Mallorca--3/12--3/17/11

Cathedral at Palma, Mallorca

Ancient windmill on the road to Alaro

almost to the top of Castelo d'Alaro

mountains north of Palma

We hiked to the top

Gloria, Ann & Terry at Es Verger for lunch

house decor at Vallemossa

close-up of our first course

we saw a lot of sheep

What a beautiful view of the Mediterranean

tiles on the homes at Valldemossa

my fav

It's not what we expected. Mallorca is a really beautiful island that has so much to offer. I expected something smaller, I don't know why. But it's very large with mountains all around that are quite tall, 4000 feet, which are amazing for an island. Surrounding this wooded island is, of course, the magnificent Mediterranean, the body of water that is so clear with varying hues of blue and green.

Every day that we drive we see thousands of cyclists because it's an area that is perfect for cycle training. The weather is decent, not too much rain normally; the roads are good and not too crowded in the country; Spain at this part of the year is less expensive. It's pretty fun to see all the bright colors in a line or a group, and because our friend Terry is a cyclists in Great Britain, he is able to explain so much about the sport of bicycle racing and touring. That makes it even more interesting.

Terry and Ann are friends we met when we went to Ecuador to the Galapagos Islands. They are the ones whose home we went to in France and picked grapes a few years ago. Very fun to be with. So, when we decided to stop in Spain on our way back from Egypt (earlier plans), we asked them if they'd like to meet us in Mallorca. So, they flew down and rented a car while we reserved a condo, and it worked out very well. They have visited Mallorca several times, so they know the island pretty well and were able to show us several places we likely wouldn't have seen.

We took several hikes. Our favorite was the 3 hour hike to an old castle-fort site that was 2500 feet up with sheer drop-offs and beautiful, enormous bolders. After we got back down, we ate at a quaint farmhouse and had snails for the first time in our lives. Then we had lamb with roasted potatoes, pork chops, salad, olives and wheat bread, with wine. For dessert, homemade flan. It was delicious and way too much food!

The sun, which was in and out, came out often when we wanted our coffee and cakes, either around 11 or 3. We did have some really tasty treats; my favorite was a lemon tart with meringue that we ate in Soller, Mallorca. Terry's favorite was an apricot puff pastry that we had in Barcelona. But there were lots more that were pretty fabulous. Oh, I forgot about the crepe with bourbon gelato and orange sauce. Hmmm. Hard choice.

When the sun wasn't out and the rain was coming down, it was very chilly. The wind also made it uncomfortably cold, so we wore our jackets and hats most of the time. Every so often, I wished for gloves, and I'm extremely grateful for Tamara's advice to wear a scarf. Not sure we'll travel much north of 15 degrees in the winter anymore.

The architecture we saw all over Spain, Portugal and Morocco was most intriguing. It ranged from 800 BC (or earlier) to 1900's and was a wide variety of styles from Romanesque to Gaudi. We were constantly looking up at columns, rooflines, windows and shutters, mantels, balconies, wrought iron, and sparkling surfaces. Both inside and out, each building was a marvel. The architecture of the Moors found in all 3 countries is so unique, we were constantly surprised. Their use of colors, shapes, rooflines, and gardens with water features invited visitors to stay and enjoy their quiet beauty.

Small quaint villages boast doorways with pots of red, white or pink cyclamen or ferns, or lilies that invite visitors into narrow lanes with walls of stacked rocks or limestone. So many houses in Spain have green shutters of various shades with walls of pale yellow, pink, or white. In many of the towns we visited, homes had beautifully hand painted tiles at the entry. On Mallorca, we noticed this especially in Valldemossa a picturesque and charming village nestled in the mountains, but we saw this in other villages, too. Port de Soller on the northwest coast of the island is a small town that begins at the edge of the Mediterranean and sweeps up the mountains with both large villas and small houses all along its valleys and sides. The homes are beautiful—natural stone with red tile roofs against the blue of the sea. Big boulders hang over the sides and sheep graze on the slopes. We got to visit Robert Graves' home in Deia where there were also sheep on the nearby hillsides and homes clinging to the cliffs.

Port de Soller, Mallorca

Cyclists on every road!

Our trip is at its end; we were privileged to see and do so much, I can't describe it all here. The culture in these countries is so fascinating, and we enjoy both the art and architecture of each one. Of course the food is of huge interest to us, and we love to taste, try to figure out the ingredients, and make plans to try to reproduce it at home, which is where we are now. Thank you for your interest in our blog and for your letters and messages to us. We love to travel, but we do miss our home, family and friends, and we sink down in our own bed, grateful to be home, but already making plans for our next trip, which, by the way, is to Poland, Hungary and Austria on May 21. We hope you can catch our blog while we're there.  (http://www.terryandgloriainpoland.blogspot.com/)