May 21 - 25, 2014 - Beach Day, City Exploration and Relaxation

Hola mi Amigas

On Wednesday we spent the day at the beach.  It was a fairly short 40 minute drive to Es Trenc, a very popular and crowded beach on weekend,   During the week it is more relaxed and home to nature lovers, nudists and hippy types.  We rented sun loungers and a cabana a reasonable 7 Euros each for the day and relaxed enjoying the sun.  My three white companions lathered up well with heavy duty sunscreen and stayed mostly under the protection of the cabanas while I took full advantage of the sun.  The water was very refreshing but again I am the only one who took the plunge.  Fred and I walked along the beach to see what it had to offer food wise. At the far end where the sand was more uneven and a bit more rocky was the home to the nudist section. While we walked we also saw a sea turtle whose head broke the surface of the water just beyond the waves.  Sections of the beach/water were rather weedy but I did find a clear area for me to get in for a swim.  When Bryan and Alison decided to go for a walk we did warn them about the nudist section but she was still rather horrified to see them.  A full day of sun was enjoyed by all, then we headed back, stopping at a couple of stores for charcoal and strawberries for our supper.  After planning for Thursdays exploration and a full day in the sun, everyone was in bed at a reasonable hour.

Thursday 22nd we headed off early to spend the day in Palma De Mallorca for some city exploration.
The drive in was an easy run and parking was well marked and plentiful.
Once we arrived we decided to go our separate ways.  Alison and Bryan

were looking to do some shopping while Fred and I were more interested in walking around the historical sections of the town.  Our first stop was the Cathedral of Majorca.  Construction on it began around 1306 by King James II of Majorca and completed in 1601 by bishop of Majorca, JoanVic i Manrique. Since the completion in 1601 it has not expanded on the outside but has grown on the inside.  It is made of Majorcan sandstone known as"mares" and the forms and colours of the stone continue to awe all people .

The interior of the cathedral is awe-inspiring as well.  It is also known as the Cathedral of Light as the sun shines through 87 windows and 8 rose windows.  It is also home to the largest Gothic rose window in the world.  More pictures of the interior of the cathedral can be seen on my Facebook (Sandy) or our flickr account.

The next stop was a walled garden complete with a beautiful pond, vegetable garden, fruit trees and flowers.  We came upon it quite by accident as we made our way to Banys Arabs.  It was quite a peaceful stop hidden amongst the alleyways of the main tourist area.  We enjoyed our brief stop at the gardens before moving on.  The picture on the left is of the pond with koi, water lilies and a canopy of bougainvillea.

The picture on the right is of Banys Arabs, a 10th century brick hammam (bath house).  They are one of the few architectural reminders of the Moors on Mallorca.  The chamber with its  irregular columns are all that has survived and would have been the lukewarm room. There would have also been a hot room and a cold plunge.  The chamber and a small garden area are all that is to be seen, so it was a quick visit.

We continued our explorations and wander into the shopping where we purchased a cute T-shirt for our grandson Paul.  We found a small square, Plaza Major, which had market stalls, restaurants and buskers.  Outside of a nearby church I dropped some coin into a basket and was blessed by the busker whose costume was so good he actually looked like a statue as you walk by (picture below).

We meet up with Bryan and Alison for a late lunch near the Cathedral and all enjoyed a pizza, each of us having a different variety.  After lunch we again head off in separate directions as Bryan and Alison wanted to see the Cathedral, while Fred and I searched out a grocery store for some wine and baguette for the evening, then to enjoy a relaxing drink at an outdoor cafe.  We have enjoyed our day but have only really hit the major sites and have not explored any of the museums scattered around Palma.

Our last two days were spent relaxing around the pool and for me and Fred washing all our clothes in the North American style washer and dryer a treat for us.  We were back to reality quickly as in 5 days time we moved to a new apartment/flat.  Not far away, just across the road but away from the river.
We hope you have enjoyed this segment of our travels.

Adios,

Sandy & Fred

May18 - 20th, 2014 - Majorca, Spain

Hola mi amigos,

On the 18th May we headed to Majorca, Spain for a week with Fred's cousin Bryan and his wife Alison.  Our flight was from Liverpool to Palma and was uneventful.  We had a late flight out of Liverpool which meant we arrived at our resort Marriott's Club Son Antem at midnight after a bit of off the track touring with our satnav chick.  Our home for the next six days was a townhouse, it was new for us with our Marriott Destination points but perfect.  It had two bedrooms, one on the ground floor and one on the upper floor.  The bedroom upstairs also had its own terrace/balcony area and we had a lovely backyard with a charcoal barbecue.  After unpacking we hit the sack.

Monday after getting some basics at the on site market place for breakfast, we headed into the nearest town Llucmajor to do some food shopping as we were having meals in-house when we were not off exploring.  The balance of our day was spent catching some rays around the pool.  I took a quick dip as the water was very cold.  Supper that night was barbecued chicken with a salad with fruit for dessert.  Fred and I were chief cooks as you know I love to cook.  The picture posted on the upper left is of a local songbird, a Hoopoe who would visit the front yard nightly around the same time.

Tuesday we headed off to explore the island and did a driving tour of the Serra de Tramuntana area.  The Bryan and Fred split the driving with Bryan taking the first shift.  The picture on the right is one of the views of the coast looking down from our first stopping point.  The roads were narrow and winding and we passed many cyclists from various countries.  We had a few "holy shit" moments with Bryan's driving and I threatened to drive as we were, for me,  on the proper side of the road in Majorca.  We stopped in Estellencs for a walk about the town and to stop for a late lunch.  The town is on a hillside and the roads were narrow and cobblestoned with the homes being built in what looks like long walls.  Some of the doors were very small, so much so that I would have to duck to enter. Our lunch was delicious and relaxing.  I had a serrano ham salad, Fred had a spanish omelette, Alison had soup and Bryan had a vegetable omelette, which turned out to be a fried egg dish over veggies.

The picture on the left is of a metal statue of a donkey that we saw while leaving Estellencs.  Bryan graciously found a spot to pull over so that I could get out and take a picture.  I imagine donkeys were the work animal of choice in the past given how rugged and hilly the area was though we did not see any on our current travels.  Our drive continued on to Mirador de ses Animes and Torre Verger a watchtower built in 1579.  The tower was climbable and provided
amazing views of the entire western coastline.

The tower was used to warn the islanders of attacks by North African brigands back in the day.  From here we changed drivers with Fred taking over.  We now moved off the coast and inland and down the Serra de Tramuntana.  Bryan has chosen wisely in his portion of driving as now the roads are hairpin bend after hairpin bend.  Narrow roads where there is no room to pass or places to pull off.  The cyclists are still plentiful and seem to take advantage of the downhill travel whizzing by us in some cases.  The last shot is of terrace farming we saw on our drive down the mountain before

heading back to Andratz and then back to our townhouse.  Our initial plans for supper were a barbecue, but as the skies were threatening rain we opted to eat at the restaurant on the resort.  It was a late supper, Fred and I shared a seafood paella as my first choice, rabbit paella was not available.  Our waiter was extremely apologetic as my starter was also not available.  He did manage to get me a taste of the rabbit and also some snails.  Though I must say the snails or escargot in France were much tastier than the Spanish version, but unless you try you never know.  The paella was good but certainly not as tasty as the one we had in Estapona.  The last picture is of the paella which was an extremely generous portion.

Adiós por ahora,
Sandy & Fred