Saturday, October 9, 2021

Port de Alcudia: Elegance Diana Hostal (Airbnb)

Bike Route: Mataro to Balearis Ferry Terminal F1 in Barcelona, 21 miles, 700 feet of climb

Ferry Route: Barcelona to Port de Alcudia, Mallorca

A quick and easy downhill cycle along the coastal highway from Mataro to Barcelona. Not difficult, but a lot of traffic. Just before we got to the main beach in Barcelona, a local guy on his e-bike stopped us and offered to lead us to the ferry terminal. Manuel took us down the boardwalk and through parks and along the pier to our terminal. He was a great guy. Said he just liked to help people out.

While we were waiting for our turn to load the bikes on the ferry, watching the loading ramp, we saw a small garbage truck park at the top of the ramp and the driver get out--and the truck continue on down the ramp toward us, crashing into a barrier and a van before it stopped. That was exciting. No one was hurt. The driver was a little shakey, the police arrived and filled out their reports, the truck drove away, the cars boarded the ferry, and then we boarded with our bikes.

The ferry was a superfast catamaran and made it to Mallorca in just 6 hours. We had comfortable seats in the lounge, and dozed on and off on the way over.

We arrived in Port de Alcudia, Mallorca, about 10:30 pm and started walking our bikes the mile around the port and beach to our hotel. We could see the outlines of palm trees and smell the ocean on the breeze. Along the way, we passed quite a few open bars and restaurants, and ended up stopping and having a VERY late dinner. It was after midnight when we finally checked ourselves in using a lock box, as we had arranged with the receptionist earlier.

The hotel room was small but clean and comfortable. We were glad to have such an easy arrival in Mallorca.