Another day, another change of piers. We are not coming into the dock closest to town. Today, we are somewhere different, out where the ferry boats load. There is a shuttle into town, but we have a car arranged at Avis, which is pretty much equi-distance between the pier and where the shuttle allegedly drops off. So – we’re passing on the 9 Euro shuttle and just walking the mile plus to the car. It will be our morning exercise.
It’s a gorgeous day again, just a little breezy and chilly. We make our way off the ship and out of the pier area quickly, walking with the pianist from last evening’s show who is going home. A delightful guy who we enjoy talking to as we wait to be released and then walk together out of the pier area. We start our trek into town, but as we cross through the parking area, I spot a little office “hut” in the middle that is advertising rental cars. Hmmmm…..Avis isn’t pre-paid, so we go over and get a car for actually a little less than our reservation at Avis – and it is right there at the pier. Bonus!
The rental agent is lovely, and we’re signed up and in the car quite quickly. We have plans today to go to Fornalutx, Soller and Valldemossa, in that order, so that we can head back to Palma on the twisty turning hill roads and stop at a restaurant up in the hills that we’ve read about. But the rental agent says we should go to Valldemossa first, then head up to Soller and Fornalutx. She says that is the better way to go – so we take her advice and head up to the town made famous by Chopin, who visited with his lover, George Sand in 1838.
The drive isn’t too taxing, starting out on 4 lane highways, then narrowing into smaller 2 lane roadways climbing up through the hills. The main road leads right into Valldemossa and we find the car park pretty easily. It is windy and sort of blustery up here, so we get our bearings, taking a few snapshots of the surrounding hillsides and great cobblestone streets…
… then ducking into a cafe called – Le Cappuccino – for, yes, you guessed it – cappuccinos! Probably the most expensive cappuccinos we’ve had since Florence all those years ago, but it is warm inside (with a real wood burning fire going strong) and there is wifi – not that we really want to catch up with the world after this awful election, but….we do.
Done with the depressing news, we make our way back out into the chilly wind and head up to the Real Cartuja de Valldemossa, the monastery, church and palace here in town. Timing is everything, and we manage to get about a 5 minute lead on the bus tour that is pouring into town – so we have a very peaceful visit. The Monastery was founded by Carthusian monks and active until 1835 when they were expelled. Afterward the ownership of the Monastery transferred into private ownership and 9 different people split up the living quarters. This is how Chopin came to spend a winter here in these rooms.
The first section of the visit is the church, the interior of which is completely dark wood, making it incredibly warm and welcoming. We don’t spend a lot of time here, but head off into the Monastery and tour all the available rooms. The monk’s pharmacy, still outfitted with all the items that were in the dispensary, the Prior’s cell with the huge library and art collection…
…then out into the garden overlooking the hills outside of town. More rooms contain Chopin’s collection of art, as well as handwritten letters from George Sands about their stay, lots of handwritten music sheets and artwork. It’s quite a collection of Chopin memorabilia, supposedly the “world’s second most important, after Warsaw.”
After the Chopin area, we continue through the Monastery to the municipal museum which has a display of the old Guasp printing press, which is really amazing. The old wooden press and a lot of the engravings are on display. Next is a collection from the archduke of Austria, and other pieces of art. There is also a Chopin museum in the center of the Monastery, but it costs extra so we don’t bother with it.
The end of the tour takes us through the Palace of King Sancho, built by the king’s father – supposedly because the air was better for Sancho’s asthma. A church built on the end of the palace is used for Chopin concerts now, but we don’t have time for the concert with our jam packed schedule. We continue through the palace though, marveling at the artwork, the grandiose staircase and decorations. At the end of our tour, we exit through the cool little garden with the nymph fountain…
….and make our way back through town and into our little car heading toward Fornalutx.
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