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.
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.
The hostal served breakfast from 0830 to 1200, as compared to previous places I stayed in that started at 0700. They expected you to be an indolent guest. I didn't mind, I had adapted by this time already but it meant that I couldn't start touring until 0930. By about 1400 it's time for lunch and after that it's too hot. So you get about 4.5 hours of touring and maybe an hour or two in the evening. Incidentally the buffet was the best I'd encountered so far, with several choices of everything. But I can't be the glutton I used to be, sadly.
My first destination was the lighthouse Far de Barbaria. It featured prominently in Julio Medem's 2001 film Lucía y el sexo (Sex and Lucia), a stylish love drama which was a breakout role for Paz Vega. A sign outside the ground acknowledges that the film generated tourist interest in this lighthouse. It also said that the lighthouse was remote controlled by technicians on Eivissa.
The terrain around Far de Barbaria is even more barren than that at Mola. It is the southernmost point of the Balearic islands. From here it is possible to see Eivissa as well as a remarkable island off Eivissa called Es Vedrà.
From there I retraced my path to the turn off to Cala Saona, the most accessible west coast beach. The cove has a large hotel, there is beach furniture and the sand is tidied by a vehicle every morning. However it was very uncrowded, with only a few late season tourists, mostly German it seemed, some sunbathing in the nude.
I stopped in the central town of Sant Francesc. There were stalls selling colourful new age clothing and accessories. Eivissa and Formentera have attracted hippie types for a long time. I felt like a gelato. But there was no such shop. How can that be allowed?
North of La Savina, a long peninsula, which, looking at a map, is obviously a geologic continuation of Eivissa, has many good beaches on both sides. There was that incredible clear water again. There is an upmarket restaurant where I had an expensive beer. But the views were worth it.
On the way there are disused salt pans.
I lunched at La Savina before calling it a day's touring due to the heat.
The tourist office helpfully publishes altitude profile charts of the main bike routes on the island. From this I gathered that I would be challenged by the hills so I settled on a moped instead of a bike. All the shops looked similar so I went for one run by a middle-aged man on a less frequented street on the reasoning that he needed the business more than the shops on the main street.
A moped is of course more exposed than a car. On the other hand Formentera is a small island, no more than 18 km long and about 2 km wide at the narrowest part. I was more concerned about bumps and potholes than car drivers. I would have to be more alert.
I had the moped for 2 days so I decided to explore the eastern half today and the other half tomorrow. I headed out for Far de la Mola, at the tip. The road ascended to the town of El Pilar de la Mola, and then led out to the mostly bare headland. Lighthouses these days are automated remote controlled affairs so nobody lives there.
Just the sheer cliffs and the Mediterranean beyond.
On the way back I stopped at El Mirador (The Lookout) which has a commanding view of the east coast.
You can also see the neck of land that the island narrows to. I bought a bottle of mineral water at the restaurant there because I had taken pictures. A tour bus full of older Spanish tourists arrived and I made my escape while they were snapping away.
Back down at sea level I took the short side road to the beach of Es Caló. This was the first time seeing the water up close and I was amazed by the clarity of the pale turquoise water.
The last time I saw water like that was on the north coast of Cuba. No wonder that Formentera tourist brochures talk about Caribbean-like waters.
I took the turn-off for the southern beach of Platja de Migjorn. There is a large hotel here using the long stretch of sand. But as the season was winding down sections of the hotel were closed down.
That beautiful water again.
It was time for lunch and I found a place in Sant Ferran de Ses Roques serving a menu del dia.
In the evening I decided to travel to La Savina for dinner. But first I captured these sunset colours behind the beachfront at Es Pujols.
On the way to La Savina, I passed these salt pans, now out of use. Several cyclists had also stopped to take pictures of the flaming sunset.
Café del Lago, the restaurant I picked, was an upmarket joint. It had a view of Estany d'es Peix, a small lake. The salad with goat cheese was quite good. I noted that the balsamic vinegar came in a spray bottle. The main of lubina (bass) could have been better if they had not overwhelmed it with capers. Service could have been faster. The Italians had even brought their characteristics to Formentera.
It was cold mopeding back to Es Pujols but it was only a few kilometers. I made it back in time for the complementary drink given by my hotel.
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.
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.
The marina was quite attractive.
I liked the orange shutters of this hotel.
