Alcudia, NE Mallorca
Wednesday 1 Sept

First impressions are not always correct. The sun is back out - it is slightly cooler than Barcelona - about 26-28 deg, with a cool breeze and cooler at night, which is welcome for sleeping. Port Alcudia is really rather nice. Only downside is Richard is sniffling and looking woebegone - has somehow caught a cold or flu. But we are rested and have examined all the superb chandleries this place has to offer - quite the best we have yet seen anywhere in Spain. We have bought 3 spare fuel filters, have talked diesel bug remedies with them, examined our tank and had useful text help from Roger (now safely back in UK) and Clive. Alcudia is a tourist resort, no doubt about it, but it is nice.

There are promenades and cafes and safe beaches and a backdrop of craggy mountains. And it is not that tacky!! There are a lot of Germans as well as British though, I suppose to be expected. The marina is large and well equipped - for now we are anchored in the bay just off, but will probably stop in the marina on our way back up before heading over to Menorca. A very nice girl in the local tourist office (Margaret would be impressed) showered us with info and help (including leaflets for me on language differences as I was attempting at least to speak a bit of Spanish). This had words in Mallorqui (very prominent in use here) which is a quite different dialect of Catalan, Castillian Spanish and English. She also gave me the leaflets to Alcudia Old Town (20 minutes away) and the roman archaeological remains of the town of Pollentia in both English version and Spanish, so I could practice. And bus timetables and market days and places and and and.

So we took a bus out to the Port de Pollenca, near Formentor, as it was market day, all up and down the streets leading away from the port. The usual mixture of odds and sods (bought a pair of "Ray Bans" for 5 Eur - I keep sitting on sunglasses or throwing them away) and lovely local produce. Then back on the bus and to Alcudia old town. First down to the roman remains of Pollentia founded 70BC, just outside the village. These were much bigger than we expected and comprised three areas: The houses, three examples remaining in various states of decay, but very clearly large with inner courtyards, columns, communal areas and a street. The second area was the "forum", not so well preserved and still being excavated, but where commercial, public and religious life was transacted (and a very deep well). And thirdly, a little amphitheatre, for plays, gladiatorial fights and other entertainments. Then back to the Alcudia town to the little museum housing the artifacts that had been recovered during the excavation (coins, jewelry, pottery, sculpture heads and huge scultptures of both men and women that had unfortunately lost their heads but were otherwise intact).

Then Alcudia itself, a medieval town surrounded by a huge and very attractive wall with majestic gates (3 still intact). The centre of the town has little winding lanes and cheek by jowel townhouses of a warm honey-coloured stone. Apparently the Sunday market here is worth a special journey - we shall see if we are still in the area. But aiming to head south tomorrow, to Porto Cristo, to see some (allegedly) amazing caves with underground lakes.