One week ago today, and yesterday, and the day before...

Before time really gets away from me, I will smush a few days of our trip into this post

One week ago from this past Wednesday, my morning started wonderfully with an amazing Mallorquin breakfast. Out hotel breakfast buffet included an entire table of specialties from the island, as well as the other three Belearic Islands, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera.

Besides the delicious oranges, on the plate: (moving clockwise from the roll)
tomato slices, olives, pate, Menorcan cheese, sausage, and sobresada (a paprika spiked sausage next to the roll)

After that yummy breakfast, and getting ready, we got in the car and headed east to Manacor. Manacor is best known as the world headquarters of Majorica Pearls, the only recognized brand of immitation pearl in the world. I've been thinkng lately about a strand of pearls, and while not willing to shell out thousands for a strand of Mikimotos, I decided that Majorica would be a good start. We were a little disappointed with the "museum" that was actually a few tables set up around the showroom that simulated how Majorica pearls are made. The showroom instead was pretty large. Best though, was the lovely necklace that I brought home with me :)

From the pearl factory, we headed northeast to Arta, an extremely old town that shows evidence of both Roman and Muslim influence. We drove through the town and then explored the Sanctuary of San Salvador.

looking down on the town of Arta from the Sanctuary of San Salvador

Our time at San Salvador was both peaceful and beautiful. Despite the chilly weather, we explored for quite a long time, and only made our way back to the car when a few rain drops started to fall. The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring Canyamel and Cala Rajada, mainly in the car due to the rain.

One week ago yesterday, we took needed break from the car, and spent quite a bit of time enjoying the sun and exploring the main city of the island, Palma. The city is quite charming, and is one of the reasons I find Mallorca to be an island that is "liveable". It was an especially exciting time to be in the city, as the king of Spain and his family, celebrate Easter in Palma. The city was abuzz with preparations to provide the royal family with a lovely stay. One of the most outstanding buildings in the city is the cathedral, or La Seu. It was so cool to think that King Juan Carlos and his family would be sitting in the same building we stood before. I was completely intrigued and convinced Joern to go into the cathedral. It did not disappoint. Of special significance to me was the amazing stained glass and the interior design by famed Spanish architect, Antonio Gaudi. The cathedral was absolutely breathtaking from the inside, just the size alone was awesome. I found the altar completely fascinating, espeically the gigantic chandalier above the altar, Gaudi designed to represent the crown of thorns.

We spent some more time meandering up and down the hilly streets. It was such an enjoyable day.

Surprisingly, Joern decided to take me back to one of my favorite towns, Valldemosa after our time in Palma. Valldemosa is nestled in the Tramuntana Mountains. Michael Douglas owns a finca here, and once you go to Valldemosa, it is quite simple to see what attracted him to this incredible heaven.
We walked to the outskirts of the town, and then back to the shops in the center, where I purchased some lovely painted tiles that spell out our last name.

We returned to the Palma harbor in the evening, to watch the sunset, and the lights illuminate the cathedral. Palma at night is a magical place!

One week ago today, we decided to take a scenic drive, as most shops were closed for Good Friday. We headed to the northernmost point of the island, Formentor. On the way, we stopped to spend some time in Puerto Pollenca, a pleasant little port town.

Following our time in Puerto Pollenca, we made our way first to the Platja de Formentor (Formentor Beach) that serves the public and guests one of the island's most exclusive hotels, the Hotel Formentor. We walked along the beach for a while, and enjoyed the stunning views and staring into the incredible blues of the clear water.

From the beauty of the beach, we made our way out along the peninsula of Formentor. The drive out is absolutely glorious, albeit slightly frightening along the at-times extremely narrow and sometimes unprotected cliff edge roads.

The pinacle of the drive is the Cap de Formentor, high on a cliff that is topped by a large lighthouse. Standing at this point, with the strong winds hitting the island, and the sea roaring over 300 meters below is quite a moving experience. To me, it is a place I feel to be spiritual, as you stand there, you understand that we are just a small part of a much larger whole. It was a perfect day!