Majorca is nothing like it probably was 30 years ago. Today it looks like the Mediterranean's answer to Honolulu. In fact tourism is a bigger industry here than in Honolulu. The airport on Majorca was more than two times as busy as Honolulu's airport in 2014. I sure did not expect that to be the case. But when your ship is tied up in front of the sweeping panorama of the Palma de Majorca waterfront you can see what looks like hotels and condos for kilometres. Many Spanish working class people holiday on the island and so do many British, French and Scandinavian people. In addition, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones, Richard Branson and Pierce Brosnan all have a home on the island.
We opted to skip the capital city, although I regret not seeing the Wellver Castle and La Seu Cathedral. We ended up circling behind the city and crossing the mountains that frame the city to see some beautiful coastal villages where current celebrities all hang out and where historic celebrities like Frederic Chopin spent time.
We would ride a narrow-gauge, electric train over the mountains to Soller and explore that beautiful town and then get on a tour bus to make our way over to Valldermossa where Chopin hung out. In between, we would pass through the area where Richard Branson has a high-end Inn and see the house that Pierce Brosnan just built, about a year ago. We didn't see any celebs in person though.
One of the most interesting parts of the tour was the explanation of how the residents of these very dry areas collect water in huge cisterns below their houses. No rain that falls on their roofs runs into the gutter unless the cisterns are full. A sturdy tile roof catches the infrequent rain and it runs down drainpipes into the basement where it is stored until required. The water they collect is used for almost 100% of their daily needs. This is a necessity because there is no fresh water on the island; no lakes and no rivers. The other cool thing is that the entire island seems to be farmed in some way and this is in spite of the fact that the whole place is steep, rocky and inhospitable for modern agricultural practices. For centuries though, the inhabitants have grown olives, citrus fruit and other fruits and vegetables on narrow terraces that are separated by rock retaining walls, all built by hand and all enduring centuries of use by Majorcans.
Tonight, there was some big excitement on board as a guest required a helicopter airlift off the deck beside the running track. I couldn't get close but I witnessed the emergency personnel rappel out of the helicopter to affix a line to the stretcher that was then hoisted up into the aircraft which then flew back to the island. This drama was preceded by a Code Mike announcement over the public address system. This is the second time Mrs. Gym and I have experienced a Code Mike. In 2013, we missed Pitcairn Island because another Code Mike was called on the M/s Marina and we had to haul ass to Easter Island so a lady with a broken hip could fly home. This time we haven't missed anything but we are set back two hours while the rescue took place and our tours tomorrow out of Marseille may be delayed. That's Ok though because Mrs. Gym and I are tired and could use an extra hour of rest.
On to the south of France and tomorrow another song will be playing in my head. This song, I have known since childhood. I will tell you more about that tomorrow. Good night for now.
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| Wellver Castle sitting above Palma |
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| Palma from the ship |
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| La Sue Cathedral, Palma |
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| The narrow-gauge electric trains that would take us 27 kilometres through 17 tunnels to Soller. One of the tunnels is almost 3 kms. The line is called the Ferrocarril de Soller |
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| These train were made in Britain and are well maintained |
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| Soller from the train which entered the valley high above |
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| Saint Bartomeu Church in Soller |
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| After boarding the bus in Soller we drove along the windy coastal road and took in the sights |
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| Lluc-Alcari, a honeymoon spot hanging on the cliffs above the sea between Soller and Valldemossa. This is near Deia, where Branson has a small but very exclusive Inn. It is also near where Bronsan built his shack. |
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| We had a real Majorcan lunch here in this establishment in Valldemossa. The meal was excellent. |
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| The garden of the priory where Chopin holed up for a couple of years in Valldemossa |
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| slightly larger than life-size likenesses of Chopin and his girlfriend in the priory |
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| Chopin's piano where he developed some of his masterpieces. Mrs. Gym got this shot off before the buildings security rushed into the room and told us there were to be no photos in this room. Kudos! |
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| The valley below Valldemossa - note the terraces |
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| This is a shot of the priory where Chopin stayed |
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| the valley below |
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| another shot of Valldemossa from the road back to Palma |
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