La Granja is located 15 km from Palma and is a beautiful tenth century mansion surrounded by lush vegetation, beautiful gardens and natural fountains.
It is a possessió (farmstead) known since Roman times. In 1239, Count Nuno Sanz donated the property to the Cistercian monks, and from 1447 became a private house. At one time, up to 100 people worked on this estate, who were engaged in agriculture, crafts, etc. Visitors come today mainly to see Mallorcan rural traditions, demonstrations of lace, embroidery and spinning, and tastings of cheeses, wine, sausage, donuts and rice cake.
The easiest way to get to La Granja is by car or bus.
Craft shows and music and dance performances take place on Wednesdays and Fridays from 3:30-5:00 pm.
Restaurant La Granja serves lunch all day, also sopes mallorquines (Majorcan soups), and has a diner/diner. You can also have a picnic on the various equipped terraces.
Folk music and dance
Fashioned from wood and skins, Mallorcan instruments include the xeremia (bagpipe), fabiol (flute), taborino and guitar. Typical famous dances are Bolero (18th century), La Jota (from eastern Majorca), Fandango, and Copeo Mateixa. Many impromptu dances are accompanied only by percussion instruments; a more organized ensemble will perform at official events.
GASTRONOMY
One of the strengths of a visit to La Granja is the chance to taste typical Mallorcan preparations - buñuelos, a mixture of potato flour and pastries with various jams, rice bread, sobrasada, cheese, Palo (liquor) and hierbas (liquor).
Rice bread has been popular in Mallorca for many years and is part of a rural family to get through the winters in Mallorca..
All this you are invited to try and sold in the store.
Top 10 La Granja
1 Garden
2 Owners apartments
3 Canteen
4 Loggia
5 workshops
6 Cellars
7 Torture room
8 Chapel
9 front yard
10 performances
House and surrounding area
Gardens
The cultivated areas are very rich, including stone terraced gardens, botanical gardens, a pond with a jet fountain and a magnificent 1000-year-old yew tree. You can still see some of the canals that were used for irrigation.
Owner's apartment
These numbers have preserved the misprints of the noble life of the former residents of the house. Of particular note are the curtains in the main hall made of roba de llenguës; old medical instruments, as well as antique toys in the playroom.
Dining room
The main attraction here is the cleverly built table that doubles as a pool table.
By turning the handle, the height can be adjusted for both purposes. Crockery and glassware from different eras are original, as are the tiles in the house.
Loggia
Beautiful architectural landmark of the house. In hot summer days a light breeze makes this place an ideal shelter from the heat and at other times of the year provides a charming view of the vastness. This porch is like a gallery, which is unusual in Mallorca, this is a place for everyone to relax.
Cellars
Cheeses were made in cellars using the milk of cows, sheep and goats.
The dough was kneaded using a stone mill, from which all kinds of pasta, soups and other dishes were then made.
Dairy products, butter, wine and bread were stored here.
"Torture Chamber"
The room shows typical weapons - including iron cages and racks - used against Jews and other non-Christians and heretics or suspected witches during the Spanish Inquisition from the 15th to 17th centuries.
Chapel
The altarpiece, with its beautifully decorated arch, is in the Baroque style; the altar is a rather gothic creation, silver-winged angels. Also note the original floor tiles.
outer courtyard
Majestic spaces in front of the mansion where there are four large chestnut trees, which are about 150 years old. Here you can relax in the shade while watching the craftsmen at work: a selection of regional wines, liqueurs, juices, jams, sobrassadas (local meats), cheese, rice, bread and bunyolas (potato flour buns).
Versions
Traditional music and folk dances take place on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Workshops
The labyrinth of rooms that go down includes the underground heart of the house. The property was self-sufficient, with its own oil mill, tinsmiths, distillery, woodworking shop, embroiderers and more.
Alcudia - Cave of Campanet - Cape Pinar September 19th. La Granja Estate - Deia - Valldemossa - Sawyer (Soller)
Part 2 - La Granja Estate - Valldemossa - Soller. The busiest route!
- Soller (vintage tram) - Palma de Mallorca
- Reserve de Galatso (La Reserva Puig de Galatzo Parc de Natura).Day of communication with nature!
Today I have in my plans something that we did not have time to implement on our last year's trip.
The first point of our program is Homestead La Granja(La Granja). On the navigator we went to the ring road around the capital - Palma de Mallorca, then turned to the town of Esporles, next to which the La Granja Estate is located. Pointers to the estate are present everywhere, so we found it quickly enough. Just below the estate there is a fairly large parking lot, we arrived early, and therefore there were plenty of places.
This place has been known since the 10th - 12th centuries, when the Alpich farm was located on the site of the current estate. It was known for its pure spring waters. The source of the estate was very important for the nearby settlements. Its jet rises 10 meters from the ground. La Granja's homestead different times belonged to both counts and monks. Since 1960, a museum has been opened in it. Here you can enjoy clean air, walk through the forest, in every corner of which flows its own waterfall, get to know the life of local residents and artisans, as well as their wealthy owners. There are many different animals here: goats, donkeys, horses, chickens and roosters and others.
A visit to the estate for 4 cost 34.6 euros. A leisurely walk along La Granja took us about two hours.
Summer bathroom (XVIII century) in the open air with a drain arranged outside, which is now all overgrown with moss
My daughter was so carried away by photographing in the estate that her photo can be used to make the most complete illustrated booklet. She did not ignore any interior, not a single exhibit! :)
Below are photos without comments. Mixed - hers and mine.
In fact, you can endlessly post photos, but it's better to see everything for yourself.
It was very interesting to see the oil mill and the winery:
Then there are endless workshops: carpentry, shoemaking, jewelry, foundry, weaving, and so on. You can touch a lot with your hands, which our children were actively engaged in.
We went outside for a while and took a short walk.
They returned to the house, and almost immediately ended up in prison and a torture room. The light in the rooms is very dimmed and music is heard everywhere in the form of human groans.
Gradually our walk came to an end. We went out to the patio, where there were many barrels with taps and glasses for tasting. Honestly, Pasha and I also allowed ourselves “a little bit”.
They disappeared for a long time in a small shop at the entrance. Here they offer goods of their own production: wines, jams, sausages and cheeses. They also bake delicious potato donuts. It’s good that we got to this tasting, because next time we won’t eat at all soon.
We are on our way to the next point of our route - Valldemossa. Valldemossa is famous for its Carthusian La Cartuja monastery, where Georges Sand and Chopin spent one of their winters. Almost everything in this town is dedicated to this topic.
As we entered the city, we immediately saw parking lots on the left hand side. But they were all occupied by tourist buses and cars. We had to turn at the nearest intersection and make a small circle around the block, and luck smiled at us in the form of two empty seats one after the other. It would have been difficult to park there alone, but we worked in tandem, bumper-to-bumper bumper-to-bumper.
The monastery of Valldemossa can be seen immediately at the entrance to the city. Therefore, we quickly orientated in which direction we should go. There were quite a lot of people on the streets of the city, apparently we were just at the peak of the arrival of organized excursions. All cafes and restaurants were busy.
At the box office at the monastery, you could purchase combined tickets: a visit to the city museum, located in some rooms of the monastery; Cells No. 2 - Chopin and Sand Museum; inspection of the palace of King Sancho. There were some tricky group tickets, in general, we paid 7 euros for four adults, and all the children went for free.
Monastery La Cartuja(Real Cartuja de Valldemossa) was founded in 1399 by Carthusian monks who lived there until 1835. In this year, as a result of the then adopted new law on depreciation, the entire monastery passed into private hands. The church was the only exception. Monastic cells and other premises were divided among the new owners. The cells are still privately owned. And in the winter of 1838-1839, Chopin and George Sand lived and worked here in these cells.
We started our tour from the church.
Then we looked into the old Carthusian pharmacy, founded by monks at the beginning of the 17th century. At the exit, in the hall, we were met by a famous couple:
Next comes the cell of the abbot of the monastery, and then comes the chic library. She, by the way, was a meeting place for monks who were allowed to communicate for only half an hour once a week.
From each room there is an exit to a small garden with a gorgeous view. All gardens are set up differently.
In Cell No. 2, a museum of celebrities is arranged.
Then the city museum of Valldemossa begins, with various exhibitions, including an old printing house.
And then we come across another cell of Chopin and Sand - No. 4. We show our tickets, but they don't let us in. It turns out that in this room you need to buy a separate ticket for 3 euros. The money is small, but we, considering this not a completely honest approach, decided not to go there. The main exhibit of this cell is Chopin's piano.
Leaving the building of the monastery, we went out into the courtyard, from where we got to the Palace of King Sancho.
This palace was built by the first king of Mallorca, Jaime II, for his son Sancho.
We decided to dine in Daya. I really wanted to get to Deya - the famous village of artists, looking at the numerous photos of tourists who had been there. From Valldemossa, the road begins to wind along the coast, here and there, offering breathtaking views. The serpentine is steep, it is not possible to stop and take a picture again. And now, around the next turn, houses appear, scattered at the foot of a high hill and streets climbing up. The church crowns all this beauty. It all looks romantic and very beautiful. But we again have to be content with just the view from the car window. Those random two places where you could stop are intended for a maximum of one car, and our crew consists of two. Frustrated by the impossibility of capturing this beauty from the outside, I still do not lose hope of seeing everything live. But! These are the costs of travel big company. We pass those couple of tiny parking lots along the road - not a single place! We start to leave the city, but there are still no parking lots. One place flashed by once, but if I get up there, I have no confidence that our second car will find anything at all, all the way to the end of the city. Deya was left behind, so far away that now, even when we find a parking lot, we understand that we won’t have enough strength to return there with the children on foot. And then there's the hill and the way back. Honestly, I sat in this parking lot, and almost cried from frustration - to make such a journey here! And see nothing: (There are no words! But it’s clear, after all, it’s fate for us to return to Mallorca again;)
Having left this useless parking lot, we immediately stumbled upon a sign for restaurants. She said that in just some 2 km we would get to a restaurant with beautiful view. We started down to Cala de Deia on a very narrow country road. Two cars here will not part in any way, I had to constantly turn back, missing someone, all the turns are blind. In general, the descent turned out to be protracted, but the target was still not visible. After consulting with the second crew, we decided to turn back. We unfolded on some cliff very extreme. Climb up the road. The feeling of hunger in everyone began to prevail over all other desires. And we decided that we would taxi to the first restaurant that came across on the way.
Restaurant advertising. Suddenly, at some large fork, we again come across a pointer to a restaurant. And there are quite a few meters indicated before him. We turn off. A narrow serpentine begins to twist us down, along the road, only abandoned buildings, rusty signs, and so on periodically come across. For some reason, the road immediately strained, but this time we decided to go to the end. We went down for about 20 minutes. The radio constantly heard the comments of both crews about where we were brought this time ... After two or three trips, I said a phrase that turned out to be prophetic. “If I had a restaurant here, I would put up any exorbitant price tag, since the one who came down here has neither the strength nor the choice for something else.” But here's the long-awaited parking lot. We walk a little further to the restaurant. A menu pops up when you enter. Complex, consisting of three courses, and the price is 60 euros and 75 euros. But we still go inside and ask the waitress to see more detailed menu, she shrugs her shoulders and says: “Well, everything is written there: only a set meal for 60 euros per person without wine and 75 with wine.” We multiplied 60 by at least four adults and we didn’t like this figure terribly. And the views from the street terrace of that restaurant were just amazing!
Conclusion: if you are a Rockefeller and extreme, you are welcome there. If you do not want to "get" like us. Do not turn off at the last sign for a restaurant before the road to Soller.
Missed Deja, hungry all - the mood is at zero. We enter Soller on the C-710 highway, turn the corner, and just land in the parking lot at the restaurant. It didn't matter what he looked like or what they fed him. The restaurant was simply called "Restaurant". And they fed us here, in principle, quickly, not badly and inexpensively.
Majorca. Rural paths - La Granja, Valldemossa, Deia.
The beautiful island of Mallorca, but for the restless - a real disaster! Lying lazily on the beach, turning off your head, did not work out very well. There were so many things I wanted to see!
It's good that I managed to force myself to forget about hiking ... And so I dreamed of walking along mountain paths! Especially from Deia to Soller: not too difficult, but extremely picturesque...
Already on the second day, having swept to La Granja, I realized that for the first time (who would have known whether it would be the second ...) it would be better to get by with standard tourist routes, otherwise I would not see the sea and the beach at all. No, I really like to rush somewhere into the unknown, but to be in Mallorca and not go to Valldemossa, for example?
It has been repeatedly verified that even in places “trodden down” by millions of feet you can find something “of your own”, which only opens up to you.
For some reason, the last thing I wanted to do was go to La Granja, a medieval estate founded in the 12th century by the governor of the Aragonese king Jaime I, which is currently "the richest ethnographic museum in Mallorca." Doesn't pull me to ethnographic museums and that's it!
However, numerous sources assured that the estate is surrounded by luxurious greenery, and “there are natural waterfalls and fountains with huge carps on the territory. Typical domestic animals live here (horses, pigs of black and pink breeds, birds different types and plumage).
Here greenery is already good ... Yes, and only 17 kilometers from the capital - the very thing for a “warm-up”, in order to “try out” intercity buses, find out what and how in the Palma transport terminal.
And in the estate they promised to feed donuts with orange jam! My favorite!
I was finally convinced to go to La Granja by the story that somewhere on the paths of her park a goat literally fell from somewhere above on the author (lady)))). I immediately remembered my last year's "fellow travelers" in Rhodes, there were plenty of representatives of this cunning tribe, and once something similar happened to me. Why not repeat?
Looking ahead, I’ll say that it didn’t happen, I didn’t meet any free-roaming goats in La Granja (as in other parts of the island). There were goats, goats and kids on the estate, but they lived in an aviary, which is difficult to escape from. They had some kind of mini-slide, maybe sometimes they fell off it (although it’s unlikely), but they definitely couldn’t fall ON someone)). On the park paths, especially those on the mountain itself, I diligently peered into the bushes - not a single goat's face, not even the crunch of twigs or the noise of crumbling stones! Upset!
A little about how to get to the estate. (Although it has already been written not a lot of times, but still). To Palma from "my" Can Pastilla - on the city's blue and white EMT bus (www.emtpalma.es - a good site, everything is there: routes, stops - in the most detailed way), No. 15, 30, Plaza España stop. Walking a little forward, on the right you will see the entrance to the Estació Intermodal underground terminal (it’s good for everyone, but the smelly stuff there is terrible!). If you are going to ride city buses often, it makes sense to buy a tarjeta para bus card for 10 trips in the TABACCO store, one trip on it costs 1 euro, instead of one and a half, if you pay the driver each time.
In the terminal, on the scoreboard, we look at which platform the bus number 200 leaves for Estellencs, a ticket is bought from the driver. In the town of Esporles, the bus drops everyone off, and you need to go (with the same ticket) to another one, which is already standing a little ahead. Esporles, by the way, seemed very nice. Ten minutes from Esporles to La Granja. To the left, on the driveway to the estate, there is a large sign indicating that you are there. I was very lucky that I spotted that stand, because. despite the fact that she told the driver about La Granja, he was talking enthusiastically with some grandfather, and rushed past. It took about five minutes to return, stomping along the highway.
It's nice to go: mountains, silence (in fact, the whole road from Palma is very beautiful).
The estate is really buried in greenery, but I did not expect to find lindens here. I have never seen such huge ones: La Granja was fragrant with lime blossom! I think now this fragrance will always remind me of her.
“Birds of different types and plumages” didn’t stick with me)), i.e. some turkey chickens wandered around, but I won’t say so that they were very struck by the “feathers”))).
With "piglets of black and pink breeds" - similarly!
Here is a white horse and a pony, which then participated in the performance given here several times a day, were glorious.
I really liked the central courtyard in the patterned shade of tall plane trees. By the way, it is in it, to the left of the entrance to the patio of the main house, under a canopy, that there are small barrels with tasting wines. I did not immediately notice them (there were very few people, no one stood in line for the faucets))). I even decided that I got on a bad day and today they “do not pour” ... It's a shame how it is! (This is despite the fact that in ordinary life I generally “do not use”). After all, it was “paid” (included in the ticket), and besides, I ate from the heart and sausages, and cheeses, and longed-for donuts with orange jam. I wanted to drink! Of course, wine, especially sweet muscatel, is not water at all, but still better than nothing. And dry red (the second of the two offered) - quenches thirst very well.
La Granja could once exist in a completely autonomous mode - everything that was needed for life was produced here. Walking through the lower floors of the house, you can see this: looms, spinning wheels, a room for dyeing yarn, sewing and leather workshops, etc. and so on. They even had their own dynamo. Probably someone likes to look at all this. I would have believed it, without "visual aids"))).
There were also disadvantages in autonomy - the hostesses of the house simply had no reason to go somewhere. The last desire of one of them was ... to see the sea!.. Recreational trips - only for men. I immediately remembered the Spanish saying once quoted by a guide in Andalusia: “Hide a woman and wine in the basement” ...
No, the ladies lived here, probably not bad: the master's rooms and galleries are comfortable and beautiful. Not to say that they are luxurious - well, this is not a royal palace - but everything is furnished and decorated with such taste! Everywhere a multitude pleasant things which create the cosiness and atmosphere of the house.
I would love to live here for a month! If not for the bathroom))). Oh, scary! Although I perfectly understand that the presence of a bathroom in the house in those days is already a great blessing. But the ancient hamams look great even now, but the European bathroom, alas. The device for drying hair looked like an instrument of torture. And corsets and stockings! She looked at the stockings hanging from the edge of the bath, and thanked the smart people who invented lycra))) Stockings (albeit white and openwork) a hundred pounds slipped from the legs, forming a vile "accordion" on the ankles and stretching on the knees - brr!
Well, God bless her with a bath, and with stockings))). The rest was pleasing to the eye. Especially the children's playroom - how many interesting things are there! And everything is so bright - so far! It seems to me that even a modern child, hit on the head with gadgets from infancy, would hang there for two hours. I looked at a wooden box with a cardboard doll and paper clothes for her (the older girls probably understood what it was about))) I looked with tenderness - I didn’t remember such things for a hundred years!
The gentlemen probably hardly looked into the kitchen, nevertheless, everything is very nice there: wooden ceiling beams, bunches of onions hanging from the ceiling, polished copper utensils.
Most of all I remember the salon, which looks like a gazebo in the garden: the room seems to be square and seems round due to the painting of the ceiling, made in the form of a tent, the bottom of the walls is painted flowering plants, furniture upholstery pale pink, elegant chandelier. At the table laid for tea (even some cookies are present for credibility) sits the "hostess" in national dress. French windows open onto a small patio with a fountain.
From the patio you can get to the very top of the park.
Sorry, but the park did not seem interesting to me. The lower part (considered regular) is not too well maintained, the roses are somehow frail, rare exception. And there aren't many flowers. I liked only one unusual conifer - the branches hung from a horizontally growing trunk like a curtain.
The upper park is essentially a “dense forest”, with paved paths. True, there are a couple of “Moorish corners” in it, with beautiful tiles and fountains, reservoirs, here they are good.
And it was there that a summer shower for ladies was discovered. The place was chosen ideally - the view of the surrounding mountains is magnificent, but to look inside "who is not supposed to" is almost unrealistic. I almost fell down, trying to somehow take a picture of such an interesting “object”. And still managed to fit only a corner of it into the frame.
“Water supply” was arranged as follows: in one of the upper corners of this building without a roof, a hole 15 centimeters in diameter was made, a chute was inserted into it and servants (being outside!) poured water in buckets through it. The radiculitis of the poor was provided ...
It seems to me that in La Granja there is never a suffocating heat. Down in Palma, it was quite hot, but here a light breeze blew all the time. After two hours of walking around the house and the park, I realized that I was not a bit tired, quite the contrary - the complete feeling of some kind of renewal had descended. Music was playing softly in the house, and for some reason Chopin (yes! in La Granja, not in Valldemossa!).
It was so nice to sit in a wicker chair in an open gallery, listening to melancholic waltzes and enjoying the honey scent of lindens ... (It's a phrase from the diary of an enthusiastic schoolgirl))) - but it's true!)
If the trip to La Granja was in doubt at the beginning, then I was going to Valldemossa "by all means and without fail." George Sand and Chopin made this mountain village world-famous))). I always knew about it, it seems, - in a completely “pink” childhood, I stuck my nose into the ZhZL-ovsky volume dedicated to Chopin. Numerous photos on the net attracted even more than the story of the famous guests of the Carthusian monastery - breathtaking panoramas, both TO the village and FROM the village.
And even more than that - the guests were not attracted at all. To the point that I decided - well, this monastery, I'd rather just wander along the streets remote from it. They assured me that there was silence and desertion. And the views, they say, are the same.
In fact, everything turned out to be a little different. There are no streets in the village! And if you do not go to the monastery, then there is nowhere to go. It took me two hours to do everything about everything, with the monastery and the palace of King Sancho (a single ticket 8-50 euros, they put on a surprisingly strong paper bracelet, which I then with difficulty ripped off my hand).
From Palma, the 210th goes here, there is almost always a line for it, but it goes often, every half an hour. Travel time is also half an hour.
The village has a completely modern information center, and I don’t even know why I took a card there.
It is absolutely not needed - all roads lead to the monastery garden and to the museum's ticket office. The garden is pretty - with roses, palm trees, boxwood bushes. I walked along the corridors and former cells, glanced at the showcases with exhibits. Nothing stuck. Except, perhaps, the outlandish Madonna and Child - dolls in 18th century costumes.
But it's good on the terrace! And there is a tiny fountain here, and a pool with water lilies, but most importantly - views of the valley and the Tramuntan Mountains! Incredibly lucky to get into the "window" between the flow of organized groups going. There were only five people with me. We stood in silence, enjoying the beauty, exchanging knowing glances…
The palace of King Sancho liked much more than the monastery. I love vintage interiors. And what chandeliers there! And again a terrace, and again a magnificent panorama! It seems to be similar to the previous ones, but a little bit different ...
Of course, I also wandered along the "remote" streets. (They are removed a couple of steps from the monastery))). I took pictures of numerous ceramic plates depicting episodes from the life of the revered local saint - Catalina Toma, admired the luxurious hydrangeas and pretty wooden fences with flowerpots of petunias. Some people scold Valldemossa for being too coiffed and picturesque - I don’t know, I always like grooming.
And certainly not for this reason, Valldemossa touched my soul, if it touched, then only slightly. Most likely there was some kind of mismatch between expectations and reality. And not that this reality was bad - God forbid! Perhaps, I wanted more really remote, non-tourist streets and some kind of "wild" mirador.
In general, I got on the bus to Deia (all the same 210th, which then goes all the way to Soller), sat down without any sadness of parting, but quite pleased with what I saw.
The ride is nothing - 15 minutes, and the road - wow !!!
The beauty is breathtaking! That's the right word, I would walk here on foot, not hurrying anywhere, so as not to miss anything! We also passed a completely postcard cape with a snow-white rotunda ...
After a while the road went to the right, the sea was out of sight. And just as I was about to take a breath and take a break from impressions, a mountain appeared with such a picturesque scattering of houses on it!
Deya!
And the bus goes on and on! How then to return here ?!
It turned out that everything is simple: there is a wonderful promenade along the highway, and you can enjoy the views of the village "with all amenities." Which, of course, I did later.
When I got off the bus, I didn't notice anything particularly remarkable at first. Passed by beauty! True, she knew that somewhere on the mountain there should be a church, and went to it. But already at the first turn, turning back, she gasped: on the other side of the road there is a luxurious park! You won't see it from below. The park was behind a solid fence... Probably some kind of closed residence... Then, at each turn of the street, I approached the edge of the cliff, trying to get a better look at the lawns of the park, but something kept getting in the way - either roofs or walls.
I got to the church, inside it is very, very modest. But, of course, from here, from a height, there is a wonderful view of almost 360 degrees. It’s even difficult to just look, and even more so to take a picture.
Down walked a little upset by this circumstance.
What is a park anyway? I crossed the road - well, you must! And the truth - La Residencia! A very calm sign, above it is a waterfall of some pale blue flowers unknown to me, and besides them - small climbing roses and a lemon tree. A little further in the wall, a gate with an even more modest Belmond sign was found ... (Now I know WHAT Belmond is, but then I couldn’t sleep, and thank God, otherwise I wouldn’t have dared to go inside))).
Looks like it's open! I look in... The path, framed on one side by flowerpots with lush geraniums, and on the other side, by silver-green olives and the most delicate pale pink polyanthus roses, beckons! I go in... It seems that no security guards rush to me... The path led to the terrace of a certain palazzo (and why did an Italian word suddenly pop up in my head in Spain ?!).
That the terrace itself, that the pictures from it are a fairy tale ... Crazy views of Deia, the mountains, the park! And no one! There's a couple at one table alone, sipping cocktails...
And what are those tables? Rather, there is nothing special about them themselves - they are round glass, but whole clouds of daisies grow right under them and it seems that the tables also seem to be “chamomile”. On each, moreover, a pot of fresh flowers. Wicker furniture, white soft pillows, a light canopy from the sun - a dream, not a terrace!
From its far part, the sea can be seen ... Deia is far from the sea, alas. But surely in such a luxurious hotel (and, as it turned out, it brought me to the territory of the Belmond hotel chain), there are shuttles to the beach. Yes, and there are similar hotels for those who can visit the sea on any week-end, there would be a desire. And here - solitude, peace, absolute comfort ...
The waiters here smile not even for five, but for seven stars))). And the beauties! They are selected according to the exterior, or what?
Chamomile terrace turns into another, not so spectacular, but very cozy. And again - views-views-views ... Mountains, tiled roofs of village houses, palm trees, lilac jacarandas, bougainvilleas!
At the end of this terrace is a bench near a lush white hydrangea bush. And then the arch to the El Olivo restaurant, or rather to its open veranda. There really is an olive - it grows near the balustrade! The tables are already set for dinner, each with a white candle.
It seemed to me that wings rustled behind my back, it was so good there! Eden is real!
What a blessing in the park! From above, I noticed a gazebo, all entwined with jasmine. The scent is divine on the outside, but on the inside! She sat in this gazebo, drowning in the cushions of the chair, admiring the flashlight under the ceiling, reveling in the finest "perfume". In spring, citrus fruits are fragrant here for sure ...
How did you not want to leave? It's good that the same promenade around the village, which I already mentioned, was still waiting for me. The views from it are also “luxury”. Quite a Belmond))
In parting, I walked a little along the streets of Deia, stumbled upon a nice restaurant with prices much more benign than in El Olivo, but with no less impressive views. So life outside the world of luxury is also there, and very good indeed))).
And to top it all, I met a fox here - I love them dearly, because I once had two of my own ... The hostess, before leaving the treasure at the entrance to the store, kissed him on the forehead, ears and nose, whispered something in his ear, in general , said goodbye, as if it was supposed to part for two hours))) The girl came out after three minutes! And again - a kiss, words in your ear, and a treat for good behavior))) Sometimes you want to be a foxy!
This is how the route turned out - although not “one day” - from the fragrant lime blossom La Granja to the jasmine Deia ...
The Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso (Palacio Real de la Granja de San Ildefonso) is one of the residences of the Spanish royal family. La Granja is located on the northern slope of the Sierra de Guadarrama, 13 kilometers from Segovia and about 80 kilometers from Madrid. These lands were during the Middle Ages a hunting ground for the kings of Castile, who often visited it because of the hunting wealth and proximity to the city of Segovia. According to the chronicles of the time, the first royal hunting lodge of Monteros (known as Casa del Bosque) was built by King Enrique III in the nearby town of Valsaín. King Enrique IV built an orphanage and a small hermitage dedicated to Saint Ildefonso on the site of the future palace. In 1477, the Catholic Monarchs donated them to the monks of the Parral Monastery in Segovia. The monks built a small farm nearby, from which the town got its name.
The palace and park were created by the will of King Philip V, the founder of the royal Bourbon dynasty in Spain. Duke Philippe of Anjou was born in Versailles in 1683 and grew up at the court of his grandfather, Louis XIV. His mother, Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, did not take part in his upbringing and died when Philip was only seven years old, and his father Louis the Great Dauphin was indifferent to him. The child immediately after birth was entrusted to the care of the breadwinner and chamberlains and grew up gloomy and melancholy, although kind and generous. Only his great-aunt Liselotte von der Pfalz, Duchess of Orleans, took care of him. His tutor was Francois Fenelon, who taught the boy to religious values. The court of Versailles, with its frivolous entertainment, repelled the prince. Philip's position changed dramatically after, according to the will of the childless Spanish king Charles II, his great-uncle, he became the heir to the Spanish throne. On November 16, 1700, Louis XIV at Versailles at a solemn reception made a statement: “Gentlemen, here stands the King of Spain, this crown was intended for him from birth. The deceased king handed it over to him by will... Be a good Spaniard, but do not forget, in order to maintain harmony between the two nations, that you were born a Frenchman.
In February 1701, Philip solemnly entered Madrid and was joyfully greeted by the townspeople. His policy was aimed at presenting himself as a king independent of the politics of France and gaining the confidence of the nobility. He was recognized and sworn in by Castile, Catalonia, Aragon and Naples. Philip V was recognized everywhere, his marriage to the thirteen-year-old Mary Louise of Savoy, who surpassed her husband in energy and intelligence, served to strengthen his position. But here grandfather greatly overdid it ... Louis XIV ordered the Parlement of Paris to confirm the legitimacy of Philip's claims to the French throne. This violated the balance of power in Europe and all previous agreements between countries. Louis chose a too aggressive way to protect the interests of France. He cut off England and the Netherlands from trade with Spain, which seriously threatened the commercial interests of these two countries. Louis brought French troops into the Spanish Netherlands, in response, England and the Dutch Republic declared war on France and Spain on May 14, 1702, Austria joined them and the War of the Spanish Succession began.
Austrian troops under the command of Eugene of Savoy entered one of the Spanish territories in Italy - the Duchy of Milan. Most of the German states (including Prussia and Hanover) sided with the Austrians, while Bavaria and Savoy supported France and Spain. In Spain, the Cortes of Aragon, Valencia and Catalonia declared their support for the Austrian Archduke Charles. At first, the fighting took place in Italy, on the Rhine and in Flanders, while the Iberian Peninsula remained on the sidelines. But in March 1704, Archduke Charles, who proclaimed himself a pretender to the Spanish throne, landed in Portugal, in response, Louis XIV sent French troops to Spain. Militarily, the affairs of the Bourbons became quite bad. In August 1704, Spain lost Gibraltar, in October Barcelona and all of Catalonia capitulated, then Mallorca. In early 1706, the French were expelled from Italy and the Spanish Netherlands, and in June Philip had to retreat from Castile and hand over Madrid to Archduke Charles, who was proclaimed king. But Karl did not meet support in the central part of the country and retreated to Valencia. The Bourbon troops retook Madrid and won the Battle of Almansa on April 25, 1707, recapturing Valencia and Aragon. The war went on with varying success. In 1709, Pope Clement XI even recognized Charles as king of Spain. In the summer of 1710, the Bourbons were defeated at Almenara and Zaragoza. Charles was able to enter Madrid for the second time. But the troops of Philip V launched a counteroffensive and won the battles of Brihuega and Villavicios, which opened the way to Aragon and Catalonia and removed the threat to Madrid. Charles retreated to Catalonia. Peace negotiations took place in 1713 and ended with the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht, according to which Great Britain and Holland withdrew from the war with France, Philip was recognized as the king of Spain on the condition that the crowns of Spain and France would never be on the same head. Spain lost Gibraltar and the Italian provinces to Austria, but retained its overseas colonies.
The end of the war allowed Philip to implement economic reforms in the country, modeled on the centralized state structure of Louis XIV France. If, upon accession to the throne, he had to swear to preserve his former privileges and fueros, now his hands were untied. The nobility gradually began to lose its dominant position in government in favor of the bureaucracy. The power of state secretaries and ministers, who became the executors of the royal will, increased. The king abolished all the rights and privileges of Catalonia. The papers on which they were recorded were solemnly burned. Philip V abolished the Catalan constitution and closed the Catalan universities. The use of the Catalan language in office work and its teaching in schools was banned. Uniform laws were introduced throughout the country, an exception was made only for Navarre and the Basque lands, which, in gratitude for the support of the king during the war, retained autonomy. The provinces passed into the administrative subordination of the quartermasters. Spain managed to stabilize finances and create a single economic space. Trade and crafts flourished, new trading companies were created. Under the patronage of Philip, the Royal Academy, the Medical Academy, the Historical Academy and the Academy of Fine Arts were founded.
Queen Marie Louise died in 1714. Two years later, in 1716, Philip entered into a second marriage with Elizabeth Farnese. At court, the Italian party, led by minister Giulio Alberoni, took over. In 1717, Philip V, at his instigation, attempted to reclaim Sicily and southern Italy. The Spanish fleet landed troops in Sicily and Sardinia and easily took possession of them, but in August 1718 the Spanish squadron was destroyed by the English, under the command of Admiral George Byng at Cape Passaro. Philip sadly dismissed Alberoni and agreed to clear the captured islands.
Philip often visited the royal mountains of Valsain, hunting in the company of the queen and courtiers. He falls in love with the landscape and hunting wealth of the area and decides to build a palace in San Ildefonso, for which he bought the hermitage farm, inn and surrounding land from the parrala community of monks. The king, who was weighed down by the gloominess of the Escorial, wanted to build himself a modern country residence in the style of Versailles. Work began in 1721. Theodor Ardemans was responsible for the plans and design of the new palace. The work was entrusted to Juan Roman. The construction of the gardens took place under the direction of the sculptor René Carlier and the gardener Esteban Butelow. The earthworks were carried out by the engineer Etienne Marchand. Fountains and statues were commissioned by a group of sculptors, including Rene Fremin, Jean Thierry, Hubert Demandze, Pedro Pitua, Santiago Busso. The layout and design of the gardens follows the classic French style, created by André Le Nôtre, author of the gardens of Versailles. By 1724, the work was completed and San Ildefonso became the summer residence of the King of Spain.
In January 1724, in a fit of melancholy, Philip abdicated in favor of his sixteen-year-old son Louis and settled with his wife in San Ildefonso. But eight months later, Louis suddenly dies of smallpox and the king again, with great reluctance, had to take control of the state in his own hands. Around 1730, he finally fell into a state of melancholy and irresistible laziness: he did not cut his hair and nails, he lay in bed all day, he got up only at night to eat. Only under the influence of the singing of the famous Italian castrate singer Farinelli, he woke up for a short time, dutifully walked to the table and put his signatures on the documents in the places where he was pointed out. King Philip V died on July 9, 1746 and was buried in San Ildefonso.
Elizabeth Farnese actually ruled the state during the melancholy period of the king. In San Ildefonso between 1727 and 1737, under the direction of the artist and architect Andrea Procaccini, two open patios were added, one of which, the so-called Herradura, is now the main entrance to the palace. The queen died on July 11, 1776, and was buried next to her husband. During the reign of Charles III, San Ildefonso acquired its final form. In the XVIII and XIX centuries the palace was the summer residence of the Bourbons, it celebrated important events in the history of Spain: the wedding of Charles IV with Maria Louise of Parma, the signing of the Treaty of San Ildefonso between Spain and France, the abolition of the pragmatic sanction by Ferdinand VII, the proclamation of the Constitution of 1812. San Ildefonso was also the site of the reception of embassies, births and baptisms of infants in the royal family.
The chambers of the palace are located on two floors. The paintings that adorned its walls are in the Prado and have been replaced by copies. The ceiling painting is magnificent, made by the Italians Bartolomeo Rusca and Giacomo Bonavia, invited by Elizaveta Farnese. On the ceiling of the portrait gallery is a fresco by Bartolomeo Rusca "Callisto turns into big dipper". Here are copies of paintings by Van Loo "Family of Philip V", "Philip V on horseback", "Elizabeth Farnese", portraits of Charles III, Don Philip of Parma, Infanta Anna Maria Victoria. The lacquer room, decorated with lacquer panels, carvings and multi-colored marble, served as a bedroom for King Philip V and Elizabeth Farnese. On the ground floor of the palace there is a collection of copies of sculptures from the collections of the famous collector Gaspar de Haro Guzmán y Marques del Carpio and Queen Christina of Sweden, the originals of which are in the Royal Palace of Madrid and in the Prado Museum. The Collegiate Church houses the tombs of Philip V and Elisabeth Farnese by Francesco Fuga. The Antigua Casa de las Damas houses an exhibition of tapestries.
The forty-six-hectare gardens surround the palace and are one of the finest examples of garden design in 18th-century Europe. They were designed by the French gardener René Carlier, who used the natural hillsides surrounding the palace as both a visual perspective and a source of water for each of the twenty-one fountains that adorn the park. Unlike Versailles, where there were many problems getting water pressure into the fountains, San Ildefonso used natural terrain to get the pressure that allows some fountains to exceed 40 meters in height. The main pond, known as El Mar, is located at the very high level garden, its volume is 216,000 m³. It is fed by the Morete, Carneros and Casera de Peñarara streams. To supply water to the various fountains, there are eight other ponds: El Chato, El Cuadrado, Las Ranas, El Medio Celemin, Las Lagas, Las Ocho Cales and El Nuevo, which are located at different levels, thus , you can get jets of different heights. Each of the 21 fountains is equipped with valves. The pipes of the 300-year-old hydraulic system, mostly made of cast iron, are up to 50 cm in diameter. They have a total length of about 13 kilometers. The sculptures of the fountains are inspired by classical mythology: deities, allegories and mythological scenes. They were made of lead to prevent corrosion, and painted to look like bronze.
In total, the park has 21 fountains with over 300 water jets. All fountains consume an average of 9,000 cubic meters of water per hour. If they work at the same time, they consume as much water as the entire city of Segovia. Therefore, the fountains never worked at the same time and turned on only when the king approached. Now the fountains turn on three times a week on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 17.30. I chose Wednesday to visit the palace, as there are a lot of people on weekends. You need to arrive at the park half an hour in advance, because there will be a line at the ticket office. A ticket for this event costs 4 €. All visitors gather at the first fountain and, at the signal of the caretaker, go from one fountain to another. Fountains turn on as people advance. Unlike Peterhof, technicians at different fountains change the pressure of the jets in certain sequence which looks very impressive. After the end of the work of the fountains, the people scatter and you can take a walk in the empty park in the evening coolness.
Parking at the park is free. You can park your car at Plaza España.
The palace is open
October to March Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 - 18:00
April to September Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 - 20:00
The ticket office and the entrance to the palace close an hour earlier.
The palace is closed on Monday, January 1, January 6, January 23, May 1, December 24, December 25, December 31.
The cost of visiting the palace
Adults: 9 €
Children under 16: 4 €
The garden is open from 8.00 to 20.30
To the northwest of the city of Palma de Mallorca, in the mountains of Tramontana, the estate of La Granja is located. The estate is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mallorca offered by tour companies. If you are planning to visit this attraction on your own by car, the geographic coordinates of free parking near the entrance to the estate may be useful to you: [ 39.6704966N 2.5612414E].
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2. Tourists throw coins into the bowl of the sculpture at the entrance (most likely for good luck).
The reason why this place in the mountains of Tramontana once attracted people is because of the spring source. Its jet rises like a fountain from underground to a height of almost 10 meters. Such a remarkable place began to be explored by the ancient Romans, who, as usual, at one time included Mallorca in the Roman Empire.
Later, already under the Arabs who ruled Mallorca from the 10th to the 12th century, a settlement was founded here with some very "German" name - Alpich. The place was famous for mills and clean springs.
After the Arabs, the Spaniards came to Mallorca. At this time, that is, in the XIII century, the La Granja estate was founded. Over its centuries-old history, Granja managed to visit a Cistercian monastery, change several owners, until, finally, in 1968, the current owner of the estate started restoration, after which the Granja estate turned into an ethnographic museum, in which life was recreated in detail, as it was in rich houses Mallorca in the 18th and 19th centuries.
During the exposition, one gets the feeling that this is a real village house with its courtyard buildings, numerous workshops and a beautiful park.
When the phrase "house-museum" is pronounced, a certain memorial building appears with signs "do not touch the exhibits with your hands" and quiet rooms-studies in which someone great worked. La Granja Manor is also a house-museum. But this house was a self-sufficient closed world, in which there was everything for a comfortable life for the owners.
The staff serving the estate is completely invisible to visitors. The entire visit route is very carefully thought out, so that it seems that there is no one in the estate except vacationers.
The building of the estate exceeds 3000 square meters: halls, dining rooms, bedrooms, music room, patios, terraces, cellars and... even a local prison. Over time, a small power plant also appeared in the estate. In the cellars of La Granja, a huge dynamo is still stored, which once provided light for the entire house. Sewing and leather workshops are located in the adjacent premises. One floor above - laundry and ironing.
In the exposition - real sheds, outbuildings, outbuildings - there are a laundry and a carriage house, a barn and a pottery workshop, a place for making wax candles, as well as many other ancillary industries. The feeling is that all this is absolutely working, and the artisan people left their places just a couple of minutes ago.
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