It's a really convenient trip from Zurich - Swissair has a direct flight on Friday afternoon which is just two hours in the air. We left at 3pm, after doing our CrossFit Open 12.1 workout that morning. We had some minor glitches with our transportation when we arrived in Palma, and ended up taking a taxi to where we were staying in Port de Soller, around the middle of the north coast of the island.
We were at "Agroturismo Muleta de Ca S'hereu", up on the hill above the bay, and it was one of the highlights of the trip. The views were fantastic, the room was very nice with a high ceiling and windows on three walls. The building is surrounded by olive groves, as well as almond trees and a wandering herd of sheep. Here's a picture from our window the night we arrived. You can see most of the town below us.
The next morning we enjoyed a hearty breakfast and then hiked south to the small town of Deia, along the coast. The weather was perfect for hiking. It reminded us a lot of previous February trips to northern California. The trails were old and sometimes rough, paved with stone and going along stone walls through olive groves, past orange orchards, and with great views of the ocean in places.
After lunch in Deia, we hiked back along a slightly different route to return to Soller, the larger, inland town associated with Port de Soller. (Have a look at Google Maps or Google Earth). We explored a little, and then explored a lot more as we got lost searching for a supermarket. After almost two hours of wandering the maze-like streets and asking for directions three times, we eventually found it, and bought ourselves some dinner & picnic lunch for the next day. It ended up being a very long day of walking.
Claire was happy for a chance to practice her Spanish, except when she started speaking German or French mixed in! However, it was obvious to her that her Spanish is still much better than her German. Soller and Port de Soller are connected by an antique tram system, which was bumpy but fun to ride, and apparently quite an attraction, as it was full of people.
The second day was just as beautiful as the first. We woke up to this view of the town:
After breakfast, we went down the hill into Port de Soller to explore, and also hiked a little up on the hill north of town which you can see in the picture above. We had a picnic lunch by the old tower above town (just a dot on the horizon in the picture above), explored the marina, enjoyed a cold drink on the beach, and then dinner at one of the many restaurants.
The next morning (our last day) was very leisurely. After breakfast we caught a bus to Palma, the main city, and wandered through the old part of town there, mainly trying to do some shopping. We brought home some excellent oranges, lots of almonds, some olives, olive oil, and some other goodies.
Maybe we will go back another time and explore Palma a little more, but we didn't have enough time that day. The flight left around 5pm and we were back in chilly grey Zurich in time for our usual early bedtime.
