Mallorca 2009 Chapter 2

MALLORCA

Chapter 2

Monday 5th October found us whizzing along the motorway in the direction of Palma, looking for a branch of Carrefour, a huge supermarket. The speed was not really from choice but the traffic all seemed to be in quite a hurry to get where it was going and we were carried along with it. Our aim was to purchase one or two things that we thought the apartment lacked, that we couldn’t find in Santa Ponsa, and were quite sure that we could be in and out in a matter of moments. How wrong can one be? Imagine the biggest SA hypermarket, then double it, then add in a branch of Game for good measure and you would probably be close! We managed our shopping quite easily, but then spent a couple of hours oohing and aahing over the variety of goods on offer. We really felt like country bumpkins! In the end we stayed and had lunch in one of the little coffee shops in the complex and then slowly made our way home again while most of the island was enjoying its siesta.

We have got into the habit of trying to find a substantial meal at lunch time, which is often a lot cheaper, and then making our own evening meal of bread, cheese and salads with fruit. Now we know where all SA’s best fruit goes to! The fattest grapes; the sweetest peaches; the most luscious apples! Oh, and of course, we have sampled quite a few wines since arriving and haven’t found a bad one yet.

The next day, being yet another stunning day, we decided to explore a little further afield so we chose a route that traveled in a slightly more northerly direction to that first exploration we had done. This meant that we came out on to the coast slightly higher up than on the first occasion and could travel along quite high up the range of mountains, looking down on the spectacular coastline where the mountain roll right down into the sea, and where, from up above one can look down into the clear blue water and see the sand and rocks way underwater.

Some way on, the road curled inland and we followed it to come to an historic estate called ‘La Granja’. I suppose one could call it a stately home, but it is still a working farm as well as a tourist site and dates back to before 1239. It was almost like a working museum. Unfortunately the demonstrations of the various crafts were not on, but we could still get a good idea of what was used in the old carpenters shop, spinning and dying sheds (for wool), tanning workshop, bakery, dairy etc.
We probably spent the best part of five hours there wandering around, in and out of the grand old house and through the gardens and could have spent even more time. One thing that strck us quite forcefully was the amount of water flowing everywhere, and fountains, until we discovered that the estate sits over a natural spring with underground pressure so great that it can squirt a stream of water 30 metres into the air. The rest of the island is so arid that this made an instant impact.

Back home again and up the 54 steps to the apartment, which I swear I am already managing more easily(!!). Then it was time to relax on the verandah with a glass in hand, watching the boats gliding past on a mirror-like sea until the sun set.