Mallorca Travel: A Day of
Explorations in Northern Mallorca
After a tasty home-made breakfast on the balcony
of my studio apartment in Port d’Alcudia I
was ready to head out for a full day of explorations.
Somehow, the northern mountainous part of Mallorca
has an almost magical spell on me. I had already
spent the major part of my entire first week on
this island in the northern Tramuntana Mountains,
and I just had to go back there today.
The church of Binissalem
So around 9 am I headed out in my little rental
car and started driving westwards on Highway C713.
I exited at Binissalem, a small country town with
less than 7000 inhabitants in the shadow of the
Tramunanta mountains. Binissalem used to be a major
wine-growing region until the late 1800s when the
phylloxera plague destroyed most of the vineyards,
some of which were replaced by almond trees. Wine
has been growing here as early as 121 BC when it
was introduced by the Romans.
A look toward's Binissalem's main square
Today, Binissalem is a quiet town with a pleasant
main square that was mostly frequented by locals
this morning, doing their early morning shopping.
I strolled down one of the main streets and came
across a large open grassy field that was hosting
the town’s weekly market this day. Dozens
of traveling merchants had put up booths to sell
fruits, vegetables, flowers, housewares, electronics
and clothing.
A demonstration of kitchen gadgets in Castillian
Spanish
I stopped at one stand where a local salesman explained
a kitchen gadget to me – in Castilian Spanish,
which I understand, not in the local Catalan language.
The “Princess of the Kitchen” is capable
of grating, cutting and decorating. The guy was
a great pitchman, and I was almost tempted to buy
one. A local lady tried to bargain down the price,
but he was not willing to let it go at a discount.
Altogether it was a very entertaining presentation
and I thought that no matter where you are, sales
pitches for kitchen gadgets are the same everywhere.
The main square of Alaro, with an invtation to vote
in the European Union elections
From Binissalem I drove to the mountain town of
Alaro where I parked my car and walked for about
an hour through the narrow streets of this scenic
historic town. The main square featured election
posters for the upcoming European Union elections
and the town was in full swing with the locals’
shopping and activities. Two oversized figures in
traditional Mallorcan dress were on display in the
entrance hall of city hall.
One of the oversized statues in Alaro's city hall
I headed on in my car into the Tramuntana Mountains.
I entered the mountain chain through a valley flanked
by the two almost symmetrical mountains of Alaro
and Alcadena, both a little more than 800 metres
in altitude. The entire Tramuntana mountain region
is very popular with bicyclists, and I ran into
several groups of bikers coming down the mountains.
The curvy road was steadily climbing up into the
mountains, and once past the first row of mountains,
it continued through pastoral highlands, surrounded
on all sides by rugged limestone peaks.
Great mountain view in Orient
The next town I stopped at was called Orient where
I got out of the car and walked up to the hilltop
church called Sant Jordi, dating back to the 18th
century. All these little country villages in Mallorca
are so picturesque, and the surrounding countryside
is so peaceful which makes this area a real magnet
for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts.
One of the many colourful tiles on Mallorcan houses:
"Beware of dog"
Behind a mountain pass I came down on the other
side in the village of Bunyola which also has a
gorgeous location in a bowl-shaped valley that is
surrounded on all sides by mountains. Bunyola is
located only 9 kilometres from the island’s
busy capital of Palma de Mallorca, but its serene
mountain location makes it seem like a different
world. I parked my car on the outskirts and strolled
down into the centre, admiring the Baroque church
of Sant Mateu.
The lovely mountain town of Bunyola
From here I drove back out into the plains near
Egleitas and made my way back into the Tramuntana
mountains to stop in the town of Valdemossa, a very
popular tourist destination that attracts dozens
of tour buses on a daily basis. Fortunately it was
pre-season, and the hordes of tourists had not yet
descended on this scenic village.
Doorknocker on an old wooden door
Valldemossa is most famous for having been the
residence of composer Frederic Chopin and French
novelist and early feminist George Sand during the
winter of 1838 to 1839. The Royal Carthusian Monastery
of Jesus of Nazareth is also a major draw in this
town. To add some celebrity pizzazz, the American
actors Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones
have a large property close to this charming village.
The Royal Carthusian Monastery of Valldemossa
Large trees line the pedestrian main street where
locals and tourists enjoy a relaxing rest in the
shade on many outdoor patio cafes and restaurants.
I continued my walk down the hill on the main street
towards the town’s parish church which was
originally built in the 13h century. Valldemossa
is the birth town of Santa Catalina Tomas, a much
revered saint who is depicted on many of the decorative
tiles that are installed next to entranceways throughout
the entire town. The church itself is quite unique
due to the square balcony that is installed high
up on the church’s tower.
The Church of Valldemossa with its unusual square
balcony
I managed to get all my souvenir shopping done
in some of the many attractive trinket shops in
town. With my chores completed, I sat down on the
outdoor patio of a local bar, ordered some tapas
which included my favourite: fresh Mallorcan bread
covered with a typical tomato spread, accompanied
by olives. The friendly waitress chatted with me
about the town and the local lifestyle.
Mallorcan bread and tomato spread - a tasty snack
By about 3 pm I had to move on since I planned
to visit one of Mallorca’s most popular tourist
destinations: La Granja, a folklore museum that
is housed in a large wooded country estate near
the village of Esporles. The estate was originally
founded in the 10th century and has survived virtually
unchanged since the 18th century.
View from the arcaded walkway of La Granja into
the countryside
The expansive mansion has a beautiful courtyard
with arcaded walkways and is surrounded by a magnificent
garden with statues and fountains; a river runs
through the property as well, a rarity in Mallorca
where most of the streams are dried out in the summer.
The inside of the mansion features a salon, children’s
bedrooms, adult bedrooms from the Renaissance era,
a library, a medical room and dining rooms, all
equipped with original period furniture.
Luxurious dining / billiard table at La Granja
The work areas include the kitchen, the dyehouse,
equipped with a loom that illustrates the ancient
skills of clothmaking and fabric dying. Costumed
interpreters are available to demonstrate various
skills; a lady in traditional Mallorcan attire was
sitting at the loom, demonstrating ancient weaving
techniques. The estate was primarily dedicated to
agricultural production, and at one point had more
than 100 workers.
Flute player at La Granja
When I came out of the building, I arrived in the
courtyard which has some nice easy chairs for relaxing
in the shade. Traditional skills like blacksmithing,
turning (using a lathe powered by a foot pedal),
candle-making and pottery demonstrate the old traditional
ways of life. The tourists were also streaming into
the Tasting Room which features local Mallorcan
treats like sausages, cheeses and olives. A free
tasting is included in the admission fee which also
included my favourite: a local variation of freshly
fried mini-doughnuts that is accompanied by local
jams. A local woman dressed in traditional costume
fished them out of a large pan of searing hot oil
and the visitors were just wolfing them down. They
were delicious.
Delicious Mallorcan mini-doughnuts
Twice a week, Wednesday and Friday afternoon, La
Granja offers demonstrations of these handicrafts
which are followed by a traditional Mallorcan dance
called “Ball de Bot” which features
three dancers and four musicians. Mallorcan traditional
dresses are floor length, with aprons and a white
lace head cover for the women while men wear below-knee
length pantaloons. The dance lasted about 45 minutes.
A visit to La Granja definitely gives you an authentic
idea of life in the 18th century, and for the estate
owners that life must have been pretty good, as
evidenced by the lavish furniture and the casino-style
game tables in the estates parlour.
Traditional folk dancing at La Granja
Around 5 pm I continued my journey and drove back
out to the northern coastline of the island. I drove
through the picturesque village of Banyalbufar which
I had visited on the very first day of this trip,
now nine days ago. I continued west past Estellencs
to the Torre de Verger, an observation tower built
in 1597 that was to alert the locals of any pirate
attacks. The view from here towards the east and
west is simply breathtaking; steep pine-clad mountains
plunge into the jewel-blue Mediterranean coastline.
The northern coastline of Mallorca certainly ranks
among the most beautiful places I have ever travelled
to.
A phenomenal view over Mallorca's north coast from
the Torre de Verger
I continued my coastal drive at a speed of about
30 km/h and let all the approaching vehicles pass
me so I would be able to enjoy this leisurely drive,
all the while taking in the majestic scenery along
Mallorca’s north coast. Some time later the
coastal road turned inland and I started to head
back towards Palma de Mallorca. I exited the highway
at Las Illetes and drove along some of the coastal
roads through the resort areas west of Palma’s
downtown.
Another look at Palma's impressive cathedral, La
Seu
Around 7:30 pm, as the sun moved lower and lower
on the horizon, I finally parked the car in the
port area of Palma de Mallorca and set off on foot
to explore the waterfront promenade of Palma. It
features a walking path as well as a bicycling path,
and hundreds of people were out, strolling, walking
their dogs, rollerblading or biking. One blooming
bush on the waterfront attracted dozens of colourful
butterflies, adding to the evening's serenity.
Butterfly on Palma's waterfront promenade
People were sitting and chatting on many of the
benches and enjoying the late-day sun. Several cafes
with outdoor patios were packed full of people.
The view back at Mallorca’s imposing Gothic
cathedral, La Seu, was amazing. Palma certainly
has an incredibly attractive waterfront that is
actively used and enjoyed by locals and tourists
alike. It was entertaining to watch the hustle and
bustle from my park bench.
One of the windmill's along Palma's waterfront
Finally, as the sun was starting to set I started
to head back east on the highway to Port d’Alcudia.
I reflected back on my absolutely packed day, and
let some of the beautiful images I had seen today
pass back in my memory, and realized I had just
spent one of the most enjoyable travel days of my
life today here in Mallorca.
Palma's sailboat harbour
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