The procession today was very remarkable. People lined the streets near the church. As we lined up, we could hear drums in the distance, but we could also see a marching band in front of the church. Shortly thereafter, the band began to play and groups of people began the procession holding silk banners with religious sentiments followed by young and old faithful carrying candles. (No masks or Klan hats today.) After the banners came the statue of the risen Jesus, carried high above the crowd again by men who rest the platform on their shoulders and walk in unison. The band played a gentle tune until the drummers arrived from another street. The drummers were men and children, all of whom were wearing white shirts and casual pants. Following the drummers were more banners and people holding candles. That group held a statue of the Virgin Mary and the two groups approached. The banner and candle holders stepped aside and the statue of the Virgin met the statue of Jesus in the center of the street. The band played a lovely tune and a choir sang a beautiful song. Then, the two groups converged and the drummers led all of the banner and candle holders through the street, around the placa and to the church; and the banda municipal made up the end of the procession.
I was surprised that so many people watching the procession did not go to mass. We thought the people who went in were vying for good seats, but mass was just starting when we entered shortly after the procession. We couldn't understand a word of the service because the mass was entirely in Mallorquin, the local language. It didn't matter, though, because mass is universal and we could follow along based on cadence and the few words we could make out. There were some unique elements to this mass (1) in a church built in the 1400s and refurbished in the 1800s, the PA system worked very well. (In my experience, I can't say I have been to a US church with such an impressive sound system.) (2) I only heard one baby cry, early in the service, then nothing. (3) People seemed to come and go throughout the mass. Perhaps they were tourists, but there were no glaring signs that the latecomers and early leavers were tourists. People would come in and sit down and get up and leave. There is one universal constant, though- it is very difficult to keep a toddler satisfied sitting through mass. I saw a few wandering little girls.This church was incredible. It was built in a gothic style, with ornate ceilings. The scene behind the altar was outlined in gold with so many statues and paintings that it was impossible to count. The statues stretched one on top of the other, maybe 5-6 stories tall. There were large alcoves on the sides of the church depicting the stations of the cross. First, there was a painting, then a collection of statues and pictures within each alcove. Even the ceilings were ornate in these alcoves.
After mass we wandered about the town. A surprising number of shops were open, but even more were closed. We passed this orange grove between homes on a street in town. Tony made me resist pastry shops on our way because we were off to the acclaimed brunch on the top-floor terrace at our hotel. The brunch was very good, if a bit off-schedule. We overheard the hostess at our last hotel talking to a guest about Mallorcan time- everything is manana, manana. (We hear the same about Mexico and Hawaii too.) This brunch was definitely on Mallorcan time. We arrived when they opened and the buffet was not available for a half hour or so after our arrival. The food was good (Tony gave big thumbs up to their version of sobrassada) and the views were excellent, but we especially liked the music. It was a duo of performers, one who played the guitar and the other played the keyboard. They played a collection of, basically, elevator music, but it was fun. Tony put it best when he said that the keyboardist punctuated each note with his eyebrows, the international symbol that one likes his own music. 
The food coma sent us back to the room for a little rest, but this time we didn't sleep through the next meal. Instead, we got up and went to the train station for a train ride to Palma. The train cars are wooden and narrow and the train takes you on a slow and scenic route. It was fun to see a different vantage point from the train (and to not have to drive). Palma is the largest city on the island and it lies in contrast to the quaint little villages we have been experiencing. We had only a little time in Palma, but were able to see the famous cathedral and castle. The Arab Baths were closed, but we weaved up the tiny street where they lie. We also walked through the commercial district full of shops, including a Disney store, a Subway and a Dunkin' Donuts. (Tony remarked that they could get Dunkin' Donuts on Mallorca, but couldn't find a way to get them to the West coast.) I think we prefer the quiet towns to the metropolis, at least here. One thing we failed to bring with us, and failed to buy, was an umbrella. It would have been useful as the rain went from a light sprinkle, to showers, to heavy. Using our trusty travel guide, we were able to navigate back to the train station wet and cold, but were rewarded with the first class cabin; since only 3 other people were on the train, they only took the one car. We may have lost the travel guide in the effort, though. It is still pretty damp. We had a lovely dinner and are anxious to get to sleep. Only two more days left on Mallorca before we head to mainland Spain. We head to the remote village of Orient tomorrow.
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