Monday, June 26, 2017

Mike D'Antuono Puts Me in Touch with My Inner Arne Saknussemm


Monday, 26 June, 2017:

Spelunking is the exploration of caves.

But I digress . . .

 Laurie at the Bar Bolero
for breakfast this morning

We have stopped in here every morning save one for a cafe con leche and either a tostada de tomate or a tostada de mantequilla to start our day.

What is of note in this picture is not Laurie but . . .

. . . these same three booze hounds
who are pounding down beer
and/or shots every morning
at the Bar Bolero while we dine
at 7:30 a.m.

We were slated to board a recliner bus for an excursion to the Cuevas del Drach or Dragon's Caves located on Mallorca's east coast.

Our friend Mike D'Antuono said that a visit to these caves was a must and I trust his advice explicitly!

Before arriving at the Cuevas del Drach, our tour guide Carmen had us hit a few other spots on the east coast.

Carmen was interesting character in and of herself having a Greek Father, a Romanian Mother and speaking six languages.

Jive was not one of them.

Her first stop was to show us a spot called Cala Mandia.

Cala Mandia's AMAZING water

Incredible aqua blue

We loved it here

Next stop was the old fishing
village of Porto Cristo

Carmen said this was a good place
for lunch in Porto Cristo

We had to check it out

Laurie liked the homage
to Cervantes' Don Quixote

 Carmen was RIGHT!

A tapas lunch in Spain was a good call.

The original mermaid statue
here was destroyed after the
Spanish Civil War

This new one was erected in 1988 on the city's promenade to celebrate the Centennial of the founding of the village of Porto Cristo.

Porto Cristo's beach
looked inviting

 Gentlemen,
White is IN this season!

We had some time to kill before reboarding our bus for our scheduled 2:00 p.m. tour of the Cuevas del Drach, so Laurie decided to try something totally different.

 A 20 minute foot bath in
what looked like piranha infested
waters to me

She was lucky and lived
to tell about it

The fish simply exfoliated her feet by gnawing on her. 

 Finally we arrived

The earliest known mention of these caves was in a document dating from 1338 A.D.

They were extensively explored by a German named M.F. Will in 1880. In 1896, E.A. Martel, a Frenchman, discovered the cave we would visit today.

It would be an amazing trip, a Journey to the Center of the Earth you might say. 

Stalactites hang from the ceiling
of caves like these in this photo

Stalactites come in different
shapes and sizes

The long one on the left is a
stalagmite

Stalagmites form on the floors of caves due to drips falling from the stalactites.

Minerals added color to the caves

Lake Martel is a huge underground
lake about 170 meters long

FINALLY I SAW THEM!

The three marks of left by Jules Verne's 16th-century Icelandic alchemist, Arne Saknussemm in his 1864 sci-fi adventure book Journey to the Center of the Earth.

At least I think that they were his marks left to guide us deeper into the earth's bowels.

 More of Lake Martel

At the end of our tour, a four piece band plays a 12 minute classical music concert while being rowed in a relatively small boat on Lake Martel.

It was quite a show but photos/videos were not allowed and I follow the rules in a country noted for its Spanish Inquisition.

After the tour of the Cuevas del Drach were finished we made another, thankfully short, stop on the way home to Palmanova . . .

. . . the Majorica Pearl Store

I accepted the financial bloodbath in the name of our 46th wedding anniversary coming up in just three weeks.

All in all, it was another spectacular day, thanks again to Mike D'Antuono for the suggestion.

Back by Platja Palmanova
after dinner

We were still looking
for some dessert

FOUND IT!

My dream for us this week in
Mallorca was to have a relaxing
week together in the Spanish sun

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Still . . .

This red bag from the Majorica Pearl Store meant damage,
lots of damage . . .

But if it makes Laurie happy, it's worth it.

She puts up with a lot if you think about it.

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