Winter in Spain does not have snow because the temperature is only equivalent to Hanoi. And because people mainly come to Mallorca to swim in the sea during the season when Spain becomes the "fried pan of Europe", tourists especially rarely go this season. You will be treated like a "benefactor", saving the service industry during the "round-breaking" days; and it's even better to have a vast island to freely wander around.
Because there is no direct flight from any country to Palma, the capital of Mallorca, you will need to transfer to Alicante, the coastal city in southeastern Spain. The electronic board reported 11 degrees Celsius when the plane landed, but even we only needed to wear a sweater outside the shirt to be warm enough. As soon as we set foot on the ground, a feeling of peace immediately surrounded us, strange.
Sleeping in the monastery, feeling like a nun
Mallorca, or Majorca, is an island belonging to the Balearic archipelago in the Mediterranean, discovered more than 2,000 BC, became Spanish territory from the 18th century and is famous for its majestic mountains, wonderful beaches and year-round dry climate.
Because we like deserted places in the middle of nature, we don't stay in the city but book rooms at the Lluc hotel on Serra de Tramuntana mountain, 45km from the airport. The car was also rented in advance, surprisingly cheap - 12 euros for 2 days, even cheaper than renting a bicycle in Amsterdam.
I didn't really believe it, thinking maybe they threw me a farm truck; then when I received the car, I understood why. You will be invited to buy a car insurance for 99 euros, and when driving a strange car in a strange place, surely no one dares to bet on luck to say no.
However, renting a self-driving car is a wise choice in Mallorca, especially when you have chosen Lluc as your accommodation. Lluc is located in a mountainous area 525m above sea level, the oldest holy land on this island, so not only tourists come here but also religious pilgrims.
The entire sanctuary is a few hectares wide, resembling a monastery with a wall of 60cm thick, long dark corridors and closed doors as if storing secrets for centuries. The highlight of this complex is the Church of the Virgin Mary built in 1622 in Renaissance architecture, with arched roofs and eaves made of locally mined stone.
The entire church is decorated in the same Baroque style typical of the Roman Catholic cathedrals. The building was used as a hotel when the Serra de Tramuntana mountains became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The room is small and minimalist to the point of having almost nothing but a bed, making me feel like I was about to become a nun. It's a bit weird to do vulgar things in such a sacred place, but clearly the accommodation and legacy combo priced at less than 75 euros/day is a bargain.
Roads where "worms crawl through bile ducts
The plan to go to see the sunrise at Mui De Formento was unsuccessful because it rained all night until morning, we switched direction to the west side of the island. The road to Soller port is indeed an attractive challenge for any experienced driver, who is not a honeycomb worm, but also constantly turns his sleeves. For that reason, driving to several scenic spots here is prohibited during peak season; but now we are alone on the road, without having to jostle with anyone. Just keep going, sometimes suddenly meeting Ma Pi Leng, you can hold your breath when your heart beats to your neck.
It didn't take long for me to realize that the terrain here is particularly similar to the Ha Giang rocky plateau. Stone walls continuously appeared on the mountainside, the only difference is that here they are used to block olive growing beds. There are countless olive trees, it seems that the islanders only need to rely on olives to make ends meet. Right on the occasion when apricot blossoms bloom, white and pink like Sapa forest peach blossoms, it made me even more feel like I was very close to home. Wild goats run around, flirting with each other in the sparse forest canopy.
After walking a lifetime on the mountain, we poured the pass down to the plains. From the West to the Southeast of the island is only more than 80km, but we traveled for an hour and a half because we passed through a few small and pretty towns. The small street is just enough for two cars to avoid each other, steep slopes, deep slopes, sidewalks about 60cm wide, houses close together like shaking hands with neighbors through balconies.
Living in Northern Europe for several consecutive years, it has been a long time since I have seen simple lime walls and wooden doors, with blankets and clothes flying like Buddha's hand on the rooftop. Leaving the street, I was impressed with the stone fences of almond farms running along both sides, initially I thought I was mistakenly entering the hamlet. I kept wondering which walls and roads were there first.
The point I chose to go to at the Southeast tip is Es Pontas, where there is a famous stone bridge formed from limestone under the sea. This stone arch over 20m high is like a "saintland" for DWS (deep water solo) rock climbers, with a difficulty rating of 9+. Another top natural heritage of Mallorca that is deserted at this time, with a few sparsely populated people. The wind blows the Buddha's part with the feeling of being able to throw a person into the sea, but a young couple still stands close to the edge of the cliff to take pictures in the style of "bringing you around the world".
The visit to Drach cave cluster afterwards, which was not expected, became extremely impressive. When viewing the "must go" locations of Mallorca, I intended to skip this cave cluster with the reason "I've seen too many in Vietnam", but because my friend was born in Finland and has no mountains, I still wanted to visit. Also stalactites with bamboo shoots like in any cave in our country, Drach cave also has a jade-green stream like Son Doong style.
At the deepest and widest point in the cave, which is also where the stream has accumulated into a lake, visitors are invited to sit in long benches like in a theater. I thought it would be a blue, red, purple, and yellow light performance, so I was very surprised when the music rang out and a small white boat glided gently. The boat carried 4 musicians, one playing the piano and 3 violinists.
That was the most special classical concert I had ever seen, and perhaps with other tourists because there was absolutely no information advertised on the cave cluster's website. Another "breathtaking" moment.
The sheep's thigh and a full meal
Not only olives and almonds are the main agricultural products in Mallorca, but oranges, lemons, and kumquats are also sometimes found all over the roads we pass. Surprised yet, surely kumquats. Not only that, even on the road from Palma to Pollenca, there is also an orange-growing neighborhood along the sidewalk, each tree is heavy. I stopped the car to pick one fruit, peeled it out to eat and shed tears because of the sour taste that rushed straight up my head.
Wherever we go, we also enjoy the airy and relaxed atmosphere, but tourism in the peak season also has the downside that services are almost closed. The mountain towns we pass through are almost closed, sometimes it's difficult to find a bakery. The coastal streets look even more desolate, and on Sundays, even supermarkets are not operating.
I was excited about the prospect of eating churros instead of rice to satisfy my longing for sugar donuts, but I absolutely couldn't find any restaurant even though Spain is clearly the homeland of this famous snack.
So all day traveling, we only ate enough to hold our breath, leaving our stomachs to go to a restaurant near Lluc. The "luxury" dinner included Majorcan Frito, a mixed stir-fry with vegetables and goat organs, and the main dish was young lamb thighs stewed with carrots. Lambs are definitely products on the island, because I see them running around everywhere.
Well, even though I was hungry and grabbed a delicious piece, I still felt the big plate of meat was terrifying. Eating 3/4 was already full, the wealthy waiter even brought out a jar of wine soaked in some kind of "forest-grown" leaf. Taking a 1/4 sip was shocking.
A rather interesting thing about Mallorca is that people, including service providers who know very little English, but in return are extremely enthusiastic about finding ways to answer anything we ask. (Unlike the French in Lyon, who definitely only speak their native tongue fluently even though they see tourists with their bare faces). So my Mallorca experience has no downsides, even though the budget is limited to exploring new lands, I still want to go back there once.
