Monthly Archives: November 2008

Drilling For Water

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water_drilling

A number of people are lucky enough to live in the countryside on this beautiful island.

But in some country houses mains water is not, or cannot be, connected. If so, there are only a number of options. Maybe there is a friendly neighbour with a water source, perhaps a local farmer with a water well. Or, one must rely on the quantities of the annual rainfall to fill the cisterna (water tank). Or else, agua potable must be delivered by a camion de agua (water lorry). 

Or, if the land in question should be well situated, an existing underground water stream can be found.

Drilling new pozos (wells) in Mallorca is now strictly regulated and, first of all, a drilling permission must be obtained from the Water Board, a division of the Medi Ambient department of the Consell de Mallorca. You need to apply for such a permit through the services of a mining engineer. I suggest you enlist the help of a water diviner before you apply, just to make sure that there is water on your land. If so, the engineer can apply to the Consell for a borehole permit. Once that is granted, you should seek the assistance of a company doing perforaciones to locate water with the help of revolving drill tools, such as on the lorry in my photo. You will find a number of specialized companies in the village of Sa Pobla, or in nearby Llubí. Once a successful bore has resulted in finding a water source, a second permit has to be obtained from the Consell to exploit that water source and for the consumption of the water.

The water found in Mallorca by means of boreholes is usually of an excellent drinking quality but, I would recommend having an analysis of a water sample done by a qualified laboratory. Any pharmacy in Mallorca will help you to obtain the relevant certificate.

The photo was taken in Llubí, Mallorca, Spain. The date: November 16th, 2008. The time was 16:47:36.

The Seizin Press

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seizin_press

The Seizin Press was a small letterpress publishing imprint, founded in London in 1927 by Laura Riding (1901-1991) and Robert Graves (1895-1985). From 1930 to 1937, Seizin Press operated as a private press out of Deià, Mallorca. A Crown Albion flatbed printing press was bought by Riding and Graves and installed in their Deià abode, Ca n’Alluny (shown in my photo).

Besides work by Graves and Riding, Seizin Press published work by authors such as Gertrude Stein, Len Lye and James Reeves. Seizin Press ceased to exist on the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. In 1939 Riding and Graves terminated their companionship. 

Some time after Robert Graves’ return to Mallorca in 1946, now with his second wife, Beryl Pritchard, the New Seizin Press was set up. Graves lived and worked in Deià until his death. He died December 7th, 1985. That’s 23 years ago, a week from tomorrow.

Ca n’Alluny, La Casa de Robert Graves, has been acquired by the Fundació Robert Graves and was refurbished and adapted for visitors. The house and its lovely gardens are now open to the public as a museum (telephone 971.646.185). Opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday, from 10h00 to 16h00, and Sunday, from 10h00 to 15h00. Admission fees are 5 €.

The photo was taken in Deià, Mallorca, Spain. The date: November 27th, 2008. The time was 12:46:52.

Wild Mushrooms and More

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setas

You will find most of Mallorca’s 150 edible wild mushrooms, such as Setas, Esclatassangs, Blanquetas, Pets de Moro, Fredolics, Picornells and many others at the VI Fira de l’esclata-sang i la muntanya in Mancor de la Vall, from today, November 28th, until Sunday, November 30th, if you so wish. You can sample gourmet mushroom dishes in the local bars and restaurants. You could try, for instance, Braç de mè amb salsa de bolets at Bar Es Forn.

Apart from mushrooms, there will be xeremiers, dimonis, gegants, ball de bot, tamboriners, and lots of activities. Mancor de la Vall is a lovely Mallorcan village, one up from Selva, near Inca. It is one of the few villages left on the island that are still authentic.

mancor_de_la_vall

The photo was taken in Sóller, Mallorca, Spain. The date: November 15th, 2008. The time was 12:00:05. Credit is due to my son, Kyrian. Thank you.

Seminari Major

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seminari_major

The Col·legi de la Sapiència (school of wisdom) in Palma’s old town, shown in my photo, was built between 1628 and 1635, as far as I can fathom. Pope Urban VIII issued a bull sanctioning the college. He was the pope, by the way, who was involved in the controversy with Galileo. 

In the old days, each village in Mallorca was allowed to send one pupil to this Catholic church school, with the exception of Palma and Artà, who each were allowed two pupils. In 1985, the building became the seat of the Seminari Major, a kind of university for priests.

Part of the Seminari Major is the splendid Capella de Sant Pere, built in 1894. Another part houses the Museu Bíblic, paying homage to the Holy Land. In this museum, you can admire Mallorca’s only Egyptian mummy‘s sarcophagus, brought back by one of the Crusaders. 

I have heard it once or twice that the Col·legi de la Sapiència was built on a site where one of the two main Jewish synagogues had stood in the 14th century, but I have not yet been able to verify this.

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The date: September 19th, 2008. The time was 14:12:23.

Benibazari, aka Santa Eugènia

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santa_eugenia

The small village of Santa Eugènia belongs to the Pla region of Mallorca. Its 1,500 inhabitants, give or take a few, are very proud of the pueblo‘s past history, going back to the Moorish period and beyond, to the Talaiotic settlers. There are a number of archaeologic sites in the vicinity, the largest being es Rafal, a circular Talaiot which was excavated in 1915.

During the Islamic period, there were two alqueríes (small settlements), one called Benibahari and the other one, Benibazari. The settlements were governed then by the court of Quanarusa and ultimately, the Caliphate of Córdoba. Benibazari became Santa Eugènia in 1250, after the Catalan Conquest, but was then governed by the nearby town of Santa Maria. Only in 1843, Santa Eugènia became a municipality in its own right.

Most people come to Santa Eugènia nowadays for its nearby Fundació Natura Parc, an attractive set-up committed to conserving and promoting the Balearic indigenous flora and fauna. 

You might be interested, also, in discovering some outstanding culinary treats that the village has to offer. Bon profit.

The photo was taken in Santa Eugènia, Mallorca, Spain. The date: November 23rd, 2008. The time was 15:15:44.

The Matança Season

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butifarra

Years ago, the matança was an all important event in the calendar of the Mallorcan country folk. Sometime between November and January, the escorxador was booked to help with the killing of the pig which had been reared all year long to now be butchered.

Farming has a much lesser importance nowadays in Mallorca, but matanças and sobrassada making are still rife in many Mallorcan families. My son was invited to join a matança last Saturday. He partook in this ancient Mallorcan tradition and helped with the sobrassada making process. He brought a sobrassada home for us, but the sausage will have to air for a few weeks before it will be deemed ready for consumption.

Every single drop of blood and every single scrap of meat, fat, skin or intestines of the animal is used in the matança activity and will provide food for the family and friends, for months on end.

matanzas

The main photo was taken in Caimari, Mallorca, Spain. The date: November 16th, 2008. The time was 14:10:31. The smaller photo was borrowed from the Internet. Credit is due to silvaychus. Gracias.

The Palma Rooster Show

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campionat_balears

Thousands of chickens, cockerels, roosters, capons, turkeys, pigeons and the like were exhibited in Palma over the last three days in an international show of feathered animals of 150 different species. There were three categories of contest: International domestic fowl, Spanish cocks and hens, and autochthonous Balearic Aves. 26 jurors spent two days of evaluations and markings, giving out First and Second prizes to almost 100 birds.

rooster

Whilst visitors had to endure a lot of rooster crowing, the sheer beauty of some of the cocks on display made the show a very pleasing event.

races_autoctones

The photos were taken in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The date: November 21st, 2008. The time was 17:32:14, 17:25:53 and 17:04:02.

The Swedish Christmas Market

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svenska_kyrkan

Not all of you may know that Palma is the proud location of Mallorca’s Svenska Kyrkan (Iglésia Sueca, the Swedish Church) with facilities in Avinguda Joan Miró, just to the back of the small harbour of Can Bàrbara.

There, Swedish residents seem to join weekly church services, held on Sundays at 18h00, with church goers from Norway, Denmark and Finland.

gudstjanster

Yesterday saw the start of this year’s Swedish Christmas Fair. If you missed it, today from 11h00 to 20h00 you will have another opportunity to take in the wondrous smells of Nordic Juletide activities and Julbord goodies: Gløgg, spiced cookies, mistletoe, Stollen, holly, Julskinka, cinnamon, Graved Lax, pickled herring and lots of Snaps and Julmust. Delicious.

bazar_navideno

In case you want to join the heart of Nordic Christmas activities, you should not miss the Santa Lucia celebrations on December 13th. In traditional celebrations, Saint Lucy comes as a young woman with a crown made of candles. It is one of the few saint days observed in Scandinavian countries. In Mallorca, this procession is usually held in Santa Ponsa. Check your local media for time and location.

The photos were taken in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The date: November 21st, 2008. The time was 12:54:51, 12:56:21 and 12:55:34, respectively.

Sancta Cæcilia

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joch_de_ministrils

Santa Cecília (Saint Cecilia, Latin: Sancta Cæcilia) is the patron saint of musicians and Church music. Her feast day is celebrated in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches today, November 22nd. And what goes for the Roman Catholic church, always also goes for Spain, including Mallorca.

The Joch de Ministrils (shown in the photo) is a formation of mainly woodwind instruments going back to Medieval times. The group is playing under the patronage of the Consell de Mallorca, and was performing earlier this week.

Two special Santa Cecília concerts take place tonight in Palma, on at the Palau March, at 20h30 (admission is free), performed by the Trio Pamina, and the other one at the Museu de Mallorca, also at 20h30 (admission is € 15), performed by Eric Hoeprich and Rumiko Harada. Other concerts are laid on all over the island, including some at a local parish church near you, in all likelihood.

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The date: September 13th, 2008. The time was 11:05:54.

Aki Murieron Mis Sueños

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mis_suenos

I came across a graffiti inscription on a house façade in Palma’s centre a couple of years ago. It is still there, today. It reads:

Mallorca aki nacieron mis hijos, aki murieron mis sueños (Mallorca – my children were born here, my dreams died here).

I don’t know what lies behind this sad accusation, but something awful must have happened. I gather from the spelling of aki (it would have to be aqui in spanish) that the person behind this message might be an immigrant from South America, but I do not know for sure.

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The date: February 28th, 2008. The time was 12:56:43.