Mallorca Part 2

Moving on we arrive in the town of Port de Soller.

The vintage tram connects Soller to a natural harbour. The track, laid in 1913, is lined by orange and lemon trees, a pretty and novel way to get to the beach.

The name Fornalutx may not be easy to pronounce (Fohrn-ah-looch), but the immaculate ensemble of medieval stone houses and cobbled streets in this village is a treasure, full of bougainvillea, cacti and palm trees.

The famed, twisting road of white-knuckle, hairpin turns is aptly called Sa Calobra (The Snake). Of course Tim has to give it a go.

He hasn’t concentrated this hard since he retired.

The Santuari de Lluc is a revered place of pilgrimage and the spiritual center of Mallorca. It owes it’s existence to mystical appearances and legends dating to the 13th century and a sanctuary that grew up around a statue of a small, carved, dark-skinned madonna said to have been found in the woods by a local shepherd boy, Lluc.

Lively and family-friendly Pollença is a favourite resort among the British. Just 7km inland from the sea, it has hosted everyone from Winston Churchill to Agatha Christie. It’s a small, genteel city, the old town full of stylish boutiques and café terraces spilling onto the Plaça Major.

Founded in 1230, the city was the property of the Knights of St. John until the 19th century. Pollença is famed for its Via Crucis (Way of the Cross), a long, gentle climb of 365 steps lined with cypress trees that leads to El Calvari and a small chapel. Tim meets up with an old friend and colleague from the British Tourist Authority who has traded British rain for Mallorcan sun.

The 180 degree views from the top gaze out over Pollença all the way to the sea.

We stay in Cala Sant Vicenc and dip our toes in the chilly Med.

The market in Pollença is a treat.

El puerco reigns supreme!

The craggy promontory at the northeastern tip of the island is legendary. The lunar-like, eerily beautiful landscape of cold stone and windswept cliffs juts 13km out and plunges into the surf below. On the south side is the lovely, pine-shaded beach with panoramic views of the bay. Hotel Formentor can be seen on the left—a hideaway of the glitterati over the decades including Charlie Chaplin, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Another 12km out is the Far de Formentor (lighthouse) popular with birdwatchers.

Mallorca is a popular destination for cyclists in training. They are everywhere.

Menorcan Ensaimades, flaky, light-as-air spiral pastry, is an island specialty.

A quick stop in the town of Arta to see the church.

Beach photo shoot but where’s the bikini? Sandi needed this fascinator for Pete and Charm’s wedding.

Our last stop is Cala Retjada. The sandy beaches and waterfront promenade make it one of the most popular resorts along the northern section of the east coast. 

Tim hikes out to the lighthouse on Cap de Capdepera.

What Mallorca lacks in warm weather at this time of the year it makes up for in it’s rich history, picturesque mountain villages, the forested Serra de Tramuntana mountain range and dramtic high cliffs slicing into the sea, not to mention it’s sangria and parma ham. Off to bonny Scotland!