We were able to get a little rest and recovery time throughout the day and were treated to an early arrival and overnight stay in Palma, Mallorca.
The ship got in right around 5:00 PM which was just as the sun was going down. We were off quickly and exploring this city of around 450,000 which we had never visited before.
My first impression was that Palma is stunning. There are mountains in the background and the buildings form almost what looks like an amphitheater with the huge harbor being the stage (that's my deep analogy for the day).
There was a well lit walkway along the harbor that we took for 2-3 miles before we turned up towards the city center and historic district. The streets were bustling with people of all ages enjoying food and drink as well as after Christmas sales. We have learned that after Christmas sales over here don't don't start until after the Three Kings Celebration which takes place in early January.
We're not shoppers but we weren't going to miss out on the food and drink. We found a nice little cafe for tapas and sangria.
We walked back to the ship just in time for the 9:30 show which featured four overly theatrical but somewhat entertaining male Spanish singers.
Our plan for Saturday was to visit a small beach front town called Port of Soller. The images of the town looked great and the trip advisor reviews were equally impressive.
It was about a one hour bus ride through very scenic mountainous roads to reach the town. Much to our surprise we actually went through a small area that had just received a nice dusting of snow.
Once we got there we quickly realized that the place lived up to it's billing. If Palma was a large amphitheater with the harbor as it's stage, Port of Soller was a small playhouse with it's tiny beach and port as it's stage.
We noticed one other thing. Port of Soller is definitely a "seasonal" town and this was the off-season.
I'm sure this would be a big disappointment to many people but given our general dislike for crowds and people it was perfect for us!
There was a great promenade along the beach that at any given time we could see no more than 10-20 people strolling with us. The entrance to the harbor was mountainous on both sides with very nice lighthouses to guide boats to safety.
We imagined the place in summer when all the closed hotels and cafes would be packed and were very glad to be there at this time of year.
There were a couple of outdoor cafes and shops open along the way. We settled in to an outdoor table at a place that featured a guy playing and singing. He was really very good. He had a raspy kind of Joe Cocker voice and did very mellow and laid back versions of Dylan, CSN&Y,
Keb Mo and others. Every song was sung in perfect english and seemed to last at least five minutes.
One of the things I love the most about this journey is not having a clue how the day is going to unfold. A small off-season beach front town, lunch at an outdoor cafe, a guy and his guitar.....muey bein!
