Majorca

Me in Pollensa. We landed on Majorca at the bay of Formentor where we had holidayed many years ago. We took up a buoy, there were many to choose from- we thought it was going to be busy. We had been there half an hour when this went to thisIt was a microburst, right over us. Thunder, lightning, torrential rain, the winds- Simon estimated 60mph- our boat spun and spun. Thank god we were on a buoy – the first one this season!! It was quickly over and the sun came out as if nothing had happened!! lovely blue uninterrupted skyA view of our selected part of the beach – which is known as The Bounty Beach as the first bounty bar ad was filmed there on a tree that leaned out onto the beach. Us on that beach – We were there for 2 days as we liked it so much. No one asked us for payment for the buoy. Then into Puerto Pollensa, to the PortsIB marina, right next to the beach- which we visited- several times! My new best friend- the pink rubber ring. It will feature again…Pollensa is the place to visit. We took the bus. Pollensa has retained much of its olde worlde charm with it’s narrow twisting streets. After 1229 the Knights Templar began the building of the main church – Nostra Senyora dels Angels. It has a rosette window but the interior is quite dark and the alter is several stories high The pride of the town is the beautiful Via Crucis ( Way of the Cross).You have to walk up these 365 steps to the little chapel at the top. Which was enchanting. It’s called the El Calvari chapel and it houses a Gothic statue of Christ. There was also a Roman bridge imaginatively called Pont Roma. It was left by the town’s founders and spans the Torrente de Sant Jordi, which wasn’t even a trickle when we were there!Then we progressed around the north coast to Soller. The journey was magnificent. The mountainous backdrop to Porto Soller was picturesque. It’s situated in a valley, sheltered by the Serra de Alfàbia mountain massif and overshadowed by the lofty Puig Major. (4740ft) It has a plentiful supply of orange and olive groves and vineyards thanks to the irrigation canals built by the Arabs in the 8thC. We anchored without problems. There’s a tram, a vintage tram which we took into Soller. There were a couple of interesting buildings – the Chuch of Sant Bartomeu and the Bank of Soller both designed by a disciple of Gaudí. The Botanical Gardens containing plants native to the Balearics,were good. It showed us how plants survive the climate. So there were a lot of dead looking plants! But also some good ones- and this view:-That evening there was a celestial event- after a beautiful sunsetwhich we watched with interest from our beach restaurant . You CAN see Mars with the moon. The big thing to do in Soller is to leave it! By going on this vintage train to Palma. Well it’d have been rude not toIn Palma, we walked.There was much to seeThe Plaza Mayor with its lovely archways, which is very lively with street entertainers and restaurants in the evening. We had a coffee..found this fountain with a column supported by turtles. Poor turtles!We thought this boulevard looked a bit like Las Ramblas in Barcelona By Gaudí Hats! So I bought one! We we’re quite lucky to see the Changing of the Guard at midday. It was quite a spectacle. Including a band and lots of drumming. Had to be done!!!The Cathedral was well worth a visit- it was HUGE and had a ceremonial canopy designed by Gaudí. Cathedral Le Seu dates from 1306 and is considered the most precious architectural treasure of the Balearics and one of Spain’s most outstanding Gothic structures The reflection from the other Rose stained glass windowFlying buttress on the Cathedral. Next we went into the Palace de l’Almudaina, a former royal residence built after 1309 using the walls of an Arab fortress. It is still King Felipe VI’s official Palma residence. Three fireplaces in the Castle and below one of the sumptuous tapestries View from the CastleThe Cathedral from our beer stopWall Muriel by Joan Miro and below:- the Arab Baths- Banys Arabs from the 10 th C. The main room, here, is covered with a dome resting on 12 columns. This is one of the few architectural reminders of the Moorish presence on these islands. The next pics are from our trip back round to Alcudia Alcudia old town, a couple of anchoragesgoing south. Then our bow going into the national park of beautiful Cabrera, which had such good snorkeling- we were surrounded by beautiful fish. But no shark! Then Cala Portal Velli, where we found cave carvings. Then Santa Ponsa, where once again we anchored in a bay. We met up with Sam and Rose from Zora and enjoyed their company for a while and a meal. From there we jumped to Ibiza…Not so good:-We had a contretemps with a PortsIB official who accused us of lying to try to get onto ‘his’ pontoon. We’d booked on line and payment had been made, all of which he refuted despite being shown proof. We had to leave and go anchor, are now trying to reclaim our money, which he denied having but the office in Palma, whilst agreeing with this man(!) have now found and say they’ll refund us. Once we have our money- a strong letter of complaint will be sent. He was SO rude. Don’t suppose it’ll do any good.