The city hall of Palma de Mallorca is known by the name of Cort. The Ajuntament de Palma has its seat in an impressive building dating from the 17th century. Next time you are in the area, have a look up and enjoy the splendid wooden eaves, a work by the sculptor Gabriel Torres. The eaves’ sculpted statues are probably inspired by the Atlantean figures made by Juan de Salas during the 16th century which can be found in the pulpit of La Seu (the Cathedral).

Spectacular. You will not find more impressive eaves anywhere in Palma, or in Mallorca for that matter.

Don’t be afraid to enter the building; you are allowed to visit. The spacious entrance hall leads to an Imperial staircase leading to the main floor. You can’t go up there, but you can have a look at the Gothic doorway that remains from the previous building of the seat of the government of the city, from the 13th century. Also on the groundfloor, there is a public library where you can read the newspapers, if that is what you would like to do.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 4th, 2009. The time was 13:46:50.

November 30th is the deadline for paying your local taxes here in Mallorca. If you own property here or a car, the annual impuestos become due now and your municipal town hall will have sent you a bill, along with the charges for rubbish collection and other municipal services. If you don’t make the deadline there is an extended deadline until December 31st but you will be billed a surcharge of 5 or 10 %. If you pay later than that there will be a surcharge of 20 %, at least here in Felanitx where I live. Both taxes are due whether you actually reside here or not.

There are national taxes as well, such as income tax and wealth tax, but they are not due until May or June of next year. Both taxes are due if you own property in Spain and again, are due whether you reside in Spain or not.

The municipal property tax/council tax is set by the ayuntamiento (municipal authorities) and usually ranges between 0.5 % and 1 %, varying from pueblo to pueblo. Of course you can pay your dues by bank transfer but many Mallorcans prefer to visit their local Agencia Tributária and settle their bills in cash. Old habits die hard. When I went to the tax office yesterday in Felanitx, there must have been a queue of some 50 or 60 people. I was the only extranjero there, in my opinion, except for one Moroccan (or Arab) man who arrived an hour after I had. I reckon that many foreigners shy away from turning up in person at the tax office or the town hall for reasons to do with the language barrier. It is really a great shame that so many foreigners are so little willing to participate in matters of daily life, such as taxes or other administrative affairs, here in Mallorca.

The photo was taken in Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 27th, 2009. The time was 12:44:01.

Tordos (lat. Turdus philomelos, Song Thrushes) are migratory birds which come to our Mallorcan shores during the month of October. This year, the hunting season for these birds started a fortnight later than usual, on November 1st, and is now in full swing. Hunting the highly demanded thrushes is allowed with either rifle, bow and arrow or with a net, strung between two posts. Twenty tordo birds are allowed to be caught per day per person during the hunting season. The current season will finish at the end of January, 2010.

In the Illes Balears, a total of 26,000 hunting licenses are issued or renewed every year.

I found a rather interesting video on YouTube showing how tords (tordos) were caught by net somewhere near Valldemossa in 1997.

The photo (top) was taken in Caimari, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 22nd, 2009. The time was 12:20:56. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet. My thanks go to Diariodemallorca.es and the photographer, J. Mora. The video was taken from the Internet, courtesy of YouTube and Tenassa.

The Convento de Santa Teresa de Jesús is one of the 43 monasteries that once existed in Palma de Mallorca. Nowadays, only six or seven of them are still operating as a monastic institution.

Anyway, the Esglèsia de Santa Teresa in Palma’s Rambla had recently a bit of restauration work done to its exterior. In the course of repair work and a thorough clean up, a rather large sundial was discovered on the church façade that was unknown to the authorities. The monochromatic hour pattern had faded away over the ages and the old style had vanished. Only the wet from the rain made the sundial discernable from close up. Ultraviolet lamps were used during the restoration process and the gnomon was replaced. Now this rehabilitated sundial gives us the time of day once again and in replenished style.

The church of Santa Teresa was built in 1634 and it is assumed that the original sundial dates from the same period, or perhaps a little later when the convent was constructed. An astonishing 945 sundials are known in Mallorca, with about 80 of them in the Palma area, if you want to know, and some of them are priceless. The oldest known sundial in Mallorca dates from 1614 and is located in Son Puig.

There is a Google map on the web with 24 positions of sundials in Palma. Not quite accurate but interesting nevertheless.

The photo (top) was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 24th, 2009. The time was 13:17:57. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet. Thanks are due to arcapatrimoni.blogspot.com.

Moltes gràcies.

The mushroom period is upon us in a big way this year. Everywhere in Mallorca’s markets we find a plentitude of Girgolas, Llenguas de Bous, Peus Blaus, Esclatassangs, Picornells, Bolets, Setas de Avila and whatnots. It is a sheer pleasure to see such a variety and to have so much choice, for me anyway. Right now, the Mallorcan woods, mountains and garrigas allows us to forage for food, as long as one is into mushrooms. I have recommended the Bolets de les Balears guidebook (in Catalan only) before. It comes in two volumes at 45 € and is a very comprehensive guide.

The mountain village of Mancor de la Vall celebrates the 7th Fira de l’Esaclata-sang i de la Muntanya next Sunday (November 29th). If you are a mushroom lover, do not miss this occasion. The ajmancordelavall.net website offers a pdf download with the full programme details, if you should be so inclined.

The photo was taken in Caimari, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 22nd, 2009. The time was 13:36:42.

Mallorca’s Moroccan population is busy preparing for Eid al-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice, November 29th) when corderos will be slaughtered in Felanitx and elsewhere on the island. I think I might be invited by one of our neighbours.

Mallorcan families celebrate matanzas during this time of year, when pigs are sacrificed albeit not for religious reasons. An age old farming tradition is upheld here in the countryside. November/December is the time of the year when pigs are slaughtered to provide food for most of the year: sobrassadas, butifarrons, lomo and embutidos. Of course, pigs are a no-no for Muslims, but cerdos provided staple food for many of our Mallorcan neighbours during centuries, or so I believe. Matanzas are a laborious yet joyous event and a great Mallorcan tradition.

I have recently heard that having a matanza at home involving the killing of a pig does not conform to rules and regulations any longer and is deemed alegal. I cannot believe that to be true. Dozens of families that I know in our area had their matanzas already, over the last few weeks, or have them planned for the next few weeks. Perhaps it is a matter of authorities turning a blind eye as everybody senses that this is a tradition that may not live for much longer due to the changes that affect rural Spain and contemporary Mallorca. We’ll see.

A splendid book has just been published that celebrates the matanza del cerdo in Mallorca, called Porcs – Mirades tallades. Gori Vicens (Palma, 1968) is the artist behind the powerful photographs in this large format book, whilst artist Albert Pinya (Palma, 1985) offers some bucolic illustrations. The impressive visuals are accompanied by a passionate and vibrant text from the pen of Andreu Manresa (Felanitx, 1955), an El País journalist and a food lover. He lives just round the corner from our house here in Felanitx.

The book is published by Institut d’Estudis Baleàrics and retails at 45 €; it would make for a perfect gift for Christmas or for any other occasion if you want to show that you care for Mallorca and its traditions.

The top two photos were taken by Cati B. near Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 21st, 2009. The time was 08:36:47 and 11:12:03, respectively. The bottom two photos were taken from the Internet, courtesy of dbalears.cat. Copyright for these two photos is held by Gori Vicens and the Institut d’Estudis Baleàrics.

Moltes gràcies.

To the southwest of Santa Ponça in the Calvià municipality one finds a cluster of small islands with the names of Illa dels Conills (also known as Islote de ses Rates), L’Olla and Es Malgrat, extending over a length of approximately 2.5 km and covering some 138 ha. This archipelago of Malgrat-Olla-Conills was declared a Reserva Marina (Marine Reserve) in 2004, together with that of nearby Illa Toro. Marine reserves in Mallorca do not quite have the full protection of nature reserves but are sheltered to a considerable degree. Thanks to this protection, a great number of species find a safe refuge here, where they may reproduce in peace, maintaining a natural age structure and diversity. Algae, fish, jellyfish and coral, as well as extensive fields of underwater sea grass meadows of Posidonia oceánica coexist in this area, together with sepias, moray eels, seabass, sea horses, octupus macropus, seacows and red starfish, to name but a few. On land, one can find the protected Corys shearwater, swifts, cormorants and puffins, as well as the Balearic lizard.

One can only get to these small islands by boat or by swimming. Once there, certain kinds of fishing are prohibited: scuba fishing, professional fishing, artisan fishing and fishing competitions. Individual fishing is permitted, i. e. fishing with rod and reel, as long as a valid fishing license is secured. But the fishing of certain species of fish is prohibited: the Angel fish, the Freckled catshark, the Spotted torpedo, and sea horses. Some crustaceans are also protected, such as crabs and crawfish and some species of molluscs such as the Marine Snail, the Astraea Rugosa and the Octopus, to name but a few.

Swimming as well as paddling in canoes or kayaks is allowed. Diving is allowed for individuals once the special permits have been obtained locally, or as part of organised excursions, which are offered from local diving schools. Catamaran excursions are available at a price on a regular basis during the winter months.

If you just want to have a distant look at the islotes, Cap Negret in Santa Ponça affords some splendid views over the Malgrat archipelago, absolutely free of charge.

The photo was borrowed from the Internet. My thanks go to Diario de Mallorca. The map was also borrowed from the Web, courtesy of Guía Náutica de las Islas Baleares.

Muchas gracias.

Most people have this perception of Mallorca primarily as a holiday destination. The sun, the Mediterranean Sea, beaches, golf courses, chill-out lounges and Michelin-starred restaurants suggest an image of leisure and merriment. It seems difficult to acknowledge that there are darker aspects of Mallorca as well, and that there were some sinister moments in its history.

Not many people can imagine that concentration camps existed during the Thirties right in the middle of Mallorca, and even in the centre of Palma. One might have heard, perhaps, of thousands of French soldiers being interned in a concentration camp type prison on the island of Cabrera, but that was a long time ago (in 1809) and also, a relatively long way away. But here, in Mallorca?

Makeshift prison camps were built between Portocristo and Manacor in 1936-37 as soon as the Republican movement was defeated, at the outset of the Guerra Civil. Mallorcans talk of these camps as campos de concentracion. There is also talk of a concentration camp installation in what is known as the Balnearí de Sant Joan. At the same time, there existed a Campo de Concentración Palma de Mallorca. Ca’n Mir, a wood merchant’s place in Palma (see photo centre) was converted into a prison for political opponents, and so was Ca’n Sales (see photo above), also in Palma, the latter one for female prisoners only. The Castell de Bellver was used for Republican prisoners as well and, in particular, its underground caves.

Today there is not much evidence left of those grim installations. A plaque has recently been put up by the Ajuntament de Palma, commemorating the death of Matilde Landa, an inmate of Ca’n Sales who committed suicide there over her plight (see photo bottom), and of course, one can find scratchings and graffitis on the rock formations underneath the Castell de Bellver, if and when access to these cave dwellings is allowed.

The photo (bottom) was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 14th, 2009. The time was 14:34:29. The photos (top) and (centre) were borrowed from the Internet. Thanks are due to fideus.com.

Moltes gràcies.

The Festival Internacional de Dansa de les Balears is being presented currently at the Sala Sa Màniga in Cala Millor. Tonight, the Compañia de Dansa de Carlos Miró from Alaró will present Mediterrània (see photo). Admission is yours for 8 €. Seats are still available.

I do not know the background but let me tell you that Sala Màniga is at the forefront of contemporary dance presentations here in Mallorca. The current festival is now in its 9th edition, and I would recommend a visit if you should be interested in modern dance at all. The festival already started four weeks ago, but will continue all through the month of December. The next performance will be December 5th with Preludios Flamencos by Rocio Molino. Check out the details here (there is an English version option).

The photo was borrowed from the Internet. Thanks are due to Dansamàniga and the Teatre d’Alaró Dance Company.

Molts gràcies.

On a trip to Palma de Mallorca you may have noticed over the last three or four weeks a large yellow vessel anchoring in the Bahía de Palma. The cargo ship Pilar del Mar is anchored in the bay, perhaps 200 metres from the shore. Reason for this calamity, and a misfortune it is, is the question of money and the absence of funds. The vessel is currently not allowed to enter the port of Palma nor that of Barcelona, because the vessel’s owner owes money to both harbour authorties.

The Pilar del Mar belonged until recently to the shipping company Isleña Marítima de Contenedores (Iscomar) and still retains the emblem of the company. Iscomar recently returned the ship to its owners, a British shipping company which has hired another company as the consignee to take over the ship whilst remaining in Mallorcan waters. Ten days ago or so, Iscomar informed the ship’s crew that they should take a vacation because the company terminated the contract with the vessel’s owner. As far as I can make out there are currently only three staff members on board to maintain a minimum level of security.

Rumour has it that the Iscomar company is having trouble to survive as a viable business. If you are in the boat business you might look at a bargain situation here.

The photo (top) was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: November 17th, 2009. The time was 15:07:26. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet. Thanks are due to Diario de Mallorca and its photographer, Lorenzo. Muchas gracias.