Las Mallorquínas

One more thing from 2011 that I want to share in detail. From December 7th-11th, we had a puente, which is a long weekend that forms when there is a Thursday or Tuesday holiday and the Spanish say “what the heck” and take off that Friday or Monday, too.  What a concept, huh?

Amanda, my auxiliar friend at school, and I decided to hop on any RyanAir flight to the cheapest destination. So we were off to Mallorca, one of the Islas Baleares off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean.

This was my first experience with Ryan Air and I wasn’t quite as prepared as Amanda. This gem that she is wearing is called a Rufus Roo, or as I like to call it, a loophole. RyanAir has very strict restrictions on what sized bag you bring onto the flight. One carry-on is allowed and it must fit into the cardboard box of doom that they use to check that it’s the correct size. If it doesn’t fit, you are forced on the spot to pay 40 euro to check the bag. Rufus Roo’s answer to this is the jumbo-pocket vest which fits a variety of things ranging from decorative wooden elephants, viking adorned paperweights, diets cokes, and a small variety of on-flight reading and although sounds like an additional carry-on, is disguised as stylish apparel. System beat.

The RyanAir flight was... how do I put this... entertaining? They guarantee the lowest fairs so us budget-travelers become slaves to their system. While enjoying this incredible shade of thanks-now-I-have-a-headache, the flight attendants constantly pace up and down the isles trying to sell you everything from "freshly prepared paninis" to perfume and my personal favorite, the RyanAir calendar. The constant bombardment finally ceased with the piercing sound of a horn playing
 followed by an announcement of "yet another on-time RyanAir flight!" Of course it's on time. We left an hour late but the ticket approximated 2 hours for a a flight that takes 45 minutes. All you can do is shake your head. 

Paseo Marítimo 

The city itself is just lovely. I always find it incredibly refreshing to see a palm tree accompanied by the salty scent of a nearby ocean.

Interesting fact: In Mallorca, they speak a variety of Catalán called Mallorquí. It’s simple enough to get by with only Castellano (Spanish) if you can figure out the writing on signs.

Palma de Mallorca is not only a beautiful coastal city on an exotic Mediterranean island, it’s also a major destination for the excessively wealthy yacht-owners of the world. This provides a perfect opportunity for young British guys to find work on board as deck hands or chefs. We met a lot of Brits of this variety on this trip.

The image of the yachts lined up along the harbor is breathtaking, especially at sunset.  

 

We took ourselves on a little walking tour through the historical district and came across beautiful arabic architecture every where we turned.

We also couldn’t walk 50 meters without coming across a street fair or market filled with fresh produce, meats, cheeses, homemade jewelry and crafts.  

Palma on a winter's night

The cathedral in Palma de Mallorca is particularly stunning and strikingly tall. We didn’t go inside but we did spend plenty of time appreciating the Roman Gothic architecture.

Plaza Juan Carlos I

We found some surprisingly delicious and aesthetic food at a restaurant near our new hostel- mouth watering.

We spent a few nights hanging out at a British Pub run by the most perfectly stereotypical older expat British man named Charlie who we decided was the coolest person we met there. Palma is typically a very wild party destination in the summer, but alas, we caught the off-season. But don’t worry, there was still plenty of a night life scene to be explored. 

We stopped by one of the more colorful street fairs for a bit of cotton candy… and when I say “a bit” I mean an obscene amount of cotton candy that should never be consumed by one person at any given time. See for yourself.

Bellver Castle

For the Royal See-saws and Ponies, turn left

We decided to take more advantage of the sightseeing so we headed to the Bellver Castle, one of the only circular castles in Spain. It was pretty nice and had a great view of the island and the city!

My Future Residence

Before we left for the weekend, my roommate and her sister [who used to live in Palma] drew us up a  map of things to do and see. This pastelería was on the map for where to eat ensaïmadas, a typical pastry of Mallorca.  Mission accomplished!

Baños Árabes

Amanda planking like a champion 

     

Scaling Walls

Needless to say, we had a great time exploring Mallorca for the weekend. 

RyanAir Fashion

Wearing: jeans, tights, leggings, socks, boots, tank top, long-sleeve shirt, cardigan, hoodie, denim jacket, leather jacket, two scarves, and ONE allotted carry-on