Landing into Palma, the capital of Mallorca, it was a short 10 minute taxi to my hotel on the beach near Can Pastilla. I chose this location due to it's location close to the airport and the city, with good local transport connections for my short trip.
A €2 bus ticket, number 25, took me from the beach to the city, dropping me off near the famous Palma Cathedral. Do that early to aoid the crowds! One of the largest Gothic Cathedrals in the world, it dominstaes the skyline and is well worth a visit inside and up to the roof. At the right time of day, the reflection in the water outside make for some cool pics!
Then I just spent a leisurely few hours walking around the expansive Old Town, admiring the cool side streets, architecture and varuous tourist sites including the Bishops Gardens, Arab Baths and Marina, before getting the bus back to the hotel.
The next day, I did a trip to Valldemossa, up in the Tramuntana mountains, around 25mins drive north of Palma. It's a beautiful, picturesque town, birthplace of the islands only Saint, Catalina Thomas and the home of the famous Polish composer, Chopin. Great to spend a few hours walking around the cobbled streets, visitng the church, plentiful bakeries and flower filled houses. There is a great viewing point over the valley and beyond which is pretty spectacular!
The final trip, was a day to Soller, on the vintage train for about an hour from near Palma, travelling through the mountainside and about 13 tunnels, the longest being 2km long. Either side was great to sit on, with good views, windows wide open, It ends in the beautiful town of Soller, where I picked up a vintge tram, which went through the town, down to the stunning Port of Port du Soller on the rugged northern coast. Here i got a boat for an hour up the coast, past the rugged coastline and exiting at a small port, getting the bus back the 20km of very winding mountain roads to Palma, via the small mountain town of Lluc, famous for it's monastery and the 'Black Madonna', a pilgrimage for many people across the island and further beyond. That was an experience in itself, incredible views and literally hardly any room for cars and buses to pass on either side, much to the amusement of the passengers!
I would hihgly recommend Mallorca, really packs a punch, so much to see and do and I really only scratched the surface in my 4 days there. Adios, until next time......
コメント