Tag Archives: Serra de Tramuntana

Geocaching in Mallorca

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Geocaching is a craze which has now besieged Mallorca, just as it has the rest of the world. Geocaching is this incredible GPS-assisted treasure hunt that you can do virtually everywhere, from Vietnam to Alaska and from Australia to Iceland. According to Wikipedia, Geocaches are placed or rather, hidden, in over 200 countries. This outdoor recreational activity is easy, but not without snags or obstacles, and it is fun. You log on to the Geocaching website, sign-up and download the free application onto your smartphone. Chances are that there will be a few dozen, if not a few hundred caches hidden in the outdoors somewhere near you, either at home or on holiday. You could then attempt to find the cache, solve some quests on the way and record your exploits in the logbook and online. You might even win some Brownie Points on the way.

On October 10th, 2010, Geocachers around the world held events and went caching to commemorate 10 years of Geocaching. In the process they set a record for the most Geocachers to find a cache in a single day, with 78,313 accounts successfully logging a cache.

I went to Lluc last Saturday with a few friends and was introduced to the Geocaching concept and its physical reality. There are currently some 1,460 caches in all of Mallorca, 759 of them in Palma. In or near Lluc, there were about 40 caches listed on our GPS phones. We selected one and set off. We had to solve three tasks or quests on the way before we approached the target area. The GPS positioning is only accurate within four to six metres (after all, the signal comes from a satellite high up in the athmosphere). It took us a while to locate the hidden Tupper box. The two females in our team proved more astute than the two males, but isn’t it often like that? The box (second photo from top) contained a small log book and a number of items, instructions, gifts and a Travel Bug, which is a moving cache. We took that bug and replaced it with a slim torch. We had to consult about the Travel Bug on the Internet to find out the intention/s of the person who placed it and his or her instructions as to where to hide this travelling cache next. After successfully solving and locating the first such treasure, we selected two more cache points and were quite pleased with ourselves when we found those as well. Then we headed back to the monastery for a well deserved cup of tea and a nice piece of cake.

The top two photos were taken near Escorca, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 7th, 2012. The time was 17:12:36 and 17:11:37, respectively. The bottom photo was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of destinationunknownjournals.com and Pam Bauer. The map was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of 2000.com and the CIA (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency). I wonder what they might get out of us so freely sharing our GPS positions.

Thank you very much.

The Long Walk to Lluc

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Earlier this morning, thousands of ordinary Mallorcan people, young and old, will have arrived at the monastery of Lluc after a night-long foot march across the island and up into the Tramuntana mountains. You may remember, that every year on the first Saturday in August, the Marxa des Güell a Lluc a Peu is being undertaken. Now, five weeks on, the same ambitious walk was embarked upon along even longer trails, from the Part Forana, Mallorca’s hinterland. Last night, people set off in their hundreds from Alaró, Alcúdia, Algaïda, Andratx, Artà, Binissalem, Bunyola, Calvià, Campos, Can Picafort, Esporlas, Felanitx, Llubí, Llucmajor, Muro, Petra, Sa Pobla, Santa Margalida, Santanyí, Son Servera, Vilafranca de Bonany, you name it.

The main stop for everyone on the way up was in Inca at 04h00 this morning. Refreshments were handed out and medical assistance was on the ready in Inca, Selva and Caimari. Participants were given a T-shirt and a ribbon. Everyone will have been given a certificate upon arrival, as well as hot chocolate and Bollería pastries. There was also a church service for those who wanted to attend after a successful completion of their strenuous task.

The photo (top) was taken in Escorca, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 7th, 2012. The time was 17:40:34. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of diariodemallorca.es and the photographer, Simó Tortella.

Muchas gracias.

Mountain Olympics at the Barranc de Biniaraix

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Whilst the couch potatoes amongst us, including yours truly, were busy watching the London 2012 Olympics on the telly last Sunday, a few hundred Mallorcan men and women (and children and dogs) participated in a kind of Mountain Olympics at the Barranc de Biniaraix, near Sóller. The competition was organised by the Secció de Muntanya del Círculo Sollerense and was held for the eleventh year. The contest was held in two categories, one against the clock and the other one just for the excitement of participating. The course had a length of 4.8 kilometres of cobbled Cami de Pedra en Sec.

Young Pere Rullan Estarelles was the overall winner in the male category with a time of 00:28:15, whilst María Eugenia Gallastegui Alemany was the fastest female with a time of 00:38:50.

If you haven’t been to the Barranc de Biniaraix you should make that one of your walks and hikes to do when the Olympics are over and done with. You will find one of the best scenic routes on the island, I promise, and you won’t have to run.

The photo was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of flickr.com, C.C.D.S. and the photographer, Joan Vicens i Vidal.

Thank you very much, and

moltes gràcies.

The Annual Drag to Lluc

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Tonight is the night of the annual walk from Palma’s Plaça Güell to the monastery of Lluc, up in the mountains of the Serra de Tramuntana. The marxa (walk) is in its 39th edition this year, starting at 23h00, extending to 43 kilometres and finishing at the Santuario de Lluc in the early hours of Sunday morning.

This year’s walk is the first one to charge a modest fee to cover organisational expenses. Participants will have paid 2 € for the Passagüell passport in which stamps have to be collected when passing through Palma (starting point), Binissalem, Selva and Lluc (finish). In return, participants will receive a T-shirt, fruit and water during the walk as well as roadside assistance including foot massage and first aid wherever needed. Last year, some 8,000 walkers attended with 6,500 or so reaching their destination.

I must admit that I have never participated yet. I would have wanted to. Perhaps next year I will.

The photo (top) was taken in Palma, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: August 1st, 2012. The time was 13:04:31. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of desguellallucapeu.es.

Muchas gracias.

The Sa Calobra Canyon

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The Sa Calobra Canyon, also known as the Torrent de Pareis Gorge, must be one of the island’s most dramatic landscapes and is one of Mallorca’s two Natural Monuments. Friends of ours wanted to go there for a walk yesterday and were most surprised when we told them that it would be well worth visiting but would, indeed, be a very testing hike or trek, and not to be underestimated. We advised them not to overestimate their skills and rather enter the canyon from the seaside, trying to get up into the gorge as far as they could and to turn back when the going got too tough.

Luckily, our friends heeded our advice and set off with sturdy walking boots, a plentiful supply of water, the mobile phone charged up and a digital camera for the scenic views en route. They went through Inca and admired the drive up past the terraced landscape of the Tramuntana mountains, turned left on top in the direction of Sóller and turned right past the aqueduct in the direction of Sa Calobra. They were most impressed by the 12 km long serpentine route and by the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea when they got down to Sa Calobra. They found the beach, had a swim, walked to the mouth of the canyon and began the hike. The trek was far from an easy Sunday afternoon stroll but, was just this side of too demanding. After about an hour the path was blocked by some boulders of perhaps 3 metres in height and they decided that it was time to head back. I am glad they did. They went back for another refreshing swim in the gorgeous sea before they headed back for Inca where they treated themselves to some excellent fish (Cap Roig [scorpion fish], at 50 € per kg).

When they returned home they stated categorically that they wanted to live here as well. They had seen Mallorca at its best.

The photo (top) was chosen from my archive. It was taken near Escorca, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: July 7th, 2008. The time was 15:58:08. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of flickr.com and Guacamoliest.

Thank you very much.

Cala Deià

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Cala Deià is a very picturesque, tiny pebbled beach near Deià. The beach is famous for its association with Robert Graves who came here for his daily swim during the Fifties and Sixties. The Cala was further immortalized by Anaïs Nin in an erotic short story called Mallorca. The cove is a beautiful sea inlet, surrounded by rocky cliffs, giving it a feeling of a hidden paradise; a torrent flows into the sea during the rainy season and there are some fantastic terraces. The views are truly stunning. Two bars serve refreshments and some food, including some fish which can be excellent. The water is crystal clear. The walk down the winding path to the Cala is well worth it, especially in mild weather. I went there just after Easter when the cove was absolutely deserted and peaceful; of course, then, the water was too cold for a swim. When I went there last week, the sun was too hot for a long walk and the small beach was too crowded for my liking. In the Summer, the beach is teeming with local visitors, some rich and famous, and the obligatory tourists. I may give it another try in September.

The photo (top) was taken near Deià, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: July 4th, 2012. The time was 14:40:16. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of platgesdebalears.com.

Muchas gracias.

The Festival Internacional de Música de Deià

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The annual Festival Internacional de Música de Deià is in its 34th edition this year. Owing to its two main venues, the parish church in Deià and the nearby Possessió de Son Marroig, the festival is mainly dedicated to chamber music of the classical kind, but there are some exceptions every now and then. The 2012 festival started in April and seven concerts have already been performed. There will be another concert tonight at 21h00, at the venue of Son Marroig (see photo top), with American pianist Suzanne Bradbury and German clarinettist Sabine Grossmeier performing works by Bernstein, Bax, Weber, Ravel, Milhaud, Fromm-Michaels and Winding. There will  be eight more concerts between July 19th and September 27th. You can check the programme here. Tickets are still available at 20 €.

Son Marroig is a fabulous country estate. It was one of the many old Mallorcan manor houses that the Austrian Archduke Luis Salvador acquired during the late 1800s. He actually resided in this particular mansion for long periods, considering it the best location in all of Mallorca. The estate houses a museum dedicated to the Arxiduc, well worth a visit. Admission has gone up to 4 €. The gardens alone (photo bottom), the sea views from there and the lovely pavilion made in marble from Carrara are worth the entry fee.

If you are a music lover, you will be pleased to hear that the Festival de Pollença will start tomorrow, July 6th.There were rumours earlier this year that the festival may not be held this year at all due to, you know, La Crisis. But no, ten concerts have been confirmed between tomorrow and August 25th. I may report about the Festival de Pollença a bit later in the year. We are lucky, really, concerning music here in Mallorca.

The photos were taken near Deià, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The dates: July 4th, 2012. The time was 17:44:33 and 18:13:03, respectively.

The Torrent des Pareis Concert

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The annual concert at the most impressive Torrent des Pareis setting will be given tomorrow, July 1st, 2012, by Cap Pela, a young Mallorcan rock band singing a capella, with voices only and no instruments. Cap Pela are quite popular and have a sizable following. They have toured Germany recently, giving concerts in Leipzig, as well as Cannes in France. Tomorrow’s concert will be free, franc and gratis, as it is being sponsored by Sa Nostra, the Mallorcan savings bank. Moltes gràcies.

If you can’t make tomorrow’s event, you can also hear Cap Pela in Sa Màniga (Cala Millor) on July 6th, as well as on July 28th at the Claustre de Santo Domingo (Pollença), but then you will have to pay between 12 € and 25 €. Here’s a sample of a performance of theirs, courtesy of YouTube:

The images were borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of enunclickclack.blogspot.com.es (top) and cappela.es (centre). The video was borrowed from YouTube, courtesy of CapPelaOficial.

Thank you very much, and

muchas gracias.

The Dragonera Event

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Sa Dragonera is a small and rather beautiful island, just off the coast of Sant Elm, at the Western-most point of Mallorca. In 1995, the island was declared a Parque Natural (Nature Reserve) and has enjoyed environmental protection ever since.

For the last twenty years, an annual kayaking event has taken place there, involving a 13 km long Volta a Sa Dragonera by canoe or kayak, and so again this Sunday just gone. I wish I was fitter than I am and in a more suitable athletic shape; I would really like to participate in one of these festively sportive challenges. A challenge it is every time; even though there is neither a race nor a winner, but the currents of the open sea on the western shore of Sa Dragonera can apparently be quite strenuous, depending on wind and weather.

For the last two years, there has also been a similar swimming contest, the Volta a Sa Dragonera nedant, an open water swimming challenge but also, non-competitive. The course is over a distance of 10 km, and all they got at the end was a lousy T-shirt. No, I’m only joking. A total of 110 swimmers participated in the event last May, including extreme swimmer Anna Wardley from the UK. Ms. Wardley had earlier swum the English Channel and the Straits of Gibraltar. She has recently embarked on a 5ive Island Swim Challenge for charity purposes, a series of five extreme swims around Dragonera (done), Portsea (Hampshire, UK), Jersey (Channel Islands), Tiree (Inner Hebrides, Scotland) and the Isle of Wight (Solent, UK). Not bad for a female who used to work in Public Relations. She actually commented that the Dragonera swim proved to be much tougher than she had expected. I bet. Well done, in any case. One done and four to go, Anna. Best of luck.

The photos were borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of flickr.com/photos/jmdiazpalmer (top), ultra-quim.blogspot.com.es (centre) and annawardley.com (bottom).

Thank you very much,

muchas gracias, and

moltes gràcies.

Save Our Souls

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Whenever we have friends staying with us here in Mallorca, they inevitably ask, are there any nice, uncrowded beaches, and do we perhaps know somewhere that other people don’t know about? We can help, sometimes, but there are not many beaches left or Calas (bays or coves) that would be easily accessible but free from any hoi polloi.

Most of the beaches in Mallorca are in or near built-up zones. There are hardly any beaches or bays left in a virgin state of nature any longer. Promoters and the hotel lobby have seen to that.

There are a few exceptions, and they seem to have maintained their exceptional condition thanks to some legal protection. A planning law was introduced some 20 years ago, giving special ANEI protection to certain areas of nature deemed of special interest to the Balearic society (Área natural d’especial interès). In 1991, there were 47 ANEI areas designated in Mallorca, 19 in Menorca, 10 in Ibiza and 8 in Formentera.

Cala Blanca between Port d’Andratx and Camp de Mar is one such unspoilt bay. This area was not initially part of the ANEI protected zoning scheme, but was included four years ago, much to the delight of some local conservationists who had formed Salvem Cala Blanca, a lobby group raising awareness of some areas of Mallorca that needed to be maintained free of cement and wild urbanisation.

Alas, things seem to have changed. A new conservative government is now in charge in Palma, the Island council is now also run by conservative powers and so is the local municipal council in Andratx. The Partido Popular conservatives are seen as hotel-industry friendly; never mind any legal restrictions. A planning application has been presented by a hotel chain to build a large hotel complex in the vicinity of the ANEI protected area near Cala Blanca. A protest demonstration was staged in Cala Blanca last Sunday (see photo below); protesters voiced their concern about a complete and utter hotelification of this island now that La Crisis would seem to allow for any old excuse to shift the goal posts. Never mind the environment; bankers have the say now and politicians are relegated to puppets on the string. Shame on you, Sera. (Sera is the nickname of José Ramon Bauzá, the president of the Govern de les Illes Balears).

May I remind you that Cala Blanca lies on the edge of the Sierra de Tramuntana mountain range, recently awarded Patrimonio de la Humanidad World Heritage Status by UNESCO as an area of great natural and cultural significance.

Save our souls. Will somebody please come to the rescue? We are drowning.

Both photos were borrowed from the Internet, the top one courtesy of zingarate.com, and the bottom one, courtesy of andratxnews.com.

Grazie tanto, and

muchas gracias.