I had the dubious pleasure of attending a legal dispute at the Juzgados in Palma de Mallorca, the other day. The purpose-built Court is housed in a new building called Sa Gerreria, adjoining the borough of the same name, previously better known as Barrio Chino.

Not many of you will have had a brush with the law in Spain, I suppose, be that as a plaintiff or as a defendant. But a visit at the professionals of Law and Justice can give you a sense of being involved, and being more than a mere bystander or uninvolved visitor. Of course, it always helps if one masters the court language, which everywhere in Spain is Castilian and if you come out on the winning side. Luckily my case was victorious.

Whilst my dispute was not of a marital matter, I had the impression that most people attending court that day were in this particular building for matrimonial quarrels. A sad picture it was, somehow.

The building itself appeared quite attractive from the outside, if of a massive size. From the inside, the place felt vacuous, resonating the characteristics of a multi-storey car park.

The Balearic justiciary employees are planning on some work-to-rule action for February 4th, i. e. next Wednesday. Spanish judges have announced a strike for the month of June, later this year, all over the country.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: January 14th, 2009. The time was 10:34:48.