April 5, 2013
Palma to Campos: beaches first, then inland past olive groves
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Climbed 189 metres, 620 feet
Weather: sunny most of the day, clouding up and drizzling in the evening. High temp 20C
In the morning we peered out the window up to the small rectangle of sky that could be glimpsed at the top of the lightwell and were delighted to see blue instead of the expected grey. We packed up quickly, hauled bikes and panniers down the three flights of stairs, and left the apartment about 9:30. Our route took us 14 km along the paved waterfront cycle path past the airport, sandy beaches and multitudes of hotels, especially in the major holiday enclave of Can Pastilla. Apparently in the summer all the hotels are full and sunbathing northern Europeans cover the beaches—it must be awful! Now, in early April, the beaches were empty and many of the hotels and restaurants were still closed. It was lucky that there were not too many other cyclists coming towards us on the path which was a bit narrow for bicycles with loaded panniers. We reached the end of the bike trail at the town of S'Arenal and stopped at a cafe for coffee and apple cake before heading inland to Campos.
A few blocks uphill into the main part of S'Arenal, the whole atmosphere changed. We were away from the tourist zone and in a normal small town with houses and shopping streets. At a weekly produce market set up in a parking lot, we purchased some apples that turned out to be crunchy and really good. We headed east first on a frontage road and then on small paved lanes toward the town of Llucmajor. The lanes were lined with low stone walls and meandered through farming country—mainly olive groves and almond orchards. Wildflowers were blooming in profusion, there was hardly any traffic, and the temperature was in the high teens, making the cycling very pleasant indeed.
We stopped for lunch at the Bistro Mercat in the market square of Llucmajor. The square was lined with outdoor restaurants, all with menus posted, so we picked the one with the most appealing choices. There was a cool breeze in the square, but we were comfortable in our jackets. Eva had chicken salad, Al tried the dorade with vegetables and we shared a dessert of cheesecake with fresh strawberries. There were signs advertising bicycle tours and a few lycra-clad road bike riders in the square, but not the hordes of cyclists we would see later in the trip.
After lunch we carried on along small roads or lanes to Campos, a sleepy-looking agricultural community with very few lodging choices. The Hotel Segles was on the main street of town and at first glance did not look prepossessing, with only a few small windows showing from the street. However the entrance opened into a spacious interior courtyard with lovely plantings overlooked by large windows and balconies. The building had been a “stately home” built by a local doctor, and has been tastefully restored and converted into a 6-room hotel. Our comfortable room was up a polished green marble staircase from the antique-filled lobby, and furnished with a luxurious bathroom complete with jetted tub. The room had a large balcony overlooking the courtyard and shaded by palm trees.
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We cleaned up and went out for a bit of a walk around town, which didn't take long. The sky had clouded up and a light rain started to fall as we returned to our room for a rest. Dinner was at a nearby bar with indoor tables and meal service starting at 7:00. We both had lamb chops with salad, and afterwards made our way back to the hotel through the drizzle, well satisfied with our first day of cycling. The route had included quite a bit of scenic variation, and not too much uphill. It was a good warmup for the trip ahead. Also the predicted rain held off until we were settled in the hotel!
Today's ride: 46 km (29 miles)
Total: 65 km (40 miles)
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