The Balearic Constitution Day
Spain is politically organized into a total of 17 comunidades autónomas (autonomous communities), plus 2 ciudades autónomas (autonomous cities), Ceuta and Melilla. The Balearic Islands are one of the 17 […]
The Fortification At Es Fortí de Cala Llonga
When I last visited the cliff top fortification at Es Fortí de Cala Llonga in Cala d’Or, some twenty years ago or even longer, it was in a pretty bad […]
The Port Authority in Mallorca
Ports in Spain and the Merchant Marine are managed by state-owned institutions called port authorities, ultimately a section of the Ministerio del Interior in Madrid and the Spanish government, depending […]
Till Death Us Do Part
Death comes to all, but now, at a price. The recently announced hike in the rate of Spanish IVA (Value Added Tax) will affect some more than others. School books […]
Pneumatic Rubbish Collection in Palma
A pneumatic rubbish collection was installed in Palma some ten years ago at a cost of 23,000,000 Euros. Subterranean tunnels would normally suck the waste to central collection points from […]
The Bench of the Lazybones
Outside Palma’s Cort building (Ajuntament de Palma; Palma town hall) there is a beautiful hard stone bench inviting passers-by (and tourists) to sit down and have a break from the […]
The Other Half
The other day, a commemorative act was held in Portocolom to mark the 90th anniversary of the foundation of Spain’s first civil school for amphibian planes, the Escuela de Hidroaviación […]
Jaume el Conquistador
Jaime I de Aragón el Conquistador died 736 years ago today (July 27th, 1276). He led the Catalan conquest in 1229 when he was only 21 years old, taking Mallorca […]
The Sad and Cruel Fate of Chuetas in Mallorca
For centuries, Jews, Muslims and Christians were living together in peace and harmony in Spain, and here in Mallorca, pursuing their cultures, customs and religions. Their coexistence is said to […]
The Cinema and the Rise in Value Added Tax
Mallorca’s cinefile community is delighted about the erstwhile Cinema Renoir reopening last weekend as a citizens’ cooperative. The new venture took over the Renoir’s premises as well as all fixtures […]
Ca’n Oms
Palma de Mallorca is a city of patios (inner courtyards). All courtyards were open to the street until the beginning of mass tourism in the second half of the twentieth […]
Alqueries, Rafals and Rafalets
When the Catalans came to Mallorca in 1229 to successfully conquer the island from the hands of the Almohad Caliphate, all Mallorcan land and its properties, titles and possessions had […]
Guerilla Knitting in Mallorca
We have heard of guerrilla gardeners, planting gardens in public spaces under the cover of night. And there are guerrilla knitters in New York, Texas, Mexico, London, Canada, Japan and […]
Save Our Souls
Whenever we have friends staying with us here in Mallorca, they inevitably ask, are there any nice, uncrowded beaches, and do we perhaps know somewhere that other people don’t know […]
Air Attacks Over Palma in 1937
75 years ago this week, there were two days of severe air attacks over Palma, coming from the Republican resistance to the military putsch of the Falangist movement. Plenty of damage […]
Protests and Caceroladas
Over the last two to three months, a large number of protest activities have been staged all across Mallorca, in places such as Manacor, Alcúdia, Sa Pobla, Felanitx and Palma. […]
The Mallorca Photo Blog 