“ Amazing importance at a world level.” Thus said Pollensa mayor Tomeu Cifre earlier this week. This amazing importance is for Pollensa - in truth, more just Puerto Pollensa - and the source of this amazing importance is a wedding that’s taking place next Saturday. Some chap called Rafa’s getting hitched at a modest pile on the Formentor promontory. You may have heard about this.
The world level angle, according to the mayor, will have something to do with all the people who get to see images of the wedding. They will wish to come to this “exceptional tourism location”. Indeed, though if they fancy going to the exceptional location that is La Fortaleza, they’ll be disappointed. Not only is it not a tourism location, the locals are barred as well. Exceptional it is, and exceptions are only made for tennis, football and basketball players and television production crews plus actors.
The mayor observed that he imagined that someone will be protesting, by which he meant those who want there to be public access and take exception to La Fortaleza being only for the exceptional. And he’s right; in fact they already have been protesting. The guest list, alas, doesn’t include the mayor. Or not yet, anyway. Quite why it should I’m unclear. Does the mayor habitually get invited to weddings taking place in Pollensa? This exclusion from the guest list has resulted in the odd jibe in his direction. He won’t be able to ask Rafa for an autograph, and he won’t be officiating at the ceremony. This is a bit unnecessary. It’s been known for some time that the ceremony is to be conducted by the founder and president of the Projecte Home charity, one-time vicar in Alcudia, Tomeu Català. As a result, poor old Tomeu has been and is being absolutely bombarded by the press.
Anyway, wedding fever - despite any protests - is bound to be growing next week as the great day comes ever closer. Are they putting bunting out in Puerto Pollensa? Are there street parties? Meanwhile, the various suppliers will be hard at it, one of whom will apparently be Maca de Castro.
One imagines that she’ll be creating something rather more lavish than plates of prawn with Thousand Island vol-au-vents and lumps of cheese and pineapple on sticks. And to this end, she had the chance for a pre-wedding trial run at Jardín this week. The Viatge Gourmand do took place there; Marc Fosh and Andreu Genestra were among other chefs. It probably cost slightly more than a couple of euros to get in. But undoubtedly worth it so as to be able to say that one sampled some Nadal wedding catering, even if it isn’t.
In case you’re wondering, by the way, if there’ll be some grand fireworks display booming out of La Fortaleza and lighting up the Pollensa Bay sky next Saturday, the mayor suggests not. Permission needs to be sought from the town hall for anything lavish (i.e. a lot of big bangs and rockets being launched in the general direction of Alcudia). No request has been made. One trusts there won’t be any fireworks, therefore. There would be a heck of a stink if the wedding ended up being denounced.
And what about the cost of all this, you may also be wondering. Well, apart from the costs of the catering and the private security firm plus other bits and bobs, it’s around forty grand to hire La Fortaleza for a day. One can safely say that the groom will be able to stretch to that.