Mallorca

While Chris was at a chemistry conference in Maine (in June! I'm so behind), Daisy and I went on a little vacation to Mallorca. In case Mallorca does not immediately ring a bell, I've included a map showing the Mediterranean island, shown by its capital, Palma de Mallorca. There's a seven hour ferry to Barcelona, just to give an idea of distance.

Mallorca belongs to Spain, but in Germany it is known as the "17th German state" because of the vast number of Germans who live and vacation there. When I told neighbors that I was going to visit, they sighed, "Oh, Malla," pronouncing the L's in the affectionate nickname. I purposefully stayed in a predominantly German area (there is also a sizable British colony elsewhere on the island), where menus, signage, and greetings were all in German. Sangria was still served in the biergartens, though! It was wildly mixed up.

After I booked our plane tickets, I learned of some famous people from Mallorca. Rafa Nadal, the tennis star, grew up here and still lives in a mansion on the northeastern side of the island. Father Junipero Serra grew up, taught philosophy, and got his doctorate in theology here in the mid-1700's. I first learned of Father Serra when I visited his missions that dot the California coast. I also distinctly remember that my first school report that needed to be typed on a computer was about Father Serra. My dad brought home the computer from work that night so that I could type (painstakingly, with my little pointers).

My main objective in traveling with Daisy was to get some warm beachy time where both of us could play. Although our trip to the French Riviera and Cinque Terre last summer definitely topped this, the beach itself on Mallorca was better than either of those coasts. Fine white sand and a huge expanse of warm, shallow swimming water...







The city of Palma was surprisingly big, with shopping avenues, bustling plazas, and a huge Gothic cathedral.

Gaudi left his mark in this city. His designs are so refreshingly whimsical.

"La Seu" was built on the grounds of an Arab mosque. It ranks among Europe's largest cathedrals and lies very near the sea, which you can barely see in the background here:

The cathedral is architecturally significant because it has the narrowest pillars supporting the nave's vaults anywhere in the world. Also, Gaudi was invited in 1901 to add some artistic elements like this fantastic canopy:

More recently, this chapel of the cathedral was built by a local architect. It was kind of creepy to feel like I was in an underwater cave, but really fun to see some daring art in a church.

One day, we took a slow wooden train dating from 1912 into the mountains.

It felt like California: blue mountains, citrus trees, and red-tiled roofs. We had some fresh-squeezed orange juice in Soller and then took the train back. Because all we really wanted to do was....

...play at the beach!