SPRING IN MALLORCA
© 2001 by Maria Hubert. All rights reserved.

he most enduring memory of a springtime in Mallorca is the sight and perfume of the thousands of almond trees in blossom, set against a background of rugged mountains, the highest still with a white cap of snow.……….

Not exactly the first thing which would automatically spring to mind for most people thinking about a springtime holiday in Mallorca. Where is the beach..the sun and the sand? Well, they are there of course, but this is the other side of Mallorca. The side we tend to overlook - and the side which other European visitors to Mallorca have discovered already!

A walk in the mountains on a fine crisp morning, with the sun promising a hot afternoon, will take you through the most breathtaking countryside, spectacular views, and a silence you can hear broken only by birdsong, and the occasional 'Gruss Gott' or ' Guten morgen' from the Austrian and German walkers you will meet. Not many come along these ancient paths though, and you can feel that you have the whole mountain to yourself. Many were tracks to ancient hermitages, places of silence isolation and prayers for generations of monks. Now empty, they serve as refuges and hospitality rooms for the walkers. For the not so energetic, there are steep but good roads which you can drive along to parking areas.

Occasionally you may find a parish group out on an excursion, families and their priests. While the older ones sit and chatter in the sun, the fitter members stride off up the mountain paths with their priest, followed by skipping and chattering children, to meet together later for a mass celebrated at the old chapel usually found at such places, and enjoy a picnic or barbecue lunch. Here you meet real Mallorca. Not the beach resorts filled with bars, loud music and served by bar staff from the mainland, but the real Mcoy!

The almonds are usually in full blossom by mid-February. What a lovely place for a romantic Valentine's Day holiday! It can still be a bit nippy so early in the year, maybe 14-15 degrees C. Especially in the mountains and in the evenings. But blue skies and warm sun almost guaranteed during the day sometime.

Choose Easter for a warmer holiday, and take in the colour Mallorca's Easter Liturgy. Even if you are not a regular churchgoer, it can be very moving and spectacular.

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