Palma & the Badia de Palma - Mallorca - page 90

(Carrer de l'Almudaina) Part of a rare stretch of defensive wall and tower, this arch down the
street (east) of Can Bordils is intriguing for history buffs. It is said to have been in use
from antiquity until about the 13th century. Although largely medieval in appearance, it
is almost certain that this was part of the Roman wall.
Museu de Mallorca MUSEUM
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( www.museudemallorca.es ; Carrer de la Portella 5; 11am-8pm Mon-Fri, to 2pm Sat) This
excellent city museum remains closed for extensive renovations until at least late 2014,
when it will reopen in this rambling ensemble of 17th-century mansions on Carrer de la
Portella. Until then, it occupies a temporary home at Fundació Sa Nostra ( Click here and
showcases a collection of archaeological artefacts, religious art, antiques and ceramics -
from Talayotic bronzes to intricate Almohad gold jewellery.
Banys Àrabs BATHHOUSE
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(Carrer de Serra 7; adult/child €2/free; 9am-7.30pm) These modest Arab baths are the
single most important remaining monument to the Muslim domination of the island, al-
though all that survives are two small underground chambers, one with a domed ceiling
supported by a dozen columns, some of whose capitals were recycled from demolished
Roman buildings. The site may be small, but the two rooms - the caldarium (hot bath)
and the tepidarium (warm bath) - evoke a poignant sense of abandonment.
Normally there would also have been a third, cold bath, the frigidarium. As the Roman
terms suggest, the Arabs basically took over a Roman idea, here in Mallorca and
throughout the Arab world. These ones probably were not public but attached to a private
mansion. The baths are set in one of Old Palma's prettiest gardens, where you can sit and
relax.
Església de Santa Eulàlia CHURCH
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(Plaça de Santa Eulàlia 2; 9.30am-noon & 6.30-8.30pm Mon-Fri, 10.30am-1pm & 6.30-8.30pm
Sat, 9.30am-1.30pm, 6.30-7.30pm & 9-10pm Sun) One of the first major churches
raised after the 1229 conquest, the Església de Santa Eulàlia is a soaring Gothic structure
with a neo-Gothic facade (a complete remake was done between 1894 and 1924). It is the
only such church in Mallorca, aside from the Catedral, with three naves. The baroque re-
tablo (altarpiece) is rather worn and you can't get to the chapels in the apse.