Day 2: Valldemossa and Port de Valldemossa

We drove north from Palma toward the Serra de Tramuntana mountains which line the wild northern coast of the island. Destination: Valldemossa, a charming medieval town in a deep valley on the southern slopes of the mountains. Its major claim to fame is the fact that Frederic Chopin and his mistress the author George Sand spent a scandalous winter in the Carthusian Monastery which dominates the town.

We toured the monastery. Here are a couple of pictures; the first is of the cloister, and the second is from an artifacts case in the Prior's chambers.

Then we walked the town...

...before driving to Port de Valldemossa.  Most of the coastal towns in Mallorca, in this case Valldemossa, were built a distance away from the coast to provide some protection from raids and give the residents time to prepare their defense while the port was sacked and pillaged.  The Port is a few miles from the town and to get there one must drive the perilous, insanely twisted one-lane road with cars going both ways around dozens of blind hairpin turns with cliff face to the left and a yawning chasm to the right.

Once we arrived at the water we found the quintessential little fishing village with thirty to forty stone houses, small Mallorcan fishing boats, a small cafe, and stunning views of the coast.