11/4–Palacio Real de la Almudaina–Palma

Sticking to the streets this time, we walk up the hill and around to the Cathedral square and the palace.  We’re relieved to see so many shops and cafes opening up after our fears of the whole town being shuttered on Sunday.  At the palace, we decide to get an audio guide, but in retrospect should have rented 2.  I don’t know why we decided on 1, it was cheap enough, but these are actually tablets and not those little radios that you can hold up between each other to hear. So I end up just relaying what the guide is saying to Ed.  Regardless, the palace visit is quite a highlight.  This post will be a photo bomb, because it was just such an amazing place. 

We started out in the 3 fireplaces room.  The fireplaces are massive and seem overkill for this one room, but it turns out that this entire floor used to be one large room, until the ceiling collapsed and the renovations created smaller distinct rooms and a 2nd floor.  You can see the vaulted ceiling which is covered in part by the new 2nd floor.  Other rooms that were created here have ornate tapestries hung and cool family shields at the pinnacle of the ceiling arches.

Next, we wander out onto the veranda with a wide view of the sea and the city- and also a great perspective on the old architecture and how they are restoring the old wooden ceilings (which have a specific name that I can’t recall now!).

 

Then its back inside for more rooms – the soldiers’ mess, the royal Arab bath, the queen’s anterooms, then king’s office – more tapestries and wall and ceiling friezes….

Outside the King’s office is the Great Hall, which is the room created from the ceiling collapse mentioned earlier.  This is a monstrous room made totally gothic by the arched ceiling supports rising up from the first floor.  Totally cool.

Our last stop is the St. Anne’s Chapel and the courtyard.  They actually closed off the original entry to the chapel when they renovated the palace to create a royal entrance. 

In the courtyard I try taking a panorama shot, because it is so beautiful, but it’s not working, and we almost get chased out of the palace by the guard who thinks I’m taking a video – no, just a non-working panorama, thank you.  At any rate, he gets distracted by some unruly children who are climbing on the lion statues, and we make a hasty retreat to the exit before he can come back!  Now we’ll wander the streets and strategize on lunch plans.