Day No. 183 / 184 - Windward and leeward - Benirrás and Caló de s'Illa

„Drachen steigen am höchsten gegen den Wind – nicht mit ihm.“ – Winston Churchill

You either like wind or you don't. - I don't think there's much in between. - The best way to describe our relationship with the wind is windward and leeward. - While I turn towards the wind, Torgit turns away, which means I like the wind and Torgit doesn't like it. - So it's probably more my weather. Because the last two days are mainly characterized by wind. It literally sweeps across the island. On the beach, the sand is swept up into the air and carried far away. - But the wind changes the sea in particular. - The waves whip across the sea. - The rougher the sea, the more I like the sea. - Torgit just looks at me uncomprehendingly at such words. While I like bracing myself against the wind, she prefers to look for a sheltered spot. 

But as the saying goes? Ladies first, or does that mean leeward before windward, so we spent yesterday at Cala Benirrás, but looked for a small, sunny and, above all, sheltered corner between the boathouses. It's nice to have a day of reading, isn't it?

I am therefore glad that Gironimo suggests a short hike along the coast for today. About 500 meters above Cala Benirrás, a stony path almost three kilometers long leads us up to the 189-metre-high Puig des Guixar. The path is initially lined with olive trees and pine trees. But the rockier it gets, the more heather and herbs take over. Torgit and I enjoy communicating with Gironimo in English. - Especially for me, who has only ever used English on vacation, this is good training. - As soon as we reach the top, we're already winding our way back down to Caló de s'Illa - 39°05'57.6″N 1°27'55.5″E. - On the way down, there's an old, rusty car wreck on the slope. I have no idea how this vehicle ever made it up here. - The small, secluded bay to which we descend lies in a rugged stretch of coastline. The beach is bordered by cliffs and a few pine trees. From the cliff above the beach you have a great view of the rocky islands of S'Escull, Sa Paella and Illa d'en Calder. - The same old fishing sheds with ramps for pulling boats out of the sea can be found here as in Cala Benirrás. - I climb a little over the cliff, brace myself against the wind and the spray. But then it's clear that I have to bring my girl back, back into the lee. - What would we be without our opposites? But for now, it's back to Benirrás and Hector.

Anm. von Torgit: Also eigentlich sind wir zurückgegangen, weil Gironimo die Kinder aus der Schule abholen wollte. Aber ich lass meinem Prinzen gerne das Gefühl er hätte mich gerettet. Oder wollte er nur schneller zum Supermarkt und Salami kaufen? 😉

As our water supplies are running low, we decide to drive to Santa Gertrudis de Fruitera again in the afternoon. Once we have replenished our water supply, we decide to stop off at Pizzeria Zeno - 38°59'51.7″N 1°25'48.1″E. - This spontaneous visit turns out to be an excellent choice. The location is cozy inside and out, the service is very courteous and the pizza is delicious. - When the espresso tastes like an Italian in Sicily, I'm happy.

Maybe it's because of the resulting carelessness that I miss the turn towards Benirrás on the way back.

Gab es da nicht noch eine andere Abbiegung? An der nächsten Abbiegung halte ich. Wenden oder nach einer Alternative suchen. – Ich frage einfach mal meine Copilotin. – Diese hat auch prompt eine alternative Route im Angebot. – Wir wollen ja Neues erkunden. So wählen wir die Alternative. Nach kurzer Fahrzeit, verwandelt sich die Straße in Schotter und dann geht es über felsigen Untergrund bergab. Da wir ab und zu noch die ein oder andere Finca sehen, bin ich beruhigt. Doch der Weg wird schmaler und abschüssiger. Wenden ist auf jeden Fall nicht mehr möglich. Irgendwann steigt Torgit aus und geht vor. – Am Ende hat alles gepasst. Ich lobe meine Copilotin für diese famose Streckenauswahl. – Statt einer Antwort bekomme ich erst einmal einen Anschiss. Verstehe einer die Frauen. So oder so, ich fand die Strecke genial. 😉