I still have some summer memories that I haven't shared with you yet. I'm looking forward to winter as I enjoy all seasons, but it is also nice to look at the photos from summer and think back to those hot days. Today, let's continue out tour of Mallorca.
The area around Pollença is my favorite. You can find there charming old towns, many shops with local produce, restaurants with delicious food, long beaches, clear sea and many hidden spots with almost no people.
Since we traveled to Mallorca during the heatwave we would usually go to the beach in the evening when almost all people were gone and temperature was more bearable. We made only one exception when we visited Port de Pollença. Our plan was to spend early afternoon on the beach, and then go to Pollença for early dinner and maybe some shopping.
When we arrived to the beach we found a nice spot with lockers, so we were able to leave our stuff there and go for a walk along the beach. It was hot but we were protected by a thick layer of sunscreen and our sombreros - never leave your hotel room without your sombrero!
The water was inviting and we couldn't resist taking a short dip - not so easy with a sombrero.
The stones were burning hot and of course we were walking barefoot. Luckily, it was only a short distance and we could walk in the sand after that again.
Many people prefer long sandy beaches but I like places that I personally find more interesting - this place had sand as well as pebbles, beach as well as promenade, and trees with benches protected from the sun with their shadows.
We walked until we realized that we were getting far from our stuff and that we still needed to get back. On the way back we got fresh watermelon and coconut which were so refreshing! Then we swam a bit and were ready to go to Pollença - lying on the sunbed really isn't for us 🙂
We were so happy when we managed to find a parking spot under a tree! That seems almost impossible in Mallorca! Just a few meters away from our car we came across The Gardens of Joan March with much needed shade and a bit of wind. The trees in the garden show the extensive Mallorcan vegetation. There are olive trees, yew, orange trees, carob trees as well as palm trees.
We did what the Spanish do at that time of the day and took a siesta - or rather I took a siesta. My husband served as a human pillow.
The statue on the right symbolizes the local hero Joan Mas who defeated the Moors led by the pirate Dragut Rais on the 30th May 1550.
We were sitting next to The Pollença Museum but it was closed, so we couldn't visit it. The museum is located in the old Dominican Monastery which was built at the end of the 16th century, so I'm sure that it must be a fascinating place to visit - hopefully next time!
The medieval Gothic tower in the gardens belonged to the manor of the Pollensian family Desbrull. The so-called Desbrull tower (Torre Desbrull) dates back to 13th century.
Pollença dates back to the 12th century when it was settled by Moors from North Africa. The town is rather small but it's a perfect place for a day trip when you're on the north of Mallorca. You will be charmed by the medieval architecture and quaint cobbled streets. As other towns on the island, Pollença sleeps during the day but it becomes a lively town in the evening with countless terraces, many people and a lot of chatter!
Let me take you through some of its many streets...
You might have thought that I was waiting to take photos of empty streets but it's really not the case. It was about 3PM and there was nobody but us...
We were lucky to find a place which was open. I guess we were their first guests of the day...
It was a nautical themed restaurant specialized in fish dishes but they had some good vegan options, so you can see my husband smile as we enjoyed our avocado tartar with tomatoes and mango. It sounds like a strange combination but it was delicious! Don't be fooled by the photo - it was a surprisingly big portion. We didn't get the main as it was still around 40 degrees Celsius and we were not that hungry yet.
When we left the restaurant we could see that there were more and more people. They were slowly gathering at the main square (Placa Major) for dinner as there are plenty of restaurants. However, we were more interested in the Parish Church Mare de Deu dels Angels or The Church of our Lady of the angels.
The church was founded in 1236 but there is not much left of the original construction. The church as we see it now ws built between 1714 and 1790.
Placa Major was decorated for the annual music festival.
Interior of the church is decorated with paintings and multiple altars. On the main altar, we can see a baroque altarpiece dedicated to the Mare de Déu dels Àngels made between 1752 and 1764 by the famous Mallorcan sculptor Pere Joan Obrador.
We visited this church a couple of times during our stay because of its calming atmosphere.
In the evening when it was a bit cooler we climbed 365 stairs to the top of the mountain with El Calvari (Calvario chapel) and a beautiful view of Pollença and its surroundings.
This is where the stairway starts. I have no idea who this statue symbolizes but it was so weird that I actually liked it 🙂
Let's start climbing!
At first, I thought that 365 stairs should not be that challenging but it was much more difficult than what I expected in combination with air temperature and humidity. I was sweating and catching my breath all the way up!
Interesting fact is that 365 stairs are there for each day of the year. On Good Friday, the Calvari steps are the setting for Removal from the cross which is one of the most important events of Easter celebrations in Mallorca.
Look at the view! And we only started climbing...
Can you see that man in a blue shirt? Well, my husband was handling the temperature even worse than me 🙂
And here we are! I wish it was that easy in reality...
This small chapel and oratory that were built in the 18th century were owned by the Knights Templar. I have read that inside is a carving of Christ crucified but we couldn't enter as it was too late.
And there he comes! Almost on the top!
We had the perfect timing as we enjoyed this beautiful sunset...
After a while we walked back down to the town as we wanted to enjoy the evening a bit before driving back to our hotel.
We didn't stay long as only a few minutes after I took this photo the power went down in Pollença and all lights were off. We tried to get a drink in a bar where they politely refused us as they couldn't take our order without their system. I suggested to write it down on a piece of paper but they were not so amused by that - I don't know why as they could make money but well...
Since it was dark and there was not much to do we drove back to the hotel. Even when the evening didn't go as we planned, we enjoyed our time in Pollença and we will for sure come back!
Thank you for reading!
Cheers,
Martina
