New businesses off the starting bock are those with ‘Artificial Intelligence’ at the heart. Most writers I know have played with it, including me. I just find it so boring and ‘heartless. The university kids in my family tell me of the rules they must work by when submitting an essay or thesis. ’Cut and Paste’ and ‘AI’ can be easily detected with the resulting downward mark. It’s not worth the aggro (at present) to pass off AI as your own work. So, when new advertisers arrive telling us to ditch Facebook and transfer all marketing to AI, it doesn’t fill me with confidence. I know improvements will come to make it user friendly and less robotic in style, but I think journalistic chatter will be around for some time to come.
So having established that I am a real person and not a machine I will chatter on about the news in the Soller Valley this week. Important roadworks are beginning this week on the mountain road linking Soller and Deya. Everyone has stories of their experiences of this highway. Usually, the tales are of not being able to get past a bus or reversing when a stream of traffic heads towards you. Locals, in the winter rush up and down this familiar road. In the summer it’s an altogether different tale. Traffic jams, buses and drivers sitting in tears as they have no idea how to negotiate bends. This road is an acquired taste and not for everyone. A known accident spot for cyclists and as I said to start, everyone has a story. The asphalting and barrier fixing will take some weeks, but it will be a glorious improvement. The road will still be in use while work goes on, but delays are inevitable.
I love the Soller vibe at present. New restaurants developing before our eyes in Soller Plaza. Two of them are creating their second restaurant in the square, a third already has a restaurant in Biniaraix and now another in the Lluna. They are known and will already have a local following when they open their doors this season. This is hugely encouraging for new arrivals who want to eat where the locals do. Just follow the crowd is the key.
Carnival quickly comes this year because the date is defined by an early Easter. The school Christmas floats are being given their Spring look for Carnival. The Children’s Parade happens in Soller Square on Friday 9 February and ends with music and dancing for the younger ones. On Saturday 10 February all eyes turn to the sea front where the major parade takes place accompanied by much music, noise and ends in a party.
Then a few days later it is the turn of St Valentine to weave his magic. Many restaurants will be open by then with the rest opening their doors on Balearic Day, March 1. Some lovely Soller Valley Hotels have special offers around Valentine’s night with a full pampering package. The return of the Soller Train for its 2024 season, takes place on Monday 5 February. The train and the tram are now back in action. Already to welcome the Carnival visitors and those here for their winter walking and sightseeing holidays. This should also mean that the opening of Can Prunera Museum will join the Ferrocarril businesses open for this new year.
The business chatter is about ‘five-day week’ now that hospitality businesses are opening their doors again. Some companies have moved away from the expectation of employees working a six-day week. They are now struggling with the concept of giving two consecutive days of. The simplest solution is to have a ‘five-day week team’ and a ‘two-day week team’. This is the easiest and most expensive solution. Instead of that there is the ‘bonus’ if you work six days answer or closing every week for two days. Rotas are the bane of the hospitality world. Good luck to them all as they try to work this one out in 2024 when staff expectations are very high.