May 25, 2022
Palma or Bust
What a night! We knew there was a storm coming in but I don't think I have ever seen lightening like that. It lit up our hotel room with each crack. So much so, we decided to open the windows and shutters to watch the show. Not sure that was a good idea because the flashes of light were blinding. I half wondered if the next lightening bolt would find its way into our window. And did it rain! This all happened at about 2am and by morning, there were still some clouds hanging on the hills and it was breezy. Roads and sidewalks were drying quickly.
We have been on Mallorca since May 14 and have spent the entire time on one side of the island but there is much more to see. So we decided to pay a visit to Palma today. If not now, we would not see it at all. On our return, we told the host at the hotel that we had gone to Palma and he replied, 'Why?'. Indeed. It's a big city and we haven't heard anyone speak glowingly about it. But, it feels important to put perspective on our visit to Mallorca.
Palma is home to about 420,000 people and the airport serves 29 million visitors per year. So, we expected to see a lot of people today. And we did, but it was not overwhelming. I suspect the hotels still have low occupancy based on how empty the beaches were. However, we noticed plane after plane flying in to land at the airport as we rode the seaside bike path so it's about to get very busy.
It is only about a 30 minute drive from to Palma from Soller and it is rideable but not that pleasant of a ride so we chose to take the bus after learning that the public transit busses here on the island take bicycles. We didn't know how it would work so we just showed up at the bus terminal and followed the driver's instructions. For 9 euro each, we hung our bikes on special bike hooks near the back door. These hooks are just like those you would find on European trains. We wore our N95 masks as masks are mandatory on public transit. The bus was packed and everyone complied with this requirement.
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Our plan was to find the seaside bike route and ride it from one end to the other and back again. Then we would try to take in some of the old town and at least wander around the massive cathedral.
We exitted the bus and found an elevator at the bus station which delivered us into a city park right next to a bike path. How convenient! Out came the iphone and within a couple of minutes we had a route planned on Kamoot that would lead us to the seashore. Truth be told, as long as we chose the right direction on the bike path, it took us right there.
This bike path is not for the tentative cyclist, however. For one, it is a two way path for the most part (occasionally, one lane disppears then resumes a couple of blocks later) and each lane is about as wide as a cafe table. Add in the traffic and the pedestrians and scooters and let's just say there's no room for hesitation.
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The skies were grey today, with intermittent sunny patches here and there but it was still warm out. This is a shot of the coastal area we rode. The bike path goes about as far as you can see in this photo. All told, we rode it for 30k out and back.
Palma's harbour is one very long sandy beach. Not many people used the beach today, but we did come acrosss these young people enjoying a game of beach volleyball.
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Our starting and ending point on the bike path was right at La Seu, the massive cathedral. We have seen many photos of this building but there's nothing like being in its commanding presence.
We could not go inside the cathedral with nowhere to leave the bikes, let alone the fact we were wearing shorts. A stock photo will have to suffice.
The basilica took 400 years to complete and was at the shoreline at one time. They built a small lake in front to remind us of that fact.
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A walking tour would be an ideal way to learn more about Palma, but that will have to wait for another trip. It didn't take long before we found the throngs of tourists wandering the streets of the old city and that signaled it was time to extricate ourselves and head back to the bus station. Komoot to the rescue! Within minutes we found the bike path and managed to follow it back to the station.
We located the bus to Soller but another cyclist was in the queue and since the bus only takes two bikes, we had to wait for the next bus. No problem, it runs every 30 minutes. The local buses run on natural gas, they are clean, have free wifi with USB chargers throughout, and use card tap in/tap out system for locals. They take cash or credit cards, too. The coverage on the island is also impressive. We caught the 2:30 bus and were back at our hotel by just after 3pm. It felt good to be back in our peaceful oasis.
We had dinner reservations for 6:30 in Port de Soller and since it's an easy 4k ride, we rode there. The clouds had cleared, it was warm and the place was looking beautiful.
Our reservation was for the El Passieg restaurant. The dishes were all meant to be shared, tapa style. Every bite, every mouthful was a taste sensation. It was one of the best meals we have had so far. The setting was right off the chain.
The fact that there was a beautiful yellow rose in full bloom next our table was a good omen, too. It was David's mom's favourite rose.
We started with a salad and bread.
Next up was a carrot soup...
Followed by a sushi...
And then a chicken dish. And finally, fresh strawberries and cream for dessert.
By just after 8, the sun had gone down and the breeze had disappeared. Port de Soller was looking particularly beautiful as the lights came on. We hopped on the bikes had headed home, another satisfying day on the books.
Elevation gain: 9625 metres.
Today's ride: 35 km (22 miles)
Total: 620 km (385 miles)
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