The annual Melon Festival was held in Bukhara in Uzbekistan a week ago. I have to admit that I missed the occasion. Bukhara, of course, is a thriving city of some 295,000 inhabitants situated on the Great Silk Road, somewhere between Tashkent and Teheran.

A somewhat smaller place is the village of Vilafranca de Bonany, here in Mallorca, with about 2,950 inhabitants and 6 tractors. Their annual Melon Festival is at least as viable, but a lot easier to get to, at least for us.

The Mallorcan Festa i Fira del Meló is now in its 38th year. It started last Tuesday and culminates today at 11h00 in the Plaça Tomeu Penya with the weighing of the competing melons. Last year’s winning melon came in at 17,780 grammes. This year’s winner will win himself the sum of 150 € plus the coveted trophy. Good luck to all melon farmers.

The photo was taken near Vilafranca de Bonany, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: August 27th, 2008. The time was 14:52:25.