Mallorca Travel –
A Visit to the Castell de Bellver and a Drive East
to Inca and Alcudia
After five great days in my temporary home in the
Western Bay of Palma it was now time to relocate
and have a closer look at the eastern side of island.
I needed to check out today and move into my next
apartment in Port d’Alcudia. I packed my suitcase
and left the Terranova Aparthotel complex which
had been a great location to explore the western
and northern side of the island.
Taking the coastal highway eastwards from Palmanova
through the more upscale coastal developments of
Portals Nous and Illetes west of the capital, I
exited just west of the harbour area of Palma de
Mallorca and drove through a pleasant neighbourhood
and past the verdant flanks of Bellver Hill to the
parking lot of the Castle of Bellver, one of Palma’s
main historic sights.
The Castell de Bellver, a unique round castle from
the 1300s
Several large tour buses had already unloaded dozens
of school children on this gorgeous Thursday morning.
I strolled up to the entrance of the castle and
paid the 4 Euro admission fee to gain access to
this famous round medieval castle. Built in the
early 1300s for King James II of Aragon, it is now
one of Palma’s most popular tourist attractions.
The arcaded walkways of this unique round castle
Once I entered into the courtyard of the castle,
the circular design became really apparent. Two
tiers of arcades held up with Gothic pillars on
the second floor and round arches on the main floor
surround the castle’s inner courtyard which
is anchored by three massive circular towers. The
centre of the castle is highlighted by a well which
still holds water at the bottom.
One of the exhibition rooms inside the Castell de
Bellver
Most of the doors in the castle were closed, but
one door on the main floor was open and led me into
the Museum of the City of Palma which chronicles
the history of the city dating back to pre-historic
times (the Pre-Talayotic Culture), featuring earthenware
that was produced in 1600 before Christ. The Romans
conquered the island in 123 BC and ushered in the
Romanization of the Balearic Island. The Moors ruled
the island between 902 and 1229 AD and were responsible
for great advances in agriculture, including terraced
irrigation systems, many of which are still visible
today. Palma’s medieval history and more recent
developments are also illustrated in this museum.
Another view of the City Museum in the Castell de
Bellver
I then made my up to the second floor and from
there onto the top floor of the castle which provides
a phenomenal 360 degree view of the surrounding
landscapes. With its location on a hilltop, the
Castell de Bellver has one of the most prominent
locations in the entire city of Palma and offers
a fabulous view towards the downtown, the harbour
and the famous La Seu Cathedral.
A Gothic room inside the Castell de Bellver
One floor down there is another museum that features
a very large collection of Roman-era statues, jewellery
and gravestones. Next to these exhibits is a large
medieval-looking room with oversized pots and cauldrons.
The ceiling of this room is blackened, and although
there were no explanations, I assumed that this
might have been a kitchen with an open hearth in
earlier times. Bellver Castle is a must-see destination
in Palma, and offers a great opportunity to visit
an extremely well-preserved circular Gothic castle
that is almost 800 years old.
Castell de Bellver- the first round castle I have
ever seen
I got back into my car and started heading east
on the C713 highway to the town of Inca, which is
located in the interior of the island just a bit
south of the majestic Tramuntana Mountains. Inca,
the third-largest town on the island of Mallorca,
is an industrial town and the centre of the island’s
leather manufacturing industry.
It's market day in Inca
Every Thursday there is a street market in the
city, and I was lucky to arrive on market day as
the city was bustling with activity. The market
stretches for kilometers from one square to another.
A wide range of merchandise includes fruits and
vegetables as well as a large variety of clothing
and houseware items. I just could not resist and
had to buy a quart of freshly picked Spanish cherries.
A Latin American Indian band was playing on the
main square, and thousands of locals were strolling
slowly to do their shopping. In Europe, people still
do a lot of their shopping in weekly outdoor markets.
Locals and tourists alike shop at the market in
Inca
Jewellery was also on sale, and I ended up purchasing
a few necklaces made of Mallorcan pearls, manufactured
by the Perlas Majorica factory in Manacor. Mallorcan
pearls are actually glass beads that are covered
with multiple layers of a fish scale and resin mixture
resin. The final product is hard to distinguish
from real pearls. The necklaces I bought would make
a great souvenir for my friends back in Canada.
Outdoor patios on one of Inca's main squares
I headed back on the highway to continue driving
northeast towards Alcudia, a historic town at the
southern end of the Bay of Pollença. I stopped
at a local gas station and the friendly residents
explained to me how to get to Port d’Alcudia
where I would be spending the next 3 days, residing
at the Eden Aparthotel Alcudia.
Colourful baskets in the market of Inca
Interestingly enough, after spending so many days
in and near the Tramuntana Mountain range, Port
d’Alcudia with its flat topography, straight
main street and modern architecture, reminded me
more of Florida than of the Spanish islands. Finally,
I had reached my hotel, parked my vehicle right
out front and obtained the keys at reception. The
hotel was decent enough, but the unit was very small,
a very compact bachelor apartment with a mini-kitchen.
A huge selection of olives in the market of Inca
This self-catering unit was perfect for me in allowing
me to look after my own food preparation needs in
the next few days. The only drawback was the northeast
facing location which had me facing out into a tree
above the parking lot without any view or sunshine
whatsoever. This was a huge contrast to the great
location of my last apartment unit in Palmanova
where I had had a perfect view over the Mediterranean
from my large terrace.
My spartanic yet functional bachelor apartment at
the Eden Alcudia
But never mind, the accommodations were fine and
I was not planning to spend much time in the unit
anyway. I headed downstairs into the lobby and out
into the attractive back garden which had a great
swimming pool and some grassy rest areas. Families
with small children were relaxing by the pool and
enjoying a sunny afternoon.
I walked through the gardens and out the back towards
the sea. Steps away from the hotel was the Mediterranean,
more specifically the Bay of Alcudia, a very wide
bay that is capped off by a chain of medium-height
mountains on the northern and southern side. I walked
a little bit further north in search of a downtown
area with cafes and restaurants, but I was unable
to locate an older downtown core. Port d’Alcudia
indeed seemed to be much more a town of relatively
recent tourist developments, rather than a historically
grown town.
A view across the Bay of Alcudia from outside my
hotel
In search of a more historic place, I hopped into
my car and drove a few kilometers north to Alcudia,
a truly historic town of 15,000 people that is surrounded
by 14th century walls. The town was already settled
by the Phoenicians, and after the Roman conquest,
the town of Pollentia, located just outside of today’s
city walls, actually became the capital of Mallorca
from the 2nd century AD onwards. In 456 AD the town
was finally destroyed by the Vandals, but around
800, the Moors built a fortress here which they
called “Al-Kudia”, which means “the
hill”. Any history buff will truly enjoy this
city.
La Casa Consistorial, the city hall of
Alcudia
I parked my car outside the fortification walls
and entered the town on a narrow cobble-stoned street.
Every thing was quiet, hardly a person could be
seen until I reached the main square with the Casa
Consistorial, the city hall, which dates back to
1523 AD. Turning left I walked up the town’s
main street which features a large number of shops,
boutiques, cafés and restaurants.
View from one of the historic city gates of Alcudia
Many of the stores were closed as it was siesta
time. In Spain and other southern countries you
always have to watch out for the mid-day rest period
that is intended to shelter the locals from the
scorching noon-time sun. Here, siesta appeared to
be scheduled form 1 to 4 pm, and some of the stores
had indeed closed their doors.
On the left: the medieval fortification wall of
Alcudia
One of the main sights in Alcudia is the Gothic
church of Sant Jaume which dates back to the 13th
century. It was closed this afternoon so I was unable
to have a look at the interior, so I continued my
stroll and happened to come across the old medieval
fortification walls, a portion of which has been
made accessible to visitors through stairs and a
walkway on top of the walls. The stairs were fairly
steep to get up, but the walk on top of the fortification
walls provided me with a great view of the orange
tiled rooftops of the town.
The rooftops of Alcudia from the top of the fortification
wall
I then drove through the eastern part of town into
a residential area next to the water where the wind
was absolutely howling. Continuing my drive further
north along the Bay of Pollença I stopped
to admire dozens of kite-surfers that were plying
the waters, some of them lifting off high in the
air and flying good stretches before they would
come crashing back down on the water. The wide Bay
of Pollença is one of Mallorca’s most
popular destinations for kite-surfers.
Kitesurfers in the Bay of Pollença
I spent the evening in Port de Pollença,
a scenic town at the north end of the Bay of Pollença,
which has a great waterfront promenade and long
sandy beach lined by palm trees. As the sun started
to set I made a quick stop at Cala San Vicenç,
a pretty village on the north coast just a few kilometres
from Pollença before I headed back to my
hotel where I enjoyed a home-made dinner on the
balcony of my unit. After watching some French Open
tennis on television, I went to bed early to get
ready for a long day of explorations tomorrow.
Cala San Vicenç, a scenic village on the
northern coast of Mallorca
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