It is Martes y Trece today, the Spanish equivalent of Friday the Thirteenth. You may not feel superstitious enough as to indulge in any prevention of ill fate. But you may well feel that now and then you want to get away from it all and leave the hustle and bustle of modern life and its current crisis behind for some peace of mind and quiet and tranquility. I would suggest that you might embark on an excursion to a very special, solemn place up in the Serra de Tramuntana, not far from Valldemossa.

When the hermits of the Ermita de la Santíssima Trinitat (Santísima Trinidad) set up their sanctuary in 1648, also called the Ermita de Valldemossa, there was not a single dwelling nearby other than Miramar, a seminary college set up by Ramon Llull somewhat further north on the way to Deià. Miramar and the precursor to the Ermita de Valldemossa were amongst the earliest monasteries on the island, with the latter one being a hermitic dwelling. The small and cozy oratory church there is dedicated to the Inmaculada Concepción in case you felt like a prayer. Church services can be attended there every Sunday at 17h30.

The hermitage is best appreciated when approached on foot, perhaps as part of a reinvigorating walk or hike from Valldemossa to Miramar. From the Ermita you can enjoy some striking views over part of the western coastline of the Serra de Tramuntana. Along the walk you will be rewarded with plenty of Mallorcan natural landscape at its very best.

The photo (top) was taken near Valldemossa, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: March 10th, 2012. The time was 17:25:44. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of wikimapia.org.

Thank you very much.