After calling Barcelona home for six weeks, I'm back on the road, island-hopping in the Mediterranean and currently in Mallorca. Palma, the island's biggest city, isn't exactly what I'd expected, though.
My mental image of Palma before arriving was a collection of low, medieval, Mediterranean buildings along the shore, maybe with a church steeple rising over the town. The only forms of transportation are mules and gas-guzzling cars from the '60s. (I think I was conflating Palma with Havana.) The beach comes right up to the doorsteps of the houses at the shore, and the town moves at the pace of the swaying palm fronds.
Turns out, Palma has 400,000 inhabitants and is something like the tenth largest city in Spain. The old city is indeed medieval, but the cathedral is absolutely massive, as are most of the buildings in the old town. Modern avenues with new cars and a modern bus system (the only horses are used by tourists) cut through the otherwise cobblestoned center, and the city teems with activity at all hours. Most surprising of all is that the beaches are actually a fair walk or a bus ride from the center of town.
We'll have to see if my next destination, Ibiza, also turns out to be different from my expectations. I basically imagine the main town of Ibiza as one massive club, with a €200 cover but an open bar. I'll report back soon.