Our Last Mallorca Beach Day

Sunday, 25 June, 2017:

Today would be our last full day enjoying the Mediterranean waters at Platja Palmanova.

On Monday we are scheduled to take a bus excursion to the eastern end of the island to visit the city of Porto Cristo, the Cuevas del Drach (highly recommended by Mike D'Antuono) and a dreaded stop at a Mallorca Pearls Factory (highly recommended by Susan D'Antuono).

On our walk to the beach, same spot on Platja Palmanova as Saturday, we were again reminded that this tourist area is dominated by people who also speak a form of the English language.

Note the bottom line

STAY IN YOUR CULINARY

COMFORT ZONE AT ALL COSTS!

We got to our palapa at 10:15 a.m.

It was already HOT!

Such a good beach!

I, of course, needed to be sure that all my beach bearings were correct.

Palapa?

CHECK!

 Lounge Chair?

CHECK!

Once again, Peppa Pig and

her Mum were nearby

 It was GOOD!

I opted for the back massage only and she worked on Laurie's legs too.

We were both happy. 

 Nachos and drinks at the

Diana Beach Club again

Green cheese?

It was a good way to end a six hour stay at the beach.

And tomorrow is Monday

 On the walk back to our

apartment we saw these . . .

. . . house signs whose names

I did not know in English

Google gave me no translation for "chupinazo" while saying that "pocuinca" meant few.

Can anybody who reads this help me out.

Laurie's Mallorcan

Flower-of-the-Day

After cleaning up from our long day at the beach, we walked back down to the seaside in search of a new dining experience.

This was DEFINITELY NOT it

 Too dangerous

Spanish Food,

now that's a novel idea

 GAME ON!

A bit overpriced by Barcelona, Madrid, Alicante and Murcia standards but still they were good.

The entire serving staff was British.

Reading Is FUNdamental

The 21st book in the

Jack Reacher series that I

have read was EXCELLENT!

Mike D'Antuono got me started on this series as well as many other enjoyable books over the years.

He has been a good literary influence on me!

Mallorca Pearls Factory . . .

A Day at the Beach with Peppa Pig and Her Family

Saturday, 24 June, 2017:

It was just another day in . . .

for us today

The plan was the same today as it has been for all but one of our days here in Mallorca.

First a cafe con leche and a tostada de tomate for breakfast at the nearby Bar Bolero followed by an easy ten minute stroll to one of Palmanova's beaches, but which one today?

Same beach as yesterday

Palmanova has three beaches or platjas as they are called in the Catalonian language that is used here by the locals.

Our first two days were spent on Platja des Carregador. It was  good spot but on Friday we tried the eastern end of Platja de Palmanova and liked it much more.

Today we plopped down

on the western end of

the same beach and loved it too

Maybe we'll try Palmanova's third beach, the westernmost, Platja de Son Maties on Sunday.

 Different day, same views

yet again!

Stay in the shade!

 My feet were still down there

Mallorca became a tourist destination in 1950 when the first charter flight touched down on the island's small airstrip.

Europeans love this the largest of the Balearic Islands with about 10,000,000 travelers spending their vacations here annually.

You hear almost any European language you can think of being spoken here thus making it really hard to realize that you are in Spain.

As mentioned in a previous post, the biggest contingent of Mallorca's visitors are British.

Today we were surrounded on Platja de Palmanova by our British pals.

 We thought that we were in the

midst of a Peppa Pig episode

Palmanova is a great place to vacation for families with young children.

The water is clear and shallow

and waves are nonexistent

Parents can thus feel safe with toddlers at the beach.

What we found amusing was the verbal interaction between the British parents and their young children.

If you have watched as many episodes of Peppa Pig as we have with our own grandchildren, you know what I'm alluding to.

On the other hand, maybe it was the actual voice over actors of the Peppa Pig show away on holiday together?

You never know.

 Magnificent view don't you think

 After another rugged day

in the sun a Piña Colada

was in order

 Laurie agreed

The Diana Beach Club bar was about 20 meters from where our palapa was located.

Another view of 

Platja de Palmanova

Clear water indeed

Lots of boats at anchor

 After cleaning up back at the

Apartments Montenova,

it was time for dinner

Laurie liked the looks of this spot, La Piazzetta, which was facing the Mediterranean Sea.

 The wine was good and . . .

. . . the pasta was OUTSTANDING!

After dinner we cruised Palmanova's beach side promenade in search of some dessert.

We shared a good raspberry ice cream from a small stall that fit our needs perfectly.

Then it happened . . .

. . . Laurie saw things

glistening by the water

I just sat down on a nearby bench knowing that my fate was sealed.

We did basically nothing today but then again, that was the entire idea behind picking this tranquil beach resort as a destination this year.

Palmanova continues to prove to us daily that we made the correct choice in coming here for a week.

Life is GREAT!

New Beach, Same Old Routine

Friday, 23 June, 2017:

First and foremost, to all our friends in Sweden . . .

HAPPY MIDSUMMER!

Be careful my friends, it is a long day of wining and dining tonight!

Schnapps anyone?

 Cicadas

Nothing says Summer in the south of Europe more than the sound of these bugs on your evening walk back to the apartment after a good dinner.

 The Brits

While Mallorca is a tourist destination for all people especially at this time of year, the Brits by far are the largest single nationality that we encounter followed by Germans and Swedes.

Laurie has been mistaken as being Swedish on more than one occasion in the last few days.

As for the Brits, they are a funny lot.

First, they have absolutely no fashion sense when it comes to hot weather clothing.

Second, even with Coppertone slathered on copious amounts,  they burn not tan.

Finally, the British pubs and restaurants in Palmanova are packed with Brits unwillingly to eat out of their comfort zones.

We tried a new beach today

The palaces looked sound

The view was normal . . .

. . . in both directions

And the water was AMAZING!

We spent hours either baking or swimming.

Life seemed perfect to both of us.

We had dinner at . . .

. . . The Diana Beach Club

The food was good, the beer was cold and . . .

. . . The view was FANTASTIC!

Reading Is FUNdamental

A good, light read while

broiling in the Mediterranean sun

Life is GREAT!

A Tourist Day in Palma de Mallorca

Thursday, 22 June, 2017:

After two days spent broiling on the beach at Palma Nova, we decided to give our sun baked skin a rest today and become tourists again.

We hopped on board the 104 bus for the drive up the coast to Mallorca's main city, Palma de Mallorca.

Palma de Mallorca is also the capital of the Balearic Islands.

First though, a little bit about the island of Mallorca where we are staying.

The Flag of Mallorca

Mallorca is the largest of the islands that make up the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands that are a part of Spain.

Map of Spain with the Balearic

Islands off the east coast

The city of Palma de Mallorca is located about 275 kilometers/170 miles due east of the Spanish mainland city of Valencia.

The Balearic Islands are made up of the islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. Mallorca is the largest of these islands.

The Balearic Islands have a total population of about 870,000 souls with Palma de Mallorca being its largest city with approximately 405,000 inhabitants.

We boarded the 104 bus for the drive up the coast to Palma de Mallorca to see the city's top tourist attraction, a massive Cathedral designed in part by modern master Antoni Gaudi who carried out renovations to the Cathedral from 1904 to 1914.

Our first sighting of

La Catedral de Santa María

de Palma de Malorca

Gothic in style with flying buttresses of course.

We started a long trek up the hill to find the Cathedral's entrance. We did see many interesting things along the way.

Ode to Male Rhythmic Gymnastics

Serene pond

Disturbing statue

  

 Peaceful garden fountain

Laurie was in the frame

Glass Blowers

 Finally, the front of the Cathedral

This is the world's largest

Gothic rose window

 Gaudi LOVES to use natural

light reflected through stain glass

in his churches to get . . .

 . . . this effect

Laurie likes it

This is a similar photo to one of Laurie that I took at Gaudi's masterpiece, Barcelona's Basilica de la Sagrada Familia a couple of years ago.

The rose window illuminates

the Cathedral in wondrous ways

Including UW Purple and Gold

A tomb as you approach

the Main Altar

 The Main Altar

A Gaudi baldachin hanging over the altar with a crucified Christ is also very similar to the one in La Sagrada Familia.

The side altars were magnificent

They are an assault on the senses after visiting many austere Church of Sweden churches. 

The BVM and . . .

. . . her angels

Colorful Painting

All the Saints

Just another side altar

Golden

Mallorca artist Miguel Barceló's
Capella del Santíssim i Sant Pere

It is a dreamscape representing the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes done in 15 tons of ceramics.

Fish on the left

More fish on the right

The loaves of bread are found along the base of the chapel.

A Cathedral has to have an
ornate organ

Not sure the function but
I liked the gold look

On to the Cathedral's museum . . .

Nice reliquary

St. Sebastian still standing
with lots of arrows still
in him

And more to come by the looks of it.

All in all, it was quite a good Cathedral visit. We were glad we did it.

Next up in Palma de Mallorca . . .

A visit to the ancient

Arabian Baths

But first, a few more random sights

Exterior of the Cathedral

A main form of public transportation

in Palma de Mallorca

I LOVE Spanish electrical wiring!

Just before we reached the

Arabian Baths, we found this

enchanting street musician

He is playing an instrument invented in 2000 by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärerin in Switzerland. Known as the Handpan today, the inventors originally labeled it the Hang Drum.

I first heard this instrument on the streets of London back in 2008 and was captivated by it instantly.

 Delightful Handpan music

You may need Google Chrome

or the like to play this video

We bought his CD.

We finally made it

 These Arabian Baths are . . .

. . . OLD!

They date from the 10th-century.

After a soak in the baths, you

needed a garden in order to . . .

. . . properly meditate

A Pearl Store

Financial ruin was on the horizon.

More on this at dinner tonight.

She like pearls, I like fossils

We both like food

A bocadito made of jamón iberico

and a glass of sangria hit the spot

The Cathedral in sunlight

Palma de Mallorca is an

island of laws

 Great old fortress wall

 Windmills are big in Mallorca

We had walked a bit in the hot

Mediterranean sun, we needed

an adult beverage

A Spanish Cruzcampo beer

worked for us

I make it a rule to not eat at American food spots like McDonalds, KFC, Starbucks, etc. while in Europe.

I prefer to try the local cuisine and support the little guys.

The Hard Rock Cafe chain is my exception because,

A. I love their t-shirts

and

B. I don't think I've ever eaten in one in the states

  

One of Palma de Mallorca's

pleasant, shaded side streets

Straight from La Habana, Cuba

 We're the right age but we

did not enter

One final view of the Cathedral

Back in Palma Nova in time for

another good dining experience

 Laurie showing off her

new pearl at dinner

She had the fish, I opted for the chicken.

We continue to wonder what

goes on nightly on that yacht

anchored just off of our beach

Another GREAT day in the Balearic Islands!