july-2011

PALMA ON THE GROUND
FLY TO PALMA MALLORCA FROM 26 DESTINATIONS, INCLUDING BARCELONA (EL PRAT, GIRONA AND REUS) | BIRMINGHAM | BOURNEMOUTH | BRATISLAVA (VIENNA) |
ON THE street
THE CULTURE OF KINGS
AS A STRATEGIC ISLAND, MALLORCA HAS
always been influenced and scrapped over
by outsiders – from Romans to Arabian
warriors, the French, the mainland Spanish
and today’s seasonal and distinctly northern
European invaders. All these linguistic and
cultural flavours have been stirred into modern
Mallorca’s mix. And the joy of it is that, as you
stand in Palma’s cosmopolitan Plaza Mayor,
you could almost feel like you were anywhere
in the Mediterranean.
But one building is unique: La Seu ( 1
www.catedraldemallorca.info). The trademark
of Palma, this imposing cathedral built on the
old mosque confirms exactly where you are.
Gaudí helped with renovation work at the turn
of the century, and perhaps his time in Palma
inspired some of his efforts on the Sagrada
Família in Barcelona. You can go inside to see
the splendid stonework in all its finery.
Opposite La Seu is a symbol of royal power,
the handsome Palacio Almudaina 2 . It’s the
palace that King Juan Carlos I is particularly
partial to staying in. If he’s in Madrid though,
44 WWW.RYANAIRMAG.COM
you’re allowed to look around at the fancy wares on display.
For a dose of something really ancient, just walk the streets of the
old town (east of the Cathedral). Houses line the winding alleyways,
washing hangs from windows, and you’ll nary hear a word of Castilian
– people round here all communicate in Catalan, or rather the
Mallorcan dialect of it.
A brilliant modern/contemporary art museum now graces Palma.
The Es Baluard ( 3 www.esbaluard.org) opened in 2004, cementing
Palma’s reputation as a cultural hotspot. Ceramics by Picasso and
paintings by Santiago Rusiñol and Joaquim Mir are just some of the
treats contained in this old bastion, which used to be part of Palma’s
formidable city walls. Part of the structure is a former water reservoir
from the 1640s, called the Aljub. Today, it’s a space for contemporary art
installations and exhibitions.
If you have the time, a stroll around the marina and port reminds you
that you’re well and truly on an island. It will take more than an hour to
walk from one end to the other, but it’s a great experience. If you fancy
a bracing stroll out to the end of one of the breakwaters, you should add
on another 30 minutes.
The views of ships large and small won’t disappoint, either.
Millionaires’ yachts rub shoulders with cruise liners and more prosaic
ferries bringing people and produce into the island from Valencia,
Barcelona, Ibiza and Menorca. Once upon a time it would have been
pirate ships dropping anchor here.
art ALL AROUND YOU
La Seu, a city landmark
looking out across the Med
Cultural hub Es Baluard
Miró image
Interest in surrealist
master Joan Miró
is as strong as ever,
best shown by the
success of the current
retrospective at
London’s Tate Modern
(until 11 September).
But to truly understand
the man you need to
come to Palma – the
city the painter and
sculptor called home
from 1956 until his
death in 1983.
At Fundació Pilar i
Joan Miró ( 4 www.
miro.palmademallorca.
es) – Pilar was his
wife – you can learn
about the artist’s life
and view 118 of his
paintings. They are
housed in a gorgeous
modernist edifice set
in the hills above town,
next to the artist’s
studio. Stepping inside
the latter, it looks like
he’s just nipped out for
a coffee, with easels
and unfinished works
strewn around.
Miró’s time on
Mallorca was not
without incident. A
Barcelona-born Catalan
speaker and supporter
of the Republic, he was
ostracised and spied on
by Franco’s informants,
and could easily have
been shot. Instead, the
regime chose to let him
live in a kind of exile on
the island.