Last Chance Mallorca

It was our last day in Mallorca, at least our last full day here. We spent the day with a nice mix of activities, most having to do with being on vacation. But, as we have a washing machine here in our condo, we wanted to get all the dirty clothes clean so that we can start off with fresh things to wear for Italy tomorrow. So, our morning was spent doing laundry, painting, reading, and going back to bed for a late morning nap – ahhhh, now that’s what we call being on vacation! After a quick lunch and showers, we were ready to get in the car and take one last spin around this Mediterranean isle. We decided to head to Mallorca’s northernmost point, Cap de Formentor, or Cape Formentor. It is only about an hour away from where we are staying and seemed like the perfect drive for an afternoon and the beautiful weather here on Mallorca.

The view from our rental car on the way to Cap de Formentor

Once again, Ryan found himself piloting our Seat Leon on narrow, winding roads, with many places having only a hair’s width of space for cars to pass one another going opposite directions. The gorgeous scenery makes it worth it, only the driver dare not take in the views as the road needs his full attention! Thank goodness for lookout stops along the way and his passenger’s vivid descriptions of the passing landscape.

The Mediterranean’s colors are so amazingly beautiful.

As is common in the Mediterranean, the colors of the sea are startling and deep in their purity. After a while, you realize that photos can’t really do any justice to what you’re seeing. Each time you think you’ve found the perfect composition for a photo, there are so many more just around the next bend that, eventually, you just sigh and continue on toward your destination at the end of the cape.

Looking straight down from a cliff into the Mediterranean

Yet another winding, bending road in Mallorca

“Queso!”

The sun here in Mallorca is intense in its brightness. Even with sunglasses on, you find yourself squinting. We always try to take pictures without the glasses on because they look so impersonal otherwise. But, who wants to look at photos of two men with their eyes completely closed!?

Dizzy yet?

The main attraction: El Faro de Formentor

When we reached the end of the road at the lighthouse, which was built in 1863, we found ourselves in a long line of cars waiting for a chance at minimal parking spaces. The line of cars stretched down past two hairpin turns below the lighthouse. A man with a 2 way radio would let cars move up to a parking spot as he was told there were parking spots available. It took us about 20 minutes of waiting in line before being told we could drive up to park. Once at the lighthouse, you can only walk around its base or eat in a cafeteria on the ground floor level. The views from the northernmost point on the island are spectacular as you have about 300 degrees of waterview around you on this narrow tip of land.

Casa Consistorial (City Hall) in Alcúdia

Retracing our drive back along the peninsula toward the mainland was no less wild than it had been on the way in but Ryan was amazing in his driving skills and got us safely back to flat terrain and wider lanes. We stopped at the Old City section of Alcúdia, a town we needed to pass through that is very close to where we’re staying. As is common with these old towns on Mallorca, the buildings are made out of blocks of stone and the windows bordered with green shutters mostly. The stone streets are narrow and winding and fun to just follow along not knowing where you’ll end up. In Alcúdia, they have rebranded much of the Old City into an artisan quarter and we browsed the shops and picked up a few things for our home in Palm Springs.

The side of Casa Consistorial

Daily life on a small street in old Alcúdia

For dinner, we moved on to the town where we are staying, Port de Alcúdia. Ryan had found a restaurant online that uses mostly locally grown foods and seems to make everything home made, including their breads. We sat outside on a cool terrace, enjoying the delicious food and the passing scene, soaking up the last bit of Mallorcan flavor we could before we need to move on to our next stop on this fantastic trip. Sorrento, Italy, here we come!