We intended to ask for a late checkout, because we wanted to be able to use their towels this morning, and also shower/change before heading back to the airport, but our hotel:
- Provided beach towels
- Was happy to hold our bags as long as we wanted
- Had a bathroom and shower that we could use
So we checked out of the hotel around 9:30 AM, rented two bikes that were in the lobby area, and went out for some adventure. If anyone ever needs a place to stay in the old city center of Palma, I'd recommend the Fil Suites; they really were fantastic about everything.
A bit of browsing around on Google Maps had shown a network of bike trails, and an AirPod in one ear helped navigate us out of the medieval town center.
Once again, the weather was absolutely perfect. We rode for 2 miles or so, along the waterfront bike trail, until we could go no farther.
Near the end of the trail, we locked the bikes to a railing and struck out on foot, heading up to Bellver Castle. It was only about a ½ mile, but up some steep streets and so very many stairs.
We had neither the time to spare nor the interest to see inside the castle, and the view from the parking area and/or turnaround in front of it was lovely.
Rather than go back down the same way we came up, we walked around the side of the castle and took a hiking trail back towards the harbor. It was a bit longer, but more scenic.
The trail dumped us out in a small neighborhood, just a few blocks up from the main road.
Thankfully, nobody had absconded with our hotel-issued towels.
Returning to the bike trail, we rode back along the harbor over to the beach that's just outside of the city center.
We locked the bikes to a railing, mere steps from the beach. It wasn't very crowded, what with it being just before noon on a Tuesday in October.
The water was absolutely lovely. Google tells me it's about 78F right now, but it felt cooler to us, after biking and hiking for a few hours.
Just above the right-most point where the ocean meets the sand here, the cathedral is visible through the palm trees. And just above the sailboats in the center, the castle is discernible amongst the treetops.
There were occasional roving vendors on the beach, hawking blanket/umbrella rentals, cold beverages, massages (... what?), and this guy pushing a wheelbarrow full of fruit. He trudged by around the time we were thinking about leaving, offering ¼ of a watermelon, ½ of a pineapple, or a whole mango.
I took him up on the mango offer; he gave Sabrina a plastic bag to hold, then cut it into chunks and let it fall into the bag. It was perfectly ripe, and just the thing we needed to end our beach visit. After washing mango juice off our hands, we packed our stuff into the bike baskets and returned to the hotel.
After returning the bikes, showering, and changing, we walked around the block to find some late lunch. We took some light sandwiches to go, and ate them in the plaza behind the hotel.
Eventually, we made our way back to the airport. We didn't want to risk the bus system again, after yesterday's near-adventure (the schedule is "every 20 minutes... more-or-less" according to the woman at the front desk). We opted for a taxi ride instead; the hotel staff called one for us.
The driver was friendly, and we managed to have a conversation entirely in Spanish about how she prefers American tourists over the northern Europeans (there have been "too many Germans"), and she's glad that American tourism is coming back now, including via cruise ships, because there wasn't much last year.
At the airport, we sampled some of the Mallorcan liquid specialties, even though we weren't duty-free eligible because it was a domestic flight.
Oddly, there were also selling bottled sangria from Casa Lolea, where we ate before the flamenco show the other night.
We had randomly-assigned seats, what with the budget airline and all. I don't often get a window seat, but I enjoyed the view of the beach by the airport, as we took off from Palma.
I also enjoyed the view of the busy Barcelona port as we landed, about 40 minutes later.
We landed back in Barcelona around 5 PM, and it took at least 15 minutes just to walk through the terminal to the metro station.
Our next scheduled activity wasn't until 7 PM, so we had time to stop at the Renfe customer service desk at the Barcelona-Sants train station on the way back to downtown, to process our train ticket refunds from Sunday.
We got to Casa Milà a bit early, but they happily waved us in, just as the sunset was threatening the top of the building.
This was another tour that I remember taking the first time I was here, in the pre-digital-camera era.
We took the elevator up, then toured around the fancy apartment, decorated with original furniture and trappings.
The audioguide was included, and other than having to use the included headphones, it was decent. The transitions to the next track are triggered automatically when moving between rooms, which is nice.
Next, we went up to the attic to see the "ribs" (arches), as well as some models and information about the building process. There are about 300 of these structural brick ribs throughout the attic.
They also have a display of the upside-down model that Gaudí used for figuring out load-bearing arches, similar to ones we saw at the other Gaudí attractions. This one had a mirror under it, though, which is a nice touch.
The part that I remember best came next: out to the crazy rooftop area.
The audioguide was still in play, even up here, explaining details about all of the chimneys, tile work, and the arches that frame views of Tibidabo and Sagrada Familia.
The rooftop also affords an attractive view of Passeig de Gracia, enhanced by the pastel sunset.
We enjoyed the sunset from the rooftop for about 10 or 15 minutes, with a dozen or so other tourists.
I made sure to abuse the wide-angle lens on my iPhone to get some extra-curvy photos of the already-curvy roof features.
Back down at ground level, we explored the two central courtyards before leaving.
It was some time around 8 PM when we left, and we still had our backpacks with everything we'd taken overnight to Mallorca (stowed in a locker during the tour), so hopped the metro back to the hotel to unpack and figure out a plan for dinner.
Absent any other guidance, we again dipped into the recommendation list from the bike tour guide (see Day 1), and walked 10 or 15 minutes across Grácia to L’Arrosseria Xàtiva for some (paella and risotto).
It was 9:45 PM by the time our food came out; paella is not known for being quick. Mine was chicken and rabbit; Sabrina's had clams and cod.
Within half an hour, it was all gone.
The restaurant was lively and almost full when we left, around 10:30 PM.
Tomorrow, we're heading up to Park Güell in the morning, then wandering around El Born (neighborhood next to the Gothic quarter) and touring the Picasso Museum in the afternoon.
No comments:
Post a Comment