Customs & Traditions
For the last few days, the town of Sóller has been celebrating its annual Fires i Festes. Today is the last day of festivities and the most important of all […]
Customs & Traditions
One could argue that Mallorca lived a moment of advancement and prosperity during the period of Moorish jurisdiction. During that time (902-1229), progress was made by refining agricultural methods, by introducing […]
History
There are 14 lighthouses in Mallorca, plus three on the island of Sa Dragonera and two on the archipelago of Cabrera. The Far del Cap Salines lighthouse is Mallorca’s most […]
History
When we came to Mallorca to settle we, by choice, had no TV set. We could not watch any movies in Palma’s cinemas either because they did not offer any […]
Beaches
Last Sunday, April 29th, between 5,000 and 10,000 protesters congregated on the beach of Es Trenc in opposition to a change in the planning law that now would allow the […]
Architecture
There must be a good couple of dozen churches in Palma and some of them are amongst the finest. The Oratorio del Temple is such a jewel of a church, […]
Fairs & Markets
The Fira de ses Flors in Costitx is a bit of a misnomer. More appropriately, it should rather be called a fair of flowers, plants, trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, ferns […]
Architecture
You will probably have seen the bunkers on the beach of Es Trenc, strange and somewhat brutal reinforced dugouts made of concrete. They are a bit of an eyesore. The shelters were […]
History
I am quite sure that I have not covered Bunyola yet on this blog, other than a reference to its Hospital Joan March when I got a beating from one distressed […]
Architecture
The old town of Alcúdia used to be surrounded by a fortified Mediaeval city wall, built during the 14th century and modified during the 16th century. The Southern and Western […]
Architecture
Going back in time a long way, there was a Talaiotic period here in Mallorca, dating from the Bronze Age (late second millennium and early first millennium B. C.). I […]
Architecture
The Monestir de Santa María de La Real just to the North of Palma was founded in 1235 by designation of King Jaume I, the Conquistador. From 1265 to 1274, Ramon […]
Events
April 16th, 1912 was the date of the first ever train journey between Palma and Sóller. Today marks the one hundredth anniversary of that inaugural trip (see photo bottom). When […]
Customs & Traditions
For the last 18 months, my friend Lluís has been helping me improve my grasp of the Catalan language or rather, Mallorquín, a sub-species of that idiom. One of the […]
Architecture
In the old days and for hundreds of years Ciutat, the city of Palma, was surrounded and enclosed by a massive fortified city wall. There were nine puertas (entrance gates) […]
Customs & Traditions
As a blogger, you sometimes have to take risks. Such as today when I run the risk of boring you. I know, I have been going on a bit over […]