The ship was in high gear last night as we headed south to Palma de Mallorca. We arrived just before noon and caught the shuttle to the old part of town. We first checked out the Basilica de Santa Maria de Mallorca. It is a massive gothic church that glows in the sun. The lines were short so we went in. It was not as ornate at other Basilicas although its chapels are well adorned. One was reconstructed by Gaudi after a fire. The Basilica had two really interesting things, these massive candelabras that were 3m tall and took 14 years to make. They only were placed on the altar for special occasions. I feel for the lads that had to get them up there. The other item was a statue of Mary that dated back to the 13th century (made from one log, something we’d never see from our lumber sources these days). Oh, and there were dead people in there too, including one arm bone from a saint (placed in a replica arm).
We wandered the streets, which were very narrow and not at all straight. Apparently this was common in the 1200s when this was all built.
We had a beer and mojito, and another beer and mojito near this old olive tree that had a gnarled trunk about 12 feet in diameter.
This was a short portion of day so we headed back to the busses. On the way we watched the peddlers pick up their stores on sheets and run off as the police patrolled the area.
