Mallorca, Spain - Days 2 & 3

     On our second day in Mallorca, we had two goals: see some beautiful beaches and check out some caves. We had to walk a bit back to a bus stop that would take us to the airport. There was a marathon in town that weekend that made getting around a bit trickier. Many of the buses that pulled up to the stops where we waited were packed to the brim with tourists. Eventually, we were able to squeeze ourselves onto one that took us to the airport. Once there, we picked up a rental car and headed to the eastern part of the island. On the recommendation of a couple of friends, we went in search of an apparently mythical beach that seemed intent on eluding us. 

      We drove through the small towns of Llucmajor, Campos, and made our way down to the Cape of Ses Salines. We parked alongside the road and walked down to the coast. There, we found a lighthouse and a rocky coast. Lots of rocks had been stacked all along the coast. The water was a gorgeous blue and aqua as far as the eye could see. We wandered around the area for a bit and watched the waves beat on the coast and splash high in the air.

      From there, we headed north towards Cala d'Or in search of Cala Mitjana. It's a beautifully secluded piece of beach. There was a small house built there. We found paved trails that went around the beach and up into the woods. The water was clear and there were a few people there. The great thing about Mallorca is that you can find a secluded beach easily. Most of the tourists go to the main beaches but the smaller calas are just as nice and not overcrowded.

     All throughout the countryside of the island are tons of windmills like this one. It's one of the first things I noticed as the plane got closer to landing, aside from the beautiful blue water of course.

      Cala d'Or is a just a short drive south of Cala Mitjana and has more of a crowd. The wind was blowing pretty hard and made relaxing on the beach difficult. Instead of sitting around, we walked along the rock formations in search a better view. It never failed that every time we turned a corner, there was another incredible rock formation or places to watch waves crash. It was amazing.

      After feeling beached out, we decided it was time to head underground. There are several caves throughout the island but we chose to go to the Drach Caves. The caves consist of four caves that span a distance of 2.4 km(1.5 miles) and go 25 m(82 ft) deep. There is a large underground lake there that is thought to be one of the biggest known underground lakes in the world. That is, of course, until they discover more. The cost to get in was 11.50 each and the tours are guided. There aren't many pictures because you aren't allowed to take them and there are guides sporadically throughout the walk to make sure you don't take them. We just turned off the flash. Other idiots who don't know how to cut off their flash got caught and were made to delete the pictures.

      At the end of the tour, we arrived to Martel Lake. They turned off the lights and played some classical music on a boat that came out and rowed around the lake. It was a bit eerie being in such darkness so far underground. After the concert, there is an option to cross the lake in a boat or walk along the boardwalk across. All throughout the caves, there are tons of water pools and its amazing how clear the water is. The pictures don't reflect the clear reflections very well. If you plan on visiting Mallorca, a visit to the Drach Caves is a must do.

      After our visit was over, we walked to Portocristo to have some lunch. We ate a roadside stand and had some mediocre food. The town was nice but seemed a bit quiet. We returned to the car and just went on a nice countryside drive. The island really reminded us a lot of Crete.

      When we got back to Palma, we stopped by the Bellver Castle. It was close to our hotel and is probably the second most famous landmark in the city after La Almudena. The view of the city from the hilltop is great and we were able to watch the sunset. The castle was built in the 14th century and is considered to be the first round castle in Europe. In addition to a view of Palma, you can see the Tramontana Sierra on the other side. It has served as a military fortification, a home to several rulers, and a prison. It's design was unique and inspired other rounded castles. It's the only rounded castle in all of Spain.

     After our visit to Bellver Castle, we headed into town and had a great dinner of bacon wrapped steak and chicken. The restaurant was recommended by the Michelin guide called Cellar Sa Premsa. On Sunday, we spent the day visiting more beaches and just relaxing before catching our flight back to Madrid. Overall, we had a great time in Mallorca and it is a place we know we must visit again.

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Mallorca, Spain - Day 1

     As a way to say farewell to our tenure in Spain, we took one final trip to Mallorca, Spain. We figured it would be a good way to celebrate Izzy's birthday and relax in style for our last trip. It seemed odd to us that we'd managed to visit the Canary Islands, but never managed a trip to the Balearic Islands just a short trip from Madrid. We found some cheap flights on the dreaded Ryanair, stuffed our book bags full, and headed out early Friday morning. When we arrived, we caught a bus to the middle of Palma. The city was founded as a Roman camp in 123 AD when they conquered most of modern Europe. It's seclusion was not enough to save it from sharing in the hapless history of mainland Spain. For the first couple of hours, we wandered through the winding streets of the old town. There were beautiful statues, a plethora of cafes, and Izzy was always tempted by the boutique stores.

      As is custom in most Spanish cities, we found the Plaza Mayor(Main Square). It was packed with the customary outdoor cafes complete with overpriced tourist menus and lots of shopping. We poked around for a bit then headed off onto some of the side streets looking for a place to eat. We found a recommendation on an app I downloaded. It said the place was nice and the food was amazing. I don't know who exactly wrote those rave reviews but they definitely had an experience unlike ours or they ate at a different place. We had to endure some bad food and help some German tourists understand the menu. If there's one thing Mallorca is famous for, its it's popularity with German tourists. In fact, the tourism boom on the island caused immigration problems for Franco when he ruled the country.

      The thing I love about walking through Spanish cities is the architecture. This is just a dental practice but look at what an amazing building its in. This actually makes me want to visit the dentist just to go inside the building.

      The square near St. Eulalia Church is beautiful. We stopped here to look around the church, have an ice cream, and I took a nap on a bench. Feeling refreshed, we walked down towards the harbor.

      Along the way, we passed through more awe inspiring streets, including the one with the city council building.

      This gnarled tree is in the plaza right across the street from the city council building. How many different shapes can you see? It makes me think of an old man or woman's face.

      Down along the water front is Palma's most famous landmark, the Royal Palace of La Almudena. In the summertime, it's the official residence of the royal family. It was constructed over a mosque that stood on the same spot under the Moorish rule and was known as the "Zuda". It was rebuilt in 1309 by King Jamie II. We walked around the grounds for a bit enjoying the sun and the views, which are spectacular.

      We made the ascent up the stairs to the main courtyard area and portal. The carvings and architecture all reflect the Gothic influence of the time it was made. There were several horse drawn carriages with eager tour guides itching to overcharge you. We passed on their offers but it looked like some sort of fun.

      Around to the left of huge main portal, we found the tourist entry to get into the church. Sadly, there was a 10 euro charge to get in. We thought about it for a bit and decided we'd pay to go in. When we approached the counter, the girl rang us up and I gave her a credit card to pay. She informed me her window was cash only and she couldn't run my card because only the other window could do it. I looked and saw no one there. I asked her to do it. She declined. Positive attitudes all around. We chalked it up to an attitude we've found to be true since moving to Spain. There are just some people who don't want to take your money, many of them are Spanish. It's a mystery. We left and started our long walk to the hotel. Even though it was a few miles, we were still fresh off our hike on the Camino de Santiago so we didn't mind it at all.

      It took a few bad turns and lots of direction asking to finally get to our hotel. It didn't help we were in the wrong neighborhood so a lot of people had no idea which hotel we were looking for. We finally found and got checked in. They gave us a nice room on the top floor with a large balcony and a great view of the harbor. All in all, our first day was great and we looked forward to getting our rental car for the next two days and exploring the rest of the island.

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Atapuerca, Spain

     On a blistery and cold October Saturday, we woke up early and headed north of Madrid to a small town we passed through along the Camino de Santiago called Atapuerca. At first glance, there wasn't much to the town. We found a small cafe, albergue, and about fifty or so houses of locals living in a small enclave 20 km from Burgos. Upon closer inspection, what we found just outside the town was one of the newest finds in the search for the ancient peoples of Europe and Atapuerca has some of the oldest. In the 19th century, a mining company punched holes in the earth to lay track to move minerals. The company went bust a few years later and left the track. Fast forward to the 1970's and a graduate student looking to work on a dissertation and we find the name Trinidad de Torres, the most overlooked person in the story of remains on the Sierra de Atapuerca.  He sacrificed a summer and endured agonizing heat to go in search of bear skeletons for his project. What he found were human remains and artifacts that dated back 800,000 years, much older than anything found before. 

     His mentor, the famous Emiliano Aguirre, helped to bring in a team in the early 80's and start excavations to uncover more remains. There has been a treasure trove of things including the species Homo antecessor. The foundation set up at the site offers a daily tour of a small camp that imitates how they believed the people of the area lived. They also offer a tour of the excavation sites. We found out the hard way while hiking the Camino that we couldn't just show up and go along. We made a reservation and had a guide take us through the camp.

     She took us through various stations to show us how they made weapons, sharpened weapons, and painted the animals they killed on walls.

     They had buildings set up to imitate smoke houses and housing for the people. We were allowed to walk up to them but not inside.

     Here is a depiction of how they believed they buried their dead based on grave sites found.

     There were some interactive parts of the tour. The first one was the use of a boomerang shaped object attached to a cord. If you've ever seen Crocodile Dundee II, you would recognize the apparatus. It was an instrument used for communication by swinging it on the cord. As it cut through the air, it made a buzzing sound that increased and decreased with speed. The tour guide let some of the people try it out. Pictured below, this guy tried to throw the javelins they made for hunting. He would have gone hungry. Another guy was allowed to try the bow and arrow.

     In the tent we could enter, the girl showed us how they made fire with flints. Definitely one of the best tour guides we've ever had.

     After the hour tour of the small campsite, we packed into the bus and headed to the excavation site. The guy explained what they were finding, where they found important pieces, and how the project continued to unearth new treasures.

     That part of the tour wasn't as exciting as we'd expected because we couldn't see much beyond a bunch of scaffolding and digging tools. The public wasn't allowed to get close to the more important places where they were digging.

     After we finished our tour, we stopped into a small cafe near the site and had some lunch before heading on back to Madrid. We had a great day and finally got to visit the site we tried to see when we were hiking the Camino de Santiago. This is a must see for anyone who loves archaeological sites.

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Camino de Santiago - Day 31

Day 31: Arca do Pino - Santiago de Compostela
Distance: 19.2 km(11.9 miles)
Approximate Walking Time: 4-5 hours
Altitude: Start at 357 m(1,171 ft.) and descend down to 288 m(945 ft.).

     Trying to sleep the night before the last day's walk was impossible. I think I woke up at least 7 times throughout the night and each time, I was more intent than the last that it was time to get up. Around 5:00 a.m., I quit fighting the excitement and rolled out of bed. Izzy was already awake. Our Danish and Korean friends were already starting to stir so I knew that they were excited as well. We all washed up and dressed quickly and were out the door by 5:30 a.m. We cut through town instead of backtracking and picked up the trail near a public pool. The part where we entered the woods was a bit confusing because there seemed to be several forks in the path. We had to look carefully to find the yellow arrow but it was there. For the next two and a half hours, we wandered through the woods with the occasional bit along paved road on our way to Santiago. Nothing took away from our excitement.

     The trail entered Santiago from the northeast and looped around the airport. As we passed by, a plane taxied out and took off. It definitely woke us up. Around the airport, we saw that there was a thick fog everywhere but we hoped it would burn off as the sun came up. As you can see from the pictures, it didn't at all. It was hard to take pictures because the camera couldn't find a focal point.

     Previous pilgrims left words of encouragement on the stop sign. Funny it wasn't in Spanish. About 5 km outside of Santiago was the small town of Monte do Gozo. It had the biggest albergue of the entire Camino at 400 beds. Many people hiked there the previous day and woke up to take a leisurely stroll into Santiago. The houses in the town were made of stone and were beautiful.

     There was a huge monument just outside of the albergue. We tried to find a way in to get a stamp but it sat out in the middle of a fenced off field and we couldn't find a way in. Many albergues closed daily for cleaning at 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. after the pilgrims left.

     After a couple of long roads, we started to get closer and we could make out the city in the distance. The number of people walking seemed to increase exponentially the closer we got.

     We crossed over the highway and followed the signs through town.

     As we passed more and more buildings and we found ourselves in the city proper, the excitement was palpable. We were a mere few minutes from finishing our 800 km hike.

     Around 10:20 a.m., we reached the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. 31 days after we started hiking in Saint Jean Pied de Port, France. We took some pictures then walked around the corner to Pilgrim Office to get our compostela. The line wasn't very long. After a 10 minute wait, we were able to get our final stamp and our names in Latin on a certificate that verifies we walked the Camino de Santiago. While we were there, we saw our Italian Egyptologist friend.

     After collecting our certificates, we parted ways with everyone so we could go to the bus station and buy tickets and they could get a room and drop off their bags at an albergue. The two Danish guys planned to go on to Finisterre to see the ocean. We visited Finisterre in July and took a picture of the hiker boot plaque at the lighthouse there. We bought overpriced bus tickets for 45 - 50 euros a piece to get back to Madrid on an overnight bus. There were tickets for an express bus that left at 2:30 p.m. and cost 80 euros a piece. We rushed back to the Cathedral for the pilgrims mass given each day at 12:00 p.m. We arrived a bit late because we were looking for a friend and had to stand. The priests read out the names of the countries and starting point of the previous day's arrivals. After a multi language service in German, French, Spanish, English, and Italian, we witnessed one of the most amazing things. The best part of it was the total surprise. The Cathedral was packed with people and the priests prepared the Botafumeiro, which is one of the largest incense burners in the world. It's a ceremony only performed on special days or when the amount of pilgrims is high. They loaded it and set it to swinging. You can see the ceremony at the bottom of the page. The history behind it is that it was designed to spread large amounts of incense and cover up the rank smell of nasty pilgrims. It's had several accidents over the years with no deaths reported. Once, the ropes broke and it flew out of the top window. Can you imagine what someone in the 16th century would have thought of something like that landing at their feet and not killing them?

     We were able to have lunch with the Danes and our Korean friend. We caught up with Shawn and his mother, an Italian guy we met three weeks earlier in La Rioja, a Swiss couple we met the first day, our friend José we met the first day, and our Canadian friend Rick we met the third day. It was great to see everyone and we all felt overjoyed to be there. We all had a drink at a nice cafe at the Hotel Costa Vella. 

     With great sadness, we left Santiago and caught our bus back to Madrid. We arrived early the next morning and went home. The scales showed us we'd lost quite a bit of weight and we felt great. We hope to return and hike the Camino del Norte soon.

                            

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