Cala Ratjada and Cap de Capdepera

My touring ambitions were diminishing. This was deliberate; I wanted to relax for the last couple of days before the big jump back home. So today I was only doing the north coast of Mallorca with perhaps a stop in Inca, in the centre of the island, to see how the Oktoberfest was going. (Yes, strangely they have it here, not sure if it's due to the German visitors or just something they adopted for fun. I'll add more details later if I find them.)

The itinerary was a drive through Alcudia, the next resort to the east of Pollença, and thence to Artà and Cala Ratjada. Alcudia I was leaving for tomorrow, but I saw it was a much larger resort than Port Pollença. Artà was said to be a good place to view Es Pla, the central plain of Mallorca, but the streets up to the ermita on the hill were so narrow that I feared I would not be able to extricate my car, so I pressed on. When I got to Cala Ratjada (which is actually a sizable town, not just a cove) I didn't see any parking and before I knew it, I was on the road to the lighthouse. So you are seeing the cape first.

This is the northeastern corner of Mallorca. From here there are views down south with your standard rocky outcrops.

And looking north, more rock and sea.

What you don't see in these pictures are all the other tourists on the cape. The road up the cape is single lane all the way with only a few places for passing. I was lucky to meet no cars coming down. I was also lucky to find a spot to park. Some people had walked up the hill from the town and a few hardy ones had cycled.

This group seemed to be getting a lecture from a guide.

This was one of 3 feral but not hostile cats I encountered on the cape. Well perhaps they were put there on purpose, to control rodents maybe; I saw that they had pet food and water put out for them in a nook.

Down in the town I found parking and walked down the main street. This grocer had a colourful collection of chillies hanging outside.

The guide said that Cala Ratjada was a favourite of German package tourists. They were indeed everywhere. I heard them on the beaches, in the streets, in the fields, in the landing grounds, oops wrong speech. All the signboards and menus had German translations, and even German dishes for those who didn't dare to try Spanish food.

This Italian restaurant is named after that famous Neapolitan song Oh My Fish or is it Oh My Shoe?

The marina was quite attractive.

I refreshed myself with a beer (non-alcoholic, because I was driving) and a gelato.

I liked the orange shutters of this hotel.

I headed inland towards Inca. Here the landscape was flat plains, unspectacular but of course vital for growing food. As I was passing through Manacor, a large industrial town, the sky opened up. So I parked the car and had a lunch of cold chicken and bread in the car.

Just as well I had done the Tramuntana already, it would be no fun in this weather. Then again I have it on good authority that The Rain in Mallorca Stays Mainly on the Plain so the mountains might have been ok. Hmm, that line doesn't sound catchy, I'll get back to you about that.

At Inca there was no sign of the Okoberfest. Maybe it was for the evening. The Lidl supermarket I stopped at on the way back had closed early, at 1500, for the Oktoberfest. Some German shoppers were also disappointed, I heard a father utter scheisse.

Port Pollença and Formentor

A detail on the wall of the courtyard of the hotel indicated that the building dated from 1723. It was a venerable old hotel with old furnishings and decor, but the rooms were modern. It was a welcome touch of luxury after a few days in an economy Eivissa room.

There were two grand palm trees in the courtyard. It was a haven of peace; the hotel was metres away from a busy main street. Many lodgers elected to take breakfast there. I wished I could relax longer but I had only till midday.

With an hour to spare before checkout, I made a circumambulation of La Seu, the cathedral. This time I made it to the front portal but didn't look inside. There were many tourists, some in groups, as evidenced by leaders giving lectures.

I vacated my room and left my backpack at reception while I looked for lunch. At the patisseria I bought an empanada of beef and peas, an ensaïmada with apricot and some panellets. The empanada was basically a meat pie, the ensaïmada was similar to a danish and the panellets I saved for later. I ate the first two sitting on a park bench.

Then I recovered my backpack and caught the bus to the airport. It was fairly empty at my stop but filled up at Plaça de Espanya. I arrived at the collection desk at the car park on the dot, completed the paperwork and drove to Port Pollença, at the other end of the island, but only about 60 km away from Palma.

The hotel didn't appear on municipal signs so I spent some time driving around the small port looking for it. Eventually I parked the car in the free parking lot and searched for it on foot. It was a relief to find it, I wondered if it existed. It was spanking new with all the mod cons, furnished in modern style. I was glad that worked out; it was new enough to have no reviews on websites.

Before sunset, I took a drive up Formentor peninsula. At the mirador, there were stunning views of the sheer cliffs on one side and the bay on the other.

Here's another view, of the bay. But really a couple of pictures cannot do the location justice. You'll have to ask me to show you more photos when I get home.

Then a long drive up the thin peninsula to the cape. The road was tortuous and everytime I thought surely it must be around the next corner, there were more bends up ahead. But finally the lighthouse hove into view. It was dusk by now and the light was fading, but it was a good time for dramatic pictures.

The lighthouse had commenced operation for the night. Later I could see its flashes from the port.

There were 2 other cars coming to the lighthouse after me so I was almost but not quite the last visitor for the day.

Back at the port, diners were out enjoying their meal al fresco. Some hotels even had tables on piers extending into the water so you could dine surrounded on 3 sides by water.

A small night market was running, selling mostly handicraft and tourist souvenirs.

Oh the panellets? They were yummy. They are marzipan balls with pine nuts stuck all around it. Well worth the price; about 2.40€ for 50g.

I think I did well to pick Port Pollença as my base for the last few days.