Alcudia, Spain For Ironman 70.3

This trip feels like it was a life time ago, it's strange to think that seven weeks have passed and that Mum and Sue are now back home in Australia. 

I was pretty excited about going to the Balearic Islands of Spain. The last time I had visited Spain was ten years ago, when I was nineteen and on a shoe string budget. It also involved Barcelona, Pamplona, camping and using my clothes as a mattress (luckily, I had enough sense to be in possession of a sleeping bag). Not exactly luxurious. But I digress. I was very excited about this trip as my Mumma was in tow and we were off to enjoy the sun, sand and most importantly, cheer Chris on in his first European 70.3 Ironman event. What I wasn't so excited about was the three-thirty am start that Thursday. However, when we arrived at our destination later that morning, it all seemed worth it.....

We stayed in the Port of Alcudia, a pretty little coastal town about forty minutes by car from Palma de Mallorca. With its calm waters and family atmosphere it has avoided the same reputation as other parts of the island, such as Magalluf.

To allow for all of Chris' triathlon equipment we hired an apartment through Air BnB, which had a balcony and roof top with incredible views of the marina and hills. We were fortunate enough to witness some spectacular sunsets. We were in the perfect location, about a ten minute stroll from the main stretch of town and close a wide range of spanish & local malloquin cuisine restaurants. 

The finish chute for the Ironman race was on the main part of the beach, so as the days progressed, the area really came to life with activities and other events in the lead up to the big race. It was the perfect town for an Ironman to be held, you could tell that the organisers really wanted the spectators to be as involved as possible and had made the course really easy to get around. It also meant you could go off for a meal/drink in between waiting for the athletes to come back around. As those of you who have been a spectator at one of these events before will know, it tends to be a long day for us too! The day was very warm and I really felt for Chris being out there running during the hottest part of the day. He did an amazing job and I am incredibly proud of what he has achieved. Luckily for him, he was done & dusted by about one-thirty so we were able to start the cerveza rehydration process pretty quickly.

 

 

Whilst it's a super relaxing, totally chilled place to visit with a gorgeous beach, loads of inexpensive and super delicious restaurants and bars, it's the type of place you would only want to spend about five or six days. About ten minutes drive away there is the old town of Alcudia, which still retains its medieval walls. There's also an old Cathedral and markets which are held nearby a couple of times during the week so it would be worth a visit, however past that, there isn't a great deal to do so if you're the type of person that likes to explore, then hiring a car is a must (unless you're up for riding some killer hills in preparation for the Tour de France). We started our journey by visiting Pollenca, another Port town close by, where we stopped for coffee & some photos. 

From there, we took a drive along some of the bike course that Chris raced on, which in theory was great to do but if you're anything like me and are prone to feeling sick on windy roads, not so much. As I spent a lot of time with my eyes closed; I can now say, looking back at the images, the views were breathtaking. Ha ha!

 

Even though for about 80% of the drive I felt death would be a better solution than staying a minute longer on those windy roads in the car, we found ourselves in another gorgeous coastal town by the name of Soller, where we stopped for lunch. 

As it transpired, it was a day of historical celebration for the townsfolk of Soller and they were going to be partaking in a re-enactment of a gun fight between two groups later in the afternoon. However, some of the more, we shall call "colourful" inhabitants of the town thought it would be a fabulous idea to start drinking at what must have been dawn and walk around the town setting off muskets, firecrackers and all sorts of other dangerous weapons. Needless to say I was a little unnerved by all the guns firing and even more pissed off when one of them realised I was giving him the evil eye and decided to follow me around, sporadically setting off his musket. Ha ha. Happy days.

Our final night ended at Ramon's, a bar that Chris & I had spotted a few days earlier. Filled with all of Dad's favourite things, including a sports bar with memorabilia hanging from the rafters, about three TV's playing different sports AND some bad George Michael music, it got me thinking what a fun time he would have had with us in Alcudia.

The plan (at this stage) is for us to return next year for the same event. We'd love to have some more supporters or even competitors come along for the ride. Have I convinced anyone? Any takers?

We stayed at Penthouse Vista Mar Cofradia and although I haven't mentioned anything about the delicious food that we ate during our stay, here's a list of some of the restaurants we visited Restaurant Miramar, Restaurante Casa Gallega, Restaurant Bella Vista, Pippers Sushi Bar and Bodega d'es Ports