Mallorca Road Trips with Anne

Anne and I had a few road trips while I was there. The minor ones were the short but still fun trips to the grocery and the dropping off the garbage. The major ones though were so much filled with adventure and memorable times.

parallel highway

Our first one was a trip to Sant Salvador, a monastery located near the town of Felanitx. The winding road was a little bit of a challenge for driving but the views were stunning. When we got to the end of the road and reached 509 meters of altitude, the panoramic views were amazing. The whole stretch of the Serra de Tramuntana was at us from a distance, the west side of the island. There were a few people who explored the place. Anne and I found a shady place and sat there for a while, taking it all in. 

Petra Church

I remember that day being our main objective was to get a part welded for Patty. The shop was closed when we got there coz it was siesta time. So we decided to get on the road and explore. There were moments that we'd just get lost and laugh. But one of the most memorable time was when Anne was driving in parallel with the main highway. It was hilarious coz people were just looking at us, must have been thinking, what are those loonies doing. So yeah, the intention was to get to the main highway and figure out how to get to our destination. But then for some reason we ended up on a road that seemed to still be leading to somewhere. Anne and I were laughing when a tourist bus passed by. She immediately asked me to hide the map so the people on the bus wouldn't see. I looked at her, lost, thinking why would they check, but I still hid it anyway. Then we just burst out laughing. Good times. 

The second time we went on a road trip was a whole day affair. Okay, so here was the thing. I had mywindow open that morning and Anne did mention that if I didn't wake up with a knock on the door, that she'd peek through the window and call me out. The latter she did indeed at 7AM! and what happened? I just flipped and fell down on the floor and managed to break a mug. I just couldn't figure out how the whole scene happened. But for some reason I got scared when she whispered my name through the window. It took me a minute I think, just to get up. But, man, Anne just couldn't stop laughing. And even till the last day I was there, every time she'd remember that moment, she'd just burst out laughing. Well, it was hilarious but embarrassing as well. 

Sanctuary de Cura

That day was filled with visits to the monastery. Anne wanted to explore different places on the island which she hasn't visited yet. We started with the town of Petra. The vibe and energy of the place was amazing and for some reason, of all the town on the east side of Mallorca, that was the one where I felt more at home. Not just because it was quiet, but because there was something peaceful about the whole town. Petra was a little bit north east from Cala D'or. It's been known as the home town of Father Junipero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan friar who started 9 out of the 21 Spanish missions in California from San Diego to San Francisco. There was a nearby  museum that we visited. The gentleman married to the caretaker was kind enough to open the gate for us even though his wife was out. They just asked for donations in return. The whole museum contained letters, magazines, photos and architectural layouts of the different monasteries Fr. Juniper spearheaded. It was definitely amazing and inspiring. 

After that were a few more trips to a few more different monasteries. Santuari of Mont Zion located betweenthe mountains of Randa and Sant Salvador. It's summit is 250 meters and within the municipality of Porreres, a town in Mallorca. The arches were really pretty to look at but the middle was a little bit bare, just having a small well to ornate the massive space in between. There was a lady who we had a quick chat with, and with my crooked spanish, I asked if she was a Monk. She said she wasn't. Apparently she was just there for holiday. The place was very quiet and we were the only 2 souls around. The silence made us whisper to each other. We visited the chapel and then headed on our way to the next destination. 

Sanctuary de Consolacio

The Sanctuary De Cura was so far one of the best we've visited. There were a few people over there but it didn't bother us because of the spacious grounds it had. So far, we believe it was the highest of all we've visited, reaching 543 meters above sea level, which must explain the presence of radio comms equipment in the area. I guess that was the only thing that sort of spoiled the ambiance. 

The Sanctuary is located on the summit of Randa mountain range in the municipality of Algaida in boundary limits with Llucmajor, another town in Mallorca.  Apparently this area was once the refuge of hermits, who wanted to seek shelter from the rest of society and focus on the ideal setting of physical separation. 

Anne and I had lunch there. The views were lovely too and we savored the free time whilst discussing a few things. As I write this entry, part of me misses those times when we'd just talk about stuff, with no judgment whatsoever but just enjoying the exchange of ideas, perspectives, worries, doubts and mixed with the laughter and smirks. 

Anne with alpaca

It was around 5 pm when we had to hit the road again and find our way back to Cala D'or. However, we didn't really felt like heading off. 

The last road trip we went on was the best. We visited Anne's sanctuary, called Sanctueri de Consolacio which was just a few minutes drive from Cala D'Or. People i'd say wouldn't frequent the place since it was a little bit off the beaten track, and not on the list of places to go to. However, it would be in places like these that you'd find a special connection. The moment would be more intimate and there were so many opportunities to have silent and reflective moments. Plus, there were 200+ steps up the monastery, which added up to the vibe of the place.

We met a lady by the name of Tina, who's been taking care of alpacas and llamas, she was also into the therapy sort of field, even with kids. She was originally born in Germany, but moved to Mallorca for several years. The family she's been showing around were also from Germany. She did speak fluent Spanish though. We chatted with her for a while and she exchanged details with Anne. It was really cute how the alpaca would stare at us, wrapped in her white fur. After some time we stayed for a while in the chapel, choosing different pews to have the silence to ourselves. The German family was also walking around and the Mother sat quietly at the back. I might have dozed at some point, but I do remember clearly what I was thinking about when I was there. 

After a while, we walked around the area and checked out the different sides of the Monastery. We found the small swing that was tied to a tree. Also, there was a lovely view where we though would be a good place to have people do meditations if ever she does push through with the concept of the Circle. On the way down the hill we stopped by an almond  farm where we tried our best to reach out for a few. I was a little bit reluctant at first, hearing voices from the farm. But Anne was happy with the idea so I guess it was safe? Anyway, as we walked further, we found ourselves a wild fig tree. Anne's eyes just got so big, which meant we started picking the good ones. It was so cute how she gets so excited about figs whenever we see one. I'd usually reach out for the taller ones, not that I'm saying I'm tall. But i'd usually try to climb a branch just to reach out for it. I recall before we got back in the car, Anne said, "I can feel the love coming". She always had this feeling that I'd meet my Mr.Right in Mallorca. 

To finish the day, Anne took me to the beach coz we agreed we'd go swimming. I really enjoyed that afternoon though Anne found it really annoying to be walking on a rocky beach. I couldn't blame her. But she did allow me to go swimming in the deep. So I think I spent an hour, swimming far away from the crowd, to the deeper and crazier tide, near the cliffs. There I found a father and son from Madrid who I joined in... jumping off the cliffs. Ahhhh, such fun. super fun I'd say. That was my first time to go swimming in Mallorca. And it was my second to last day. <sigh>