Azure Mallorca

We decided on Mallorca as the destination for our week off in September with no specific reason, just a lure of the azure blue ocean in google images. Despite all the hassle getting there and during the trip, it was still worth the trouble.

The train to Gatwick was not only delayed but there was no space to keep our luggage, our flight itself was fine but on landing we had to hunt down our luggage at a service desk as it had been removed from the belt and then we had to wait in queue for 90 minutes to collect the rental car after which we were given a faulty car and had to return it. By the time we reached the hotel in the nearby town of El Arenal, it was 10pm despite having landed just after 5pm. On first look, we did not form a good impression of Mallorca. We were looking for a quiet island holiday but apparently we had chosen a party island. There were thousands of hotels and people everywhere.

We had booked self catering accommodation but since we did not get a chance to shop for anything, we decided to eat our first breakfast outside. We walked on the promenade taking in the beach and all its touristy traps just a street away from where the hotel was.

The breakfast was served by authentic Spanish waiters. After breakfast, we drove to Palma to get a feel of the town and visited the cathedral. When we emerged from the underground parking, there were fitness classes happening all around us along the canal by the cathedral. The cathedral itself was huge and beautiful.

As the sunlight was streaming through the stained glass window, the inside of the church was coloured with divine rainbow light.

We ended up attending a mass in Spanish as it was Sunday morning. My brief interest in Spanish meant that I understood a few words like "porque" and "hablar" but mostly we were clueless. We then walked around town, ate gelato and I bought this lovely senorita fridge magnet for my mom.

We then drove to Belvere castle which was up on a hill with a chess castle like exterior and colloseum like circular interior.

After enjoying the views from the castle, we decided to drive back to the hotel as the heat was beginning to peak at over 30 degrees. On the drive back, we stopped to buy take away Indian food for a late lunch/early dinner which tasted less than good. After cooling down in the AC room for a few hours, we went out for a sunset walk on the promenade and shopped for supplies in Eroski city nearby.

The next morning we had an early start and went to the Tramuntana mountain range. Our first stop was at a monastery which was obviously not open at 7 but it was a lovely building with bird song all around. We drove on to Escorca view point which delivered on the lovely views promised. 

We then stopped by Gorg Blau lake which was a reservoir with some birds and little fish jumping up from the water every few minutes. It was quite tranquil and this was closer to the holiday experience we were hoping for than El Arenal was.

Our main stop for the day was at Cuber lake and we did a circular walk around the lake that morning.

Our return to the car was a welcome respite from the heat. The early morning start combined with a gentle breeze meant we were napping in the car in no time. After half an hour of power nap, we drove on to another view point with a view of Port Soller.

We then went to Son Marroig which had a glorious view of a cove and held a museum in what used to be the residence of an Italian Prince. The museum was miss-able but the views were not, no wonder the Prince made this place his home. If I were to choose a single view of Mallorca out of our trip, I would choose this azure one.

The heat had peaked and we drove back to our room through the beautiful mountain village of Valldemossa.

It had turned cloudy and gray that evening so we didn't go out expecting a sunset and instead relaxed in the room and packed as we were leaving El Arenal the next morning. The buildings were constructed wall to wall in El Arenal that gave a sense of claustrophobia and the crowds made it worse. I was glad we were moving on.

The next morning we had lovely bread omlette that I made for breakfast and drove to a scuba diving centre that Lakshman had found on the Internet, located within a hard to find marina. But it turned out that they wouldn't let me try it as I can't swim and the trip that Lakshman could possibly go on was at 3pm and it was only 9am. Slightly disappointed, we quickly changed our plan for the day. We drove to Sant Elm and filled our backpack with snacks for the day. We took the boat from Sant Elm to Dragonera island. This island was a short way from mainland and got its name from its shape and from being home to millions of lizards.

The water near the island was very clear!

Our boat left at 10.45am and we spent the day hiking up the mountain in the island making lizards scatter hither and thither simply by walking on the path.

Lakshman was more excited than me about the lizards as they were wildlife to him but to me they got creepy after a point and when they slithered, it felt like they were on me. Yuk. 

We also saw also sighted kestrals, a peregrine and an osprey from the island. The hike was very long as the path zig zagged but we were never out of breath as the long route meant the gradient was very gentle. The views were absolutely gorgeous so despite the creepy lizards and light tan from walking in the full glare of the sun, it was still a great breezy day out. 

We returned to the pier rather early for the boat so we relaxed in the shade giving our feet much needed rest well away from the lizards. Once back in the charming beach town of Sant Elm, we stopped at a cafe for sandwiches and Lakshman ordered a massive dessert.  

We then drive to the town of Can Picafort which was on the opposite coast of the island and nearly 100km away. This town was a lot better than El Arenal and I loved our accommodation in Charly's service apartment that had a generous balcony with sea view. The streets were wide, buildings constructed judiciously and palm trees everywhere! After a much needed shower, we went for a walk in the beach that evening.

The next day was not great. We had breakfast of eggs and packed sandwiches for lunch and went to  Albufeira natural park. It was a bird watching site and I usually like these places because they are in natural surroundings but Lakshman loves them due to the bird life. We went to the visitor's centre and walked along paths and did some bird watching from hides. We sighted a nesting osprey which was pretty cool. There were many bird enthusiasts but not that many birds and there were too many big mosquitoes. Still the morning was pleasant as we walked along canals and well laid paths.

Against my better judgement, we went on a route Lakshman wanted to go on to see a Marsh Harrier. That route turned out to be several kilometres long and we ended up walking on that route for 4 hours from about 10am to 2pm. That was when the heat peaked on the island and there was no shade so I got too tan for my liking. Most of the route was by agricultural fields and there were no Marsh harriers in sight. To say I was pissed off would be a massive understatement.

We came back to the room for a much needed shower as our clothes were drenched and relaxed in the room the rest of the day. Mozarella bites and vanilla milkshake from Burger king helped with the relaxation bit.

I bathed in the beach in the evening during sunset and cooled down further. As I had walked 31000 steps, I slept like a log that night.

The next day we got up at 4.30, had coffee in the room, packed sandwiches for breakfast and drove to Cape Formentor to watch the sunrise. We made it just before the sun broke the surface and the beautiful hills, the winding roads and the lighthouse were lit in faint orange glow. It was quite phenomenal!

We then stopped at stop a view point and hiked to the top of a hill to see the lighthouse from a distance and other lovely views around the mountains.

We noticed a cove called Cala Figuera on the way and decided to hike down to cove and eat our breakfast there. The path was gravelly and I walked with extra care as I was prone to tripping even on flat surfaces. Lakshman called out a warning saying the next bit of path was tough and I should take care, but the next moment, he was on the floor wedged on the steep narrow path with camera and tripod in hand and glasses askew. I really panicked but he took it in his stride and within a few minutes, he was focused on clicking some long exposure shots of the cove. Had I fallen, the morning mood would have been drastically different. It was another instance of how he continues to amaze me.

We ate the breakfast of sandwiches and the uphill walk back to the car was a lot quicker somehow. Next we stopped at a beach called Playa de Formentor and relaxed in the shade of a tree watching the sun sizzle on the water surface. This was a topless beach and we talked about how all beaches are topless for men by default and if a beach is specifically coined as topless, it only refers to women's clothing. Another stupid double standard in this patriarchal world.

We then drove back down the hills and were stunned by the crowds on the way back and the long queue to park in a view point called Mirador Es Colomer which we were planning to stop at but the crowds discouraged us and we were back at Charlys apartment by noon, the perfect time to return in a sunny island (in my opinion). We saw a lovely view of the Port of Pollenca on our way back. We had take away lunch from burger king and relaxed in room that afternoon.

Once the day cooled down, we went for a relaxing walk along the promenade. One cannot tire of these views!

The next day was our last full day at the island so we went to the beach to watch the sunrise and then went for a morning walk barefoot on the beach.

We had breakfast in the room and went on a boating trip to Parc natural from the Can Picafort marina. We noticed the yellow boats with slides to enter the ocean in style! And it was a beautiful day!

The ocean was incredibly blue and Lakshman did a really cool thing. He jumped off the boat (along with a few other tourists) into the open sea for a bit of swimming. It was a lovely day out with the journey much longer than the stops but with views like these, no complaints!

We walked back to Niagara restaurant on the promenade and shared a pizza and ordered a massive dessert each as this was our last meal out. There were huge parrots in the restaurant that freely wandered the promenade and said "Ola" to passersby, it was really cool!

After that late lunch, we went back to the room to escape the worst of the heat and napped. In the evening, we were back at the beach for a bath in the sunset and I was filled with a sort of melancholy as I said goodbye to this blue paradise.

I did not know if we would ever come back or when such a week long vacation might happen again considering our changed mindset about vacations. The lyrics of the song lag ja gale was playing in my mind reminding me to cherish this fleeting moment of beauty as it was not going to last. The orange glow around me signalled that the sun had finally set.

The next morning we drove to the airport, returned the car without much fuss and caught the Monarch flight back to London. This was perhaps the last Monarch flight that travelled as per schedule as the company ceased trading after that.

Mallorca, we learnt, was a destination where British tourists went to unwind and get a tan. Since I hate getting a tan, we did the opposite of what the normal tourists did. They woke up late, had a relaxed breakfast, usually hung out in the resort town they stayed in, lounged in the beach or by a pool all day and went out for dinner. We woke up at ridiculously early hours considering we were on a vacation, watched the sun rise, explored far away corners of the island, stayed indoors during the hottest hours, cooked several meals and only ventured into the beach after sunset.

It was a lovely trip with mostly ups and some downs. Our sudden clear view of the big picture made this trip sort of a profound turning point for us. Despite all the heaviness, Mallorca is a stunning holiday destination as long as one manages to stay away from the crowds, quite a challenge that!