We arrived into the port at Mallorca at 8.30am while we were sitting in the Lido pool area having breakfast. There is so much choice here but we managed to have a relatively small breakfast. There was a lovely looking sail boat we could admire as we ate. We were expecting it to get very hot here early afternoon so went ashore at 9am, soon after arrival. We didn't even have to wait for the complementary transfer bus that took us into the old part of the city. We had decided to do our own things today and compare notes in the evening.

I didn’t really know anything about Mallorca except that it was a popular place for British tourists . We were in Palma, the capital, and found it a very comfortable city. We were told that the recommended sites were the Bellver Castle, the cathedral and a former palace, but decided to visit the cathedral and then walk, hoping to get internet.

The cathedral was wonderful. The frontage is the colour of rock and it, with the neighbouring palace and museum, make impressive sight from the sea. These along with the town hall make up the Old Quarter. We walked up many stairs to the cathedral surrounded often by tour groups, including some from the Noordam.

The 'Welcome to the Cathedral’ booklet told us that the cathedral took 300 years to build. The impressive main doorway, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was finally blessed in 1601. It was damaged by an earthquake in 1851 but then restored. Between 1904 and 1914 the interior was restored by Gaudi. He moved the main altar and decorated a chapel. There are 61 stained glass windows in the Cathedral, the largest with a diameter of 11m dating from the 14th century. The columns are 21.5m high, second to Milan but higher than Chartres and Cologne, although they have a smaller diameter.

We went past a huge gold piece in the chapter museum and into the cathedral. Immediately we were hit by the light from the windows. The huge central rose window made it hard to photograph the altar because of the light that glowed through it . There were also different items in the side chapels, including tapestry, embroidery and very vivid paintings.

We found a chapel that we thought was done by Gaudi. In the evening Anna told us it was done by a different artist and when we reread the pamphlet we could see it was by Miquel Barcelo (2007) and the Gaudi chapel was not able to be accessed. Anna had overheard heard parts of the talk by a guide.

The chapel was totally different. The windows had been painted black with bare slits for light to shine through. It was an undersea chapel, with the waves breaking high up the sides. There were fish from all sorts of angles and an effect like dried mud. In the middle was a person with a bleeding heart that Anna heard was a model of the artist himself. In front was a 1617 mosaic and I wondered if it had inspired the artist.

The canopy over the middle of the church was done by Gaudi . This was more colourful but I also found it quite cluttered. I also had a look at some other items in the Chapter Museum before we left. I especially liked the ceiling, a boy on the floor and a silver saint with a very realistic face.

We then just walked for a while until we found ourselves in a student area. John found he could pick up a wireless network so we stopped at a café/bistro for a drink. The owner was British and had run the place for a bit over 2 years. The network wasn’t his but he wasn’t worried that we were using it. We had time to check emails and upload a couple of blogs. We noted he had a sign up about his high Tripadviser rating and talked to him about it. He said guidebooks are often out of date and people often ask him for a directions to a place recommended for lunch that has not opened for lunch for 5 years. He told us we were in the old Jewish area and pointed out street names like Monte Sion and Argenteria (silver).

Although we had done some work on the internet we wanted to upload some photos so we looked for an information centre . The first one we found had been closed since May so we followed the map to the next one. On the way we picked up a postcard and went over the road to the Post Office. This had a ticket system so John got a ticket while I wrote the card. When his number came up he went up with the card for the stamp and the attendant sorted it from there.

We found an internet café but it didn’t use wifi but the information office around the corner told us there was free wifi in the next main square. We had time to upload pictures and get some local caches loaded. By then it was after midday but not hot so our plans to go back to the boat were left on hold

We went to find the closest cache but although we could see it we couldn’t get it discreetly as it was over 2.5 metres up. We walked through the shipping area then made our way to the city walls via the Jewish quarter. Unfortunately, it looked just like a suburban area although the walk on the walls was nice . From the walls we could see the sea and then Parque de Mar which had a café but otherwise was green grass around a large pool.

We came back to the cathedral via a marble square in what we think was the Arab quarter and stopped for a drink and a nibble. Then, after a few photos and a few visits to shops we went back to the boat.

When we all met up at night we found we had all been to the cathedral. Anna had also bought a cd of an opera singer who had been singing near the cathedral. Rex had the best story because he had been pickpocketed. As he arrived in the old city a woman put a flower in his pocket and removed 5 euro. By the time he realised it would have been a hassle to do anything.

We had decided we would eat less in the Vista so all ate there. It was busy when we arrived so we were asked if we would share and ended up at a table for 10 with a group from Canada. Then the others went to a classical concert while John and I went around the bars. The piano bar had an ‘open mike’ and the main area had a sing along with the HAL band so the singing varied in quality. We also spent a bit of time in the disco!! Then to bed.