Postcard from Mallorca

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know why I haven’t been blogging lately.  I spent some time in Paris and Mallorca, and then came home to a completely disorganised life, a sick toddler, a dog with a paw injury, two sets of houseguests in a row staying with us, and a time-consuming legal wrangle over my blog name, so even more than usual behind on everything, including blogging!  I’ve really missed writing on my tiny little corner of the internet, so in order to get cracking again I thought I’d write about the super stylish little island of Mallorca, which always delights me (except in high summer when the heat here kills me).  One of my best friends moved here several years ago, which is why Mallorca is now on my rota of yearly trips.

What I love most about Mallorca are the breathtaking, wild, jagged, and treacherous rocky mountains of the Sierra de Tramontana mountain range that crash straight down into the sea.  When we drove through Sierra de Tramontana (a World Heritage Site) the scenery was so beautiful and on such a grand scale that it made me light-headed trying to soak it all in (maybe it was also the altitude… or the heat).  There are a handful of completely charming sun-baked little villages and ports worth exploring in this part of the island; Deia and Valdemossa are particularly beautiful.

Sierra de Tramontana

Port Soller

Deia

The buzzing capital city of Palma has lots to explore.  Although there is breathtaking architecture everywhere, it still manages to feel like an overgrown friendly village. Here’s an example: the previous time my husband and I were in Palma, we were tasked with getting a few kilos of prawns for a barbecue some friends were having. We found a fishmonger in the Santa Catalina Market and were debating with each other which prawns to get.  Another friendly customer standing near us offered his expert advice about what to buy, exactly how to grill them, and then went on his merry way once we were taken care of.  Later, we were walking down a street near Santa Catalina looking for a place to have lunch, and we recognised the same man, now wearing an apron, standing in the doorway of a restaurant called Monolisto, HIS restaurant. He invited us in, served us delicious food, and then gave us a few plates of extra things not on the menu that he was making for himself for lunch.  Honestly, it was like a cheesy American Express travel ad, only it really happened!  We make a point to return to his restaurant and send all of our friends there.

Since Spain is Zara-land, I made a trip to one of their new Uterque stores in Palma.  Uterque is basically more expensive and much better quality Zara.  It is geared towards an older, discerning woman who still enjoys fashion.  On my visit, the store was full of well-dressed Spanish women my age and older, showing all the same glee over the clothes as the 19 year olds at Zara nearby!  If I had to be critical, I’d say that a lot of the pieces are a little too classic, sensible, and minimalist for me and my magpie tendencies, but I still found plenty of things there that I really liked, and I even took four items home with me (I’ll do a blog post on those soon).

Mallorca is such a diverse mix of mountains, villages, towns, farms, beaches and ports; since I’m not a beach girl, having so many options of things to explore is ideal for me.  Like Sicily, Mallorca has had many rulers over the years, including the Phoenicians, the Romans, and the Moors, all of whom have left their marks on the cuisine, the agriculture, the architecture, and the culture.  Because Mallorca is reasonably wealthy compared to the rest of Spain, the roads are superb, good restaurants are plentiful, and the people, whether local or foreign, seem very happy to be there… maybe because you are almost always guaranteed sunshine!

I’m going to just let the photos tell the rest of my Mallorca story; I hope you enjoy them!  Have you ever been to Mallorca?

Typical ochre-coloured street in Palma

Cathedral architectural detail

Look at that doorway!

And THAT one!

Palma Cathedral

This iron chandelier blows me away

Classic Palma courtyard

Palma Town Hall

Farmland with Montuiri village in the background

Portixol

Surrounding sea