Mallorca: Spain in a teacup

by Abigail Sarah Chesapeake

Mainland Spain was just too big and our time was limited, so we did the next best thing: We went to Mallorca.

Mallorca, the biggest island in the Balearic group, about 120 miles off the coast from Barcelona, has everything peninsular Spain has, just pushed closer together. Mountains, plains, forests, caves, coves, and the long sandy beaches that first made it famous in the sixties are all here on an island that's only 60-odd miles top to bottom and side to side.

Time warp

For the first two nights, we stayed in Binissalem, a medieval wine village that seems stuck in a time warp. A short drive took us to Petra and a museum honoring Junipero Serra, the friar who founded the missions in California that later turned into the cities we know today as San Francisco, San Diego, and Carmel. This is a must-see if you're from California or are interested in 18th-century history.

Reminiscent of Barcelona

Now we were ready for Palma, a thousand-year-old Mediterranean capital that reminded me of Barcelona before it got developed and trendy, although Palma's heading that way, too. This is a city small enough to walk across in an hour, yet sophisticated enough to support art galleries, a thriving musical scene that embraces jazz, folk, rock and classical, and Michelin-starred restaurants. The new Es Baluard museum of contemporary art exhibitions is worth a visit, but look out for even better collections in the smaller museums such as Foundation March and the collections owned by the La Caixa and Sa Nostra banks.

Walk up to Bellver Castle, a round-topped fortress dating from 1309, and you'll find an archaeological museum and-if you're lucky-a free evening concert in the open air at the top. It's chilly up there so late in the day, but the acoustics are fine and the views spectacular. The views over the city and bay include the King's summer palace and the five-mile-long marina that runs along the oceanfront.

Our hotel, the San Lorenzo, was downtown, a short stroll from almost everything we wanted to see, including the cathedral, a huge Gothic basilica second in size only to St. Peter's in Rome. Impressive on the outside, the inside is curious, with 14th-century work mixed with elements added by Gaudi in 1909. There's a bijou park next door and the people-watching along the tree-lined ramblas outside is first class.

After only four days, we'd clocked up a wealth of sights, sounds, and pleasures-this island had given us a teacup taster of what makes Spain special.