Valldemossa and Deià

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Trip Start Apr 16, 2009 Previous
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  Valldemossa, Balearic Islands, Spain
Wednesday, April 22, 2009

I'm learning my way around the island and was able to skirt downtown Palma to get back up into the Serra de Traumuntana.  Much nicer avoiding the downtown traffic.  I started out for the town of Valldemossa, which is crawling with tourists because it's home to the second-most visited tourist site in Mallorca (after the cathedral) - because of the Real Cartuja de Valldemossa. 



Like so many of the towns in the Serra, Valldemossa is situated on a steep hillside.  Jaume II chose this location to build a palace for his son Sanxo in 1310 AD.  Its location at over 400 meters (1,312 feet) above sea level made breathing easier for his asthmatic son.  It didn't stay in royal hands for long.  In 1399 it was given to the Carthusian monks for whom it served as a monastary. 

Valldemossa

Martín el Humano gave it away when the Kingdom of Mallorca was annexed to the Aragón crown.



The monks' pharmacy, which was established at the beginning of the 18th century and served the entire town, is still in place.  The photo can't capture the look of a room with all four walls lined with these old bottles and ceramic containers.



The Carthusian order was pretty severe.  Monks lived in almost total isolation from each other.  Most of their meals were provided to them through a small hatch that provided access into their cell so they had no contact with the lay brothers who prepared their meals.  They were allowed to eat together one meal per week on Sunday for 30 minutes.  That was the only time they could break their vow of silence.  They didn't eat meat except when they were sick they were allowed some turtle soup.  Three days a week they feasted on bread and water.



It wasn't quite so bad if you rose to the top, though

Cobblestone street

.  The principle prior had a suite of cells instead of a single cell and one of them was even used to receive visitors.  He had access to a private garden with a magnificent view down the valley.  It still wasn't exactly a life of luxury, though.  In the picture of one of his rooms the corner of the blanket on his bed is pulled back to reveal that he slept on boards without padding.



What the crown gives, the crown can take away and in 1835 a law was passed that expelled the monks and divided the monastery up among nine private owners.  As such it was opened to visitors, one of the more famous being Frederic Chopin and his consort George Sand who stayed there one winter.  Sand wrote a rather scathing account of their stay there (A Winter in Majorca).  Of course the fact that an unmarried man and woman lived together in 1838 in a conservative Catholic town and George (that was a pseudonym, she really was a woman, the name she chose, notwithstanding) wore pants and smoked cigars probably did little to endear them to the local population.



The monastery has several cells devoted to Chopin memorabilia including a piano, handwritten sheet music, letters, even a copy of his death mask.



After a large and wonderful meal (of stuffed squid) it was back on the road heading northeast again toward Deià, a small (population 650) but exclusive town at the foot of Puig d'es Teix, a 1,062 meter (3,484 foot) peak

Alley

.  I tried to show the setting for the town so when you look at the picture, the buildings are kind of hard to see... impossible if you're only looking at the thumbnails.



The area is much like Carmel in California, in that it attracts a large number of artists who love its natural beauty.  Lots of foreigners love that beauty, too and have moved into the neighborhood, causing home prices to skyrocket.  I read one source that said a 16th century stone house in the old part of town with a glimpse of the sea and four small bedrooms sells for 2,000,000 euros.  That would be a little over $2.5 million US at today's exchange rate.  I probably won't be moving here soon.



Wandering around and taking pictures was free, though, which was convenient because I could afford that.  It was also, however a lot of work since there's almost no such thing as level ground.  You're always either going uphill or downhill.  From here it was time to call it a day and head for home.

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Cobblestone Alley	Entryway	The monastery	Monastery Pharmacy
Principle Prior's Bedroom	Monastary Hallway	Monastery Garden	King Sanxo's Palace
Entry to King Sanxo's Palace	Entry to King Sanxo's Palace	Valldemossa	Deià
Deià	Pedestrian Walkway	Deià	Stone Wall
Pedestrian walkway

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