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Here are some pictures from my trip to Mallorca, Spain.
Mallorca, one of the Balearic Islands, lies in the Mediterreanean Sea east of the Spanish mainland. The local language is Catalan, a Romance language which sounds somewhat like a mixture of Spanish and French. The climate of the islands is mediterreanean, with generally warm, sunny days and most rainfall coming in winter.
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Cala Pi
Cala Pi means "Cove Point" in Catalan I believe. The darker and lighter patches of water are caused by the presence or absence of seaweed. This was a hot day for a hike, but a constant sea breeze made the heat quite bearable. |
Cliffs at Sunset
This was the view from a local restaurant where we ate a couple of nights. As the sun went down, the cliffs began to glow in hues of orange and pink. It was completely dark on the island by around 9:45-10:00 p.m.
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Same restaurant, different angle
Looking down from the balcony of the same restaurant, this was the view. The water was very clear - so clear in fact that on a snorkeling trip a day earlier I could easily see 20+ feet down. As in much of Europe, almost every restaurant offered outdoor dining. |
Crooked Phoenix canariensis
P. canariensis was probably the most common landscape palm, followed closely by Washingtonia. I found this unique specimen in Alcudia, on the north side of the island. There were Roman ruins nearby.
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Howea species
Though most palms were either Phoenix, Washingtonia, or Chamaerops, I did find this Howea species in Palma near the cathedral. Palma is the largest city on the island with about 350,000 residents. In the height of the summer tourist season Palma's airport is the busiest in Spain. |
Chamaerops humilis
I captured this nice clump near the cathedral in Palma as well.
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Ficus elastica
This was another very common landscape plant and some were quite large. Other very common plants were: olives, figs, almonds, lemons, oranges, oleander, and bougainvillea. |
Washingtonia at dusk
Walking home one night after eating, I snapped this shot of a Washingtonia with the Mediterreanean Sea in the background. Washintonia was very common on the island, but I thought this shot was very nice with the sea and boat as backdrops.
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The beach at S'Arenal
Our first day on the island we went walking along S'Arenal beach. We didn't do much else as we were all worn out from the long flight over. |
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Another shot from Cala Pi
This shot shows the type of architecture common on the island. I couldn't get over the beauty of the rocky landscape and water, which alternated between shades of azure and aquamarine. To the left was a small beach where the lone swimmer had gone in for a dip.
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