Llevant de Mallorca

Llevant de Mallorca is in Mallorca. Hills and mountains, fertile fields, cliffs with embedded bays and sandy beaches make the landscape a kind of Mallorca concentrate. Nowhere else on the island are all the elements combined in such a small space.

Cities

• 1 Cala Millor — the largest tourist development on the east coast of the island
• 2 Cala Ratjada — known for its extravagant celebrations in summer, and in winter as a gathering place for pensioners

Understand

Wind, weather and rain have formed gentle hills of limestone rocks, overgrown by a macchia of mastic and gorse bushes, tree heather, wild or overgrown olive trees, pines and Aleppo pines, in the undergrowth lavender bushes, rosemary and rock roses. The garriga runs like a red thread through the east. High up from Cap Ferrutx you can see over the Sierra de Artàna, with the highest elevation (509 m from Son Salvador, down to the Coves del Drac dragon caves, which reach 25 m below sea level.

Towards the northeast, the Llevant has numerous bays, including the touristically developed Cala Rajada as well as a little further south the well-known beaches of Cala Millor, Sa Coma and S'Illot, which have now become the destination of mass tourism.

To the west of the Llevant are the vast agricultural fields in the area of ​​Sant Llorenç and Manacor.

History

The history of the Llevant goes back over 3000 years. The original inhabitants of the island from huge slabs of stone houses, defensive towers and defensive walls built. Those towers are called talàia (Catalan) or talayot (Castilian), which goes back to the Arabic word atalaji (guard). In addition to the most important site, the Ses Païsses, there is another well-known settlement Capocorb Vell from the same period further south of the Llevant.

Most of the other buildings of the "Masters of Stone" have been used as quarries by invaders and rulers of the island over the years. Megaliths, large stones from prehistoric times, were used to build the Cathedral of Mallorca. There is still some uncertainty about the inhabitants of the talayots and their way of life.

Climate

The Mediterranean climate of the Llevant region is determined by short, mild and humid winters and long, dry and sometimes very hot summers.

In summer it is very hot and dry and the herbaceous vegetation withers. During this time, the temperature can rise to over 40 ° C during the day. Rain is extremely rare in the summer months. In July and especially in August it is high season on the beaches.

Autumn begins in September, initially muggy and thunderstorm. The autumn climate is already a bit cooler, but the sun still shines quite often and is occasionally interrupted by brief rain showers. Instead, the vegetation that has withered over the summer begins to green again.

The winter is quite mild. The temperatures are mostly around 10 degrees Celsius, and it can occasionally snow in deep areas.

Get around

By car

Car rental companies can be found in almost every holiday resort. There are around 55 rental companies with around 35,000 rental cars. The prerequisite for the rental is: you are 23 years of age and/or have had a valid driving licence for 2 years.

All roads lead to Palma de Mallorca. The streetscape of the island resembles the spread of the left hand with the thumb pointing downwards: The main traffic arteries correspond to the five fingers:

• Following the thumb, the southern connection (MA-19) Palma - Santanyí, which opens up large parts of the south coast.
• The index finger points from Palma via Manacor (MA-15) to the east coast in the Llevant landscape.

Other main roads branch off from Manacor:

• Manacor-Portocristo (MA-4020) southeast part of Llevant

or from Manacor towards Sant Llorenç and then:

• Sant Llorenç-Artà-Capdepera (MA-15) northeast part of Llevant
• Sant Llorenç-Son Servera-Cala Millor (MA-4030 and MA-4026) Eastern part with the largest beaches and hotel complexes in the Llevant.

The middle finger, the Palma-Inca-Alcúdia road, connects the agricultural area of ​​Sa Pobla and the northeast region with the capital (MA-13).

If you follow the ring finger as a signpost, you come to Sóller (MA-11). The little finger points to Valldemossa (MA-1110), where it directs to the MA-10, which follows the northwest coast from Andratx to Pollença. In addition to these approximately 1200 km of very well-developed asphalted main roads, the sometimes narrow cross-connections are also provided with an asphalt surface and are generally easy to drive on. There are only a few so-called white streets. No place on the island is more than 40 km from the sea.

By bike

Ciclismo is a Mallorcan passion. The streets and paths of the Llevant in the vicinity of Cala Millor, in the municipality of Son Servera, are particularly suitable for cyclists.

By bus

Mallorca has a dense bus network. Around 65 bus routes operated by various companies connect Palma with almost all places on the island. The main hub is the Plaça d'Espanya in the centre of Palma. The Oficina de Informatión turistica is also located there.

By train

The main railway line Palma-Inca-Manacor runs every hour.

By boat

There is a ferry connection between Cala Rajada and Ciutadella (Menorca). It is operated by Cape Balear. The crossing takes about 55 minutes.

See

• 1 Castle of Capdepera (Castell de Capdepera), ☏ +34 971 556 479. 09:00-20:00 (Oct 15-Mar 15: 09:00-17:00). Walk to this old castle from Capdepera. Good coverage of Muslim and Roman occupations of the area. Medieval market the third weekend in May. €3. (updated Nov 2017)
• The prehistoric settlement of Hospitalet Vell on the Manacor-Cales de Mallorca road (1800–1500 BC) is a talayotic settlement. Particularly noteworthy is the talayot, a kind of tower with a square floor plan, of which the Mediterranean column and the roof made of large stone slabs as well as a rectangular enclosure have been preserved.
• The early Christian church of Son Peretó on the Palma-Artà road, built towards the end of the 5th century. It consists of a baptistery with two baptismal fonts and the chapel.
• The Torre dels Enagistes tower on the Ctra. Manacor-Cales de Mallorca , shelter and mansion from the 14th century (after the Catalan conquest in 1229). Today the building is the seat of the Manacor Museum with an exhibition of Manacor's archeology and ethnology. The most notable exhibits are the tomb mosaic of Balèria, one of the mosaics of the early Christian church of Son Peretó and the miniature furniture. Graffiti from the 15th to 18th centuries can be seen on the first floor.
• Molí en Polit windmill on Modest Codina road in Manacor. It is a 19th-century windmill.
• Pearl factory Majòrica
• Coves del Drac (stalactite caves) Porto Cristo. The Martelsee, one of the largest underground lakes in the world, where concerts of classical music are performed daily.
• Church Nostra Senyora dels Dolors place Rector Rubi in Manacor. The parish church was built towards the end of the 19th century in the Gothic historicism style. It stands in the same place where other churches used to be. The oldest was documented as early as 1232 and was probably built over an Arab mosque (an Arab grave inscription found that is now in the Museu Diocesà in Palma). Both structural elements and works of art by local artists have been preserved in the new building. The bell tower is known as Torre Rubí in memory of the builder of the church. He is at the apsebuilt on where the previous church had the main portal. It is the tallest building in the city, a neo-Gothic work by the architect G. Bennassar Moner.
• Torre de Canyamel on the road from Capdepera to Son Servera. (In the building next to the Torre there is a restaurant that only serves lechona (suckling pig) on ​​a spit.)
• Sanctuary of Sant Salvador (1832), surrounded by the dominant fortress walls, on the top of the city of Artà in the centre.

Do

• 1 Cuevas del Drach, Ctra Cuevas s/n 07680, Porto Cristo, ☏ +34 971 820 753, info@cuevasdeldrach.com. These caves are one of the island's main tourist attractions. They extend for almost 1,200 m in length and reach a maximum depth of 25 m below ground level. The caves contain a large underground lake, Lake Martel, considered one of the largest in the world. €15. (updated Nov 2017)
• The Natural Park of the Península de Llevant covers 21,507 hectares, of which 16,232 hectares are land and 5,275 hectares are ocean. It is in the northeast of the area. Here you can find untouched bays and mountains, where the dwarf palm is the aspect determining factor. Among the birds there are the coral gulls, the peregrine falcons and the booted eagles. Most of Mallorca's tortoises live in this natural park.

Eat

Around 600 recipes represent a great variety of Mallorcan cuisine. They are all based on the various raw materials that are harvested in the fields or fished in the sea.

With the virgin olive oil, the Aceite de oliva virgen, the protected designation of origin Oli de Mallorca guarantees the quality. Another essential ingredient is pork, especially the production of the famous sobrassada.

Bakery products: Ensaïmades, the yeast snail with a label, is a product with a protected geographical indication, which is known as "the lightest, airiest and most delicious pastries on the Balearic island of Mallorca". Due to its unique snail shape, the ensaimada already differs optically from all other types of pastry. Only raw materials that have been grown on Mallorca may be used. There are nine of the certified manufacturers in the Llevant area. The quality certificates are checked and reassigned every year.

Meat and sausages: The sobrassada is a sausage specialty , also with a protected geographical indication, a product of the Balearic island of Mallorca, made from raw, carefully selected and air-dried minced pork, which must come from the island. The same quality standards apply here as for the baked goods. Eight of the manufacturers are located in the Llevant landscape.

The sea ​​fennel. What looks like inconspicuous grass at first glance and is called Fonoll mari in Mallorqui is still an aromatic side dish to Mallorcan cuisine. The sea fennel grows on the coast of the Llevant, in the area of ​​the splash zone. Crithmum maritimumk, a yellow flowering shrub from the umbelliferae family, resembles wild fennel, hence the name sea fennel. The herb has leathery, one to two-pinnate, blue-green, fleshy leaves that can be up to seven centimeters long. Women walk along the rocky beaches with baskets and pluck this herb. The leaves are then preserved for many months by being inserted so that they can be carried on the ships in the seafarers' provisions. Due to the high vitamin C content and the preventive effect against scurvy, it was and is still a component of every duffel bag and travels the vastness of the oceans.

Drink

The island of Mallorca is an area with a long winemaking tradition, dating back to when the Romans cultivated wine.

There are red, rosé, white and sparkling wines as well as sparkling wines and fortified wines with designations of origin of recognized quality. The red wines are made from the following red grape varieties: Callet, Fogoneu, Tempranillo, Manto Negro, Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. White wines are made from the Chardonnay, Moll, Macabeo, Parellada and Moscatel varieties.

The ground consists of calcareous rock ( marl and dolomite ), as a result of which a calcareous and clayey soil with a slightly alkaline pH value has formed and the earth has tints that range from the red scale to almost white. These properties of the soil lead to good drainage, which also leads to rapid root penetration of the soil due to the little organic matter present, which means that viticulture can be carried out under very good conditions.

Traditional cultivation practices are used for viticulture, which overall results in grapes of greater quality being obtained. The planting density was limited to 2500 to 5000 vines per hectare. The training and management of the vines takes place according to the so-called "vasosystem" or on the trellis.

The white wines of the Chardonnay grape variety deserve a special mention here, with their very distinctive aromas of tropical fruits, which can also take on a milky, vanilla-like taste when fermented in wooden barrels. The dry Muscat wines provide a range of floral aromas, while the fresh, young wines from the Prensal Blanco, Macabeo and Parellada varieties are more reminiscent of tart fruits. If the wines are blended with one another, complex, aromatic compounds result that pleasantly refresh the palate.

With the red wines, very interesting taste variations are achieved due to the different grape varieties that are used here, which are characterized by their intense color and multi-layered fruit aromas. The tannin contained is gentle on the palate and has a balanced acidity and gives an overall impression of freshness.

One of the largest liqueur producers on the island of Mallorca, the Moya company in Artà, is in Llevant on the road to Can Picafort.

Sleep

Porto Cristo

• 1 blau punta reina, Urbanización Cala Mandia. Calle s´Algar, s/n. (between the beaches of Cala Mandia and Cala Estany d’en Mas), ☏ +34 971 558 001, booking@blauhotels.com. Check-in: 15:00hrs, check-out: 11:00hrs. Family resort with 90,000 m².