Deep in the Tramuntana mountain range of Northwest Majorca, there is this very romantic village called Valldemossa. Chopin called it the most beautiful place on earth. Since I heard so much about this wonderful place, I was eager to visit it and find out if Chopin knew what he was talking about.
I was staying at one of the 5 star hotels Balearics with my aunt. We left early in the morning and didn’t have far to travel since our hotel was also nestled in the Tramuntana’s. We travelled deeper into the more lush green mountains on the west side. There were forests of pine, terraces of olive trees and lingering clouds only hundred meters above the sea. As we approached the Sierras of Tramuntana, we saw these dark clouds that seemed to be stuck between two cliffs. The actually look unwilling to move. We look at one another hoping we weren’t headed that way, because the rest of the sky was a beautiful cerulean.
We drove higher and higher along this serpentine road. All the curving and turning we did made us dizzy, there were not straight aways. I was fighting car sickness. Our ears kept popping as we climbed higher. Finally, Valldemossa came into view. 1300 meters above sea level. By this time we were so excited and hoping that all the hype was true.
But, just as we thought, those dark clouds were exactly where we were heading. Right in the valley. Right where Valldemossa is located. The sunlight disappeared, but that didn’t dampen the colorful town. Little stone homes with colored doors and shutters. Windows clustered around one church tower that was the highest peak of the town. Leafy trees surrounded the town as if to protect it from any harm and it almost seemed as if the town was floating. It was better than any fairy-book picture, beyond words. Better that how Chopin describe it.
The road we were on circled the town until the entry to Valldemossa was obvious. I parked as soon as we could find a spot and began our excursion. When we stepped out of our car, we noticed how different the air was, the oxygen was so pure and the aroma was of dampened pine cones. This place was well worth the curvaceous drive and it truly is a fairytale land.