Tag Archives: Ciutat

The Centenary Railway to Sóller

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April 16th, 1912 was the date of the first ever train journey between Palma and Sóller. Today marks the one hundredth anniversary of that inaugural trip (see photo bottom).

When the railway line was built, the always clever Mallorcans were listo (smart) enough to resort to a trick. The length of the line from Palma to Sóller was only 27.3 kilometers but should have been a minimum of 30 km to qualify for some state subsidies. Hence, the construction of an additional 4.9 kilometer track was begun at the same time, linking Sóller to Port de Sóller.

A trip on the old carriages through beautiful Mallorcan landscape including 13 tunnels is recommended, even if a bit pricey. You could consider a one-way trip to Sóller on the Centenary train and come back on the bus.

A commemorative act will be celebrated tonight at 19h00 in Sóller’s Estació de tren.

The photo (top) was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Palma, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 11th, 2008. The time was 16:59:43. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of canprunera.com.

Moltes gràcies.

World Art Day

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The International Association of Art (UNESCO/IAA World Art Association) has declared tomorrow, April 15th, 2012 the first World Art Day. Apparently, the event will be celebrated worldwide. April 15th happens to be the date when Leonardo da Vinci was born (in 1452). It also happens to be the birthday of my mother, not related to da Vinci and not really related to art. Please, do not confuse this World Art Day with the International Museum Day which is celebrated on or around May 18th.

For the occasion, I delved into my photo archive and found an image of an installation created by the Italian artist, Fabrizio Plessi. The work was installed at the Aljub in Palma’s Es Baluard Museu d’Art Modern i Contemporani in 2004, called Il lavatori dell’anima, a modified version of an earlier installation called Bombay-Bombay. In 2011, Plessi did a rather splendid installation at Palma’s Llotja (Llaüt Light). The artist has lived and worked in Mallorca for a good twenty years, albeit on an intermittent basis. He owns a house on the island. He does not currently exhibit on the island but, he has one piece on permanent exhibition (Waterfall) at the Fundación Yannick y Ben Jakober in Sa Bassa Blanca near Alcúdia that you could visit at the International Museum Day in May, for instance.

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Palma, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: October 8th, 2004. The time was 20:00:14.

The Language Crusade

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For the last 18 months, my friend Lluís has been helping me improve my grasp of the Catalan language or rather, Mallorquín, a sub-species of that idiom. One of the many insights he shared with me over time is his opinion, a pessimist view, that Mallorquín will simply cease to exist as a language within the next 50 years. According to Lluís, linguists rate the viability of a spoken language in five levels, with the first being the highly active level and the fifth being the level of extinction. Mallorquín, he argues, is on level three at the moment, sure to be heading for level four within twenty years or so.

Under Franco, Mallorquín was not officially endorsed. It was not taught at school for forty years. Since the dictator’s death, Mallorquín has swung back or rather, Catalan has, to the status of co-official language.

The new Govern Balear under José Ramón Bauzá and his Partido Popular (PP) is currently politicizing the language debate in Mallorca with a so-called law on linguistic normalization, effectively removing the requirement for public officials to be able to speak Catalan. PP’s aggressive and negative stance towards Catalan/Mallorquín has been known for some time.

Some Mallorcan town halls such as Manacor, Inca, Sa Pobla, Alcúdia (see photo above) and Pollença are opposing Bauzá’s political crusade by approving Catalan/Mallorquín as Mallorca’s own language. The linguistic department of the Universitat de les Illes Balears is in opposition as well, as are a number of institutos (secondary schools) and guarderias/escoletes (nurseries).

We will all find out who the winner will be in this language crusade. If we are still around in 50 years time that is.

The photo (top) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of mallorcadiario.com. The photo (centre) was taken in Alcúdia, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: March 30th, 2012. The time was 13:09:37. The photo (bottom) was taken in Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 6th, 2012. The time was 11:54:15.

The Puerta de Santa Margarita in Palma

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In the old days and for hundreds of years Ciutat, the city of Palma, was surrounded and enclosed by a massive fortified city wall. There were nine puertas (entrance gates) into Palma (see plan centre): Puerta de Santa Catalina, Puerta del Sitjar, Puerta Pintada, Puerta de San Anton and Puerta del Campo (from West to East) as well as Puerta de la Tarazana, Puerta del Muelle, La Portella and Puerta de la Calatrava (facing the sea). The Puerta Pintada was also known as Puerta de Santa Margarita (see image top) as it was situated next to the Baluarte de Santa Margarita, one of Palma’s ten bulwarks.

Most of the massive medieval city wall was demolished between 1902 and 1908 when Gaspar Bennàssar, the new municipal planning architect proposed the tearing-down to open up the urban area for expansion beyond the historic city boundaries. There was substantial opposition to some of the demolition plans, especially in the case of the Puerta de Santa Margarita, also formerly known as Puerta de la Conquista as this had been the point of entrance of Jaume el Conquistador, the conqueror, in 1229. Sadly, the civil disagreement did not halt the tearing-down of the Muralla (city wall) or of the various puertas. The Puerta de Santa Margarita was the last one to be pulled down in 1908.

The old Muralla can still be seen today along the seafront below the Cathedral. There you will also find the historic gates of Puerta del Muelle, La Portella (see photo bottom) and Puerta de la Calatrava, still intact.

The postcard was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of fotosantiguasdemallorca. The plan was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of mcu.es. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of Altamar and fabian.balearweb.net.

Muchas gracias.

The Encounter

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I promise not to make another mention of Easter in Mallorca after today, at least not for another eleven months. But this year’s final Easter blog entry is about L’encontrada, the encounter between Jesus and Maria, which is just too endearing an event not to let you know about.

Every year, early on Easter Sunday, a significant encounter is reenacted all over Mallorca: L’encontrada, where Jesus meets Maria after his resurrection.

In a procession, this time without penitence and without the obligatory Easter hoods and capes and candles, the statue of Jesus is brought from one church to another where a statue of Maria awaits him. This morning, like every year, the encounter happened again in Felanitx, Santanyí, Manacor, Sineu, Palma and probably elsewhere on the island as well, and was in each case followed by a solemn church service. You may not have witnessed the encounter this time or ever but, if you have a chance to next year, you should. I find that this is one of the many opportunities when Mallorca is at its best, always on a festive and joyous level when Mallorcans are amongst themselves and away from the tourist trade and the commercial riffraff.

The photos (top two) were taken in Felanitx, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 8th, 2012. The time was 09:43:05 and 09:45:47, respectively. The photos (bottom two) were borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of diariodemallorca.es.

Muchas gracias.

The Basilica de Sant Francesc

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The Basílica de Sant Francesc is one of the finest church buildings in Mallorca and would probably be the contender for the top spot were it not for the Cathedral.

The church was built in the late 13th century in the Gothic style but later underwent frequent alterations. After lightning struck in the 16th century, its Gothic façade was rebuilt with an impressive Baroque doorway and pediment. Inside, you will find one of Mallorca’s beautiful historical organs created by Jordi Bosch in 1772. There is also the tomb and sepulchre of Ramon Llull, the 13th century mystic.

You can enter the Basilica’s cloisters through the church. They are well worth visiting; you will not find a more peaceful oasis in all of Mallorca. The beautiful claustro has recently been restored. When the church is closed, as it mostly is, you can still enter through the adjoining monastery and its cloisters. The convent is now a secondary school. Admission to the cloisters is 1.50 €, worth every cent.

The photo was taken in Palma, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: December 30th, 2011. The time was 15:36:15.

The Easter Week

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Semana Santa (the Easter week) is truly underway in Spain, and here in Mallorca. Lots of magical scenes can be seen all over the island, and plenty of powerful images can be taken.

Easter processions in Spain are celebrations of penitence and sincere repentance. Last night, there were six  different Easter processions in Palma alone, starting from various churches such as Sant Francesc (photo above), Santa Clara, Sant Joan de Malta or Sant Jeronimo.

There will be more processions tomorrow, April 3rd, in Palma and in the pueblos, such as the Procesión del Silencio in Felanitx, a solemn affair full of spirit and fervor. There will be other processions all week long in Palma as well as in a village near you.

The photos (top and centre) were taken in Palma, Mallorca, Spain. The date: April 2nd, 2012. The time was 20:44:12, 22:22:02 and 22:25:40, respectively. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of diariodemallorca.es and the photographer, Tesa Juan.

Muchas gracias.

Mallorcan Easter Traditions

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Today, Mallorca celebrates Diumenge des Ram (Palm Sunday), the first day of the dramatic and rather compelling Easter processions, commemorating the entering of Jesus in Jerusalem. Traditionally, on this day, blessed olive branches or dried palm leaves are handed out to the church goers attending the morning mass. This evening, the first of the Easter processions will be held in Palma with the attendance of all the Confrarias (confraternities, or brotherhoods). Last Friday, all of Palma’s Confrarias held their first procession of this year’s Easter proceedings (see photo below), simply manifesting their attendance this year.

Easter processions in Mallorca usually involve hooded cloaks whilst some involve chains, mock flagellation and bare feet. This week, there are also Vía Crucis or Vía Dolorosa (The Bearing of the Cross) processions and theatrical Passion Play performances, Davallaments, Enterraments and vigils.

One of the more vivid Easter processions is the Processó del Silenci (Procesión del Silencio, Silent Procession), held in complete silence and solemnity, with the quietness only broken by a deep and throbbing drumbeat.

Dijous Sant (Jueves Santo, Maundy Thursday) marks the last day of Quaresma (Lent). On this day, the annual Processó de la Sang, the largest of the Easter processions, is held with hundreds of hooded penitents participating, and thousands of believers in utter repentance in Palma. Visually, it is all quite stunning. In the past, a stringent regimen of fasting meant that the eating of sweets or meat was not allowed during Lent. After Viernes Santo (Good Friday), Robiols (sweet pies), Panades (savoury pastries), Crespells (sweet biscuits) and Coques de Patata (see photo above) are prepared for the festive weekend.

The Golgatha celebration (Passion of Christ) in Mallorca is a pageant centred around the Davallament, the story of the Last Supper, the betrayal of Jesus by Judas, Jesus’s capture, his crucifixion, the taking off of the cross, the Pietà and, finally, the Enterrament (burial). Davallament performances are usually staged in Felanitx, Artà, Sant Joan and Pollença.

On Easter Sunday, most Mallorcan pueblos and parishes celebrate the resurrection of Christ and the Encontrada between the Virgin Mary and her son, Jesus. This is a joyful procession, now without hoods or cloaks, where brass music is played by the Banda de Música and when pigeons are released en masse to celebrate the happy occasion. A Missa Solemne (solemn mass service) is usually celebrated after the Encontrada, concluding the religious part of Easter and Setmana Santa for another year.

Easter Monday is not traditionally a church holiday in Spain, but has acquired holiday status in recent years to allow for the celebration of Pancaritats. In Mallorca, this is a tradition involving citizens convening at monasteries and hermitages to share food with one another and with other, less privileged members of the local community. In Felanitx, a Pujada Solidaria journey on foot is organised up to Sant Salvador, the nearest Puig to Felanitx and the seat of the Santuari de Sant Salvador, the monastery dating from the 15th century.

On the Sunday after Easter, Diumenge de l’Àngel will be celebrated in many Mallorcan pueblos and at Palma’s Castell del Bellver with church services of the more formal kind and with further festive gatherings. More food to be shared between all, no doubt.

A schedule of most of the dates and venues of religious Easter ceremonies in Mallorca can be found on this website.

Happy Easter.

Molts d’anys.

Today’s blog entry is a variation of an article I contributed to a relatively new Mallorca website, discovermallorca.com. Thank you for permitting me the use of some of that information, here.

The photo (top) was taken near Campos, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: February 5th, 2012. The time was 12:10:56. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of diariodemallorca.es and the photographer, Miquel Massuti.

Muchas gracias.

24 Hours in the Life of an Island

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(near Felanitx, at 00:40:23)

Twenty-eight years ago today, I orchestrated an exciting photo event in Los Angeles, California, in collaboration with one Red Saunders. Together, we edited the book that covered that event: 24 Hours in the Life of Los Angeles. All those years ago, we had assembled a team of 145 people, including 103 photographers from all over the world plus 16 local school children, to capture the life in this metropolis in the run-up to the 1984 Olympic Games.

Today, I have the pleasure to invite you to sample a similar adventure, somewhat different but nonetheless exciting, albeit without its results ending up in a glossy coffee-table book. I endeavour the making of a comprehensive portrait of Mallorca, my home for the last 25 years, by taking photographs over a period of 24 hours in the life of this island. This time, there is no team and there are no other photographers involved or invited. I will upload photos every few hours, depending on broadband connection, and today’s post will grow bigger and longer as the day progresses. The first photo was taken this morning at 00h40 on top of Puig de Sant Salvador near Felanitx, and the last one will be captured just before midnight in Plaça d’Espanya in Felanitx. Let’s see how it goes and let’s witness, if I will last the Tour de Force.

(Portocolom, at 01:28:42)

(Porto Cristo, at 02:03:46)

(Son Servera, at 02:52:00)

(near Canyamel, at 03:10:01)

(Cala Rajada, at 03:32:23)

(Cala Rajada, at 03:43:12)

(Felanitx, at 04:39:18)

I made a scheduled return to Felanitx to upload the first photos of this self-set challenge. Quite unscheduled, I fell asleep and had a 45 minutes nap. I was still good on time and schedule, though.

(near Petra, at 07:41:13)

(near Petra, at 08:00:33)

(Santa Margalida, at 09:24:54)

(Muro, at 10:44:09)

(near Muro, at 11:35:52)

At this time, I was still running to schedule, more or less. But it began to dawn on me that the task I had set might be a bigger one than I had calculated. I may have underestimated the challenge and the sheer distance between places, and I may have overestimated my abilities as a one-man-band. I decided that Mallorca was, in fact, a continent.

(near Muro, at 12:11:55)

(Port de Pollença, at 13:59:13)

(Pollença, at 14:18:33)

By now, it was quite evident that I was running late, and well behind schedule. I decided to alter my route plan. Instead of returning south via Crestatx, Sineu and Sant Joan, I decided to go up into the mountains of the Serra de Tramuntana to see if I could catch up on time by eliminating some of the planned stops.

(near Pollença, at 14:58:40)

(near Sa Calobra, at 15:23:18)

(near Sa Calobra, at 15:25:40)

(near Sa Calobra, at 15:32:31)

(near Sa Calobra, at 15:33:02)

(near Fornalutx, at 15:37:35)

(near Fornalutx, at 15:43:27)

It now was clear: there was no way I could complete the whole island portrait, and comprehensive at that, within the self-elected time frame of 24 hours. For a start, there was no way that I could upload any photos during the course of my parcours. There were just too many kilometres to be driven from point to point. Mallorca is too big an island to be ticked off in one single day by one individual. I realized that I would have needed to employ the good services of a driver to allow me to concentrate on the scene selection and the location, instead of me minding the business of getting there in the first place. And it would have been wise to seek the support of an assistant to keep my back free from the logistics of the task. Me, on my own, doing the driving, route planning, rescheduling, time keeping, scene selection, setting up the tripod, shooting, editing, copy writing, Lightroom-ing, WordPress formatting and what have you, was just too much for one elderly man. And I was getting tired, sleepy, red-eyed, exhausted and anxious. I needed a hug, or a helpline, or something.

(near Sóller, at 15:51:15)

(Sóller, at 16:45:14)

(Sóller, at 17:03:36)

(Sóller, at 17:11:26)

In Sóller, I accepted the inevitability of defeat. It simply was impossible to cover all of Mallorca or at least, all 48 locations that I had scheduled, in one day and on my own. I would barely manage half that number and not even half the total distance. By now I had done some 300 kms, and I would surely need to do the same again, or more, with more than two thirds of the time already gone. I would need to be fitter (and younger), less mad, better equipped, better supported and assisted, and more realistic. I should simply have listened to my wife.

(Alfàbia, at 17:46:32)

(Alfàbia, at 17:54:46)

In Alfàbia I decided to go home. I needed to upload some of my photos and take stock. I might go out again after that to cover some of the Mallorcan hinterland, Porreres, Campos, Llucmajor, Sant Joan, Villafranca, Sineu, Llubi, and so on. For now, I certainly would not be able to cover the western parts of the island, Andratx, Estellencs, Banyalbufar, Valldemossa, Deià, Orient, Alaró, Bunyola; I might have to have another go at the region at some later stage. Palma, I was pretty sure that I would skip Palma for now.

(Felanitx, at 23:43:43)

Having aborted the project and not having gone out again once I arrived back home after 20 hours on the road and in the hot sun, I was busy photo editing, photo optimizing and uploading. I now did not need to do that final shot just before midnight that I had scheduled from earlier this morning. But I wanted to do it anyhow to have a pair of bookends, so to speak. As it happens, I met my friend John and he kindly agreed to pose as another mad hatter for mad me. No. This is not me sitting there, just in case you wondered.

Good night, and thank you for joining me on this ride and this very long day indeed. I need some sleep now.

A Country at a Standstill?

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Today’s motto will be 29-M Huelga General.

A nationwide General Strike is scheduled for Spain for today, March 29th. Beware. 445 flights have been cancelled so far, between Iberia and Air Europe alone. Trains, buses, taxis, underground and ferry services will also be affected, as well as petrol stations, postal services, hospitals, TV and radio stations, court rooms, street cleaning services, public libraries, and many other facilities, including schools and universities.

Some minimum services will be maintained, it is said but, who really knows? The country may suffer a virtual standstill.

The strike was called by Spain’s largest unions in protest to the government’s recent change of legislation of workers’ rights and a cutback in compensation in the case of the termination of an employment contract. By 07h00 this morning, there had been 39 arrests all over Spain, in the main of pickets.

A demonstration will be held today at 18h30 in Palma’s Plaça d’Espanya, the Avingudes, Passeig de Mallorca, Passeig del Borne and Plaça Major.

Many observers in Spain predict a rather low outcome of strike participation. Spain is not – yet – Greece. It is argued that the majority of employed people, although in favour of the protest action, are fearful of putting their current employment situation at risk. Other workers or employees worry about a likely loss of income should they not turn up for work today. Money is tight in Spain.

The photo was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of elmundo.es.

Muchas gracias.