Monthly Archives: April 2009

The Palma Boat Show

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salo_nautic

The XXVI Saló Nàutic (Salón Náutico) Internacional de Palma is in full swing now. Some 160 exhibitors present more than 300 boats on Palma’s Moll Vell in Paseo Maritimo until May 3rd, that’s next Sunday.

The Palma boat show is supposedly bigger and better than ever. This year, yachts, boats, surf boards, fishing tackle and assorted nautical accessories occupy an exhibition area of some 65,000 m², both in the water and on dry land. Opening hours are daily from 10h00 to 20h00. The fun is yours for a modest outlay of 6 €. You can purchase a metre of rope for a few Euros; yachts are slightly dearer.

If you are in for luxury vessels you best head straight to the Consigna quay.

salo_nautic_palma

The photo was taken in Port d’Alcúdia, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 5th, 2009. The time was 14:46:38.

The Wild One

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harley-davidson

Two or three dozen Harley-Davidson riders came to Felanitx last Sunday and proudly presented their Fat Boys, Evolutions and Twin Cams to an eager audience of motorcycle starved Felanitx youngsters. Some of the models came equipped with a Revolution Engine that reputedly has been developed in collaboration with the Porsche people in Stuttgart (Germany).

Luckily, the small town of Felanitx was not caught up in any rivalling motorcycle gang clash terror and none of their leaders was thrown into jail either, unlike in the celebrated Marlon Brando movie classic, ‘The Wild One‘ (1953).

To the uninitiated eye, these motorbikes are beauties to behold. I would imagine that the Mallorcan landscape lends itself to the occasional joyous Easy Rider outing, too, and in style.

The photo was taken in Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 26th, 2009. The time was 13:24:40.

Unpredictable Weather Patterns

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tree_trunk

The weather forecast has been somewhat unpredictable of late, at least here in Mallorca. A week ago or so it seemed that we were heading for Summer but not surprisingly, high temperatures only lasted for a day or two. Yesterday it was back to long sleeves, clouds and some drizzle, when really we are supposed to be at the height of Springtime, by now.

The weather forecast promises 23° C for the Felanitx area for today and tomorrow (quite a bit less for other areas), but rain and showers for Friday (May 1st) with temperatures around 17° C. That’s not so nice for the people of Ses Salines who will have prepared for their traditional Fira del Primer de Maig, the folks in Caimari who are planning a pilgrimage up to the monastery in Lluc, and the pueblo of Costitx where everyone is busy preparing for Friday’s Fira de les flors (the annual flower show).

My gut feelings tell me that the Agencia Estatal de Meteorología may be just as erratic, capricious and unreliable in their weather forecast as the general weather pattern has been so far this year. Anything is possible, even the opposite of the prevailing predictions. I am planning to go to the Fira de les flors and I am not intending to bring my paraguas.

My photo shows an old and tired almond tree, desperately hanging on in there. The tree is probably one of the few Mallorcans who are happy about all the rain we’ve had over the last few months.

forecast_felanitx_may_01

The photo was taken near Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: February 3rd, 2009. The time was 15:00:11. The weather chart was taken from the Internet, courtesy of AEMET (Agencia Estatal de Meteorología). Muchas gracias.

The Mallorcan Land Tortoise

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testudo_hermanni

Three species of indigenous tortoises exist in Mallorca. The Testudo hermanni (shown here) is a land tortoise and can be found in the eastern parts of the island, in particular in the Parc Natural de la Península de Llevant. The Testudo graeca is another land tortoise which is at home in areas to the West of the island, such as in the Tramuntana mountain region and in the Parc Natural de sa Dragonera. Both animals are rather reclusive. I believe that they are protected as well. The third species on the other hand, the Emys orbicularis is a fresh water terrapin; its habitat is in Mallorca’s torrentes and brack-waters, including the wetlands of the Parc Natural de s’Albufera de Mallorca. Again, the Emys orbicularis is a protected species.

There is also a Mediterranean sea turtle, the Caretta caretta, but that would be another story for some time in the future. I have not seen any Mallorcan sea turtles in the wild yet, hence I do not have a photo available. My blog entry on the Caretta caretta may thus have to be on a stand-by position for a little while.

The photo was taken near Sant Joan, Mallorca, Spain. The date: April 22nd, 2009. The time was 11:45:58.

Older Than Methuselah

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ca_la_seu

Ca La Seu is a shop in Palma’s old town, joining on to Plaça Quartera in the barrio of sa Gerreria, selling espartería (i. e. baskets, espadrilles, straw hats, mats and rugs made from esparto-grass, wicker or other natural materials, as well as other related items, mostly hand crafted). The establishment was founded 499 years ago in 1510 and is one of the oldest shops in Palma (yes, there are some shops in Palma that are even older than that, believe it or not).

Ca La Seu may not make it to next year’s quincentenary celebrations, though. The present owner wants to give up trading. La crisis again? If a new leasehold cannot be signed, that will be the end of a very long engagement.

The shop was still open last week selling baskets, cestas and mats. But its days may be numbered. Sad really, I think.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 18th, 2009. The time was 11:37:19.

The Sunna Mosque in Felanitx

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sunna_mosque

The new Mezquita Sunna Felanitx has been a long time in the coming, but now only very little is needed for its completion. In fact, prayers were held in the new mosque yesterday (Friday) at around 13h00 as had been for the previous two Fridays.

The Final d’Obra has not been signed yet and thus, the Permís d’Obertura is still missing. Mains water and electricity still need to be connected. But in a couple of weeks’ time the grand day of inauguration should finally have arrived, Insha’Allah.

In the meantime the rented premises in Carrer de la Mar are still being used as the local mosque during all other days. I went there a few days ago and was allowed in to take a couple of photographs. In a way, it seemed as if one was pleased about my curiosity and interest; an indication perhaps that the local folks of Felanitx seem to shy away from contacts with their Maghrebian vecinos.

The djellabahs in my photo are not an obligatory garment for conducting one’s prayers in the direction of the rising sun but are available in case one would want to wear one.

The photo was taken in Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 23rd, 2009. The time was 20:06:58.

The Pollença Wine Festival 2009

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miquel_oliver

The Bodegues Miquel Oliver in Petra have lots of reasons to be cheerful. Three of their wines (Syrah Negre, Ses Ferritges and Aia) were awarded amongst the highest laurels in recent international wine competitions in Spain, Switzerland and Germany. Their Aia 2006 was rated as one of the top three wines in all of Spain in La Guia Vivir el Vino 2009. All three vinos tintos are from the Pla i Levant region in Mallorca.

You can sample Miquel Oliver’s wines, the award winning ones as well as some other fine delectations, at this weekend’s wine fair in Pollença.

Pollença celebrates La Fira del Vi tomorrow and Sunday (April 25th and 26th), from 10h00 to 20h30 on Saturday and from 10h00 to 14h00 on Sunday. 42 bodegas will be presenting their bacchanalian nectars, 38 from Mallorca, three from Menorca and one from Ibiza.

This popular event is now in its sixth year. The fair takes place in the same location as every year, the Claustre Sant Domingo in Pollença’s old town. Admission fee will be 5 €, including a nice wine glass for your free samplings and yours to then take home.

fira_del_vi1

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 7th, 2009. The time was 14:35:20.

The Diada de Sant Jordi

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paraules_vent

Both, William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes happen to share the same day of their demise on April 23rd, 1616, almost four hundred years ago. To commemorate the two immortal bards, UNESCO declared this day the International Day of the Book.

April 23rd coincides with Sant Jordi day, the day of the patron saint of Catalunya as well as Aragon, whilst England celebrates Saint George, the patron saint of England.

All over Spain, libraries and book shops celebrate the Diada de Sant Jordi with a catalogue of activities related to literature and books, and Mallorca is no exception. Book shops in Palma exhibit their wares not only in their tiendas but also in public locations such as Plaça Espanya, Plaça Major, Carrer Oms, la Rambla dels Ducs de Palma, Passeig es Born, Plaça Cort and many others places, weather permitting.

If you buy a book today most sellers will grant you a 10 % discount and will probably throw a single rose in with the purchase, the rose being the symbol of the day.

The Consell de Mallorca will organize a series of public poetry readings under the heading of Paraules al vent. Readings will be held in Plaça Cort, Plaça Major and in the Jardí de la Misericòrdia at 11h00, 12h30, 17h00 and 18h30 (my photo was taken at one such reading in last year’s event).

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The date: April 23rd, 2008. The time was 12:42:07.

Guided Walks in Palma

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monuments

If you have not done any of the guided walks in Palma as part of the tours organized by the Govern de les Illes Balears, I suggest that you partake in at least one, soon. You’ll be in for a pleasant surprise or two.

There are five different walks in Palma de Mallorca on offer: ‘Modernism in Palma’, ‘The City and the Sea’, ‘The Jewish Quarter‘, ‘Palma Monumental’, and ‘The Convent of the Capuchin Nuns’. All walks are offered at varying dates in four different languages (one at a time). One should think that the obvious choice would be a tour with comments in English, but depending on your language skills, you might get more out of a walk with comments in Spanish, or even Catalan. The truth being that the guides’ English is not always up to scratch, if you see what I mean.

If you are interested you should telephone 636.430.000 to find out what is on offer and when, and make your reservations. Walks depart from the olive tree in Plaça Cort in Palma, take approximately 2 hours and cost 10 €.

Most walks are organized on weekdays, but some dates are on Saturdays, just in case you are busy Mondays to Fridays.

Later in the year, there will also be tours through some of the most attractive of Palma’s patios, or courtyards. Many courtyards are normally not open to the public for most of the year, but will be open during a few weeks on the occasion of Corpus Christi, during the month of June. A definitive must, in my opinion. The telephone number for reservations is a different one for the patios tour, though: 971.225.900.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 1st, 2009. The time was 11:53:03.

Ramon Llull’s Cave

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cova_ramon_llull

The Santuari Mare de Déu de Cura is a monastery located on top of the Randa mountain in the municipality of Algaida. It is considered an eminently Llullian site (Ramon Llull, ca. 1232-1316). Access to the sanctuary grounds is through a large portal. In the middle of its pediment is the coat-of-arms of the Franciscan order and above it, the Llullian crest of a half-moon. Below the coat-of-arms is an inscription reproducing a verse from Ramon Llull’s work Blanquerna: “Amable fill, saluda Nostra Dona, qui és salut e benedicció nostra” (Amiable son, greet Our Lady, who is our health and blessing).

Legend has it that in a humble cave located a few hundred metres to the west of the sanctuary, Ramon Llull spent a short time of retreat and experienced an enlightenment, which caused him to later write the work Ars Magna.

Having visited the site myself, I very much doubt that the cave shown in my photo and inscribed as the Cova de Ramon Llull can possibly be the authentic one. The cave is of a very small size and of a very low height. There does not seem to be enough space for a hermit to live for any length of time, however short and however frugal. I may be wrong, though. Circumstances were probably quite different 777 years ago, especially for hermits.

The photo was taken near Randa, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: February 12th, 2009. The time was 13:20:57.