Daily Destinations Around Mallorca

Alaró & Pollença

Points of Interest:

AlarΓ³: Below are many views of Castillo de Alaro that was built by the island's Christian inhabitants to ward off invasions from pirates. Also featured is the town's Saturday market in the town square

PollenΓ§a: This town was founded by the Catalans in the 13th century. A major highlight is the Calvary steps, 365-step stairway north of the square; this leads up to a chapel on top of the hill known as Calvary

SΓ³ller & Port de SΓ³ller

Points of Interest:

Soller: The tren de Soller, also called "Vitamin C Express, " connects the valley of Soller to the capitol Palma. At one time a vital trade route now serves as a scenic route for tourists while they ride the wooden railway cars. 

Port de Soller: Situated in a horseshoe harbor surrounded by the Tramuntana Mountains this village is stunning from all angles. 

A Taste of Local Culture

We quickly discovered that Mallorca, as we hear is true of Spain in general, is a place that loves to celebrate local harvests, saints, and traditions. These celebrations maintain a strong sense of community and culture while also providing the avenue for the continuation of another tradition in Mallorca; having a good time.  November in Mallorca saw us exploring many local festivals dedicated to wine, mushrooms, honey, and olives. Our own city of Inca hosted many fiestas centered around the celebration of Dijous Bo. Although some of the festivities felt foreign or unfamiliar to us; one can feel very at home when sharing in the appreciation for local foods and products. Plus who doesn't love drinking local wine or grilling your own sausages and mushrooms on a grill in a city street.

Valldemossa

Birthplace of Mallorca's patron saint, Saint Catalina Thomas, where Frederic Chopin and George Sands wintered in 1838-1839, and such a beautiful, quaint Mallorcan town we have been three times. 

A Year in the Mediterranean: An Ongoing Photography Collection

When we found out we were assigned to the island of Mallorca to be language assistants we had to first enlist the help of google maps to find out where we would be. The light research we did and anecdotes we heard from people, those few Americans who even know where it is, suggested a tourist resort island full of German and British sun seekers. We were excited to find out that the island had mountains as well as beautiful beaches;however, we still arrived in Mallorca in late September not knowing what to expect from our new temporary home. 

Mallorca's mixture of beaches, mountains, old stone towns, and pastoral scenes continue to impress us on our many excursions. We are so fortunate to be working in a place where we can bike down quiet country roads thru groves of olive, almond, and orange trees. We hope these backdated albums shed a light on the natural, cultural, and artistic beauty of Mallorca.

Today's feature: the Mallorcan Countryside