Palma de Mallorca and Oceania

Ringo Starr famously sang, "A woman that I know just came from Majorca, Spain.  She smiled because I did not understand..."  Well, I don't know much, but my impression was that "Majorca" (frequent alternative spelling for Mallorca) must be a favorite of what we used to call the Jet Set.

The Balearic Island of Mallorca is reportedly the favorite vacation spot for the Spanish Royal Family, who vacations there annually  

When Michelle and Sasha Obama visited Spain in 2009, they shared lunch with the Spanish Royals in Palma de Mallorca, a coastal city known for great restaurants and shopping.

Obviously, people of much greater financial means and social status than myself consider Mallorca one of the greatest places in the world.

As such, you may find it surprising that we treated it as something of a down day in preparation for a full day exploring Barcelona, which would arrive at our floating resort the next day.

We could have booked a Snorkeling Boat and Snorkel Tour along the beautiful coast or perhaps visited the Caves of Drach, but instead we simply planned to visit the Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma as our main event.

I don't know how it could have been much simpler.  We walked off the ship and boarded the free shuttle bus to town.  It stopped within sight of the massive church.

Even if that had turned out to be a bust --- which it most definitely did not --- we could have found something interesting to do, just as we had the previous day in Alicante.

Mallorca is widely considered one of the best islands in Europe, so how bad could it be?

Perhaps you aren't willing to take any chances with your valuable vacation time.  In that case, Oceania has a list of can't-miss shore excursions in most ports, including Palma de Mallorca.  The choice comes down to what you personally want from your cruise.

For example, did you know you could take a Culinary Discovery Cruise on Oceania, complete with targeted Excursions and on board cooking classes?

When you're doing a port-intensive cruise, it's not always easy to push yourself to splurge for excursions in every port.  That's why Oceania's Unlimited Passport Collection, where you pick as many excursions as you can schedule for about $100 per port, can be a great choice.  It essentially forces you to take excursions in each port, because if you've already paid, why wouldn't you?

Quite frankly,  taking great excursions in every port is one of the main reasons river cruises and more elite 6-star lines like Regent Seven Seas inevitably receive rave reviews...though other factors like no crowds and free booze don't hurt!  They've built those excursions into your up-front price whether you take them or not, so everyone makes a point of exploring ports.

Then again, Oceania includes a few free shore excursions as one of three possible OLife program choices.  Unlike Regent where it is all-inclusive, you must choose between free excursions, free beverage packages or on board credit with Oceania.

However, it seems I've gotten away from what we actually did that day.

For our experience in Mallorca, the main focus was La Seu, the magnificent Gothic Cathedral beside which the free shuttle bus stop is widely known.

Built on the site of a mosque from the time of the Moors, it's one of the tallest Roman Catholic Cathedrals in the world.  As with many Spanish churches, it took centuries to build, beginning in 1229. 

There's an admission fee of seven Euro, but it's worth it.  I have to say it's unlike any other I've ever seen.

The interior is gorgeous in its own way, including Antoni Gaudi's unique touch.

In 1901, Gaudi was brought into a restoration project that had already been going for 50 years.

On this trip, I finally started to appreciate that Gaudi truly is a genius, though he is to architecture sort of like Tim Burton is to cinema.  

Not that Gaudi is macabre, but there's something not traditionally beautiful while at the same time arresting about his work.

The Crown of Thorns candelabra in the Palma Cathedral at first seems out of place, but after a while, you begin to appreciate how it fits.

I don't know that the same can be said about a 21st Century re-imagining of the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament by Mallorcan artist Miquel Barceló.

It is supposed to look like a cave, but it reminded me of a church melting like the Nazi faces near the end of "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

Yeah, this dude's style is even more like Tim Burton than Gaudi.  

Or perhaps somewhat like the quirky Spanish artist Salvador Dali.

After spending a considerable time enjoying La Seu, we headed out to find an iced coffee for Julie, ending up at a McCafe with patio tables alongside more chic restaurants.  I opted for vanilla ice cream as we relaxed and people-watched on a perfect sunny day.

With more churches as general destinations, we meandered about the town for a couple of hours before deciding we'd like to take our lunch break on the ship.

Yes, Ringo, the Obamas and King Felipe's family might have been enjoying Cava, calamari and Creamy Catalana at a costly cafe, but we knew we could have a delicious meal free aboard Riviera away from the prying Paparazzi's probing camera lenses.

Somehow, we never got around to getting back off the ship on Mallorca once ensconced onboard our home away from home.

Late that afternoon, celebrity chef Jacques Pépin was scheduled to put on a cooking demonstration, which we didn't want to miss.

Jacques has been Executive Culinary Director for Oceania since 2003, but obviously he is not on every cruise.

He happened to be celebrating his 52nd Anniversary with his wife on our ship.

A best-selling author of cookbooks, Jacques recently released Menus, a book featuring his original artwork for writing down menus and maybe recipes from dinner parties you host or attend. After all, breaking bread together is one of the most significant social interactions that we can share with loved ones.

During the demonstration, Jacques changed ingredients and techniques in recipes as his assistant, who was a full chef in her own right, tried to keep him on track, much in the same way Julia Child spontaneously altered recipes as they cooked together when young Jacques was starting out.

He obviously still enjoys playing with cooking, and his funny patter kept the demonstration lively.  As he tasted a delicious dessert, he said, "That's a good vegetable."

After a pregnant pause, he clarified that seemingly odd comment.  "I call everything I like a vegetable. That saves a lot of problems."

You can imagine what his reply would be to his wife or doctor when asked if he's been watching his diet.

By the way, the meals throughout our cruise were fantastic, but in his humble way, Jacques gave full credit to the kitchen staff on our ship.  A couple of nights earlier we had dined at Jacques, a French Bistro, which like three other alternative restaurants on board is available at least once for each guest and never at an additional charge.

Yes, the celebrities can eat their gourmet food at expensive eateries.  

We're content to settle for some vegetables from the ship's galley.

Of course, simple bread and water --- make that artisan bread with fresh extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette plus chilled water --- enhances any meal, as it did a few nights later at Oceania's Toscana.