Monthly Archives: September 2008

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year

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Happy New Year 5769 to my Jewish visitors (hi, Mike).

The Jewish festival of Rosh Hashanah – the name means “Head of the Year” – is observed for two days beginning on 1 Tishrei, the first day of the Jewish year. It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman.

I understand that the festival actually began at dusk yesterday, and will carry through until tomorrow, October 1st (2 Tishrei). Happy holidays.

I also understand that Honey cake is one of the many traditional foods eaten during the High Holidays. Yum.

The photo shows the front door of the Synagogue in Palma de Mallorca.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The date: September 6th, 2008. The time was 14:55:23.

The Mallorcan Shepherd Dog

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The Ca de Bestiar or Mallorcan Shepherd Dog is often mistaken for a Black Labrador or a Labrador mix, but is in fact a pure breed dog. The Ca de Bestiar is a working farm dog. You will not find many campesinos in Mallorca breeding sheep who do not rely on this very dependable shepherd dog.

The origins of the Mallorcan Shepherd Dog are not clear, but there are those who claim that the dogs were brought to the island in 1229 as part of the fleet of Jaume I. The Ca de Bestiar certainly looks similar to the Catalan Shepherd Dog.

In any case, the Mallorcan Club del Ca de Bestiar organizes annually a number of Ca de Bestiar dog shows throughout  the island, during the Firas of Andratx, Santa Maria, Costitx, Sineu, Biniamar, Alaró, Alcúdia, Artà, Vilafranca, Calvià, Sa Pobla, Montuiri, and others. Yesterday, the XV Exposició Monogràfica del Ca de Bestiar was held in the pueblo of Maria de la Salut to the delight of an animated crowd.

The dog shown in my photo was the winner of the female category in yesterday’s dog show. The overall winner yesterday was a male dog carrying the number 19, not shown here. ¡Enhorabuena!

The photo was taken in Maria de la Salut, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 28th, 2008. The time was 13:26:16.

The King of Mallorca

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Whilst Mallorca this year celebrates the 800th anniversary of Rei Jaume I‘s birth in 1208, he never was the King of Mallorca. Jaume I is credited with the Re-Conquista in 1229, when at the age of 21 he took the island of Mallorca back from the hands of the Moors. He came to Mallorca as the King of Aragón.

His younger son Jaume II was crowned as the first King of Mallorca after the conqueror’s death in 1276. Between 1295 and 1300, eleven pueblos were founded under Jaume II: Algaida, Binissalem, Campos, Felanitx, Llucmajor, Manacor, Montuïri, Porreres, Sa Pobla, Selva and Santanyí, to accommodate Mallorca’s growing population. Jaume II died in 1311, at the age of 68 years.

Jaume II was buried in the cathedral of Palma de Mallorca. In 1779, the sarcophagus (shown in this photo) was created on orders of King Carlos III, to hold the remains of the first Mallorcan King. The Catalan artist Antoni Gaudí had the sarcophagus removed in 1904, though, as he wanted to design new tombs for the kings of Mallorca, as part of his plans to redesign Palma’s cathedral, but Gaudí’s tombs were never made. Instead, Jaume II and Jaume III were reburied in 1946 in neogothic crypts inside the Capilla de la Trinidad, again in the cathedral.

The interim sarcophagus is now vacant and can be seen on exhibition at the Museu Diocesà in Palma.

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 11th, 2008. The time was 13:22:47.

Belly Dances in Mallorca

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During a visit to the Mercado Medieval in Manacor, a week ago, I was surprised to suddenly be confronted by a group of young ladies, festively clad in what appeared to be oriental dresses.

I later found out that the females belonged to a group presenting Danza Oriental, also known as Danza del Vientre. The set-up is called Raks al Sahara, and they impart classes in belly dancing and such like to a willing audience of dance students, beginners, males and females, from the tender age of 12 on, and up. They also perform at parties, weddings, social gatherings, festivities and what have you, where a bit of music, fun and colourful ambience is wanted.

More information can be had from telephones 658.577.141 or 659.804.242.

The photo was taken in Manacor, Mallorca, Spain. The date: September 20th, 2008. The time was 18:04:41.

Ecology in Esporles

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Starting today, the Jornadas de Agroecología de Mallorca will take place from September 26th to 28th in Esporles, north west of Palma de Mallorca.

Most people know Esporles from the nearby Sa Granja, originally a Cistercian convent, and today used as a museum finca. A visit there is rewarding not only for the estate’s lovely gardens and the splendid main house but also for the wide range of exhibits relating to everyday life on a traditional Mallorcan estate, such as wool dying, an iron smith workshop, candle making, carpenter workshop, laundry washrooms, a copper smith workshop, plus subterranean dungeons from the dark times of the Inquisition, including some torture instruments.

At Sa Granja you can also find the Teix de Sa Granja d’Esporles, an exemplary yew tree (Taxus baccata), shown in the photo. This unique tree has a height of 10 m and is said to be between 800 and 1,000 years old, possibly even more. Some agro-ecology in Mallorca does indeed go back a long way.

The photo was taken from the internet; it is credited with Govern de les Illes Balears. Moltes gràcies.

The Pont Romà

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There is one bridge on the island that can claim a history of about 2,000 years. It is called the Pont Romà, and you can find it in Pollença.

The bridge crosses the Torrent de Sant Jordi which might well have been a proper river at the time of the Romans, considering that the added breakwater reinforcement was quite obviously thought indispensable.

The current state of preservation of the Pont Romà is surprisingly good, considering its age, and in particular the narrow, cobbled road across the bridge. Why not stroll across it, next time there is an autumnal torrent washing down from the Tramuntana mountains?

The photo was taken in Pollença, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 3rd, 2008. The time was 17:18:33.

Madre Alberta Giménez

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Doña Gaietana Alberta Giménez Adrover was a teacher, who was appointed in 1870 as director of the Colegio de la Pureza de María in Palma de Mallorca, a school founded in 1809 by the Bishop of the Diocese, Don Bernardo Nadal.

When Doña Alberta was appointed as head of the Colegio, it had been a boys only school, as were all schools in Mallorca at that time. However, she managed to transform the school by emphasizing the importance of giving a solid education to girls as well, just as you would to boys. Thanks to Madre Alberta, girls in Mallorca were now offered a proper school education for the first time ever. Doña Alberta held the position as the school’s director until 1916, six years before she died.

To this day, the Colegio de la Pureza de María in Palma continues as a very highly thought of school. Thousands of Mallorcan families send their children there, both girls and boys, for the high level of academic skills that are taught, as do a few hundred foreign families as well, including Japanese, Arab and many others.

The exceptional Madre Alberta had long since passed away, when some 30 years ago, a private University was also founded by the Colegio de la Pureza de María, on the outskirts of Palma, called Centre Universitari Alberta Giménez. Young ladies and young men can study languages there, journalism or audiovisual communication. How about that?

Pope John Paul II declared Gaietana Alberta Giménez Adrover an heroic woman. I declare her an exceptional woman, for being way ahead of her time. Well done, Madre Alberta (whose mother, by the way, was from Felanitx).

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken at the old Colegio de la Pureza de María in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain, now partly accessible as a museum. The date: May 30th, 2005. The time was 16:09:26.

Wine Festival in Binissalem

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For hundreds, possibly thousands of years, it was men and women who performed the harvest dance in barrels and presses of stomping or treading grapes into what is commonly referred to as must. 

The pueblo of Binissalem is the centre of Mallorca’s wine production, and has been for quite some time. Wine is produced in Binissalem by modern means and technologies; no foot treading is done any longer in the wine making process. Except, Binissalem is currently celebrating its annual Festa des Vermar, the wine making festival (September 12th – 28th). As part of that festival, the Concurs de Trepitjar Raïm (the grape treading competition) was held. There were two age groups, one of 12 to 16 years, and one of adults over 16 years. The winning team of the youngsters’ group extracted 2.3 litres of must out of 24 kg of grapes during a five minutes challenge, whereas the winning team of adults managed to obtain a hefty 9.9 litres of grape juice out of 50 kg of grapes. The proceedings were a lot of fun to watch.

Other activities will continue throughout this week. There will be a correfoc on Friday, September 26th, and a Fira del Vi on Saturday, September 27th, amongst many other activities. 

The photo was taken in Binissalem, Mallorca, Spain. The date: September 21st, 2008. The time was 18:20:34.

Car Free Day Today in Mallorca

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Over the last eight days a number of European cities, towns and regions participated in the European Mobility Week, Mallorca amongst them.

Inca, Manacor and Sant Llorenç des Cardassar organized bicycle rallies last Saturday with hundreds of participating cyclists claiming the roads of their towns. My photo shows the Manacor event.

Today is the last day of that Mobility Week, culminating in a Car Free Day. People are encouraged to leave their cars at home for a day and make their way by public transport. Train journeys will be free of charge today, as will be the Metro service in Palma de Mallorca, and all buses associated to the TIB organization.

Let’s make the most of it.  

The photo was taken in Manacor, Mallorca, Spain. The date: September 20th, 2008. The time was 17:16:18.

Cala En Tugores

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Luckily, personal preferences vary widely when it comes to beaches. I was telling you about the beach of Cala S’Amarador some six weeks ago, on occasion of a widely publicized field trip that the Onbeach people had put on their website this summer. 

Whilst I like Cala S’Amarador a lot, I was surprised about the number of good and special beaches in Mallorca that the Onbeach people do not seem to have visited at all. Let me tell you about a very special beach, shown above, that you should visit one day. You will find natural beauty there and unspoiled landscape, but you will have to do without noise, without chill-out music, without sangria and without sunbeds. September is a good time to go to the beach as the water is still pretty warm, and the sun is still out every day.

The treasure trove is called Cala En Tugores, and not many people know it. The beach is situated on private property, owned by the March family. But if you are a local resident, or go with someone living locally, you will be allowed to access the finca, and even to drive right near to the beach. People less privileged can still access the beach on foot and along the shoreline, either from Colònia de Sant Jordi or else, from the lighthouse of Ses Salines. I reckon that the walk would take you either 60 minutes from the former, or 45 minutes from the latter. You would have to carry your own refreshments, though, as there are no service facilities whatsoever once you get there. And of course, you could always access the beach by boat. Careful though, as there is very little depth in the sea near the shore line.

If you bring your own provisions, please make sure that you take any waste material back home with you, or else, this small paradise will cease to be just that, in no time at all. 

The photo was taken near Colònia de Sant Jordi, Mallorca, Spain. The date: September 9th, 2008. The time was 15:23:26. I did not take the photo; my daughter did. Thank you, sweetie.