Day 348 - Valldemossa

We decided to rent a car for a week and tour Mallorca. Our first series of stops were along the west coast, in the Tramuntana Mountains. The first town we stopped in was Valldemossa, a quaint village. It has a famous monastery where Chopin lived during the winter of 1838/39. The houses are constructed of stone and the village provides a pleasant backdrop for an afternoon stroll and lunch.

All the houses have ornamental entrances with flowers, green shutters and small ceramic plates at the main entrance. Apparently the plates contain a prayer message to La Beata, the saint protecting the village. This village is very relaxing and well worth the visit.

After lunch we decided to check out the Port de Valldemossa, located several kms away. The guide book described the drive to the port as 'tortuous.' That is quite an understatement. Barely wide enough for a single car, the road is a long, twisting, narrow journey of frayed nerves - the longest 7km drive of my life. Not for the faint of heart.

After the crazy, stressful drive down the side of the mountain to get to the port we were hoping for something amazing (magic dancing unicorns?), but there isn't much there except a restaurant and half naked fishermen. Huh. So the port was a bit of a letdown.