Having finished my walk and breakfast, I was able to see the town of Palma de Mallorca as the ship pulled into port. The thing that stood out the most as the ship pulled into the harbor is La Seu Cathedral. (Unfortunately I did not get a picture from the ship as we arrived at Palma) As the sun shone on the building, it appeared as if it were made of gold. This was on the tour later so we would get to see it up close and personal. The ship docked and just a bit after 8:30AM, those going on shore excursions or just wanting to see Palma began to disembark. I was amongst the crowd wanting and going to see Mallorca. We boarded the buses and off we went.
The island of Mallorca was reportedly colonized by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BC. It came under Roman control about 123 BC and Palma became the capital. During the next 1200 years, there were many changes in control of the island, including when King James I of Aragon annexed the island to the Crown of Aragon in 1230, ending Muslim control that began in 902. In the early 1700’s, Mallorca became part of Spain. Like the Catalonian region of Spain, Mallorca, whose main spoken language is Catalan, enjoys significant autonomy. City walls, originally built during Roman rule and rebuilt and enlarged during Muslim control, continued to be important during the 16th and 17th centuries, under Crown of Aragon and Spain. (The city walls were a fortification to help protect the town against invaders.) I bring this up because in parts of the city, including near Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma (Le Seu), portions of these walls are still in place and visible.
On our excursion, our first stop was Castell de Bellver. It was built in the early 1300’s and was home for the kings of Mallorca before Mallorca was part of Spain.
(This was actually one of at least two castles that the monarchy had on the island during that time.) The castle sits on a hill 365 feet high and since a large part of Palma is at about sea level, the views from the castle are just amazing. One can even see the harbor and I could see and identify our ship. The castle is circular, which is apparently rare in Europe. It has four towers and a moat. It is reported
that the moat is and was a dry moat, as opposed to water-filled as most people would normally think. It is a dry moat because water can be a scarce commodity on the island, even in modern times. There is a very large inner central courtyard that is built over the castle’s water cistern. It is no longer a residence of the monarchy but is now owned by the city of Palma. According to our tour guide, it is a historic site that is now used for some civic events but can and is rented to the public for special events such as weddings. (That could be a special place to host a birthday party or wedding and would make that destination wedding even more incredible. Married in a castle, on an island, in the Mediterranean. Not many people can say that. TAKE THAT DISNEY )
The castle appears to be in great condition (this is not a ruin like the Forum or Colosseum in Rome). There is the opportunity to walk through several of the rooms, many of which are unfurnished (not sure why). The incredible gothic
vaulted ceilings and round topped arched doors and windows are beautiful. The two story colonnade surrounding the inner courtyard is magnificent. There are statues, busts and other carvings in the castle that were collected by the
aristocracy that inhabited the castle. The art is fantastic but not as extensive as some other castles, most likely because the kings of Mallorca spent so little time on the island and at Castell de Bellver. They wanted to be on continental Europe.
Anyway, after Bellver, we traveled just northeast of the city to Baleares Coliseu Bullring. It was still an active bullfighting ring when I was on Mallorca, though many Spaniards are against it. Bullfighting has been outlawed in Catalonia.
This coliseum holds up to 10,000 people. The bullfights are NOT a daily or even weekly event. This was also a very handsome structure and was built in the 1920’s.
Across the street from the bullring is Joyeria Antonio Dorado, producers of Majorca pearls and other jewelry. I am no expert but I have learned a bit about jewelry over the years. I know that with the exception of pearls, all of the precious and semi-precious gemstones are mined from the earth. Pearls are made by bi-valve mollusks such as oysters. I had heard that Majorcan pearls were prized but I never knew why. Additionally, I did NOT know that Majorcan pearls are IMITATION, not real. The reason that Majorcan pearls are prized is because they are apparently very good imitation pearls, some of the best made. Their jewelry was quite nice.
After the bullring and the pearl store, it was onward to the main town area of Palma to the Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, or La Seu, as it is commonly called. It was built on the site of a mosque that had been built during the Muslim control of Mallorca, which was between 902 and about 1229. Because of this, the cathedral actually faces Mecca instead of Rome. La Seu was started in about 1229 or 1230 but not completed until 1601. Its gothic architecture with eight pair of
flying buttresses, the entryways, the towers, external statuary and gargoyle 
all add to the overall exterior.
I loved it. (I wanted to be an architect at one time and I have a favorite architect, Frank Lloyd Wright)
The interior does not disappoint. The vaulted ceilings with it main nave being 43 to 44 meters high (3rd or 4th highest in the world, higher than Notre Dame in Paris but not higher than St. Peter’s in Rome) and its main rose window (reportedly the
largest in the world) make it an architectural delight for those of us who are into architecture. The alter area with its crucifix, many other stained glass
windows and multiple chapel areas are just amazing to look at. Decoration here is
sculpture in many different media as opposed to the frescos seen in many of the Italian cathedrals, but no less stunning. One other fascinating thing about the main rose window in the cathedral–twice a year, as the sun shines through the window, it lines up just below one of the other rose windows. This occurs on February 2nd and November 11th, according to the tour guide.
Next to La Seu is the Royal Palace of La Almudaina, built as a fortified palace
during the Arab/Muslim occupation of Mallorca. When the island was conquered by King James I of Aragon, it became one of the residences of the new royalty, along with the Castell de Bellver (mentioned above). Unfortunately time and the schedule did not allow us to visit.
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Back at the ship, with a little time to relax before dinner, there was time to contemplate what I had seen that day. As an American, what we normally see as old and historical is actually relatively new when compared to a lot of what I have seen during the past several days. I was told by my tour guide in Rome that new is anything built after 1600. St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest, continuously occupied settlement (that is still occupied) in the U.S., founded in 1565. There are older settlements, such as Mesa Verde in Colorado that date back about 10,000 years, but it is not longer occupied. Mallorca has been continuously, and still is, occupied for at least the past 2800 years. Furthermore, Pope Sixtus IV had the Sistine Chapel restored in 1477. Michelangelo painted his portion of the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel between 1508 and 1512, forty-three years before our oldest still occupied city was founded.
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Dinner was again with Edmund and Lizette. This night Edmund recommended the mushroom pastry as an appetizer (I am not a fan of mushrooms and will usually only eat them if they are accompanying a red sauce with sausage and/or pepperoni). Much to my surprise, it was not only edible but it was actually good. (Thanks again Edmund) Next was Caesar salad, followed by filet mignon, roasted potatoes and asparagus. Dessert was molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Another fine supper.
After dinner, a little jazz was very relaxing. It was an early evening because the next morning, we would be docked at Marseille. I spent a little time sitting on my balcony enjoying the fresh, night air as the ship glided through the beautiful Mediterranean waters. Another amazing day.
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the-wandering-doc
Not All Who Wander are Lost
Please leave comments and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at DrJ@the-wandering-doc.com