Today we arrived at a port we have never been to, Palma de Mallorca which is in Spain. Mallorca is the seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
It was super busy in the Garden Cafe but we did finally find a table outside by the pool to enjoy our breakfast. Karen learned last night that the only options into town were the Norwegian cruise shuttle at a cost of 20 Euros / person or a taxi. When doing our research prior to the trip, we had figured out a way where we could walk to a nearby mall and grab a bus to Placa d’Espanya. But we quickly realized that we were docked farther away than we expected. So we decided to grab a couple of taxis … Karen, Paul, Jen in taxi #1 and Darlene, Nana and myself in taxi #2. The fare is metered and it was 17.90 Euros for the twenty minute ride.
There is a lot to see in Palma like the Royal Palace of La Almudaina or the Cathedral of Mallorca. But we decided to actually leave Palma and go to Soller by train. Not just any old train but a wooden train that has been running since 1912. Ferrocarril de Sóller is a twenty-seven kilometre ride from Palma to the small town of Soller through some beautiful countryside. We went to the train station to pick up our tickets but we were told we could not pick them up until 1:00pm for the 1:30pm train ride.
Since we had some time, we walked over to Mercat de l’Olivar and explored the market. It was a much smaller and less busier market than the one in Barcelona. Some of us picked up lunch from Bottega Bolognese which makes pasta onsite. Boy was it delicious. I also had my first gelato of the day, chocolate brownie. On our way back to the train station, we walked around some of the old town. Unfortunately we ran out of time and did not find the Tim Hortons that is here.
Once we got back to the train station, we got our tickets (32 Euros / person) and proceeded to wait on the platform. We wanted to be at the front of the train but with the amount of people that were here, it was not possible. We did manage to find a car where we were each able to get a window seat.
The scenery during the train ride was spectacular. We passed through small villages and saw lots of farm land including orange and olive groves. There are thirteen tunnels of varying lengths. One of them I could have fallen asleep with how long we were in the dark. After about an hour, we arrived in the small town of Soller.
We got off of the train and at the platform, there was a stand that was selling freshly squeezed orange and lemon juice and sangria. While we were enjoying our beverages, we noticed that the tram that takes you to the Port of Soller was getting ready to leave. We finished up our drinks and hopped onboard.
The tram was just as much fun as the train and within fifteen minutes, we had arrived to the Port of Soller. The first thing I noticed was how many boats there were. The second thing I noticed was how many people were in the water during this October day. Some of us decided to dip our feet into the Balearic Sea. We decided to take the 4:30pm tram back to Soller so that gave us about a half an hour to explore the waterfront which is lined with many shops and cafes. I had my second gelato of the day here, pistachio.
I do not know how we did it, but we were able to get seats on the tram even though it was really crowded. On the ride back, everyone except for Jen and Nana got off the tram and checked out Sant Bartomeu de Soller which is the church. It was a short walk to the bar where we found Jen and Nana. We still had time before the 6:00pm train back to Palma, so we also grabbed some beverages and snacks. While we were waiting, we overheard a lively discussion between a tourist and the tram operator. Tourist asks tram operator does the tram go to the port. Tram operator answers sarcastically that for one hundred years the tram has gone to the port. Where the tram will go tomorrow, he does not have a clue. I guess you had to be there.
Finally at around 5:40pm, it was time for us to board the train. We got lucky again and everyone got a window seat. We arrived back in Palma at 7:15pm and proceeded to grab a taxi back to the port. We finally realized that we had to go across the street from the train station to get a taxi. Eventually we got two taxis and even though the fair is metered, the price can be different. Karen, Paul and Jen only paid 11.40 Euros while we paid the same price we did earlier today.
We ended up at Taste where we had a late dinner with lots of laughs. Our day finished up on Karen and Marie’s balcony with Dave, Cathy, Jon, Teresa, Michael, Liam and Brodie.
11113 steps, 8.11 kms
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