Mallorca Island

 

Coming into Mallorca, Balearic Islands 

I got off on the wrong foot with Mallorca from the get go.  We were over an hour late into port.  I couldn't see the ONE place I wanted to see - the magnificent gothic cathedral which was constructed between 1230 and 1601. It dominates everything else.  I was furious to discover the Catholics closed this landmark at 3:15 in the afternoon.  The Ponant boat arrived at 2:30.  (Later, I found out that one of the uber wealthy couples onboard got a 'private' tour of the cathedral.  I was green with jealousy.)

Mallorca is another one of those places which has been inhabited since pre-historic times.  There are even cave paintings similar to the ones found in France.  The Romans arrived in 123 BCE.  In the 5th century, the Vandals kicked out the Romans.  In the 6th century it became part of the Byzantine Empire.  In the 8th century it fell to the Arabs (Moors).  The Moors were driven out in 1229 by James I of Aragon.  At his death, The Balearic Islands briefly became  independent, but were quickly gobbled up by Spain.  In 1983 the Balearic Islands became an autonomous province of Spain.

Today you can see all the various architectures as you drive around town including some of the narrowest streets dating back to the Medieval era. 

Narrow Medieval Street in Mallorca, Spain 

Since we were only in Mallorca for the afternoon, standing around pissed off wasn't getting us anywhere.  We strolled over to a horse drawn carriage and decided to let someone else do the walking (the horse).  It turned out to be a genius decision.  We saw lots of the 'old town' and enjoyed the relaxing overview such as the  narrow street above.  The horse even managed to go down one this street!

Turning into this street in the horse drawn carriage

Our overall impression of Palma (the port city) is that it's where very wealthy people dock their expensive yachts and live in their expensive houses or apartments for a few weeks a year.  The town was also filled with multiple streets of high end shopping, and trendy restaurants.  We got the feeling the 'caretaker' business was probably a thriving industry.

The vegetation of this island was semi tropical since the climate is described as 'benign'.  There were beautiful trees, flowers and shrubs everywhere.  Plus, there was a central canal with park land on each side which ran for blocks and blocks in the center of town.  The center of town was liberally sprinkled with pieces of sculpture.  

Crossing one of the many bridges over the 'canal'.

This struck me as a tourist destination for people who own boats.  There wasn't just one marina, there were several.  There were more gigantic yachts parked here than I've ever seen in one clump.  Not surprising since the harbor is 10 miles long.  The only real industry here is agriculture.  Once you leave Palma, life is pretty rural.  Tourism is the other major industry and tourism has spawned a thriving artistic community.  The cathedral hovers over everything.

Mallorca has fewer pictures than I usually take, but here they are.  Click on the blue writing to see the pictures.

Mallorca, Spain

  

Cartagena, Spain (500 Namesakes Around the World)

Cartagena was prized for its harbor.  It is one of the best in the Mediterranean Sea, and has been utilized as a military installation and a trade port through the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Moors, and the Spaniards.  In the past 25 years, the port has been revitalized and is attracting the tourist trade these days including cruise ships much bigger than the Ponant boat we arrived on.  

There's plenty to see and do.  There's an amazing Roman Amphitheater which has been excavated as an archeological site which can not only be visited and seen, but climbed all over.  It was interesting to see how the seats show what class of Romans sat where.  I read someplace the other day that the 'pecking order' we all deal with in human herds started over 10,000 years ago.  Social order and social climbing is way older than we'd like to believe.  

The gray tower is the elevator getting us to the top of the hill

At the top of the hill was a beautiful park.  It was on one of the hills that surround the harbor.  We were able to look down on the amphitheater as well as peek in on the gladiator area uncovered underneath the city's bull ring.  It's still being excavated.  

Stage to the right, seats to the left

This was a performance theater in Roman times.  In the picture above, it's easy to see how it functioned.  There was also a 'cover' over the stage held up by Ionic columns of marble.  The cover is long gone, but some of the columns remain.  There are plenty of pictures in the link below.

We hiked around the park for awhile, heading to the top which gave a 360 degree view of the city below including the Roman amphitheater we just toured.

Cartagena is also the home of the Spanish Navy.  There's a Memorial to the bravery of the Spanish who died in the Spanish/American war in the late 1890s.  Spain lost all its remaining territories in the 'new world' as well as the Pilipino Islands in that war.  Today, there's still debate as to how it actually started.  "Remember the Maine" was the initial rallying cry for war in the United States although the sinking of the battleship Maine has never been conclusively proven to originate with the Spanish.      

There are bronze statues honoring the soldier and sailors who fought in the war
around the sides of the monument

Cartagena is built around a series of plazas like you find in the Americas wherever the Spanish first conquered.  It's an attractive city which has fairly successfully redirected its graffiti artists to be adjunct decorations fresco style to the great Roman ruins of the city.  This one is across from the Roman Amphitheater.

 

When you're in a port for a day, you barely smell the icing.  At least I got a T-shirt!

The best part are the pictures.  Hopefully, you'll enjoy a set pix w/o formal paintings.

Cartagena, Spain

Welcome to Malaga, Spain

Centro Malaga, Spain

The bullet train from Madrid to Malaga was delightful.  I would always take a train when offered.  Time to get rail service with 200 mile per hour trains in the USA.  Can you imagine 2 hours between Dallas/Houston without the hassle of an airport?  

Malaga is a beach town.  San Diego crossed with Acapulco.  This coastal town has a laid back feeling you only find in Mexico.  It had delicious seafood, interesting buildings and a gorgeous Basilica.  The place to stay is in the Centro area.  This is the tourist area of restaurants, shops, the cathedral, and the Picasso Museum.  We stayed at Emily Suites which I highly recommend. Rudolfo and Emily are the owners of this delightful place which opens right onto the main plaza.  At the same time, the bedrooms are quiet, cool, with nice bathrooms and a nice common area with kitchen.  Plus, there's an elevator!   

Interior Courtyard of Picasso Museum

Malaga is also the birth place of Pablo Picasso.  This is a delightful museum of his personal pictures and sculptures.  It's run by members of his family.  The museum is also extremely popular.  It's easy to buy tickets, but you will have to line up to get in since they restrict the number of people inside the museum.  It was still pretty crowded.  I suggest you arrive well before noon.  You will still stand in line, but at least it won't be in the direct sun which was already hot in March.   And, yes, I took pictures.  Everyone is shocked, I know!  The museum covers Picasso's work from the beginning to the end of his career.  This artist was so prolific.  He worked from boyhood until the day he died.

The other major attraction in Malaga is their cathedral.  Building it was started in 1528 and completed in 1782.  There are several artistic styles beginning with gothic, continuing with the Renaissance, the Baroque and the Neo Classical.  It was utterly magnificent.  This is one of the two remaining Baroque Organs.  Everything with the exception of the bellows is original.  As with many Catholic Churches, it was extensively decorated with paintings, sculpture, carved wood, marble, and lots of stained glass.  It closely resembled other cathedrals I've seen in Europe, particularly the ones who took more than 150 years to build.  

Malaga is a beach town.  We didn't see the beach since we were only there for a day and a half.  This is where we got on the Ponant cruise ship.

As always, pix, pix, pix.

Malaga, Spain - Picasso Museum

Malaga - Basilica

Museums of Madrid

 The Prado Museum is the jewel of the art museums in Madrid. I was somewhat disappointed in this museum because while there were some fabulous paintings, it was all about Spanish artists.  I really expected something closer to the Met or the Louvre which are more broad spectrum of world art.    

That said…..  The presentation of the El Greco painting, and the Reubens paintings were unforgettable.  El Greco’s painting of "The Crucifixion" was haunting.  I also liked "The Annunciation".  [Since I took that Renaissance to Present Art History class, I've become obsessed with paintings of the annunciation which is when the angel reveals to the Virgin Mary that she is pregnant.]     Ruebens Three Graces was my fav of the chubby.  They also had a Caravaggio.  Usually, the pictures would tell it all.  However, The Prado Museum doesn't allow pictures, so you'll just have to take my word.  

"Guernica" by Pablo Picasso

Moving on to the Reina Sofia, the modern art museum, I truly enjoyed it more than The Prado.  First, and foremost, it holds "Guernica".  This is Picasso’s acknowledged masterpiece about the Spanish Civil War in the 1930’s.  Franco, a Fascist, seized power in Spain precipitating the Spanish Civil War in the mid 1930's.  Franco tested out Hitler’s new weapons and war strategies, taking three years to destroy the legitimate government.  Franco stayed in power as a dictator for decades.  

Picasso bequeathed Guernica to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC with the provision that when an elected democratic government was restored in Spain, "Guernica" would return to Spain.  It was obvious by the crowds of school children how this painting is regarded as a Spanish treasure.  Happily, Dali and Kandinsky were also represented. As an adjunct to Guernica there were photographs from the Spanish Civil War.  Flamenco was also celebrated here.  As always, the pix tell it all. 

Barron Thyssen

My favorite Madrid art museum was The Thyssen.  Think Frick or Morgan or Bass (Ft Worth).  This was a magnificent private collection with art from Medieval times to Modern/Contemporary paintings.  Surprisingly, artists from all over the world are represented. There were quite a few American painters including Western artists - Russell, Remington, and Bierstadt.  As a happy happenstance, there was a special exhibition from the art museum in Venice which displayed some real treasures. 

Madrid also has a Royal Palace.  It had all the gorgeous frescos, furniture, paintings and knickknacks along with a gilded chapel.  The King of Spain actually lives there.  The priceless items were a chamber set of Stradivarius instruments - two violins, one viola, and a cello.  It was the most  impressive palace I’ve ever seen.  [There's a separate blog entry for the Palace.]

The historical center of Madrid is filled with gardens, fountains, and beautiful  buildings.  We only spent a small amount of time in this city.  It deserves a return visit. 

Pictures galore with this blog entry. 

Reina Sofia Museum 

Thyssen Collection