Monday, April 11, 2011

A Stroll In Palma De Mallorca

I was in Mallorca for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I went for a wedding so I didn't have that much time to take a look at the island and spent the entire weekend in Palma. If you stand with your back to the motorway that runs parallel to the sea and look towards the cathedral it's possible to avoid seeing any of the newer parts of the city.

With a few hours on my own on the Monday before returning to Madrid I couldn't resist the temptation to go and have a look at the building popularly known as "el palacete de Matas". This is the fine old building in the centre of Palma that was purchased by the former president of the Balearics, Jaume Matas; a man who is currently facing what could be described as certain legal difficulties concerning his period in office. It took a bit of work on internet to direct me towards the Carrer Sant Feliu.

It's claimed that Matas paid around a third of the true value of the building in question, and then refurbished it very lavishly but without apparently having to go to the trouble of paying all the bills. The most notable thing about the building, if I identified it correctly, is that the lower part houses offices of the Sindicatura de Comptes. Who are they? Nothing really, just the government agency that is supposed to ensure that public money is properly managed.

2 comments:

ejh said...

I'll be working in Mallorca next month, albeit in Artà rather than Palma. (Artà is down the German end, which rather suits me to me honest.)

Thing you notice there, and also on the (rather more likeable) Menorca is how many cops there are about. Reputably thoroughly corrupt, and all.

One curious thing about Mallorca is the apparent bsence of campsites. My assumption, based on precisely no evidence, is that the island is dominated by hotel interests who like it that way.

Graeme said...

Those of us who live in the centre of Madrid think that every where else in the world has hardly any cops. As for the campsites I'm with the Mallorcans, some of my most miserable experiences are associated with camping.