Mallorca 2007 Pics Bob on BAC Majorca 2007

  • May 12 - Banyalbufar to Finca es Palmer

    Bird calls alongside the road

    The Ride - I started riding around 8:45. The first few miles climbed up the same road I came in on the day before. At the top after the first turn, I heard some beautiful bird songs so I stopped and recorded them. The rest of the ride was rollers and downhills. The weather was clear and the temperature got up to the 80's. I stopped in Algaida for cafe con leche and a banana. Some others in the group stopped there, too, and shared some of their bread and cheese that they bought at a farmers' market a few towns before. I missed the market. I was either off route or I had my eyes on the pavement. That little bit of nourishment held me until the end of the ride.


    On the last several miles of the ride, I managed to misinterpret my GPS and the route sheet. It didn't matter, though, because I got to see more of the countryside. I also got to catch up to some of our group several times. They made the correct turns. The GPS got me back on route more than once. Five of us rode to the finca where we are staying. We had lots of trouble finding the sign for the turnoff, but after doubling back and asking directions, we finally found it at around 2:00.



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    Happy Hour

    The Hotel - Our new hotel is Finca es Palmer - "a farm house built at the end of the last century which is tipical of this part of the island. It has been restored using the same materials to fit in with and preserve the style of other houses in the area". This finca is really rustic and not as nicely furnished as the places we staying in previously. I'm glad that I brought my own shampoo and soap. The grounds are beautiful, however. I am surprised and really pleased that even the remote, rural hotels have free internet connections (usually wireless) for their guests.


    The Food - Breakfast was served on the outside balconyin our old hotel. It was the usual buffet. I had a very good granola along with assorted pastries.


    The snack that I had during the ride was just enough to get me to the finca. For lunch, I was able to get a ham and cheese sandwich and a large cerveza in the finca.


    Dinner was simple farm food which we ate on the covered patio. We started out with several kinds of salads. One was similar to the aubergine custard that I had a few days before. Another one had hardier vegetables and shrimp. They were all cold and tasty. This part of the dinner was serve-yourself. When we were done with the starters, they brought us several platters of barbecued food. The first was sausages and ground meat that could have been ostrich meat from a farm a few kilometers away. The next platter had lamb and pork chops. The last platter had fish. I gave up after the lamb chops. They weren't the best cut of meat and fish, but they hit the spot after a long day of cycling. Dessert was cake and torts.


    Non-Cycling Activity - Alison drove Bill back to the Hotel Delta so that he could turn in his rental bicycle. At the same time, she drove Lorenzo to the airport for his flight home. While they were gone, the people that were leaving the next morning had to pack their bicycles for their airport trek. The rest of us were riding back to the Hotel Delta the next day to pack our bicycles there.


    We had an informal Happy Hour this afternoon. As each person or couple finished washing up, they joined us on the outside patio. Alison had some left-over goodies and other people brought their own tasties to share. We also ordered beer and wine from the finca.


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