Mallorca 2009 Chapter 7

MALLORCA

Chapter 7

Two lazy days due to inclement weather prompted us to get out and about on Monday morning – the 19th October. There was a cool breeze and it was partly cloudy but as we took the road eastwards, the day improved steadily and by midday was quite stunning – a brilliant blue sky with tiny clouds and no breeze to speak of.
We had planned a round trip which took us eastwards to Manacor past literally hundreds of the island’s peculiar windmills, in various states of repair. Some were originally used to pump water up from underground wells while others were for grinding grain, but most fell into disuse in the early 1970’s and are only now being restored. They are a great feature of the island and it would be sad to see them go.
Manacor is the island’s second largest city and is known for fine furniture production and pearls, but as we were not particularly interested in either, we moved on to the next place in our tour which was Felanitx, almost due south of Manacor. It is supposed to be the centre of white wine production for the island, and is also apparently well known for ceramics, so we thought it worth a stop. However, we should have been fore-warned by the total absence of any sign of vineyards on the approach to the town! What we found was a rather grubby and neglected little place, with practically all of the shops already closed although it was not quite midday and the shop hours were very plainly stated on the doors as being open until 1 pm. Ah well, perhaps, in addition to the three hour siesta every day, they also have early closing on Mondays. Who knows! Anyway we sat in the sun in the town square and enjoyed a cup of coffee, and in that we did not feel let down. We have still not come across a cup of coffee that we have not enjoyed. They really know how to make a good cup in Spain! But coffee was not lunch and however good it was, we did not feel like staying there any longer so we drove further east to the coast and there we found Portocolom, nestled on the side of the only truly natural harbour on the island. By now the day was at it’s best, and how could we resist the thought of relaxing at a waterfront café, watching people messing about in their boats on the sparkling water. So the next hour or so passed very agreeably as we enjoyed the view, the chat going on all around us in a multitude of languages (but mainly German) and the delicious food.
Our return home was via Santanyi and Llucmajor and then back to Palma and home, thus completing a lovely round trip. As we passed through Llucmajor we saw a restored windmill at the side of the road and as there was even a place to stop, I at last got my picture of a windmill.And look at the huge question mark above in the clouds!
I must just say that Neels has fallen back into driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road with no problem at all, which is just as well as the islanders are quite aggressive drivers. They practice a lot of South African tricks, like swerving across three lanes of traffic to make an exit from the motorway, usually all done at the very last moment; or of hooting wildly if the car in front doesn’t move ahead smartly enough. We witnessed a glorious scene at the airport the other day, when we were there on one of our car-swapping expeditions. We were standing waiting at the car rental office, which is located in the entrance to the hire-car garage, when we became aware of a car coming to a halt in the narrowest part of the entrance with the engine roaring. Immediately the car behind hooted. We could see the driver of the front car battling with the gear lever and guessed that his clutch had just given in. With the car behind still hooting impatiently, the front driver sprang out of his vehicle, strode to the one behind and wrenched open the driver’s door. He pulled the man from his car and pretty well bundled him along and pushed him into the driver’s seat of the stuck one. All he forgot to do, in his rage, was to go back to the car behind and start hooting! Because, needless to say, the clutch was gone and nothing was going to make the car move apart from brute strength which is what they eventually had to do.
There are also very few stop streets, as such, here. But there are hundreds of traffic roundabouts, and these, at rush hour, which is pretty much all day, can be a terrifying experience. Everyone else knows where they are going and they do it all at top speed, and all traffic circles are two lanes coming in and two lanes in the circle and two lanes going out again, and if you are not sure about which exit to use, or hesitate a moment too long, you can count on it …….someone will hoot! But on the whole and being used to some of the driving in SA, we are managing well.