07 November 2017 –– Walking Tour of Palma da Mallorca, Balearic Isles, Spain

Another beautiful sunny day with mild temps!!  We arrived early in Palma da Mallorca, the largest of the 6 islands that form the archipelago of the Balearic Isles.  The city has a population of 400,000, nearly half of the total islands population. 

It dates back to the early Roman Empire, but nothing of that period remains as the Vandals and Moors destroyed it.  The Moorish influence, mixed with the Gothic, exists throughout and the Cathedral is one of the largest in Europe.  It was built from east to west instead of bottom up and took nearly 3 centuries to complete, only to be affected by the Lisbon earthquake in the 1700s.  The west wall archway entrance was uncovered and used in the reconstruction of the new west wall.

Eulalia, our walking tour guide, was excellent and told us much about the history and folklore of the island.  We saw so much in such a short time, but we captured the flavor of the local culture.Here are just a few more photos!

800-year old Olive Tree

Gaudi inspired modernistic architecture

1967 gardens and reflecting pool in front of Cathedral

Middle class courtyard complete with well

King James 1 

Now on to Italy!!