May 21, 2022
Arenal to Bunyola
From the maps, Bunyola seems the perfect second stop in Mallorca; it's an easy ride from Palma and close enough to Soller to make for a reasonable day excursion. As planned, today's ride was quite easy and we got our first real taste of Mallorca cycling.
The first 10km back to Palma was the same cycle route we came in on, but this time we knew the route so we could enjoy the scenes of beaches, quiet with only a few morning swimmers and the awakening of the shops, restaurants and hotels on the road side. The path is well marked and with just enough curves and abrupt changes to keep one moving at a pace conducive to admiring the scenery.
Bunyola is on the other side of Palma, which meant we had to traverse the city. The eve of departure map study of possible routes was short as we have faith in RideswGPS to get us through a city, and Google showed mostly a similar route. Steven's idea of a potential alternate route not shown on the mapping apps brought back memories of being lost in orange fields and was quickly cast aside.
Again, the app served us well as we turned from one bike lane to another, watching the different neighbourhoods of Palma come to life on a Saturday morning, and eventually ending up at the start of the MA 2031. At first, this "highway" had lots of traffic, but also a signposted, wide-shoulder bike lane. Then we went through a roundabout, the road got much narrower and the cars must have gone somewhere else as the traffic died off. This is what we expected of Mallorca "flatland" cycling: a narrow, but good paved road, with stone walls, through picturesque farmland and with very few cars, most of which were accommodating of cyclists.
The jagged mountains in the distance kept getting closer and finally we were in Bunyola, which, as it is at the intersection of two main cycling routes, is a popular spot. On arriving at the main square we had to jostle, first, for a space to park our bikes, then for a table at one of the cafes where we ordered agua con gas to quench our parched throats, followed by cafe con leches to perk us up. Another thing we (mostly) love about Spain is that the waiters never seem in a rush to get you out, so we nursed our cafes and then sat for an hour watching the scene of cyclists coming and going. They were 90% men, everyone but us had a light, road bike, all ages were represented but with more retirees, about half were in pairs or small groups and half were serious cycling groups of 8-15 with very fancy racing bikes, all wearing matching outfits and taking up lots of space. We are truly in a cyclist's destination.
And speaking of cyclists, we knew that two other sets of Cycle Blazers, the Mathers and the Fenwicks, are both cycling Mallorca at around the same time as us, so we were only slightly surprised to bump into the Mathers among the crowd at the square in Bunyola. We chatted for a while and caught up on each other's journey, but they had another pass to climb that day so we said au revoir. It felt good to actually meet people in person who we know from an online world.
Eventually it was check-in time, so we got the waiter's attention, paid our bill and headed over to our hotel. After a shower, a nap, a swim and some lounging reading by the pool we were ready for supper. The hotel recommended a nearby restaurant with a chef who had worked in Japan and specialized in a fusion menu. We ate well on the warm, patio, deciding that we really like Mallorca.
| Heart | 5 | Comment | 5 | Link |
2 years ago
Thanks for following along on our trip. Did you mean meeting Ann Mathers or me at a yoga class? I think it must have been Ann Mathers? We were to Victoria for a visit last April…. We do have good friends who live in Victoria, Tim Gosley and Petra Kixmöller. And acquaintances Carleton Monk.
2 years ago
| Heart | 6 | Comment | 7 | Link |
2 years ago
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Today's ride: 35 km (22 miles)
Total: 1,882 km (1,169 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 7 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 1 |
2 years ago