Palma, Mallorca

We had spent the night in the campsite in Barcelona, and arranged to leave the camper in the campsite and fly to Mallorca, an Island about 100 miles out in the Mediterranean Sea. We were told we could have problems finding a taxi to take us to the airport, but just our luck, within moments a taxi stopped and took us to the Barcelona airport in time to catch the flight even earlier than the one we had scheduled.

The flight to Mallorca was wonderful and the scenery, excellent. We took a taxi to the Hotel Palas Athenia. This is the off season, so our room was only $50 a day with breakfast.

The view from the hotel balcony across the bay filled with fishing boats, to the Palma Cathedral in the distance, will tax your imagination. Early the next morning we saw what is called the Amethyst hour — the exact point at sunrise when everything, Palma’s Cathedral, the fishing boats, and the bay, were tinged with a light lavender hue.

After breakfast, we enjoyed a walk around downtown, and a visit to the Cathedral. Palma’s Cathedral is unique, with crowded buttresses almost covering each side. About 100 years ago the interior of this Cathedral was refurbished by Antonio Gaudí, the Architect of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. I bought a superb addition to my walking stick/cane collection, and there were many stores selling Mallorca pearls—pearls made by the hand of man, not made by oysters. Other stores sell, or make to order, leather coats of various styles.

It was raining the next morning as we walked up the hill to Castle Bellver. Stair steps most of the way, but still hard work. We left the hotel early for the ride to the airport. Surprise! We were early for our scheduled flight, so we caught the 12:10 plane to Barcelona, instead of waiting for the one we had scheduled. Doesn’t that sound familiar.

By the way, Emmy gave the cane (mentioned above) to a friend who had a knee problem, and it took me three years of ridicule to get him to return it. Since his ancestors were from Turkey, when we visited Istanbul one year, I did buy him a very nice cane at one of the 4,000 shops in the Grand Bazaar.

I had first priced a beautiful rosewood cane, inlaid with brass. The price of $75 elicited this comment, “Bob’s not that good of a friend.” (But why didn’t I buy it for myself?)