Originally, we planned to rent scooters to travel the island on, but with my mom's hurt shoulder we opted to rent a car instead. With high hopes - and high trepidation at driving in a foreign country - we set out to see the sites.
Starting with some high-up views of the sea and driving through narrow lanes in town, we began our tour.
Mom drove us that day and she struggled to find parking in the little town so we hopped out for just a minute to see what we could see and then we were back in the car.
And then we headed into the Serra de Tramuntana mountains.
These mountains are a UNESCO World Heritage site with plenty of hiking trails, olive/lemon/orange groves, and fabulous coastal views. I was giddy at the chance to see it all.
The road started out a bit windy and we sped through the beginnings of the mountain peaks. Soon we were back to the coastal edge and we stopped a few times to get out and admire the horizon.
The sites were beautiful! I stared down at the water's edge anxious to find one of our stops where we would be able to get down to it.
Little did I know that the rest of my day would mostly be spent seeing what I could from the passenger seat of the car.
Unfortunately, although we planned our route out ahead of time, we didn't realize how windy and narrow-laned our route actually was. Extremely slow-going and even nerve-wracking at times, we remained too high in the mountains to get down to any beaches and we continued on through some tight turns and fits with other cars.
We did pass through these cute, little Spanish villages created on the hills of the mountains.
Each town looked the same with terraces of orchards and gardens making their way down to the sea and buildings dotting the slopes. We wanted to get out and explore, but we weren't sure where to began or what to do so we continued onwards. Soon, we passed through multiple towns that all resembled each other.
After about five hours of driving, feeling grumpy and tired, we were desperate to find a bathroom and wanted food as well. We had finally made it to the city of Soller and once again struggled to find any sort of parking. Finally, locating an open spot but worried we would never be able to find our way back to it, I took a picture of the building across the street to help mark our spot before we attempted to find a bathroom and food for lunch.
Unfortunately, the restaurant a local guided us to offered a pricey menu with plenty of options that only Brigham would enjoy. Mom and I had already used the restroom and Brigham was taking his turn when we decided that we really didn't want to eat there at all. Not knowing what to do - we didn't want to be impolite and just leave after using their bathroom, something highly frowned upon in Italy without paying - and yet, feeling exhausted after hours in the car, we decided they would never see us again and that we would slip out to avoid having to pay large quantities of euros for food we had little desire to eat. Quickly walking out, we rounded the corner and waited for Brigham to realize our move and catch up with us. So embarrassed at our rude, American tourist ways, Brigham shook his head in shame as he walked with us back to the car. I still stand by our decision, though we should have offered a couple euros for using the facilities.
We struggled with parking and knowing where to go and how to find what we needed/wanted in Soller and so we quickly abandoned the city to head back to the cruise ship. I tried to snap a quick picture of an orange orchard as we made a U-turn after heading the wrong way.Once we made it back to Palma, we realized we still had some time. I was sorely disappointed that we hadn't made it to one beach yet so we attempted to locate one close by.
As we were searching, we drove by a cathedral and commented that it looked like a Gaudi design (since we're experts and all now) and sure enough when we looked it up later we realized it is!
Navigating the traffic and signs in a foreign country turned out to be much harder than my mom anticipated. Anxiety-ridden with the somewhat aggressive drivers and unfamiliarity of the roads around us, we never made it to a beach and instead turned the car back into the rental agency. I don't blame her one bit, as driving for over six hours on crazy windy roads in a foreign country would take a toll on anyone!
I never did make it to a beach or feel the Meditteranean Sea, and it was the first time my planning ahead of time was of no use, but I tried to push off the feelings of disappointment and frustration away and feel grateful for what I was able to see and experience. Next time, if there ever is a next time to visit Mallorca, I know a couple destinations I would check out rather than driving for hours on end.
Mom and I went to eat on the ship as Brigham left to get lunch and explore streets of Mallorca on his own for the last hour before our cruise ship left.
As we pulled out of port, we noticed an interesting shape out of the water and it looked like a neon boat riding alongside us.
Really it was a break in the clouds letting sunlight through, but the shape was perfect and we watched "the devil boat" for some time as we disembarked.
I wish I could remember what this food is, but I've forgotten. Some kind of fancy stuff for us to eat, of course. #cruiselife
After dinner we settled in for some time on the ship. The next day would be spent at sea and we all breathed a sigh of relief to have a break from gearing up for another destination in the morning.
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