A change of scene for me last week as I had an adventure in Seville and Cadiz. It is always good to travel and open the eyes to possibilities, and the way life is, in other places. All locations are another traveller’s tourist destination. Seville and Cadiz were extremely busy in November 2023. They are both great places for a wander and they have the same conversations as Mallorca about how best to serve the interest of resident and tourist. Seville has its problems in July and August where it is too hot to be a visitor. Life is spent, as far as possible in air-conditioned buildings. Alternatively, residents relocate to the coast to get a bit of breeze. As a November, weekday visitor, I had the best time. I did not feel crowded or unwelcome. Prices for snacks, coffee and dinner were all about a third cheaper than in Mallorca. The further from the centre the cheaper everything became.
Meanwhile back home in Soller the conversations go on. People come and go, and the reasons are always multi-dimensional and fit the age and stage in life of the thinker. Most of us just get on with the fabulous life we have here. The sun shines, children go to school and have a childhood full of small-town pleasures and the great outdoors. Adults have choices, an island to explore, and daily adventures to have. We all take ourselves and our mindset with us, wherever we go.
Soller life is full of the practicalities of the continuing resurfacing of the roads and the cutting down of trees. It is the time of year when work is not being done in excessive heat. Major work happening in Puerto Soller as the Citric Hotel continues its demolition. Local residents have been to the Town Hall to see the plans and were surprised and the size and scale of the new hotel rising from the ashes. A huge crane and heavy lifting machinery is all there together with a workforce of about 50 people. Many local friends are enjoying their daily walks there to check on the progress of the day. It is a rarity in the Soller Valley to observe the building of a hotel. Most hotel renovations seem to be behind an existing façade, but not this one.
Locals listen to the chatter of the year and eventually start asking questions about all the promised projects. There is a tradition here about giving very early warning of projects which take years to develop. This week in the end of season chat we thought of all the expectations of 2023 and whether they had been met. Let’s start with the brand-new supermarket which was announced with great fanfare. It was due to be built in the Son Angelats Industrial Estate and be the largest supermarket in town. Not a peep about this since then and the site is currently still a wooded area. The cut price petrol station has made a little progress, we are told. Also due to open on the Son Angelats estate.
The new additional bus stops have been talked about all year. We are still waiting for the new ones promised three years ago. We have seen measurements and research being done on the locations but not a work force in sight. Announcements come and go and responsibility for action seems to pass from one department to another. I have no doubt that promises will be fulfilled but, when? In the meantime, there are promises to relocate the Fornalutx bus stop back to its useful stop in the centre of Town. Why this was ever changed remains a mystery. The shout out for a bus stop at the Repic end of the Port is as loud as ever.
This is the time of year to get busy, as the tourism workforce leave us the ‘hard hat’ brigade take their place to begin the work of the winter. The circle of life in the Soller Valley continues and there is time for interest in what the Town Hall its ‘to do’ list.