Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Caimari: Casa Caimari Guest House (Airbnb), Day 2 of 2

Bike Route: Caimari to Lluc and back, 13 miles, 2200 feet of climb

Gosh, this is getting repetitive: another beautiful day. We had a small room in a guest house on the main road through the village of Caimari. When we opened the windows in the morning, we could hear the chatter, gear shifting, and tire whirring from groups of cyclists heading up the mountain to Lluc. About 11:00, we joined them. It was like being on a big organized ride: cyclists ahead of us, cyclists behind us, cyclists coming down as we were going up. And yes, constant cars and motorcycles. And 6.5 solid miles of uphill climb at 5-6 percent.

October 12 is the National Day of Spain, a holiday celebrating the contributions Spain has made to the world, including the explorations of Christopher Columbus. (Queen Isabella of Spain chartered Columbus's voyage to the New World.) It is a very popular day for cycling, motorcycling, and driving up to Lluc, in the Serra de Tramuntana (mountains). Lluc is a unique village and sanctuary dating back to the 13th century. It is the starting point for the Cami de Lluc pilgrimage.

The center of the village, the Old Town, is built around a large square with gardens, restaurants, a hostel, and a large church. On National Day, the square was filled with artisans selling local foods, jewelry, clothing, toys, swords--all kinds of things. We joined the hundreds of visitors enjoying the sunshine, food, and fun.

Then for the easy part: coasting downhill for 6.5 solid miles.

Ruins in a park just before we got to Lluc.

The restaurant La Fonda in Lluc.

An arcade runs along one side of Pilgrims' Square in Lluc. On the right are rooms for rent to travelers. On National Day, there were also artisan booths lining the arcade. 

Ken couldn't resist the dried fruit and candied local almonds. I went for the fresh chips made from local potatoes at the next stall.

An artist from Pollenca, John Bennassar, created sculptures representing the many pilgrims on the Cami de Lluc. He installed groupings of these statues in the main square of Lluc, and also placed pieces in other key locations along the cami--including the statue we photographed in the square of Caimari.

Lluc is a center of religion.

We took a short break at another Bennassar sculpture on our way down the mountain. Below us, we could see hikers on the old road, part of the Cami de Lluc.

Terraces built by the Romans in the 3rd century are still in use.