2018-07-15 Puerto Sòller, Mallorca, Islas Baleares, Spain

Tangaroa on anchor in Puerto Sòller

By dinghy we head towards the south eastern beach of Puerto Sòller where we will collect a car we have rented for a day

Sòller has a wonderful natural sandy beach in it’s harbour

From Sòller we travel north east up the coast heading towards Pollenca

As we follow the mountain road we see the town of Sòller below with it’s conspicuous church in it’s centre

Continuing on we stop at mirador de Ses Barques which has a small restaurant and also a fabulous lookout

From here we were able to see the entrance and the marina of Puerto Sòller

As we continue higher into the mountains there are numerous places to stop to see the stunning views of the mountains and the towns below

The roads are quite narrow and one has to be very careful as there also quite a lot of cyclists and motorbikes on the road too

…… not to mention a horse or two as we approach to town of Lluc

Our first major stop is to the Sanctuary of Lluc which is surrounded by high mountains and thick forest

Firstly we visit the Basilica with it’s rich gold ornate interior

The Monastery houses a Gothic carving in dark wood of the Virgin of Lluc. The patron saint of the island is passionately worshiped by the Mallorcans

The Sanctuary of Lluc also houses a museum

Local artwork is also on display in the museum

Next to the monastery we climb many ancient steps that takes us to a wonderful lookout

The views were quite stunning looking over the fertile valleys surrounded by the mountains

Ric enjoys helping other visitors getting group photos

During the 18 km trip to Pollenca we pass unusual rock formations in areas along the road

The trip takes us through the mountainous regions of Puig Roig and Puig Tomir

Finally we descend to the Valle d’en March

We arrive in Pollenca and search for a car space in one of the narrow streets

Pollenca’s most famous attraction is the Calvary Path

We decide to get our workout for the day climbing the 365 steps up to the small chapel at the top of the hill

On either side of the steps are some lovely villas with perfectly kept gardens

As we ascend we look back and can’t believe how far we had come

Finally we make it to the top and reach the small delightful chapel surrounded by cypress trees

The chapel contains a 13th century stone carving of Our Lady at the foot of the cross, which according to legend was found in the nets of local fishermen

After leaving Pollenca we take the highway back to Sòller passing through the town of Inca. In the heart of Inca stands the Church of Santa Maria la Major

Continuing south west we pass several villages surrounded by grapevines

Another town we pass through is Sant Maria del Cami which is also well known for wine production

The town also has a couple of Moorish style bell towers, this one belonging to the Gothic Parish Church

It is not long before we see the mountains near Sòller

We head through the tunnel which was built in 1997 to make a safer and quicker route by road from inland to Sòller

As we approach Puerto de Sòller we pass one of the wooden trams that go between the port and the inland town of Sòller

The weather forecast was for wind increasing during the evening. As we make our way back to the boat we already felt the early effects

A pink sunset

A feathered friend hoping to get some leftovers

In the evening people line the foreshore to celebrate the Fiesta of Verge del Carme

Fiestas of Verge del Carme starts with an evening mass procession with local people carrying statue of virgin, the patron of fishermen to the port where the statue is brought aboard a boat that has been decorated for fiesta. This boat is followed out to sea by a procession of decorated fishing boats

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