Sóller

I woke around 0600, not bad considering this was 1400 back home. It was still dark; Mallorca is  west of its timezone longitude, and it was also on summer time, so the sun sets late. I could see why some reviewers, perhaps Germans used to lots of choice at breakfast, complained that the selection was poor. There was one type of most things; one salami, one cheese, one jam, one yoghurt. But there were a few types of bread and pastries. That was fine by me. No ensaïmadas unfortunately; I would have to try those elsewhere.

The streets to the station were very quiet, being Saturday morning. I had marked this day for Sóller and its port. First, it was market day in Sóller. Second, there was a ride on the historic Palma - Soller train. I had also decided to take the advice of a forum post which suggested going early on the bus and returning by train in the early afternoon, before everybody tries to leave by the last service of the day at 1800. This suited my body clock fine.

The Sóller train station and metro+bus station are side by side. I took the 0930 bus to Port de Sóller via Valldemossa and Deià. Smallholdings of olive trees lined the highway. This side of the Serra de Tramuntana, the main range of Mallorca, the slopes were patchy. On the other side of the divide, it was lusher. Valldemossa was chock full of tourists as it's an easy day trip from Palma and nearby resorts. There were heaps of holiday residences in sight. Frederic Chopin and George Sand stayed here back in 1838.

We followed the coast on a tortuous road with great views over steep cliffs to the Mediterranean. I could see why the classical scholar and poet Robert Graves made Deià his home, turning out works such as I, Claudius and The Greek Myths here, instead of in dreary England.

Finally we were deposited in Port de Sóller. It has a little sheltered cove and is popular with the French and British. The sand was brown, but the harbour had some charm.

I spent about an hour walking along the esplanade and exploring the small streets behind the harbour. Its sights were easily exhausted, which was just as well because I had to catch the1200 tram to Soller to have enough time to catch the train at 1400.

The tram line was single and we had to wait at the midpoint for the descending service to swap over.

The tram went right through the street where the market was being held. I got off, the tram started up again and I realised that the tram terminus was further up. On second thought, I realised that I had done the right thing. I could work my way up from the markets to the train station.

There were stalls selling clothing and artistic artifacts. I was more interested by the local products: pastries, confectionery, smallgoods, cheese, bread and olives, though I only came away with some saturn peaches from the local market. If they were anything like the ones I had in Italy, they would be juicy and sweet. I was not disappointed when I tried them after lunch.

The town square with a cathedral overlooking it was chock full of tourists viewing the stalls or having drinks or lunch in the open air. So were the side streets.

I had about an hour. If I went for one of the tourist selections, it might involve a long wait and might be overpriced too. What to do?

Walking past a cafe I saw that they offered Pa amb Oli (Bread with (Olive) Oil). In fact there is usually something more on the bread, in this case serrano ham and cheese.That should be quick to serve and eat, and light enough for me.

When the plate arrived there was salad too so it was an excellent choice. The restaurant also had a sunny garden which was popular and fully seated.

At this point I still didn't know where the train station was. Ah wait, just retrace my steps to the town square where the tram line is and follow it to the terminus. Sóller is not a large town and soon the train station hove into view. 

There were a couple of kittens near the tracks. There were a bit too nervous to let anybody touch them.

The carriages filled up quickly. Couples and families on a day outing accounted for most of the passengers. The train went through many tunnels on the way up the mountain.

A Spanish extended family with lively kids got off at Bunyola. That was smart of them because it was boring landscape for the rest of way to Palma. Some industrial land with waste strewn about some lots. Perhaps the recession has reduced the policing of dumping. The train went through the city streets on the way home. A Chinese run variety shop was named El Corte Chino (The Chinese Cut), a play on El Corte Inglés (The English Cut), a large department store and supermarket chain. I encountered many Chinese run shops. One wonders how they are surviving the recession.

As I was still falling asleep early, I decided to just eat the food I had with me and not go to a restaurant. At a supermarket I bought some bottled water and apples. I forgot to weigh the apples in their section, expecting there to be a scale at the cashier. She was understanding.