Mallorca

First of all I apologize for not being more diligent with this. Midterms, exhaustion, stress, and other distractions have kept me from writing but I’ve gotten through all that and back into some down time so I’m going to do my best to fill everyone in and get you all up to speed.

Two weeks ago (it really has been a long time since I’ve done this…) I went to Mallorca. I went with Brandon and a former SLU student Melisa, who now goes to SMU in Dallas, and her roommate Chelsi. In an earlier post I described Cadiz as a Spanish San Diego, only nicer. Similarly, Mallorca is like the Hawaii of Spain, on steroids. Seriously, this is one of the most pleasant places on the planet. I’m honeymooning there when the time comes (not anytime soon mind you, but that’s how much of an impression this place made on me).

I was there in February, a month that brings gray, gray, and more gray to both St. Louis and Ohio. I dread February; it’s usually a month that is full of conversations that start off with mere despair and depression but eventually you realize that you have abandoned your faith in humanity. You start off innocently enough, you still think there is hope, “dude let’s just go. Get your keys, cash out your account and let’s go to Florida.” As the month goes on you slip into morbid philosophical discussions like, “If death had a door, what would its doorbell sound like?” By Valentine’s Day you give up on philosophy and discuss more practical issues, “would you rather be eaten shark or run over by a bus?” (The answer, of course, is a bus. You have greater access to buses in St. Louis and you are so miserable that practicality trumps the bad-ass effect of being eaten by Jaws). But in Mallorca the only real question is, “do you want to eat and then go to the beach or beach and then eat?” (The answer, of course, is eat on the beach).

We were there for three days and the airfare and lodging was less than €100 per person. You know, me writing this is pointless. I should just show you pictures and comment on them so it doesn’t sound like I’m gloating so much. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you one the most pleasant places on Earth, Mallorca:

This is the main attraction of Mallorca, the Cathedral. My Spanish art teacher tells me that it is the tallest Spain, all I know is that it's freaking gorgeous. Inside the cathedral there is an exhibition by very famous contemporary artist from Mallorca named Barcelo. His work inside the cathedral is somewhat controversial because of the clash of styles between the Gothic architecture and the very modern work he created.

His work fills in an apse in the cathedral and it depicts a man seemingly coming through the wall (Christ), a massive wave with fish coming through the wall and a land scene with trees and rocks.

Other things that we did including touring the castle (right next to the cathedral) and walked around a site that used to be Arab bathhouses.

This is the view of the harbor of Palma (the capital city of Mallorca) from the castle.

Arab bathhouses:

This, of course, is where I spent most of my time. We stayed in a hotel that was literally 45 feet from the Mediterranean in a city called Plamanova. The beach. (Reminder: This is FEBRUARY):

OK kiddos, that's all I've got from Mallorca. If you're green with envy, well, that's kinda what I was aiming for. I'll end this with a artsy photo of me not looking at the camera. Which reminds me, none of these photos are mine. All photos seen here or that I've been tagged in on facebook were either taken by Chelsi or Melisa. I was in such a rush to get to the airport on time that I forgot my camera, but I think they filled in okay. More posts in the very near future. I promise.