Journaling:
Saturday was a holiday in Spain, so there were lots of people out celebrating. Instead of staying in Palma de Mallorca, we took a bus to some picturesque areas of the island. To get to the first village, Fornalutx, we drove up narrow, winding mountain roads, pretty scary in a big bus! There were scads of cyclists on those roads, which made me nervous; even though I'm a pretty fearless cyclist myself.
Fornalutx calls itself the prettiest village in Spain, and they may be right. It is surrounded by mountains, olive groves, and citrus. Most of the buildings are made from a golden stone, with colorful shutters and doors, arranged along narrow stairs and alleys lined with potted plants and flowers.
From Fornalutx we drove down to Port de Sóller, a pretty seaside town with a large marina and attractive promenade lined with tourist shops. It was packed with people speaking numerous languages and enjoying the warm sunny day. We were treated to a lunch of paella (the first of my three consecutive paella meals!).
The village of Sóller is connected to the port via an historic tram. It provides views of the groves and the mountains before arriving on the main plaza of another cute village. We got off to buy orange ice cream and sit in the town square gazing up at the beautiful old church, watching the tram come and go along the street, and enjoying the late afternoon ambiance of people on holiday. It was a gorgeous day.
