The Conquistador
December 31st is Jaume I’s big day, or so we are told. Mallorca had been governed by Moorish Walís since the year 902. Already in 1205, King Pedro II of […]
The l’Estendard Celebrations
Most everybody is probably way too busy with preparations for a decent New Year Eve’s dinner, or party, or whatever to take notice of a quaint little festivity going on […]
A Right Royal Feast
No one knows for sure how many Mallorcan families had an authentic Rostit Reial roast for their Christmas dinner this year, if any, but, I am assured that the royally […]
The Miró Foundation in Palma
Twenty-seven years ago, in 1983, I happened to be spending Christmas in Mallorca when I was shocked to read in the local papers that Joan Miró i Ferrà had died […]
The Sibil.la Prophecies
The Cant de la Sibil·la is an important part of the Christmas celebrations here in Mallorca. You might have read in the local media that UNESCO heritage laurels were bestowed […]
Midwinter Sun
Last night was the longest night of this year. Not only was the Moon eclipsed by the shadow of the Earth some 16 hours earlier yesterday, albeit invisibly here in […]
Nostalgia
Nostalgia. A sentimental longing for things one remembers from the past. Images or sounds of yesteryear. Smells from the childhood. Impressions that are indelibly engraved in our memory of times […]
The Heritage of Valldemossa
It is a pity really that the pueblo of Valldemossa seems to suffer the dubious fame of being associated forever with not much more than the visit by Frédéric Chopin […]
A State of Emergency?
You may be aware that the Spanish government declared an Estado de Alarma (State of Emergency) one week ago in connection with an unofficial walk-out by Spain’s air traffic controllers. […]
When I’m Sixty-Four
Thirty years ago today, Mark David Chapman put a vicious end to the life of John Winston Lennon (1940-1980). Lennon was murdered in cold blood by Chapman in New York […]
Good Bye To All That
Robert Ranke Graves (1895-1985) died 25 years ago today, here, on this very island. Graves had come to Mallorca and the village of Deià with fellow poet Laura Riding, in […]
A Brief History of Manacor
I dare say that most people are not much interested in the history of Manacor. This pueblo in Mallorca’s South East is probably best known outside of its municipal limits […]
The Hospital General in Palma
The Hospital General in Palma will be celebrating its 555th anniversary next year. The hospice was founded in 1456, when three older hospitals were merged into one: the Hospital de […]
The Torre Del Palau in Manacor
The Torre del Palau in Manacor is the only fragment remaining of a royal palace dating back to the late 13th/early 14th century. The palau compound was built under the […]
Happy Birthday, PMI
The airport of Son Sant Joan in Palma de Mallorca is looking back at 50 years of commercial operation. During the Summer of 1960, all commercial flights were redirected from […]
La Immaculada Concepció
There must be over 300 churches and chapels in Mallorca. Most of these churches are pretty dark inside, sombre, forbidding, authoritarian, almost fear inspiring. The parish church in Ca’s Concos […]
The Mallorca Photo Blog 