Things to See in Mallorca, Spain

Elizabeth Weintraub wades in the water at Alcudia Beach, Mallorca, Spain.

Apart from the beaches, there are many things to see in Mallorca. But first, this is an island I have yearned to visit since 1973, when I was seated next to a woman on a flight from Denver to Minneapolis, feeling all weepy because I was leaving a city I wanted to live in and returning to one I did not. My seat mate had returned from vacation in Mallorca and described in great detail the beauty of this magical place. I felt like sometime in the future I would eventually find myself on this island, and sure enough, it happened, although more than 40 years later.

I imagine much has changed hotel-wise and whatnot, but the scenery, crystal clear azul water, the friendly people, the wonderful paella and bocadillo de jamon was just like she described.

People and cars share the streets at Old Town of Alcudia, Mallorca, Spain.

We walked the streets of Alcudia and visited shops, before realizing we were starving. I wanted to stop at a newer restaurant but my husband pointed to a local corner place with a bunch of people and said the only thing the other restaurant had going for it was better signage and a newer interior but everybody was sitting at this place.

That sounded like a sensible thing to do until we were served lunch. My paella was inedible. The rice was too hard because the oven was too hot. Instead I nibbled on bread, thinking how I could convey my dissatisfaction to the waitress in Spanish. After all, I had studied Spanish for many months before taking this trip.

With absolute delight, I came up with the following phrase: no me gusta, arroz muy duro. I am not certain it is correct but I knew no me gusta meant I didn’t like it. I thought I’d never have an occasion to use that phrase when I learned it, but, hey, you never know. I also recalled from my food words that arroz meant rice. Muy is very and duro is hard, so I just strung them all together, and she understood me, although my sentence composition could be off.

I cannot begin to describe my incredible joy. I did not care that lunch sucked. I was thrilled that I was able to communicate. This was better than a full stomach.

Roof tops of Old Town of Alcudia, Mallorca, Spain,

We toured ruins and walked through this medieval walled town. The Spanish, Moorish and Roman influences, including Gothic architecture, made us feel connected to the past. I also appreciated the way the buildings were attached in such a mishmash manner that worked. This is a view from a catwalk at an old castle, which is one of the things to see in Mallorca.

Elizabeth Weintraub ducks out of the heat to rest against wooden doors of the Church of Sant Jaume in Mallorca.

The sun was particularly hot the day we were there, so I ducked into the shade for a few minutes under the eaves of the Church of Sant Juame. From there I could watch children running around a soft drink stand. When we initially entered Alcudia, there was a bullfighting ring where the buses dropped us off. I wanted to go inside to take a peek, but they wanted $2 euros for that. I could never attend a bullfight in person. Just could not do it. I would cry, and it would be a horrifying experience for me. Apparently, I am not alone with those feelings, as there is a potential bullfighting ban in Mallorca, Spain.

Much of Catalonia has already banned bullfighting. There is considerable contention over it, people don’t want to give up a tradition. But that’s probably worse than the fight over the Confederate flag in the South. Some “traditions” deserve to change. Among the things to see in Mallorca, bullfighting would not be one of them.

Many streets in the old town are decorated for public holiday in Alcudia, Mallorca Spain.

The decorations were put up over some of the streets for a public holiday. I don’t know if it was for Ascension Day which is August 15th. or Fiesta les llanternes, which is August 24th, when children carry lanterns made out of melons and sing Mallorcan songs. When we asked, it sounded like it was a religious celebration but we don’t know for certain.

View of Mallorca from sea, near the bay of Alcudia, Spain.

The only regret we had was we could not visit the Yannick and Ben Jakober Foundation’s Sa Bassa Blanca Museum. The map given to us by Crystal Cruiselines showed this museum smack dab in the center of town. I ducked into a dress shop on the corner where this place should have been to ask the clerk if she knew where it was. Nope. Finally we went to the tourist office, and the woman behind the counter laughed. Did we have a car? Well, it was out in the country, quite a ways from town. It was one of the things to see in Mallorca we did not get a chance to do. Oh, well.

Photos: ©Elizabeth Weintraub