Santuari de Sant Salvador to Porto Cristo: no cars!

April 7, 2013

700 metres downhill, 2296 feet

Climbed 236 metres, 774 feet

Weather: sunny! High 20

By the time we got to breakfast about 8:30, the buffet dishes had been thoroughly picked over by hotel guests who had to drive down the mountain before the road closure, and the dining room was empty except for two German women who were also traveling by bike. They were the only other cycle tourers we met on the island. We didn't have far to go today and the first five kilometres were downhill, so we were in no hurry to leave. We took more photos, but the air was hazy in the morning light and visibility not so good as yesterday afternoon. We loaded up our bikes and then popped into the little cafe at the hotel entrance for some coffee and cake before heading down the hill.

The actual Santuari de Sant Salvador, an elaborate monument a few hundred metres from the monastery

The road was marked off with barriers for the triathlon and the first riders were coming up the hill as we cycled down. We had been worried that the road would be thronged with cyclists and we would have to be careful to avoid collisions, but there were no problems, and several groups of spectators actually cheered us as we zoomed downhill on our loaded Bike Fridays! We had to stop three times to let our rims cool off.

The road was closed to vehicular traffic for the triathlon, so the ride down was quiet as we stopped a few times to cool the wheel rims

As we reached the bottom of the hill and turned right onto yesterday's unpleasantly busy highway, we were delighted to find that road had been closed to car traffic as well. In fact almost the whole way to the coast was free of automobiles because of the triathlon. Traffic only started up again for the last few kilometres of the ride. The sunny warm weather was also a contrast to yesterday, and we stripped off our jackets and long sleeves after descending from Sant Salvador. The ride today was up and down across a range of low hills that separated the interior from the coast, and at the end was a long gentle downhill run into the picturesque town of Porto Cristo. We rode into the centre and enjoyed an alfresco salad lunch at one of the many waterfront restaurants.

The harbour in Porto Cristo near where we had lunch

Our hotel, the Felip, was also on the waterfront, and our comfortable room on the third floor overlooked the harbour and had a nice balcony for sitting outside. We had booked two nights here because we wanted to visit the nearby Coves del Drach (Dragon Caves) tomorrow. Also the half-board rate this time of year was incredibly reasonable, especially for a room with a view of the water.

Looking down from the balcony of the room at the street and waterfront

After getting settled and cleaning up we ambled along the waterfront pedestrian path in the late afternoon sunshine, and then the other way past the marina with lots of different kinds of boats, before returning to our room to read for awhile on the balcony.

The harbour in Porto Cristo in front of our hotel

We went downstairs to dinner at about 7:00 to find the cavernous restaurant very crowded and completely full. There were large groups of cyclists (mostly speaking German) as well as regular hotel patrons. We waited about 10 minutes to be seated, and then were impressed with the many salad, main dish and dessert choices available at the buffet. After a satisfying dinner, we only had to walk upstairs to our room and a good night's sleep.

Today's ride: 25 km (16 miles)
Total: 115 km (71 miles)

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