Palma, Spain

Susan's Notes
Today ‘s tour was called “Palma in Depth.” Formerly called Palma de Mallorca, it is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain.

Our first stop was the Bellver Castle. This was the first circle castle in all Europe history. Zoe wanted to go inside to meet the princess. The castle is undergoing renovation and our stop was only to see the fantastic view of the island or in other works, a “Kodak moment.”

Our next stop was at El Pueblo Español. This is a quaint village to the west of the town that was made up of reproductions of important and characteristic old buildings from all parts of Spain. Many of them are occupied by craftsmen's workshops. It was here my granddaughter told me to “get out of here” as I took her to the restroom. She likes her privacy.

On the way to the cathedral, our tour guide warned us about the pickpockets that would attempt to befriend us on the grounds. She said they have perfected their trade so well that we would not know anything was gone until long after they were.

Palma is famous for La Seu, its vast cathedral originally built on a previous mosque. Although construction began in 1229 it didn't finish until 1601 and local architect Antoni Gaudí was drafted in during a restoration project in 1901. Since we toured the Gaudi house in Barcelona we were able to pick out the architecture Gaudi designed. The stained glass windows were magnificent.

Past the docks with the yachts that are bigger than the entire town on North Beach, Maryland, we boarded our bus to return to the ship. Our guide said the shops, if they were open on Saturday, would close for siesta and may or may not reopen.

On to the pool for dunk in the salt water. I just loved the way it felt except when Zoe splashed me in the face with it. To the pool – into the hot tub – back to the pool – what a life.

Our dinner was at the hottest place on the ship – a Japanese restaurant similar to Benihana. It was fun. While the cook was at the grill, the phone from the Tree Top Kids Club rang with a message that Zoe wanted her Mommy. John picked her up and she was mesmerized by the antics of the chef. After dinner, she wanted to go back to the club to say good-bye to her new friends.

John and I spent the last few hours in the casino (go figure!). This friendly woman started to talk to us and won all the money I lost that night as John and I watched in amazement. Such is life.

John's Notes

Mallorca was a nice final destination to our trip. It's a fairly large Island off the coast of Spain with beautiful coastlines and entertaining street mimes. We took a short tour, visited yet another cathedral, and headed back to the ship. Our last night on the ship included more eating. We had dinner at Japanese steak house and I think I am officially 0 for 5 in catching the chicken/shrimp that the cook throws. Jimi was successful. Zoe had one last night in the Kid's Club where she made her own personalized t-shirt and was able to say goodbye to her friends she made on the trip, including her friend Chloe from Great Britain.