10. Palma, Mallorca

 I will be the first to admit that my preconceived ideas of Palma were wrong. I had thought that the esplanade and city streets would be lined with Irish bars selling Guinness, British pubs selling fish and chips or a Sunday roast and nightclubs cheek by jowl. Maybe parts of the Island are like that, maybe in mid July when the tourist hoards arrive it’s like that, but Palma certainly is not like that…well, not on a Sunday on the last day of October it’s not. It’s actually quite charming and delightful. 

We took the shuttle bus in from the ship and were dropped close to the huge Cathedral which dominates the city and it’s skyline. The larger streets in the centre of the shopping district were busy, but by no means heaving. Cafe society was alive and well with families having a morning coffee, children playing in their Halloween outfits, young couples promenading, a lady in her Sunday best chatting with the parish priest and elderly ladies gossiping as they descended the steps from church. In one of the streets was a flower market, every stall overflowing with all kinds of colourful blooms and bouquets….and a roaring trade they were doing too. Our assumption was that the locals were buying them for their homes as a mark of respect for departed loved ones, it being All Hallows Day tomorrow, 1 November. 

But step away from the busier streets into the older parts of town and there was barely a soul in sight (pun not intended). A few small establishments were open, but the majority were closed, either because it was a Sunday or because the main tourist season was now over. These little narrow streets formed a maze, twisting and turning all lined with tan coloured walls and little balconies, some draped with the early morning laundry. Each courtyard below was a gem…immaculately kept, pot plants in the corner, maybe a large urn strategically placed and a staircase leading up the the living area. It’s a photographer’s dream.

The streets were all clean with no sign of discarded bottles, beer cans or last nights takeaway.  We wandered these streets and discovered an Arabic bathhouse dating back to the times of Moslem occupation a thousand years ago, the interior of which was a little garden of tranquility, should one have been needed.

The stretch or waterfront from where the ship was berthed to the Cathedral area is a yacht marina. All 3.5km of it and I have never seen so many yachts all in one place in my life. Not surprisingly the esplanade in front of the marina is lined with cafes and restaurants and yacht supply stores, but they were nearly all closed.

We both thoroughly enjoyed our few hours ashore here exploring Palma. Maybe one day it will be a place to return to for some more in depth sightseeing. But it will have to be in late October.