The route is divided into two stages. First of all we can go to Sineu Market and then catch the train to Petra to visit the Fra Juníper Serra Museum. He was a Franciscan monk who dedicated his whole life to evangelism and the missions in Alta California.
Sineu market is held every Wednesday and is one of the most important in Majorca from a historical point of view. It was introduced by King Jaume II in 1306 and since then has become landmark for the agricultural and livestock sector.
In Petra, the house where Fra Juníper Serra was born in 1713 is in the Carrer del Barracar Alt, in the oldest part of the town. It is a typical 17th and 18th Century countryman's house. The Fra Juníper Serra Museum, which houses the Centre for Juniperian Studies, was set up in 1959 by the Friends of Father Serra.
Fra Juníper Serra Museum: voluntary contribution.
Sineu market is held in the L'Església and El Fossar squares and the surrounding streets. Since its introduction it has become a meeting point for farmers in the area to buy and sell products and animals. It is also the only market in Majorca with live animals. Currently it is one of Majorca's tourist attractions because it also offers a wide choice of typically Majorcan food.
It is also worth remembering that the Sineu Fair takes place on the first Sunday in May. The fair is well-known as being the oldest in the Pla de Mallorca region. It was founded in 1318 by privilege of King Sanç. All types of products can be found. All around the town there are bars and restaurants (cellers) that tempt a rest to enjoy a good dish of frit mallorquín (fried meat and vegetables) or arròs brut (rice soup with meat and vegetables).
The journey by train between Sineu and Petra is short and gives the traveller the opportunity to admire the Pla de Mallorca landscape, which is full of interesting architecture and the culture of the farming world.
The Fra Juníper Serra Museum (C/ del Barracar Alt, 6) is on two floors and still retains its typical layout and the arch that divides the house into two main areas. Furniture and utensils from the friar's era are preserved along with the press where the wine was made. The house was given over to the city of San Francisco, California, and went on to be managed by the Society of California Pioneers. The space is currently managed by the Society of Friends of Father Serra.
As to the museum (C/ del Barracar Alt, 6), the ground floor is dedicated to the life and work of Fra Juníper Serra. There is a wealth of documentation and graphic information from the American territories that the holy man went to and evangelised. The bell in the drawing room comes from the Santa Bárbara del Camino Real mission in California.