The Ermita De Valldemossa

The Ermita de la Santíssima Trinitat (Santísima Trinidad) is situated halfway between Valldemossa and Deià. This sanctuary, also called the Ermita de Valldemossa, is one of the earliest hermitic monasteries on the island. The monastery was founded in 1648 and built on the remains of an earlier, more primitive building of worship. Part of the setup is a small oratory church dedicated to the Inmaculada Concepción.

Together with the Ermita de Betlem, the Ermita de Valldemossa is the last remaining hermitage still actively run by monks in Mallorca. Today, only three or four ermitaños reside here under conditions of austere reclusion. This sanctuary is particularly revered by the Mallorcan populace and is a well-liked place for outings, picnics or pilgrimages. Tradition holds that the hermits give visitors an offering of Mallorcan macerated olives and pa amb oli in exchange for alms.

The setting is best appreciated when approached on foot, perhaps as part of a walk or hike from Valldemossa to Miramar. From the ermita one can enjoy some splendid views over the western coastline of the Serra de Tramuntana.

The photo was taken near Valldemossa, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 18th, 2009. The time was 14:40:41.

Sharpening The Knives

Mallorca has moved rapidly into the 21st century, away from the 1950s when the island was a rural society and pretty impoverished. The Illes Balears were amongst Spain’s poorest regions in those days and had been all along during the years of the Guerra Civil and the Franco regime.

Today, Mallorca is not a rural society any longer, by any means. Yes, there are still some old customs alive and traditions such as the matançes (autumnal slaughtering of the pig, coming up any time now), the algarroba harvest or a village blacksmith, but few and far between.

Occasionally, you can come across a symbol of yesteryear when for instance a knife sharpener like the one shown here comes into town. I met Jesús years ago, a self-confessed gitano, when he rode a moped and stopped in the pueblos to offer his services. The hind wheel of his ciclomotor Vespino used to keep the grinding stone in fast motion which was employed to sharpen the knives. Much later, he afforded himself a Piaggio three wheeled motor vehicle, again as a means of transport and doubling up as a mobile workshop. To anounce his arrival in let’s say, Ca’s Concos d’es Cavaller, Jesús would play the panpipes to attract his customers. Last week I saw the knife expert for the first time drive up his mobile workshop unit in a Microcar, I think of the Aixam brand, which for its small volume engine (50 cc) can be taken on the road with just a driving licence for mopeds. These small vehicles cost up to 10,000 €, would you believe it? I think one can safely assume that the knife sharpening business keeps our good man in good stead. His skills can be recommended; my wife can vouch for that.

The photo was taken in Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: October 30th, 2009. The time was 13:24:29.

Cigarettes For Europe

Smoking is a bit of a touchy subject here in Spain if you are a non-smoker. Even though a new law was passed here and came into effect on January 1st, 2006, there are many loopholes. It’s Spain after all, always on the lookout for a diddle. The new law is restricting smoking in public places as well as in the work place.

Almost four years after the law banned smoking, the air is still thick with smoke almost everywhere. There is virtually not a single bar (as in coffee bar) here in Mallorca where you could enjoy a café cortado or a café con leche without being surrounded by smoke. It is a bit better regarding restaurants but not by much. The other day I went into a Palma restaurant that was posting a non-smoking sticker at their front door, only to find that inside half of the customers had ashtrays on their tables and were in fact smoking. I declined to sit down and left without much further ado.

In Spain as a whole, smoking has gone down since 2006 from 24.2 percent to 24.1 %, we are told, i. e. not a lot. Here in Mallorca, it seems that 27.0 % of the population still smoke, when in 2005 the number was 29.2 percent. Apparently, one in three Mallorcan youngsters of 14 years of age smokes.

The Spanish government and the local Mallorcan Conselleria de Salut have recently announced that the anti-tobacco laws will have to be tightened and loopholes would be eradicated. We’ll see.

Funnily, at least here in Mallorca, sales of cigarettes seem to be on the increase, if ever so slightly. It appears that most of the tourists buy cigarettes in bulk before they return home to their countries where prices for a pack of cigarettes are much higher, be that Germany, the UK or Scandinavia. At my local tabacco shop here in Felanitx cigarettes can be bought from between 2,70 € and 3,90 €, including foreign brands. A new proposal from Brussels has just been announced, though, that minimum tobacco prices will have to be raised across the European Union member states as of next year.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 28th, 2009. The time was 12:36:15.

Six Weeks To Christmas

I find it unbearingly early to have seen, a few days ago, that Christmas lights were being mounted in the streets of Felanitx. Oh dear. Yesterday the same occurred in Palma, as seen here in Plaça Reina. Also, the El Corte Inglés department store in the Avenidas mounted their store front Navitat attire. But fittingly, the calendar confirms that in six weeks from today, we’ll have everybody hoping to have a jolly festive Cena de Noche Buena.

Thankfully, the Christmas lights will not be switched on for another two to three weeks, here in Felanitx or there in Palma de Mallorca.

From the town of Sóller, we hear the news that there is no money in the coffers for the local Christmas lights to be switched on at all this year. Apparently, due to the lack of municipal funds due to La Crisis, the local community of small shops and traders have agreed to collect contributions for some Christmas lights in Sóller, albeit on a smaller scale. Felicidades.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 11th, 2009. The time was 07:34:55.

The Cathedral of Light

The Cathedral of Palma de Mallorca is called La Seu in Mallorquín. The basilica is also known under the names of Cathedral of the Sea, Cathedral of Space and Cathedral of Light.

The catedral is indeed a place where you can see and feel the light unlike any other place. La Seu was built with 87 stain glass windows and 5 rose windows, giving the spaceous cathedralis a very spectacular play of sunlight at any time of the year. Twice a year, and every year for that matter for now over 400 years, there can be seen a special and indeed, magnificent performance of light. Today (November 11th, Sant Martí) is one of those two days, the other date being February 2nd (fiesta de la Candelaria).

Thanks to the ingenuity of medieval builders, architects, mathematicians and astrologers, on these two days, the early morning sunlight enters through the large rose window on the Cathedral’s eastern façade, presenting a most colourful impression on the opposite wall, right below the smaller rose window above the Cathedral’s main portal. This most spectacular display occurs for a few minutes only at around 09h00 local time, but as we have recently finished Summer time, it now means 08h00.

I found a nicely made video of this delightful play of light on the Internet (see below). The video is in Catalan with at times funny English subtitles. It’s worth watching though, if you can’t see the original spectacle. If you would like to see the real thing and missed today’s performance, the next implementation will occur in less than three months. There is also another video on YouTube on the same festival of light, done by mallorcaquality. That one is without any comments, but the first one, I think, is more informative.

The photo (top) was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 7th, 2008. The time was 14:26:49. The photo (centre) was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 11th, 2009. The time was 08:21:46. The video was taken from the Internet, courtesy of sigoloX and YouTube.

Moltes gràcies, and Thank you very much.

The Postman Only Rings Once

Life often depends on how you look at things. This applies to Mallorca just the same. Take the mail delivery system as an example. I know a number of residents here who, over the years, have done nothing but complain about their mail not reaching them in time, or at all. I personally have nothing but the best experience with the local postal delivery.

Living rurally, which is my own experience, means that mail does not get delivered. Instead, you are meant to collect your mail yourself from the person in charge in your particular village. It may be the local bar where all the mail is delivered to and where you go for a coffee to then nonchalantly enquire about any letters that may have arrived. If not the bar, it may be a local grocery shop where you collect your letters and bills together with a bit of local gossip. In Ca’s Concos d’es Cavaller it used to be a lady who opened her own house for one hour per day to hand out the mail to whoever was expecting some post. I just loved visiting her once a week. At one time, years ago, she greeted me saying that she had heard that I had been put into prison.

Now I live in Felanitx, in a townhouse. The mail gets delivered here a few times per week by the jolliest mail lady you can imagine. We are in the custom of exchanging a kiss on the cheek when she deliveres a long awaited parcel, i. e. it is me kissing her cheek in gratitude for the safe delivery. It’s just wonderful.

Some locals in the countryside are now spoiling it, I think, by putting up mailboxes along a country lane in a rather offensive manner. I suspect it might be foreigners who are too timid to speak the local language and rather opt for the anonymity of an impersonal delivery system without any gossip and without a kiss on the cheek. I pity them.

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken near Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: January 11th, 2009. The time was 13:52:28.

Autumn Harvest

Just as Mallorca is preparing itself for the arrival of a first wintery spell of snow, albeit only in the highest of our Tramuntana peaks, the countryside is still bristling with a full crop of late Autumn produce. Now is the time when membrillos (quince), nisplers (medlars), noguers (walnuts), clementinas (tangerines) and castanyas (chestnuts) are reaching their final state of ripeness. There may also still be some kakis (persimmons), some late figs, some madroños (strawberry tree fruit) and some magraners (pomegranates) in the markets.

Grapes should have been harvested a few weeks ago. Oranges, lemons and grapefruits will be ripe nearer Christmas time. November is also the month for the harvest of olives, an all-important crop for the local agricultural sector. There are said to be about one million olive trees in Mallorca. The best Mallorcan olive oil now has a Denominación de Origen Oli de Mallorca seal of quality control attached.

Mallorca is not really in the habit of celebrating Thanksgiving as such, as far as I know. No turkeys for us on November 26th, I am afraid.

The photo was taken near Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: October 2nd, 2009. The time was 18:40:28.

Stratocumulus Clouds

A walk in the countryside can give you the most gratifying encounters, be that the visual beauty of the landscape, the temperaments of the weather, some unexpected wildlife, some unusual botanical display, a majestic rainbow or a dramatic cloud formation.

Over the last few days, such encounters would more likely have been related to the antics of autumnal weather that we have had here, recently. There were hailstorms in Mallorca this week. There was another gota fría. There were heavily gushing winds and there was a sudden drop in temperature by as much as 8° C. Now we are even told that there might be snow today in the higher reaches of the Tramuntana mountain range.

Yes. Mallorca, and indeed most of Spain, has been put on a storm warning of the Level Orange alert category for today and tomorrow. 40 Spanish provinces are predicted to suffer high winds, rain, snow and high coastal waves. 32 provinces are graded as Level Yellow areas (riesgo), whilst 8 provinces share with the Islas Baleares the Level Orange warning (riesgo importante), according to the Spanish weather authorities Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (AEMET).

If there really will be snow today in Mallorca, this would be quite early in the year for us. Mind you, the Serra de Tramuntana had snow as early as October 30th, a year ago. The Stratocumulus clouds that I witnessed yesterday certainly looked threatening. Nothing came down from them where I was, though, nothing but cinco gotas. But you never know.

The photo was taken near Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 7th, 2009. The time was 16:18:18.

Hidden Gardens In Palma

Palma de Mallorca offers a wealth of delightful gardens, as I am sure many of you will know. Unfortunately, a large number of those enchanting treasures are usually hidden away from our eyes being either privately owned or forming part of a closed monastic convent, or simply are part of the exclusiveness of a residence to Spain’s royal family here on the island.

On the occasion of the currently available Ruta dels Patis de Palma through some of Palma’s stunning courtyards, I came across a lovely hidden garden of immense proportions the other day that I didn’t even know existed. The garden forms part of Ca l’Arquitecte Alomar, a house that belonged to the architect Gabriel Alomar i Esteve (1910 – 1997) and is now owned by his heirs, in the Calatrava district of Palma’s upper old town. Gabriel Alomar i Esteve was the architect responsible for planning the enlargement of the city of Palma during the 1940s and 50s. The fascinating garden occupies a large space that in days gone by may well have been part of the adjoining monastery of Santa Clara. The house forming part of the garden looks an authentic stunner as if built during the late 18th century but was in fact built by the architect himself no more than 70 years ago.

I do recommend you take part in one of the guided patio tours. Tour 1 is not available any longer, but guided visits along the itinerary of Tour 2 are still being offered until Monday, November 9th. From November 10th to 21st, Tour 3 will be offered with guided visits through patios and perhaps even a garden or two in the Ciutat Baixa, the lower part of Palma’s old town. Admission is 5 € (4 € for residents). Tours are offered alternatively in Castellano, Catalan, English, German, French or Italian. Please make your reservations by telephone under 971.720.720.

The photos were taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 4th, 2009. The time was 12:57:15 and 12:55:42, respectively.

The International Forum on Beach Safety

Our illustrious Govern de les Illes Balears is in the midst of holding the II Jornades de Seguretat a les Platges (2nd International Forum on Beach Safety) at the stylish Centro Riskal. Whilst Palma’s new Palau de Congressos with its seafront location is nowhere near completion yet, the Riskal conference centre is quite a long way away from the nearest beach.

According to the press information, the international forum deals with beach lifeguard rescue services in a wider context, as a part of a more complex system of public safety on a local, national and international level. Attendants to the meeting were welcomed last Wednesday night at the Castell Sant Carles, Palma’s harbour fortress. Today, a guest speaker from Honolulu (Hawaii, USA) will give a presentation at the conference venue on The Hawaiian model of lifeguard rescue service on beaches: Honolulu City & County Lifeguards. Sadly, the director of Life Guard operations in Oahu, Hawaii (Ralph Goto) could not attend as envisaged, instead he will be filled in by the equally able Ka’ala Souza, also from Hawaii.

Ka’ala Souza is an expert in surfing, body-boarding, fishing, diving and paddling and has been working with the Oahu Ocean Safety Division. Since he arrived on our island last Tuesday, he has already discovered many good things in common between Mallorca and Hawaii. From his own website I was allowed to borrow a photo (below) that I wanted to share with you, entitled Aohe hana nui ke alu ia (No task is too big when done together).

I hope Ka’ala will make it back home safely to Hawaii, in good time for this year’s Triple Crown of Surfing competition, starting November 12th (next Thursday).

The photo (top) was chosen from my archive. It was taken near Colònia de Sant Jordi, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: August 20th, 2009. The time was 13:10:16. The photo (bottom) was taken from the Internet, courtesy of Ka’ala Souza.

Mahalo and many thanks.