Monday, 26 June, 2017:
Spelunking is the exploration of caves.
But I digress . . .
Laurie at the Bar Bolero
for breakfast this morning
We have stopped in here every morning save one for a cafe con leche and either a tostada de tomate or a tostada de mantequilla to start our day.
What is of note in this picture is not Laurie but . . .
. . . these same three booze hounds who
are pounding down beers and/or
shots every morning at the Bar Bolero
while we dine at 7:30 a.m.
We were slated to board a recliner bus for an excursion to the Cuevas del Drach or Dragon's Caves located on Mallorca's east coast.
Our friend Michael D'Antuono said that a visit to these caves was a must and I trust his advice explicitly!
Before arriving at the Cuevas del Drach, our tour guide Carmen had us hit a few other spots on the east coast.
Carmen was interesting character in and of herself having a Greek Father, a Romanian Mother and speaking six languages.
Jive was not one of them.
Her first stop was to show us a spot called Cala Mandia.
Cala Mandia's AMAZING water
Incredible aqua blue
We loved it here
Next stop was the old fishing
village of Porto Cristo
Carmen said this was a good place
for lunch in Porto Cristo
We had to check it out
Laurie liked the homage
to Cervantes' Don Quixote
Carmen was RIGHT!
A tapas lunch in Spain was a good call.
The original mermaid statue
here was destroyed after the
Spanish Civil War
This new one was erected in 1988 on the city's promenade to celebrate the Centennial of the founding of the village of Porto Cristo.
Porto Cristo's beach
looked inviting
Gentlemen,
White is IN this season!
We had some time to kill before reboarding our bus for our scheduled 2:00 p.m. tour of the Cuevas del Drach, so Laurie decided to try something totally different.
A 20 minute foot bath in
what looked like piranha infested
waters to me
She was lucky and lived
to tell about it
The fish simply exfoliated her feet by gnawing on her.
Finally we arrived
The earliest known mention of these caves was in a document dating from 1338 A.D.
They were extensively explored by a German named M.F. Will in 1880. In 1896, E.A. Martel, a Frenchman, discovered the cave we would visit today.
It would be an amazing trip, a Journey to the Center of the Earth you might say.
Stalactites hang from the ceiling
of caves like these in this photo
Stalactites come in different
shapes and sizes
The long one on the left is a stalagmite
Stalagmites form on the floors of caves due to drips falling from the stalactites.
Minerals added color to the caves
Lake Martel is a huge underground
lake about 170 meters long
FINALLY I SAW THEM!
The three marks of left by Jules Verne's 16th-century Icelandic alchemist, Arne Saknussemm in his 1864 sci-fi adventure book Journey to the Center of the Earth.
At least I think that they were his marks left to guide us deeper into the earth's bowels.
More of Lake Martel
At the end of our tour, a four piece band plays a 12 minute classical music concert while being rowed in a relatively small boat on Lake Martel.
It was quite a show but photos/videos were not allowed and I follow the rules in a country noted for its Inquisition.
After the tour of the Cuevas del Drach were finished we made another, thankfully short, stop on the way home to Palmanova . . .
. . . the Majorica Pearl Store
I accepted the financial bloodbath in the name of our 46th wedding anniversary coming up in just three weeks.
All in all, it was another spectacular day, thanks again to Michael D'Antuono for the suggestion.
Back by Platja Palmanova after dinner
We were still looking for some dessert
FOUND IT!
My dream for us this week in Mallorca
was to have a relaxing week together
in the Spanish Sun
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Still . . .
This red bag from the Majorica Pearl Store meant damage,
lots of damage . . .
But if it makes Laurie happy, it's worth it.
She puts up with a lot if you think about it.
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