Tuesday, October 04, 2005

First night in Deià : Western Mallorca


Deià acquired its name ad-daia (hamlet ) in the 10th-11th centuries . Later in 1239 the philosopher Ramón Llull founded his missionary school there. In the 16th century the village expanded. Fishing, olive oil, citrus fruit and sheep farming flourished and the population grew to 1500.

Cut to 2005 : Arrival in Mallorca at 7p.m. , zoomed to Deià on the western coast, a Mediterranean paradise by the sea resplendent in bougainvillea, royal palms and an abundance of incredible ancient olive trees with thick gnarled trunks ... stone houses with tiled roofs ... a breathtaking view of the sea with its jagged sharp rocky coastline and loads of coves, the water cobalt with irridescent turquoises splashes, bedecked with sea pines , a luminous green.

It seems that Mallorca is one of or the first place in Spain to ban smoking in restaurants, as I found to my horror when I asked for an ashtray, and they all talk in intrepidation of January 2006 when the absurd, anal ley will be passed banning smoking in all public places. Deià's beauty is shattered with the constant, vile guttural tones of hordes of fucking middle-class Germans which seems to be crawling out of the woodwork, apparent from the tri-lingual menus in almost every restaurant. Pouring with rain .............

Tags: Deià + Mallorca

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