wine has been growing here as early as 121 BC when it was introduced by the Romans.
Right now, Binissalem is a quiet town with a pleasant main square that was mostly frequented by locals this morning, doing their early morning shopping. I strolled down one of the primary streets and came across a significant open grassy field that was hosting the town’s weekly industry this day. Dozens of traveling merchants had put up booths to sell fruits, vegetables, flowers, housewares, electronics and clothing.
I stopped at 1 stand exactly where a local salesman explained a kitchen gadget to me – in Castilian Spanish, which I understand, not in the local Catalan language. The “Princess of the Kitchen” is capable of grating, cutting and decorating. The guy was a fantastic pitchman, and I was practically tempted to get 1. A neighborhood lady tried to bargain down the cost, but he was not willing to let it go at a discount. Altogether it was a really entertaining presentation and I believed that no matter where you are, sales pitches for kitchen gadgets are the identical everywhere.
From Binissalem I drove to the mountain town of Alaro exactly where I parked my automobile and walked for about an hour by way of the narrow streets of this scenic historic town. The primary square featured election posters for the upcoming European Union elections and the town was in full swing with the locals’ shopping and activities. Two oversized figures in classic Mallorcan dress were on display in the entrance hall of city hall.
I headed on in my vehicle into the Tramuntana Mountains. I entered the mountain chain by way of a valley flanked by the two nearly symmetrical mountains of Alaro and Alcadena, both a small more than 800 metres in altitude. The entire Tramuntana mountain region is very well-liked with bicyclists, and I ran into numerous groups of bikers coming down the mountains. The curvy road was steadily climbing up into the mountains, and when past the first row of mountains, it continued by way of pastoral highlands, surrounded on all sides by rugged limestone peaks.
The subsequent town I stopped at was referred to as Orient exactly where I got out of the auto and walked up to the hilltop church referred to as Sant Jordi, dating back to the 18th century. All these small country villages in Mallorca are so picturesque, and the surrounding countryside is so peaceful which makes this area a actual magnet for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts.
Behind a mountain pass I came down on the other side in the village of Bunyola which also has a gorgeous location in a bowl-shaped valley that is surrounded on all sides by mountains. Bunyola is situated only 9 kilometres from the island’s busy capital of Palma de Mallorca, but its serene mountain location makes it seem like a different globe. I parked my car on the outskirts and strolled down into the centre, admiring the Baroque church of Sant Mateu.
From here I drove back out into the plains near Egleitas and created my way back into the Tramuntana mountains to quit in the town of Valdemossa, a quite well-liked tourist destination that attracts dozens of tour buses on a everyday basis. Luckily it was pre-season, and the hordes of tourists had not yet descended on this scenic village.
Valldemossa is most renowned for having been the residence of composer Frederic Chopin and French novelist and early feminist George Sand in the course of the winter of 1838 to 1839. The Royal Carthusian Monastery of Jesus of Nazareth is also a significant draw in this town. To add some celebrity pizzazz, the American actors Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have a large property close to this charming village.
Huge trees line the pedestrian main street where locals and tourists enjoy a relaxing rest in the shade on numerous outdoor patio cafes and restaurants. I continued my walk down the hill on the principal street towards the town’s parish church which was originally built in the 13h century. Valldemossa is the birth town of Santa Catalina Tomas, a a lot revered saint who is depicted on a lot of of the decorative tiles that are installed subsequent to entranceways all through the whole town. The church itself is really unique due to the square balcony that is installed high up on the church’s tower.
I managed to get all my souvenir shopping completed in some of the many attractive trinket shops in town. With my chores completed, I sat down on the outdoor patio of a nearby bar, ordered some tapas which included my favourite: fresh Mallorcan bread covered with a typical tomato spread, accompanied by olives. The friendly waitress chatted with me about the town and the local lifestyle.
By about 3 pm I had to move on since I planned to visit 1 of Mallorca’s most common tourist destinations: La Granja, a folklore museum that is housed in a huge wooded country estate near the village of Esporles. The estate was originally founded in the 10th century and has survived virtually unchanged because the 18th century.
The expansive mansion has a beautiful courtyard with arcaded walkways and is surrounded by a magnificent garden with statues and fountains a river runs via the property as well, a rarity in Mallorca exactly where most of the streams are dried out in the summer. The inside of the mansion functions a salon, children’s bedrooms, adult bedrooms from the Renaissance era, a library, a medical room and dining rooms, all equipped with original period furniture.
The work locations consist of the kitchen, the dyehouse, equipped with a loom that illustrates the ancient skills of clothmaking and fabric dying. Costumed interpreters are obtainable to demonstrate several skills a lady in classic Mallorcan attire was sitting at the loom, demonstrating ancient weaving methods. The estate was mainly devoted to agricultural production, and at one point had much more than 100 workers.
When I came out of the constructing, I arrived in the courtyard which has some nice effortless chairs for relaxing in the shade. Traditional abilities like blacksmithing, turning (making use of a lathe powered by a foot pedal), candle-making and pottery demonstrate the old traditional ways of life. The tourists were also streaming into the Tasting Room which features neighborhood Mallorcan treats like sausages, cheeses and olives. A totally free tasting is included in the admission fee which also included my favourite: a nearby variation of freshly fried mini-doughnuts that is accompanied by neighborhood jams. A neighborhood woman dressed in traditional costume fished them out of a significant pan of searing hot oil and the visitors had been just wolfing them down. They were delicious.
Twice a week, Wednesday and Friday afternoon, La Granja provides demonstrations of these handicrafts which are followed by a traditional Mallorcan dance referred to as “Ball de Bot” which capabilities three dancers and 4 musicians. Mallorcan classic dresses are floor length, with aprons and a white lace head cover for the ladies while men wear below-knee length pantaloons. The dance lasted about 45 minutes. A check out to La Granja undoubtedly gives you an authentic thought of life in the 18th century, and for the estate owners that life should have been pretty great, as evidenced by the lavish furniture and the casino-style game tables in the estates parlour.
About five pm I continued my journey and drove back out to the northern coastline of the island. I drove by way of the picturesque village of Banyalbufar which I had visited on the extremely initial day of this trip, now nine days ago. I continued west past Estellencs to the Torre de Verger, an observation tower built in 1597 that was to alert the locals of any pirate attacks. The view from here towards the east and west is merely breathtaking steep pine-clad mountains plunge into the jewel-blue Mediterranean coastline. The northern coastline of Mallorca surely ranks amongst the most stunning locations I have ever travelled to.
I continued my coastal drive at a speed of about 30 km/h and let all the approaching vehicles pass me so I would be able to enjoy this leisurely drive, all the even though taking in the majestic scenery along Mallorca’s north coast. Some time later the coastal road turned inland and I began to head back towards Palma de Mallorca. I exited the highway at Las Illetes and drove along some of the coastal roads by way of the resort locations west of Palma’s downtown.
About 7:30 pm, as the sun moved lower and lower on the horizon, I finally parked the automobile in the port region of Palma de Mallorca and set off on foot to discover the waterfront promenade of Palma. It characteristics a walking path as well as a bicycling path, and hundreds of folks were out, strolling, walking their dogs, rollerblading or biking. 1 blooming bush on the waterfront attracted dozens of colourful butterflies, adding to the evening’s serenity.
Individuals were sitting and chatting on a lot of of the benches and enjoying the late-day sun. A number of cafes with outdoor patios were packed full of men and women. The view back at Mallorca’s imposing Gothic cathedral, La Seu, was remarkable. Palma surely has an incredibly appealing waterfront that is actively used and enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. It was entertaining to watch the hustle and bustle from my park bench.
Finally, as the sun was starting to set I started to head back east on the highway to Port d’Alcudia. I reflected back on my definitely packed day, and let some of the lovely images I had observed these days pass back in my memory, and realized I had just spent one of the most enjoyable travel days of my life nowadays here in Mallorca.
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