We're off on our travels today....on an old wooden train from Palma to the little town of Soller, which lies in a mountain valley about an hour away from the city. It's a very cosmopolitan journey, and the train is packed with numerous tourists of all nationalities. There is a small, separate railway station just across the road from Placa Espanya, where the trains leave for Soller, and it's easy to reach particularly if you are staying in the old town. There are also excursions available from the resorts if you are on a package holiday.
So, off into the Mallorcan countryside we go, with random goat sightings along the way :)) They promised us orange trees, although maybe it was just the time of year but I didn't see any. There was lots of lovely countryside to see though, but tunnel-phobes wouldn't like this journey as there are a few tunnels to go through before reaching the destination, and one last, very long tunnel.
There's a panoramic stop on the way....
...and we finally arrive in the little town of Soller, just before lunchtime.
Soller is proud to call itself the home of oranges and freshly squeezed orange juice, which is appropriately being freshly squeezed on a stall on the square as we speak. Of course we buy a cup each and it's as refreshing as we'd expect on a baking hot day. We explore the indoor and outdoor market stalls which remind me how much, in the immortal words of Christer Sjogren, "I love Europe" - everything from ridiculously oversized exotic fruit and veg to Aztec-style kids' woolly jumpers.
It's soon time for lunch though, so back up to the square for tapas at one of the many restaurants there. It's no time till we need to head back up to the station for the train back to Palma. Due to our limited time in the city, we decided not to expand our day trip to take in the tram journey to Port de Soller, but that option is available should you so wish. Check out http://www.trendesoller.com/en/cms.php for more information.
On the way home, I did spot some lemon trees. Talking of which...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phEnpdDusss
During the journey, the clouds gathered and there was even a few minutes of rain, which, thankfully, didn't last too long. Although it wasn't the last rain of the day...
We would recommend the Soller train trip to anyone visiting Palma. It's a very enjoyable excursion which is easily do-able on your own from the city.
On our return to Palma we have a refuelling stop for cappuccino and another stroll around before heading back to get ready for our Saturday night out. Things take a bizarre turn this evening, as the hot sunshine makes way for torrential rain. Which means - total shocker - BRING ON THE ANORAK. A very lightweight one, but an anorak nonetheless. Although Palma being Palma, the rain eventually clears to a very warm evening and the anorak is not required after all.
It's another enjoyable evening wining and dining in the old city, but it's been a long day and the viral infection which refuses to go away has had a major effect on my stamina, therefore it's an earlier finish to the partying tonight. I've already decided that I want to come back to Palma when I'm feeling at the top of my game!
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