A new Visiting Centre for the Parque Nacional del Archipiélago de Cabrera was officially inaugurated on July 1st, 2008, in Colònia de Sant Jordi, in the municipality of Ses Salines. It is a bit weird, really, and also a bit of a laugh.

It is good to know that a staggering amount of 21,000,000 € has been spent. In the old currency, that would have amounted to the unbelievable sum of 3,500,000,000 Pesetas.  

Someone else, quite obviously, must have had a laugh, as well.

Anyway, do pop down and form your own opinion, especially as the visit – at the moment at least – is admission free. You’ll be treated to a trivial aquarium experience, a trifling 3-D film projection and a gimmicky multimedia presentation that reminded me of a Nineties fairground attraction, albeit a bit more hi-tech. 

The best thing that I can say about the place is the view that can be found at the very top terrace of it all, from where you can see the real Archipelago of Cabrera floating beautifully in the Mediterranean Sea in the far distance. That view alone made me want to visit the islands out there again, as soon as possible, whereas the Visiting Centre did inspire nothing of the sort.

The photo was taken in Colònia de Sant Jordi, Ses Salines, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: July 4th, 2008. The time was 14:24:52. Temperatures were 32˚ C at midday.