Riding the country side of Mallorca

After more than two weeks of grey skies and rain, the sun rose into a clear blue sky and with it so did our spirits. We were ready to explore the hinterland of the Port of Andraix and ride our bikes into the countryside and up into the mountains. We loaded our two mountain bikes into the nine foot RIB along with Denny, I and sustenance for the tour de Minorca. The bicycle paths in the area reflect the wealth of the local authority who must receive a substantial income from the tourist housing development. It was a pleasure to cycle on the red painted bicycle path up the valley towards the huge cathedral dominating the town of Andraix. On reaching the forecourt we found the building to be windowless and rather dull especially compared with the rose window of the Palma Cathedral. The town reflected the cathedral and we soon left to cycle towards the mountain range in the west. The bike paths soon ran out and we were left at the mercy of the narrow roads and the Spanish drivers who I must say give you a wide berth, so different to the Australian aggressive speedsters.

We crossed or rather pushed the bikes up a pass and descended into a sleepy little town set in a valley. The ochre coloured houses with their red tiled roofs were set round the town square with a church housing a marble statue brought by the Trappist monks in the 18^th century. The French bread, local cheese and tomatoes put the push back into the peddles and we crossed the mountains for a speedy down hill glide back to the port. Like many of the locals we took up a position in one of the many restaurants overlooking the bay and enjoyed a chilled beer to watch the sun set into the sea.