Der Strand von Sa Calobra hat wahrscheinlich die imposanteste Lage aller Strände in Mallorca, auf Grund seiner einzigartigen Landschaft am Ende des Torrent de Pareis. Wenn es nur nicht so knifflig wäre, dorthin zu kommen. 

Die 12 km lange Abzweigung von der Straße von Sóller nach Lluc ist eine anstrengende Strecke, voll von Serpentinen und mit einigen haarsträubenden Engpässen. Es ist wohl die schweißtreibendste Fahrt überhaupt auf der ganzen Insel. 

Vielleicht wäre es einfacher, in Port de Sóller ein Boot zu nehmen, wenn Sie nächstes Mal nach Sa Calobra wollen.

Zum Beispiel heute.

Die größte balearische Sparkasse (Sa Nostra) organisiert schon seit 45 Jahren jeweils im Juli ein Open Air Konzert in der dramatischen Landschaft der Schlucht von Sa Calobra. Heute um 17h30 findet das diesjährige Konzert statt, diesmal dargeboten von der Bronzeville American Gospel Gruppe. Der Eintritt ist wie immer frei. Die Akkustik zwischen den steilen Felswänden kurz hinter dem Strand und die unbeschreibliche Schönheit der Landschaft machen diese Konzerte immer wieder zu einem der Höhepunkte des mallorquinischen Sommers.

Da bliebe nur noch die Frage, wie man nach Sa Calobra kommt. Wenn Sie sich der Herausforderung stellen wollen und mit dem Auto anreisen, dann gibt es dort wenigstens genügend Parkplätze, wenn auch zu recht überhöhten Preisen. Boote legen um 11h00, 13h00 und 15h00 von Port de Sóller ab, und kehren nach dem Ende des Konzerts wieder dorthin zurück. 

Das Foto wurde in Sa Calobra, Mallorca, Balearen (Spanien), aufgenommen. Das Datum: 5. Juli 2008. Die Uhrzeit: 16:29:30. Das Foto (unten) wurde von der Sa Nostra website geborgt; es zeigt die amerikanische Gospel-Gruppe. Gracis.

The beach of Sa Calobra comes with probably one of the nicest beach settings of any platja in Mallorca. If only it was less tricky to get there.

The 12 km stretch off the Sóller - Lluc road is an hazardous trail with plenty of serpentine bends, which makes it one of the most challenging drives anywhere on the island, I think. 

It might be easier to simply catch a ferry boat from Port de Sóller next time you want to go to Sa Calobra.

Like today, for instance.

Every year in July, the biggest Balearic savings bank, Sa Nostra, organizes an open air concert in the beautiful venue of Sa Calobra. This year's 45th concert will be perfomed by the Bronzeville American Gospelgroup, today at 17h30. Admission is free, as always. The acoustics between the sheer rock walls on either side of the beach and the beauty of the location make these concerts one of the highlights of the Mallorcan Summer.

You just have to figure out the best way to get there. If you are up to the challenge and go by car, there is ample parking space available, albeit at a hefty price. Boats from Port de Sóller depart at 13h00 and 15h00 and will return there, at the end of the concert.

The main photo was taken in Sa Calobra, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: July 5th, 2008. The time was 16:29:30. The bottom photo was lifted from the Sa Nostra website. It shows the American gospel group. Gracis.

Dat laatste zorgt ervoor dat ik met een gerust hart op vakantie kan. Natuurlijk moet er verdedigend de komende weken nog wel wat bij (Henrique? Boulahrouz? Oleguer?) en is ook de hoop op een echte spelmaker nog niet verdwenen, maar de eerste grote vis is binnen.

Hoe anders was dat vorig jaar, toen ik tijdens een zomerse reis naar Italië om het uur naar m'n mobieltje greep om te kijken of er nog steeds geen witte aankooprook uit Amsterdam was opgestegen. Twee keer werd m'n geduld beloond, maar niet op de manier waarop ik hoopte.

De eerste keer was laat op de avond toen we op het centraal station van Rome (Termini) stonden, klaar voor de metro richting uitgaansgeweld. 'Urzaíz', las ik. Hm, leuke naam, maar is die man niet enorm oud? Die vraag is het afgelopen seizoen meer dan afdoende beantwoord.

De tweede keer nestelden we ons net in een hotel in Venetië. 'Dennis Rommedahl'. Slik. Zoeken naar iets positiefs. Die kan toch heel hard rennen?! Het lukte niet. Dennis Rommedahl, die draver uit Eindhoven. De resterende Italiaanse dagen heb ik me afgevraagd wat er mis is met de wereld.

Nu lijkt er niks mis. Ik ga zorgeloos naar de Spaanse zon. Sombrero op m'n hoofd, mobieltje op gepaste afstand in het zond. Maar eerst Amsterdam. Misschien kan ik Marco of Danny nog iets influisteren in een bruin café?

The cleaning lady was out cleaning the guests’ hotel rooms and had left the door to the broom closet open.

What did we see but this bottle of booze and two glasses.

There it was, right between the rolls of toilet paper and the cleaning rags.

Ah well, nothing like a little alcohol to help remove tough stains…

Sobald ich Zeit habe werde ich ein paar schöne Fotos von meinen Urlauben veröffentlichen.

De meeste discotheken op Mallorca bevinden zich tussen de uitgaansplaatsen El Arenal en Playa de Palma. Op de stranden van deze badplaatsen wordt je overdag al vaak aangesproken door medewerkers van deze discotheken die je de komende nacht graag naar binnen willen hebben. Je krijgt dan vaak al leuke aanbiedingen aangeboden, maar reken er wel nog op dat je tussen de 5 en 15 euro entree moet betalen.

Een bekende discotheek onder Nederlanders is Disco Bar 538. Hier zijn thema-avonden, veel house en R&B muziek en partybeats. In het hoogseizoen is deze Disco Bar tot 04:00 uur open.

Ook populair is feestcafé Shooters in El Arenal. Kijk op shooters-mallorca.nl.

Nog 2 aanraders zijn Mar Salada en Titos in Palma.

Je jongerenvakantie naar Mallorca boek je bij Beachmasters of Gogo Tours jongerenreizen.

Das Musik-Festival de Pollença beginnt heute abend in seiner 47. Ausgabe. Das Festival findet alljährlich schon seit 1962 statt; es hat seither reichlich an Ansehen gewonnen.

Das Festivalprogramm beginnt in diesem Jahr (heute abend) mit der Messa da Requiem von Giuseppe Verdi, aufgeführt vom Orquestra Simfònica de Balears Coral Universitat (Chor des Sinfonieorchesters der Balearischen Universität). Alle Aufführungen werden im Claustre de Sant Domingo in Pollença veranstaltet. Sie starten jeweils um 22h00. Der Eintritt für das Konzert heute abend beträgt 30 € und 40 €. Andere Konzerte während des Festivals werden zu Preisen von zwischen 20 € und 45 € offeriert.

Der weltberühmte spanische Bariton Joan Pons ist nicht nur der neue Leiter des Pollença-Festivals, sondern er wird heute abend auch in einer seiner recht seltenen Darbietungen in seiner balearischen Heimat selbst singen. Nein, der Maestro stammt nicht aus Mallorca; er ist aus Ciutadella gebürtig, auf der Nachbarinsel Menorca.

Das Festivalprogramm unfaßt insgesamt elf Konzerte, darunter unter anderem Veranstaltungen von der Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, vom Michel Camilo Trio, und vom Kammerorchester Berlin. Außerdem sind Auftritte von der Sopransängerin Maria Guleghina, dem Pianisten Alexei Volodin, dem German Brass Ensemble, und dem Ensemble Sarband angekündigt.

Das Festival dauert noch bis 30. August an. Zum Abschluß werden dann The Voices of New Orleans Gospelmusik darbieten                            

Alle weiteren Informationen können Sie der Festival website entnehmen.

Das Foto stammt aus meinem Bildarchiv. Es wurde in Pollença, Mallorca, Balearen (Spanien), aufgenommen. Das Datum: 9. August 2006. Die Uhrzeit: 23:49:33.

The renown and acclaimed Festival de Pollença starts today with its 47th edition.

This year's programme is launched with the Messa da Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi, which is performed by the Orquestra Simfònica de Balears Coral Universitat (Choral  of the Symphonic Orchestra of the Balearic University). All performances are staged open air at the Claustre de Sant Domingo, in Pollença, and start at 22h00. Entry admission for tonight's concert is 30 € and 40 €. All other concerts are offered from between 20 € and 45 €.

Spanish baritone Joan Pons, is not only the new director of the Pollença Festival, he also sings tonight, in one of his rare performances in his Balearic homeland. No, the Maestro is not from Mallorca; he was born in Ciutadella, on the neighbouring island of Menorca (Spain). 

The festival offers a total of eleven concerts, including one performed by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, one performed by Michel Camilo Trio, one performed by the Kammerorchester Berlin; sandwiched in-between are performances from soprano Maria Guleghina, pianist Alexei Volodin, the German Brass ensemble, and Ensemble Sarband. 

The festival continues until August 30th, when it finally closes with gospel music performed by The Voices of New Orleans.

For more information, consult the festival website.

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Pollença, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: August 9th, 2006. The time was 23:49:33.

El tercer nombre es el de Josemi. El lateral del Villarreal, que no ha tenido el rendimiento esperado en Castellón, está muy cerca de ser jugador del Mallorca y podría acabar entrando en la operación del traspaso de Ibagaza al equipo amarillo.

The one problem with all these roundabouts that Spanish traffic planners haven't really solved yet is how to fill the void in the middle of the roundabouts.

It's open space that craves to be filled.

In some cases, they'll put a streetlight, or plant a tree or some bushes in those circular spaces.

But in many other cases, they'll make the roundabout a little island of creativity and liven up its center section with a little art.

And that leads to some bewildering, amusing and inspiring roadside experiences.

The examples in the slideshow below are from the Spanish island of Mallorca.

!!!

It's not a Picasso, Dali or Miro

Unfortunately, the art that you’ll find in your average Spanish roundabout isn’t exactly by Picasso or Miro. It’s – how shall we say – somewhat more basic.

Cheaper, I guess. And that may be a good thing: after all, roundabout art could easily be damaged if some driver from hell failed to make the turn and smashed into the sculpture.

So the sculptures in Spanish roundabouts are usually pretty robust. They’re often made of corrugated iron or stone boulders.

Big forms that are easily recognizable to the drivers circling around them.

But I must admit that their deeper meaning often escapes me – no matter how often I circle these roundabouts.

What’s this one supposed to mean, for instance?

What you see when you drive around it is a large rusty spiral. If you look really close, you can also see some small zinc houses tumbling out of the open end of the spiral.

Is it supposed to represent a hurricane? Is this a Spanish impression of the Wizard of Oz?

It's beyond me. But I guess “Toto, we’re not in Catalonia any more…”

Loona, artista de origine olandeza, dar stabilita in Spania si Germania, care in urma cu 10 ani a lansat un hit pe care multi il mai fredoneaza si astazi, intitulat "Bailando", a schimbat in urma cu cateva luni casa de discuri, mai bine spus de la Universal a trecut la BMG Ariola. Pe langa aceasta schimbare "din interior", Loona lanseaza in sfarsit un nou single pe 18 iulie, intitulat "Por la noche", o piesa pentru care reprezentantii BMG Ariola baga mana in foc ca va deveni unul din hiturile verii 2008. Printre celelalte single-uri de succes semnate Loona, cunoscute in intreaga lume, se numara "Hijo de la Luna", "Latino lover", "Mamboleo", "Baila mi ritmo" si "Tears in heaven", o balada compusa de artista dupa moartea mamei ei. De asemenea, Loona a inregistrat succese pe plan international si alaturi de sotul ei, DJ Sammy, cel care a si descoperit-o de altfel. Piesele cele mai de succes ale celor doi sunt "Boys of summer", "Prince of love" si "Sunlight".

Mai mult, Loona a fost cooptata in juriul casting show-ului german transmis de Pro7, intitulat "Popstars",
RTL va transmite pe 4.07 in cadrul stirilor "Punkt 12" de la orele 13.00 (ora Romaniei) un reportaj despre cariera ei de 10 ani, iar BMG Ariola a stabilit cu ea sa lanseze in luna august un "Best of Loona" care va contine cele mai bune piese ale ei din cei 10 ani de cariera, niste bonus-uri si de asemenea, cel mai nou single, care mie imi place foarte tare si care deja, inainte de lansarea oficiala se afla pe locul 17 in topul oficial al playlist-ului DJ-ilor germani.

Cel mai nou single se numeste "Por la noche", cum am spus si mai sus si poate fi ascultat imediat dupa ce apasati pe "mai mult". M-ar interesa parerile voastre si daca credeti ca Loona va avea din nou succesul de pana in urma cu cativa ani. Dupa mine, piesa va fi sigur in top 20 in Germania (ceea ce reprezinta oricum un succes enorm), dar totusi, nu va surclasa alte hit-uri Loona, cum ar fi "Bailando" sau "Hijo de la Luna", care au devenit o emblema pentru artista.

Videoclipul oficial a avut deja premiera in Germania si poate fi vazut direct AICI, iar daca va intereseaza doar piesa, dati direct click pe video-ul de mai jos, e vorba de un colaj de poze facute de un fan, pe piesa "Por la noche". Eu zic totusi, ca merita urmarit si videoclipul, pe mine m-a bine-dispus, mi-a amintit oarecum de copilarie, e facut in stilul inconfundabil Loona, cu dansuri pe strada, pe plaja pe nocturna, la piscina, veselie, oameni frumosi, toate ingredientele pentru un hit si o vara de neuitat.

(c) Mikel

Club Purobeach - Palma, Playa

I am buying water and ice tea. The lady behind the counter with whom I so far spoke English or German or some minimum Spanish, suddenly says the price in Czech. When she returns the money from a twenty, she counts in Czech.

How did you know I was Czech?  I asked.

I heard you speak one day, was her response.

You gotta love it. She learned one of the most complicated languages in the world so that she could talk to her customers. To customers, who might well learn some basic Spanish in order to buy some most basic necessities... Hats off to her and other people here for making the extra step...

Here is a Puerto Pollensa Map, the resort is located in north-eastern Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, Spain.

Aquest bloc és un homenatge a sa feina de's meus padrins materns, que estigueren involucrats als dos cines que hi hagué a Lloseta, el Victoria i el Novedades.

En aquest bloc aniré penjant els antics flyers i cartells amb què es promocionaven les películes, vertaderes antiguitats, així com alguns articles explicant la història del cine.

Vos convid a tots a que li doneu un cop d'ull, i vos entretingueu mirant es antics flyers. Podeu accedir-hi aqui.

Map of Valldemossa located on the island of Mallorca (Majorca), Balearic Islands, Spain.

The city itself has some wonderful attractions including the famous La Seu Gothic cathedral, which boasts one of the biggest stained glass windows in the world with 1,236 pieces and measuring some 11 metres across – amazing.

Founded as a camp by the Romans in about 123 BC, Palma de Mallorca became an important port on the Mediterranean trade route. Known as Medina Mayurqa to the Arabs, its name is actually taken from the Roman city of Palmaria. Much of the original Roman city still exists below the present day city, and Roman remains are being found all the time.

The city experiences a magnificent temperate mediterranean climate and Palma de Mallorca weather is especially reliable between June and September, expect plenty of sun and high temperatures, but with pleasant, cooling sea breezes. Palma de Mallorca Map