Destination: Palma de Mallorca, Spain

From our time in Italy over the past December vacances, my family and I were moving on to Spain as part of our cruise’s excursion around the Mediterranean. Our first stop was at Palma de Mallorca, on the island of Majorca not too far from the Spanish coast. Also simply known as “Palma,” it’s the largest city on the largest island of Spain, and especially touristy (particularly Brits and Germans) to vacation away.

Since we only had a half day to see Palma, my family and I opted for the panoramic tour provided by our cruise line. We boarded the coach in the afternoon, and proceeded to head out to the Bellver Castle, a 14th-century structure perched on top of a hill overlooking the beaches. Although it’d been rather overcast that morning upon arrival, the skies cleared up for lovely views of the coastline, as pictured above.

Following our short, scenic photo opportunity, we took the coach for a 40-minute drive to Valldemossa, a village located north of Palma which is situated on top of a hill and a beauty to look at from the distance. It’s also medieval, and it shows how early Spanish culture was back in the day. Besides that, Valldemossa is known for where Polish composer Frédéric Chopin spent a winter inside its monastery, as means of recovering from consumption– unfortunately, that winter proved to be harsh, as the village is situated at high altitude and is notably colder than Palma. In the end, Valldemossa didn’t really help Chopin recover!

While driving over to Valldemossa, we passed through the countryside, where we saw fields of olive and fig trees. Since it was winter, the trees weren’t producing any fruit, but even then, our tour guide told us that such trees weren’t in production anymore, as much of Majorca’s economy has since shifted predominantly to tourism. Sadly, it hasn’t been helpful on agriculture (especially on farmers), but it is what it is– at least tourism won’t be leaving anytime soon, since it brings in around 11 million people each year.

Although it’d been relatively-clear skies at the Bellver Castle, the weather turned dreary on our way to Valldemossa. Considering that our time in Italy had been nothing but sunny weather, it was expected that the winter skies would come eventually…and it arrived during our time in Majorca.

We reached Valldemossa, and we were first taken to a small cafe where we were treated to Spanish hot chocolate. It’d been over a year since I last visited Spain and had its hot chocolate, which in my opinion is like ganache– all the same, I love it.

Our time in the cafe was brief, as we moved on to wander the narrow, cobblestone roads of the village. There were plenty of potted plants along the buildings, which made the streets even more charming– the occasional bursts of red and violet along the neutral-colored walls made for pretty photos to be taken.

We also visited the village’s 13th-century monastery, which again Chopin had stayed in for one winter as means of recovering from consumption (which didn’t work out). The cloister and gardens surrounding it were surprisingly green, even in the dead of winter. We did a short tour around the gardens before heading out back to the coach.

Before returning to Palma, we stopped by a vantage point for views of the Mediterranean Sea. Our tour guide also pointed out the vacation home of actor Michael Douglas, who has been trying to sell it for a mere $60 million (note that I’m being sarcastic). If Douglas is willing to lower to a reasonable price, then I might negotiate for it…

Boarding the coach once more, we head all the way back to Palma– by the time we arrived, it was starting to get a bit late, as our cruise ship would be departing around 17:30 and we needed to be back on by 17:00. Unfortunately, we had to rush a bit, as our tour guide took us quickly through the city center, where we saw the mini-version of Las Ramblas (like in Barcelona) and stopped for a quick photo opportunity of the Palma Cathedral and the coastline at sea level. We returned to our ship on-time, and soon after we set sail for our next destination– just before leaving, we got incredible views of the cathedral lit up in the evening (oh, the merits of the sun setting early in the winter!).

Overall, our time in Palma was short and, while I found it a bit rushed, it was pleasant to have seen a bit of the city, especially the historic parts. Valldemossa was a lovely surprise, too, and perhaps if we had more time, Majorca would’ve been a more fruitful experience. In any case, our taste of the Spanish island was enjoyable, as we moved on to our next stop in Spain.

Final post on my December trip to come soon. Up next: Valencia, Spain!

 

— Rebecca