H: Keith Betton, host
E: Eduardo Gamero

H: Hello and welcome to Holiday 07, my name’s Keith Betton and this is the program on the internet where you can ask questions of me and my guests and we can answer your questions about your holiday plans, whether it’s a cruise, whether it’s a beach holiday, or whether you want to travel long haul or short haul. And today we’re going to be talking about the island of Majorca. More than 2 million people go to Mallorca from Britain every single year, and my guest today is Eduardo Gamero who was born in Mallorca and is an expert on the island. Welcome Eduardo

E: Thank you for inviting me to your program

H: What’s the weather like in Mallorca right now?

E: It’s very nice it’s Spring, it’s already Spring and it’s 24, 25 degrees today. Very sunny and you know you can enjoy outside, temperature and it’s really fine

H: It’s always struck me that the great thing about Mallorca it’s got whatever you want, even though it’s a fairly small island of about 50 miles by 50 miles, it’s got everything if you want the beach you’ve got it, if you want the open countryside you’ve got it, if you want the mountains you’ve got it. You’ve got everything haven’t you?

E: That’s true, everyone finds what they look for, and within this island that receives nearly 10 million tourists a year, of different nationalities, they live together in this island, they don’t disturb one to the other and they all get satisfaction and they all find what they look for, and that’s fantastic because you can, as you say it, you have beaches, you have in the interior of the island you find very very quiet places and small villages with a lot of character, with local character, and traditional, old traditions are still kept, and you are away from the noise and from the centre of different activities, so you can find what you wish and what you look for

H: Well it’s our most popular holiday destination for British travellers, and if you’ve been there you’ll know all about it but maybe you haven’t, so let’s have some images of Mallorca for you to think about

Video footage

H: Well those were images of Mallorca, one of the most popular destinations for British holidaymakers, in fact probably the most popular with over 2 million of us travelling there every year. Eduardo Gamero is with me to answer your questions, so remember if you want to know about Mallorca, email in your questions to me live on the show and we’ll answer them for you and get the right answers so you can plan your holiday. Now we fly into Majorca, there’s only really one airport, there’s Palma. Palma as a city, tell me, what is there to look for there?

E: Palma is the capital of the island, and in Palma lives 50% of the population of the island, which is nearly 400,000 people in the island we have 800,000 inhabitants. So it’s a capital where you can find everything, it’s a very easy city, but it’s a city with all facilities, you can find museums, you can find restaurants, you can find good art galleries and very fine shops, a shopping centre, I think it’s one of the most attractive items that you can find, fantastic hotels. In the city, in the old part of the city old palaces have been converted into hotels like Casa Alyssa, or El Puro or Hotel Tres – they are small hotels which are in this palace which had been converted into hotels for a very – I should say for a guest that they look for something different, they don’t like to be in a big hotel or in a traditional hotel

H: Are they expensive? I mean would I be paying a lot of money for that sort of premium type location?

E; Well they’re not really expensive, they are good value for money

H: Now the cathedral in Palma is the thing of course that is such a symbol, it took over 500 years to construct

E: 700 years

H: 700 years -

E: 700 years

H: 700 years to be constructed, it’s massive and I mean can you go in there as an ordinary visitor?

E: You can and there are some very interesting things to see, for example those interested in modernist, the architect de Catalan, Gaudi, he did quite renewal one century ago and its very important works there and very recently modern art have been introduced in the Cathedral by the painter and the sculpture, Miguel Barcelo. He has done a decoration there which has just been opened to the public and can be visited. It is said that Cathedrals are always incorporating the arts which are contemporaneous.

H: OK so there is lots of culture. The Pueblo Espanol is the village that was created a few years ago what is the idea behind that?

E: More than 40 years. It is the reproduction of traditional very well known buildings in different cities of Spain. For example La Torre de Oro in Seville, la Alhambra de Granada. So all Spanish cities are represented by a peculiar topical building which has been reproduced in this Spanish Village.

H: So you can in fact visit Palma and never visit anywhere else in Spain because you have done it all?

E: You have done it all there by visiting Pueblo Espanol.

H: You probably won’t be very popular for that but never mind. Now the shopping in Palma, lots of leather goods of course, much else to look for? Anything special for Mallorca?

E: Worldwide known pearls from Mallorca “Perlas de Mallorca”. Traditional presents like encimada that you know very well and many tourist customers they all take home as souvenirs. Of course we have to talk about wines and about olive oil which is produced in the Valley of Soller, which you know perfectly. They are very good quality and the tourists they like to take them home and not only consuming whilst on the Island, but take them home from their holidays.

H: Well we have got questions coming in so let’s go to the first question Shane says “What is the correct language to use in Mallorca?” Tell me, because you speak obviously Spanish but there is Mallorquin?

E: We have two official languages which is Castellano, you know as Spanish and then Mallorquin which is the Catalan language spoken in Mallorca. It is different - it is the same broadly as Catalan but with some differences. So we speak Spanish and we speak Mallorquin.

H: But almost everybody speaks English?

E: This is what I was going to say. Most speak especially English and other languages as well. Mainly English it is now our third language, English, because the new regulation for the students it implements that we are not bi-linguists but tri-linguists. So they start very early to study English as well as Spanish and Mallorquin.

H: Well let’s imagine a sort of journey going around Mallorca. We go out from Palma and we head west along the coast. You mentioned Soller, tell me about Soller and there is also Puerto Soller isn’t there?

E: Yes.

H: What are they like as destinations to visit?

E: The place is now very easy to reach because in the old days you had to go through the mountains and it was very difficult reaching Soller. Now with two new tunnels it is in 30 minutes, from Palma to Soller it is 30 minutes.

H: In fact we have got a question that has come in and this is from John he said “I have heard about the train that goes to Soller, when was it built? And why was it built?”

E: This is a piece of museum that is still working. It is 100 years old now and it started to be built in 1907, so its century is this year and the old machine it must be about 80 years old now because I remember in 1975 Siemens the German company they did a worldwide campaign based on the train of Soller which after 50 years still was there. So now 30 years later it is still there. It is a fantastic journey to Soller which takes 1 hour to do 26 kilometres.

H: Originally if I remember rightly it was built to actually bring the fruit, the oranges and lemons from the orchards back in to Palma is that right?

E: Exactly, because as I said before it was built before the road. It was a great work. There is a tunnel with nearly 4,000 metres. It was a great work by those days. Soller was isolated from Palma. They had to take goods by sea. It was impossible to bring them by air because you have to climb the mountains which are 1,400 metres high. So with a train passengers and goods can reach Palma very quickly and very easily. 100 years ago at 25 kilometres per hour.

H: Well I have taken the train a few times and it is an excellent journey, well worth doing and very very popular. If you have got questions about Mallorca, our subject today, then do email them in to the programme. We have actually got a question in from Esther she says “That going back into the eighties I used to read about Magaluf had all the bad reputation of being an area for lager louts. Is that still the case?” She wants to go there with her family.

E: She can go there with her family, she can go there just to the beaches and everything in Magaluf has been improved, new streets, the streets have been pedestrianised, no traffic. Outside Magaluf the gardens, it has improved tremendously.

H: Still have noise problems with the disco’s.

E: No No because there is very strict regulations. The bars they may not have music outside. Decibel values are controlled and after midnight there is no noise at all. There is a lot of life there, many people but it doesn’t happen what happened 25 years ago.

H: So you have got it in the right kind of levels now?

E: Exactly.

H: Which is good news. Lets talk a little bit about the western side of Mallorca. Magaluf is in the south west corner. Up in the mountains is it the Tramuntana Mountains? How do you pronounce the name of the mountains?

E: Tramuntana

H: Tramuntana

E: Tramuntana

H: Now as we go up there, you’ve got a few monasteries up in the mountains haven’t you?

E: Yes the most important is Lluc monastery of Lluc where the Madonna of Lluc is venerated, and she is the Patron of the island, and it’s very – religiously it’s very, I think it’s the centre of religious of the island, and it’s very nice place, it’s up in the mountains and it’s, surrounding the monastery is nothing, it’s a monastery there so -

H: You can’t stay there, you just have to -

E: You can, you can

H: You can?

E: Because there are some cells, which you need to book

H: Cells?

E: Cells

H: That doesn’t sound very attractive, I mean do you get a bed?

E: Yes, yes but of course it’s a monastery and they have running water today because in the old days you had to go outside –

H: Hot water?

E: Hot water yes

H: Ok good. What about the monastery, there’s Valldemossa I think has a monastery as well is that right?

E: Yes Valldemossa has a Carthusian, which is – it was privatised 150 years ago, and the services of this Carthusian were bought by privates, and there is a very nice story about a Winter in Mallorca which you probably heard Frederic Chopin and George Sand

H: George Sand yes

E: And she wrote a fantastic book about a winter, which is called “A winter in Mallorca” and she described how life was in 19 – in 1836/37 which was the winter from 1836-1837, and they stayed there for about, more than 3 months, and there is a piano, a piano player, which was received with Chopin who is still there, and some of the finest works of Chopin were, he produced there in Valldemossa. The Drop of Water, there is a nocturne called A drop of Water, it’s a fantastic work, he produced it, he was inspired there for this work

H: Yes. And there’s a big pilgrimage really for the people who are great fans of Chopin to be there and -

E: Absolutely yes the cell where he lived has been converted into a museum which can be visited, and during the summer months, we have what we call a Chopin festival with a pianist come from all over the world to do concerts and it’s very popular there

H: Ok well we’ve actually got a question anyway from Faith, she says “are there any festivals that happen around May time?” So can you think of any in May particularly?

E: Around May time, we have in some villages, because we have festivals all year round, because the patrons of the different villages, the, it’s – the reason to organise festivals in different villages of Mallorca, but during the May, during the month of May I can remember this in Lluchmayor they have a festival in Lluchmayor, and especially in May in Campis which is a festival for people that work the – how do you call it – the ganarea – the - they work in the land and they work in the – the farmers

H: Ok

E: For the farmers

H: Agricultural almost

E: Agricultural, yes

H: What about Carnival, you have a Carnival don’t you?

E; Yes we do, yes

H: What time of the year is that?

E: Well that’s Carnival, it’s been two weeks ago

H: In February

E: In February yes, normally it’s the last week in, that’s according to the calendar, to the Catholic calendar, but normally it’s the end of February

H: And there’s a wine festival also?

E: Well we have a wine festival practically every week

H: Every day!

E: Every day or every week. But really there’s a great production in Mallorca, and they’re improving continuously, and there are different sellers, very important like in Sancellas, you know?

H: Yes

E: And Petra as well, it’s a great tradition from very old days they produce wine and -

H: Can you get them to send a bit more of it over here, because it’s quite hard to find, Mallorcan wine in Britain, I’ve never found it in the shops

E: I know but you must realise the production is very limited because it’s a very small product, very small properties, small productions, very limited. And a lot is consumed on the island because more and more our customers, tourists, they like to enjoy the local wines and there is not much left to export

H: Ok well there’s also the village of Deya

E: Deya yes

H: Now that’s got a huge reputation because of the poet Robert Graves

E: Absolutely yes

H: What is there to do in Deya?

E: Well it’s very small, tiny village up in the hills and traditionally it has been interested by artists, painters, many painters, writers, most well known worldwide is Robert Graves, and it is say that he wrote one of his most famous books there, was I Claudio, was written in – well he lived there more than 40 years and he is buried there in a little cemetery, very nice cemetery overlooking the ocean, and it’s fantastic

H: Now, going from culture back from shopping we’ve got a question in from Steph

E: Shopping?

H: Yes, she says “does Palma have international shops like Mango and Zara?”

E: Absolutely yes

H: Your wife will know, I don’t know whether you do the shopping

E: My daughters, they -

H: So you know that for sure?

E: Yes yes, in the centre of Palma in Placa de Juan Carlos secundo, Placa de King Juan Carlos Secundo which is the main commercial area in Palma, just in the centre of Palma.

H: Ok now we have a question here from Jenny, she says “I’ve been having a debate with my friend – does paella originate from Mallorca?”

E: No, paella is – paella is finally, is the traditional dish from Spain, all over Spain but originally it comes from Valencia, and my wife was born in Valencia and there it is said they do the best paellas in the world, because this is the origin of paella, but we can say that paella is known and it’s a traditional dish all over Spain

H: Ok. Now let’s just carry on our journey, so we’ve been pretty much up through those mountains with all that culture, at the top there’s the Formentor Peninsula

E: Yes

H: Now that’s very scenic, little windy road, I mean there’s a nice hotel there as well

E: A nice hotel

H: And you can go to I think Puerto Pollensa for a little trip out on a boat?

E: Yes it’s only 7km and there is a trip by boat come in from Puerto Pollensa to Formentor, and it’s a fantastic beach in Formentor and many many – because in Formentor you have only this hotel, there’s nothing else in Formentor, so it’s a journey to visit there, to enjoy the beach and you come back, most living in Pollenca, in Puerto Pollensa, they go to the beach to Formentor and they go back to sleep to Puerto Pollensa where there is more concentration of beds

H: And I guess Alcudia is the biggest really resort on that northern coast?

E; Alcudia is the biggest bay of Mallorca, and the Romans, the first Roman village was in Pollensa which was in the bay of Alcudia, because they found that this was the biggest and nicest area to install a city, after Palma. So we have the north bay which is Alcudia and the south bay which is Palma.

H: Now as you head round that eastern side there are quite a few tourism areas along the eastern coast that I don’t know quite so well. So where are the main places you would recommend people look at?

E: Well if you go down to the south you have Cala Ratjada, then very important beaches like Cala Millor, Cala Bona, Cala D’Or, Silliot then Cala Santanyi down to Santanyi and they are very tiny what we call Cala’s which is little beaches, sandy beaches very nice and with a lot of services and you can enjoy all the beaches in all these areas up to Cala Santanyi which is in the south of the -

H: It is pretty low lying all that area.

E: It is low lying. The mountains are to the North and this is the centre, and to the south is like this.

H: I imagine that actually the mountains almost protect the island from some of the bad weather in winter?

E: Yes absolutely, yes. Especially from the north winter, the north winds which is, which is dominant in winter, and this is why it gives a climate, a mild climate during the winter because it protects us from the winds coming from the north

H: So it’s slightly milder perhaps than say Minorca or Ibiza?

E: Yes, well Minorca it’s flat island and they suffer more from the north winds because of the, they don’t have this protection, the curtain that –

H: Well our viewers are very interested in fashion, they’re also very interested in food. James has said “how does the food in Mallorca differ from the Spanish mainland?” So what are the typical dishes you might get in Mallorca?

E: Mallorcan food is Mediterranean traditional food which you find all the ingredients are the same as you may find in any other Mediterranean island, but the way of cooking it is different and some traditional dishes, especially I should say that Sopas Mallorquinas, is one of very fantastic dish. Of course, aubergines with – you can – they cook them with fish or with meat, then especially the sweet, ensaimada which is a cake, as a dessert and all done especially with pork, and basically la soresalda which is a very well known, it’s a sauce with which you can keep all year round, and lamb which is very popular now

H: Now if I wanted to learn about cooking in Mallorcan style, are there plenty of opportunities to do that, can you go on a holiday which is designed to tell you about that?

E: You can go on a holiday and you can go especially to the farms and to the hotel to the rural hotels where they really cook the traditional Mallorcan food and they explain you how, they show you how it’s done

H: One of my passions is bird watching as you know

E: Yes yes

H: Great place for bird watching and wildlife generally, I mean the marshes up in the north, the Albufera

E: Albufera yes

H: Totally protected

E: Absolutely yes

H: And really very very wild and I think that’s what has always struck me about Mallorca is so much of the island is actually very very wild still, even though 2 million of us go in there and get soaked up, as do the Germans, as do the French, as do the Scandinavians, how do you get all those people in there and yet you don’t ruin the island?

E: Well only 20% of the coastline is been developed so 80% of the coast which is absolutely green and protected. The whole north, the Tramuntana and all the north of the island is protected so more than a third of the island is protected and inside the island, if you fly over the island when we go to Minorca, so when you start to fly from Palma you see the island and it’s all green, it’s very – you see a few concentrations in the coast but then the whole island is empty, it’s not – and it’s green

H: It’s very different I think from what people might imagine. Now we’ve got a question here, this is really about property, I mean really someone, John here asking “is it a good place to invest in property?” He’s thinking about buying somewhere

E: Well it must be surely because more and more Europeans are buying property there, especially Germans and British, and people coming from the UK and I should say this is because of the facilities of our airport, and our air carriers that they have so much frequencies and good prices, which allows residents in, especially in the UK and in Germany to fly practically every week, and they can enjoy the weekend, a long weekend and short breaks and this is why more and more citizens of this to measure countries, they buy property in Mallorca

H: Ok well Francis has asked “what is the best mode of transport to use in Mallorca? Is it worth hiring a car?” Well I guess it depends how long you’re staying for, but let’s assume she’s staying for a week

E: It is normally, of course if you go for a long period you take a car but normally speaking the average of a stay is 10 days so one week or two weeks, so it’s not worth going with own car. It’s very easy to hire a car and it’s very – it’s not expensive

H: But I guess if you were going down for the winter and you fancied having let’s say a month there, two months, you’d take a ferry from the UK, or might even come down through Spain itself

E: Through Spain yes

H: You could get a ferry from Spain

E: From Barcelona yes

H: From Barcelona. It’s not a long journey is it?

E: It’s 3 hours and – 3 ½ hours with they have quick services now. It used to be 8 hours with the traditional old boats, but now 3 ½ hours

H: Is it a hydrofoil or something like that?

E: Yes it’s a kind of hydrofoil yes

H: Ok

E: Catamaran we call it, catamaran

H: Now Dan says “I’m looking to go to Mallorca with friends, heard the hiking is very popular can you tell me more about it and what are the hotspots?”, so I imagine he must be talking mainly about the mountains with the hiking. Do you have to be restricted to the mountains or are there hiking trips and routes across the island itself?

E: No there are no restrictions but you have to respect the private properties, and of course there are some itineraries because it can be dangerous if you’re, if you enter some, in the mountains where you don’t know and you don’t know how to go, then we’ve had tourists who had been lost in the mountains, but normally you have itineraries

H: Yes. And you have people who will guide you as well?

E: And you have people to guide you, this is what I was going to suggest you should need a guide to not to get lost

H: So it really has got almost everything Mallorca, getting there is pretty easy these days, you can fly from almost every airport in the UK

E: It is

H: And almost every day of the week. I mean in the old days you probably had to go on a Monday or something and come back on a Monday and now you can go whenever you want. You can probably do a day trip if you really felt that desperate

E: And you have different flights a day yes

H: Well Eduardo thank you very much indeed for telling us about the island of Mallorca, it’s great to have you hear in the studio

E: It’s been my pleasure, thank you for inviting me

H: Well we’ve been talking about Mallorca today. If you’re interested in knowing more about the island of Mallorca as so many people are then look on our website, you can see the website to go to to get more information and join us again here on Holiday 07 next time