Sun, Sand Mallorca!

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Two weeks into being in Port de Pollensa (part 2 of the career break) and we have been walking and discovering Mallorca in the 30 degree heat!

First up Castell del Rei This Moorish castle was always supposed to be inaccessible to invaders, but for over a decade private land closure has done that job!
Fortunately nowadays, with a permit requested some days before the hike, you can re-discover a truly fabulous stretch of northern Mallorca.
The walk climbs gently through oak and pine forest eventually reaching the castle 490m above sea level.
Founded by the Moors and strengthened by Jaume I, this was the last fortress to surrender to Pedro of Aragon when the brief-lived kingdom of Mallorca came to an end. The castle has been abandoned since 1715.
The solitude of the Ternelles valley gives us a great opportunity to see resident black vultures, which we were lucky to see!

After the walk we headed to Ca'n Vidalet for a wine tasting with olives and bread- yum!

Then, Alan, whom we had met on the walk showed us the correct way to Cala San Vincente from Port de Pollensa. The water here is much better for swimming than Port de Pollenca.

Today, we went from Vilefanc to Petra- rustic Mallorca. Beautiful but 30 degrees in the shade. According to legend, in the year 1609 a severe drought moved the residents of Petra to climb the hill in a procession in order to pray for rain. The rains came and there was a good harvest, and ever since, the hill and the Sanctuary of the Mother of God have been known as Bonany (good year).
Petra is an inland village situated between the Mallorcan plain and the Serres de Llevant range of hills.
This is where the connection between Mallorca and California originates, with the two places brought together by the figure of Juníper Serra. This Franciscan monk, who was born in Petra in 1713, was head of the missions to higher and lower California, setting up ten missions which, over time, have become great cities within the US, such as San Francisco, San Diego, San Antonio de Padua, Santa Clara, etc.
We followed in those early villagers’ footsteps to climb the 317mtr hill, before dropping down to Villafranca, to see if our prayers have been answered and the bar was open!

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Photos

Route to Castell del Rei
Only 20 visitors are allowed into the headland per day.

Castell del Rei
The King's palace- recently it has been done up. Your ordinary folk don't get any closer than this.

Ca'n Vidalet vineyard
Rustic Pollensa

Port de Pollensa
Start of the Cala san Vincente walk. Finally worked out how to get there!

En route to Cala san Vincente
Alan guides us through the pass.

Intrepid explorers
The heat is the challenge.

Comments

[Esmeralda]

Majorca
Last year I went to Majorca and I loved its beaches, stayed at santa ponsa apartments