Spain (Mallorca) in increased restrictions!

Another week, same restrictions...but although it's been pretty windy here of late, the sun is shining which always raises the spirits 😎  So today we decided to take a walk up the mountain behind El Vila between Pollensa and the Port with the dogs and a flask of tea.  The views of the Port were glorious:

Although there was a reasonable amount of cloud about, we could see right over to the Bay of Alcudia:

We also had a great view towards the Boquer Valley:

It was much darker towards Pollensa so we focused on looking the other way!  And one of the best parts of all was that we could do the whole walk without masks which was incredibly liberating.  It's the little things......

In local news part of what was Maxims (which has closed for good) had a new sign put up before Christmas "Cardamom City Indian Restaurant" so I guess at some point we will have an additional place to Himalaya to have a curry.  Disconcertingly, part of the the Maxims Bistro signage remains 🤔  We also noticed that in the past week the Dakota Tex Mex opposite Bar Bonys was having some painting done;  it is now a smart grey and currently looks as below:   

Last week I mentioned some work on the terrace of Celler La Parra - this has now been completed and the walls below the terrace 'roof' have all been painted white so it all looks spick and span.  The restaurant hasn't re-opened even for take-away yet, but then again they always have some time off around this time of year and there are some well spaced tables on the terrace so I assume they're just waiting for the current restrictions to ease.  And El Pozo (cafe/bar down near Portofino, opposite the small Eroski) has closed permanently due to the retirement of the owner but still.....it's another place that won't be opening again 😥  But at least, as mentioned last week, we have a good selection of take-away opportunities in the Port and for that we must be grateful for now.  

In further local news they have made good progress on the enlarged Tourist Information Centre which will return to it's original site by the marina (where the old bus station used to be).  They are building to the left of the original small building right along to the side road to the boat slipways so it will be much larger.  

The temporary premises in C/Juan XXIII more or less opposite the small Eroski was completely cleared out some weeks ago and we did wonder whether they would start with the rumoured enlargement of the previous premises and it seems this is indeed the case 👍

In Mallorca they are due to revise the current restrictions but the various autonomous regions in Spain are, in general, facing ever increasing numbers of coronavirus cases and are implementing ever tougher measures so at the very least the current restrictions here are likely to be renewed.  The Balearics, along with some other regions, did ask the national government to allow implementation of a curfew of 8pm but this was turned down on Wednesday.  

In Spain we are currently in Phase 1 of the vaccination programme which includes care home residents, healthcare workers, and people with severe disabilities and not in care facilities.  At the current pace of delivery the next phase of vaccination delivery will begin in March to the over 70s although this is subject to change depending on delivery of the vaccine and also approval of new vaccines.  Certainly it does seem that the UK is further ahead than here in delivery to people and there is not really any definitive information here yet but....patience is a virtue!

Finally (and although in the past I've posted a similar picture before) I thought I'd leave you with a wonderful piece of Spanish parking that I noticed this evening during whilst walking the dogs.  Not sure a piece of paper would fit between them - only in Spain! 😂😂

Stay safe and hasta el próximo domingo!

Spain (Mallorca) in increased restrictions!

It's been a strange and rather unsociable week as we are unable to meet any friends either in our home or outside.  Mind you, there's nowhere to meet anyway as all the cafes, bars and restaurants are shut (apart from take away) and have been since Wednesday - it was eventually delayed for 24 hours from the Tuesday.  Even more frustrating is that finally the sun has got his hat on (albeit often accompanied by a fairly chilly breeze) and it would now be lovely to sit on a terrace with a coffee, a wine or a lovely menu del dia - but I guess that's you know who's law 😫  However that's nothing to the frustration I think the bar and restaurant owners must feel!  Apart from the fact that we can walk wherever and also go into local shops unlike the first lockdown, the streets are definitely looking pretty empty and not dissimilar to back last spring.  Here is Cafe 1919:

And the road round the corner that goes to the square with Bar Tecun, Arux, Nostalgia and Centric:

In terms of what establishments remain open for take away beverages and food the ones I'm currently aware of are: Luna de Miel, Himalaya, Pascalino, La Vall, Liberty Kitchen, Can Josep, Bodeguita, Nawab Istanbull, Toni's, Dolc Sa Pobla and Bella Roma.  Celler La Parra was open but they've had some work done on their front terrace (plumbing? heating? - not sure but long trenches were dug in the concrete) this past week.  I suspect they'll open again for take away shortly but will soon find out as the work appears to have been finished now.  On Friday evening - and purely in the interests of take away research you understand 😜 - we had a wonderful take away curry from Himalaya complete with onion bhajis, popadums and naan bread - delicious!  Anyway, overall we can hardly complain with such a great selection of places to choose from now can we?!

Gyms and sports facilities are also closed here now unless for federated sports, so Simply Pilates Studio where I do my gym classes has returned to online classes which are not quite the same but I'm still more than grateful that I can keep the fitness levels up.  The first one  online last week really reminded me of last year's full scale lockdown which wasn't necessarily the best of recollections but it is what it is and we must make the best of it 💪

Yesterday and Friday we should have been celebrating San Antoni with the wonderful fires and barbecues on the Friday evening and the climbing of the pine yesterday.  But of course this year none of this could take place which has been sad and frustrating in equal measure.  But the focus is on making it a really good one next year so hang on to your hats for that! 🥳

In local Covid news, we apparently have 75 active cases according to the PAC in Pollensa.  Slightly further afield, Son Espases Hospital has announced 16 cases in Mallorca of the Covid-19 variant currently affecting the UK so badly 😢  Speaking of which, up until very recently we personally knew of next to no friends or family with coronavirus in the UK; now sadly they seem to be going down like skittles although mercifully the vast majority have not needed hospitalisation.  It really emphasises how contagious the new variant is and the importance of vaccinations in order to allow us to return to a normal life.  It seems to us that the scheme for vaccinations is moving along at a reasonable pace in the UK; unfortunately it's a lot slower here, partly due to a shortage of planes with the necessary freezer facilities to transport the Pfizer vaccine and partly to delays in delivery caused by Storm Filomena which brought record low temperatures and all that snow to a huge part of Spain including Madrid.  This meant that planes were grounded so it seems the vaccination rollout here has been set back by some days.  Hoteliers and others in the hospitality sector are obviously very anxious, not only by the recent closures but also by the need to get the vaccinations quickly if there is to be any kind of a 2021 season here.  On the bright side, the Spanish NHS is really wonderful and I'm pinning my hopes on the fact that once they get into their stride, it'll be all systems go 🤞

Today we had such lovely weather despite a stiff breeze, that we took the dogs for our favourite walk in the woods at Cala san Vicente.  It was, as ever, glorious although the normally bone dry torrent had a decent amount of crystal clear water from the mountains in it today which given the amount of rain we've had recently is hardly surprising!

But as you can see, the views were spectacular and we felt very lucky indeed 😍

So.....the days roll around and we're a third of the way into the new restrictions.  We've started watching The Crown for our sins - yes I know, late to the party and all that 😂 - but we decided we needed something to entertain us and my goodness it really is!  We've nearly finished Series 2 so with another 21 hours to go, but hey....that'll keep us out of mischief......

Stay safe and hasta el próximo domingo!

Spain (Mallorca) in increased restrictions!

And so it came to pass as most of us here predicted - further Covid restrictions are in place with effect from Tuesday which mean that all bars/cafes/restaurants will be closed (although they can provide a takeaway service).  Gyms and sports facilities will also be closed (apart from federated sports) as well as all non-essential shops and larger shopping centres.  Government buildings and schools will remain open.  The former is good news for those still processing official paperwork such as TIE (the post-Brexit residence) cards.  In any event, I'm very much looking forward to the vaccination rollout here; my youngest daughter who works in a care home in the UK, received her first vaccination last Sunday with her second dose booked in already.  One day.......🙏

This past week saw the Three Kings fiesta although of course it was a shadow of its former self this year.  Nevertheless, here and indeed all over Spain, heroic volunteers turned out in their costumes 👑 on an absolutely freezing cold evening to drive round just about every road in town (standing on small flat bed trucks or jeeps) so that children could see them from their balconies 👏👏   This big child (ahem!) also enjoyed it - they went past 3 times due to living on a main junction - but the street and shop lights made it difficult to get reasonable photos, this is as good as it got:

From what we saw of local children the next day (the Three Kings bank holiday) out playing with their new toys, it seemed that somehow parents and the local Three Kings organisers ensured that the children had as good an experience as possible - bravo!! 👏

The weather here really has been dreadful in the last week or so - cold, grey, windy and VERY wet!  This has made sitting outside to eat or drink a bit of a trial and I've taken to bringing an extra scarf with me to lie across my lap.  Mind you, as of next week I won't have the need to do that for a while so every cloud and all that!  It's been so cold that sitting on the loo seat makes me squeal 😱😂 and leaving a nice warm bed to go to the loo in the middle of the night is something that you put off until you absolutely have to, a bit like I used to do when a scout leader (which I was for many, many years in the UK) when at winter camps.  Mind you, at least here I don't have to clamber out of a sleeping bag, put on a coat, put on boots and unzip a frosted tent flap to walk to a freezing loo block so maybe I exaggerate, but you get the idea!

Recently we had cause to go to Palma with appointments at the tax office to obtain certificates to say we were fiscal residents in Spain.  And as ever, nothing is easy!  My appointment was first which was a good thing as my Spanish is reasonable and it soon became clear that the reason 'computer says no' was because apparently I live in the UK! 😳  The staff were very sympathetic and actually the nicest government officials we've yet encountered, but had no real answer as to who I'd been paying my tax to ever since I moved here and started working but hey! this is Spain 😂 If we were able to prove, same day, that we had lived here for at least 6 months then all was well.  The fact that we live almost an hour's drive away and they close at 2pm elicited sympathy but when I enquired if we could make an appointment for another day...... you've guessed it.....'computer says no'.  Brainwave!  Cue a brisk trot to the nearest branch of our bank to get copies of at least 6 months of bank statements to prove we live here, back to the tax office and one of the sympathetic staff members produced the goods.    Only in Spain! 😂

In local news, the owner of La Fortaleza (the beautiful estate in the bay where The Night Manager was filmed) has donated 400 food hampers which the local social welfare department will be distributing amongst needy local families - good news indeed in these very difficult times.  This is a very welcome addition to the great work of the local food bank 👏

Today, or at least mainly this morning, the weather was much improved and so we took the opportunity to walk along to Llenaire and back with the dogs whilst the sun shone:

The bay looked as beautiful as ever and we felt very lucky to be able to be in the great outdoors in such lovely surroundings 💕

Stay safe and hasta el próximo domingo!

Spain (Mallorca) in revised level 4 restrictions!

Well we made it to the other side - Happy New Year! 🎉  It's definitely turned wintery here in the Pollensa area - daytime temperatures at around 9 degrees and at night around 4 degrees.  And of course in the mountainous areas it's a lot colder and there has been snow on the peaks down to 600m 🏔  Given that houses and apartments here are designed to keep the heat out and most of us don't have central heating and lovely warm carpets, the weather is even more of a topic of conversation here than it is in the UK!  

The weather has been generally so gloomy that it's wonderful to see Jose's (Bar Bonys) balcony display of geraniums which, although naturally nothing like the enormous display of earlier in the year when it featured in this blog, is still providing a very pretty sight as I walk past to and from the gym a couple of times a week.  To have geraniums looking like that at this cold time of year he really must have green fingers! 

The above mentioned weather has meant that eating or drinking out (literally!) means wrapping up well in quite a few layers.  And the coveted seats by the terrace heaters are soon gone!  I've taken to bringing a warm, wide scarf with me, not to wear but to put on my lap.  It works very well but it feels even chillier when you remove it to walk home though!  We are still only able to eat outside, and cafes/bars/restaurants have to close at 6pm so the last thing those local hospitality businesses still open needed was really cold wet weather 😢  It is of course possible that people will just stay at home thus helping prevent the spread of coronavirus, but so far the figures still aren't looking that great here and the restrictions are not due to be reviewed until 11 January.  In the meantime we just need to keep going.  Vaccinations have started not only in Spain but here in the Pollensa area - the care home in Pollensa started vaccinations on 30 Dec with this gentleman 👏

Of course it's going to take time in 2021 for the vaccinations to be given and to take effect insofar as preventing the spread of coronavirus, but it brings to mind the Yazz song "The Only Way is Up"! 🎶

We did have really good weather for one day this week - New Year's Eve.  This was rather lovely for me as it was my birthday 🎂  I started the day with a video call with my children in the UK and then we had a lovely dog walk in Cala san Vicente with views like this:

The afternoon was spent sitting in the lovely sunshine having a birthday meal at Centric.  Due to the weather, lots of people were keen to eat and drink so Tecun, Bar Arux, Nostalgia and Centric - all of which I could see at a glance - were all kept busy which was lovely for all concerned 😎  We spent a quiet evening in and, for the first time in living memory were all tucked up in bed way before midnight but hey, the whole year has been different so....

Next week is the Three Kings fiesta here and an important time for Spanish children who traditionally receive their presents not from Father Christmas but from the Three Kings who parade through the streets on the night of 5th January showering the crowds with sweets and then handing out presents to the children in the square.  This year is of course going to be different.  Mailboxes have been installed in 4 locations in Pollensa and in the square in PP:

The Kings also put out a message on social media to all children in the area that they would be parading through every street and that children should stay indoors, watch from their homes and stay safe 👑🎁

So as we take our first steps into 2021 let's hope we can turn the woes of 2020 around and make this a year to remember but this time for all the RIGHT reasons! 💪

Stay safe and hasta el próximo domingo!

Spain (Mallorca) in revised level 4 restrictions!

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas despite the challenges we've all had with the various tiers and levels restrictions.  We certainly did have a wonderful time here despite some vile weather - but more about that later.  Up until Christmas Eve afternoon we have had wonderful weather so really can't complain.  One evening, on taking the dogs for their toilet walk, nature gave us this view:

Shepherd's delight indeed 😎 

On the morning of Christmas Eve I met a friend at Pascalino for a coffee and we noticed the cloud had settled over the bay in a very strange fashion - I don't know if anyone else has ever seen the cloud do that but it was quite magical and I took the opportunity to take a photo:

And it just got colder from then on in.  Sadly, the weather forecast for Christmas Day held true and it was cold, raining and windy.  But, undaunted, we and our friends went to Stay and had Christmas dinner on their terrace.  It was so wet that only the tables next to the windows could be used and even then those on the outside seats got the occasional splash of rain.  But luckily for us we were seated under one of their heaters and Ian actually took his coat off for a bit although I wasn't quite so brave!  Temperatures started at around 9 degrees, dropping to about 7 degrees towards the end and we could see snow on the tops of the Tramuntana mountains 😱

The food was completely wonderful and the staff soldiered on in really dreadful conditions.  To them and to all the staff at the various restaurants who worked in such challenging conditions - well done and thank you all so much! 👏

In other news, Covid-19 vaccinations started today here in Spain.  Just like in the UK, it was televised and widely reported on with some excitement.  The first person in the entire of Spain to receive the vaccination was a 96 year old lady, followed by a worker at her residential care home.  And importantly, vaccinations started today at a care home in Palma having arrived overnight by plane:

But in the meantime, data for Mallorca is really bad and from Tuesday morning we will be continuing in level 4 but with bells and whistles - essentially all cafes/bars/restaurants will have to close at 6pm every day for the time being and shopping centres will have to close on weekends and bank holidays and implement a 50% reduction in the public car parking.  These measures will stay in place until 11 January.  Whether I'll be able to return to work after the Three Kings in early January remains to be seen. To be honest though we'd expected it to be worse; mind you, there may be further announcements tomorrow so.....hold that thought! 😳

The situation in the residential care home in the Port remains critical although the one in Pollensa by the cloisters is absolutely clear - apparently this is where vaccinations will begin on an extremely local level.  We are registered with the Spanish NHS and will get a text from them when our turn arises, but many British residents who have private health care are, not unreasonably, wondering how they will in due course get the vaccination.  No-one seems to know and it's something that the embassy seems to have overlooked in all the Brexit kerfuffle.  Hopefully they'll get around to it in time as it's of real concern to many folk resident here.

In local news, Moll de Bellagio has closed for the season - it would not normally have done so yet but trading conditions are such that.... 😧  Those that remain open have, of course, a limited amount of potential customers and that, together with the currently much chillier weather, certainly hasn't helped local businesses.  Still today, although chilly, was lovely and sunny with blue skies to really lift the spirits; the more of days like this and less like the Christmas Day weather, the better it will be for local hospitality businesses with their limited customers only able to sit outside.  

So it looks like both the UK and Mallorca will be under quite a few restrictions for the foreseeable future.  I guess it's just something we have to put up with in order to see this thing through to it's end, and certainly the vaccinations are something very positive to hang on to in the meantime.  Until then.....stay safe and hasta el próximo domingo!

Spain in level 4 restrictions!

Well here we are nearing the end of our first week in level 4 restrictions and we're managing fine. But the local businesses are certainly facing their biggest challenge yet and our hearts go out to them all 🤗  So....what are our new restrictions?  In a nutshell, we can no longer eat or drink inside any cafes/restaurants/bars - only on their terrace at 70% capacity.  And those same businesses must shut at 6pm on Fridays, Saturdays and bank holidays (although they can continue to provide take away food until midnight).  This is impacting hard at such an important time of the year in hospitality; and of course the same is now happening in a large part of the UK.  Locally only today we heard that Little Italy on the Pine Walk will not be re-opening again which is very sad.  But we just somehow have to keep going - I believe the vaccination programme is shortly to be rolled out here so as I see it, this is a push towards that and the beginning of the end 🤞

Personally I have been affected in that my teaching job finished suddenly in the middle of the week in much the same way as it did back in March which was pretty sad.  One minute I was in the classroom with some great Christmassy lessons planned, the next - at home and putting it all away 😒  This is because the Balearic government declared that all extra-curricular activities from football to English were to finish forthwith.  Given how careful we had been at school this was more than frustrating but hey - again, it is what it is and it won't be forever.

The weather is still lovely out here compared to the UK on the whole, but it definitely is more wintery here now.  As I recall this seems to be a little earlier than usual but that would be typical in a year where we will be eating Christmas dinner outside on Stay's terrace; currently the forecast is scheduled to be fairly chilly and with a good chance of some rain - deep joy 😂 but it matters not, we are determined to have a great time come what may 🎉

In the meantime, the Port has never looked lovelier and here are a couple of views of it over the last week:

   

                                                                                       

In local news, the Pollensa area has been very hard hit by a big increase in cases of coronavirus with a large number of them sadly in the care home in the Port (the one in Pollensa is apparently absolutely fine).  The cause of this is being looked into, but in the meantime we all have to abide by the rules and do our bit.  And to be honest, it really isn't that difficult when you can stop, as I did the other day, for a morning coffee with this for a view 😍

So, as we enter Christmas week, I'd like to wish every one a very happy and safe Christmas 🎄🎅  

Hasta el próximo domingo!

Spain in the updated new restrictions!

Back home this weekend after a cheeky mini-trip to Valencia for 3 days last weekend.  We flew from Palma to Valencia with Air Europa who we've found in the past to be very reliable and good value for money.  Palma was quite busy for a very early morning but then again it was the start of a long bank holiday weekend out here, when quite a few Spanish travel to visit family elsewhere in Spain.  Of course this year is a bit different to say the last but some people were still travelling and the Balearics publicised that any residents here could have a free PCR test on return from the mainland during the bank holiday dates if they wished.  Anyhow, each passenger had a row of 3 seats to themselves and everyone was handed a sanitiser wipe as we boarded in order to wipe our hands and the area around us.  No refreshments were available but then again it's a very short flight!  The mainland felt just the same as here, mask wearing, hand sanitiser etc etc and on return we were given the information about a free PCR test although as you have to go to Palma to have it, we decided not to take it up.

This week saw the introduction of a new curfew time of 10pm instead of the previous midnight.  This is because unfortunately the numbers of coronavirus cases here has gone up quite a bit and so the government has introduced this in order to try and prevent people being out late in bars etc.  We're never out late so it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference to us!  And if Christmas and New Year celebrations are more restricted than we had anticipated then so be it - we're still going to have a lovely time, come what may 😁  Mind you, there are strong rumours that tomorrow, the Pollensa area will enter Level 4 restrictions as sadly locally the numbers have gone up; it seems the care home on the bypass has been hard hit recently both with residents and staff affected.  Level 4 will mean we will be unable to leave the area unless for medical reasons so no-one will be allowed in either, unless they are resident.  And hospitality will be affected with seating only outside at tables of 6 and at 50% terrace capacity which could lead to a possibly chilly Christmas dinner at Stay for us!  Ah well, as long as we have a table, we'll just wrap up warm if we need to......

I very much hope the vaccination is approved for use here really soon so that vaccinations can begin.  The Spanish government has laid out it's plans for how it will roll out - pretty much the same as in the UK - but hasn't yet started although it's definitely imminent.  Fingers crossed, and for me - although I respect those who are wary - I will most definitely be having my jab as soon as it's offered.  

The Christmas lights in the Port were put up during the last couple of weeks and have now been turned on and it's lovely to see them after such a challenging year.  The church is looking very lovely:

And the rest of the square looks like this:

Christmas has also finally arrived in the Froome household as today I decorated our tree, supervised via a video call by my granddaughter in the UK who normally is here to help when she arrives with my daughter for Christmas.  This year, like so many others, is very different but we made the most of it and the tree is looking rather lovely 🎄 

And I'm living dangerously by not going with my usual silver and gold 😂 this year I've broken the habit and gone for silver with some blue - if not in 2020 then when?! 😂😂

In other local news Ca'n Ferra, Los Faroles/Ca les Monges and Hostal Borras have all closed their doors on the season, and today is the last day open for Brisas Marina too.  This is, of course, nothing new and a normal time of year for them to do so but it definitely brings a real winter feeling to the Port.  All the terrace heaters are out in force at the places that remain open and once the sun goes down it does get quite chilly.  Today is lovely and yesterday was nice but during this past week we have had some very cold, wet and windy weather indeed.  It's much harder to get warm indoors here as most houses/apartments have no central heating, are uncarpeted and are built for keeping the heat out!  We've got used to it now and very much appreciate our gas fire and our two small oil-filled radiators, but sometimes it's colder inside than outside during the day! 

So.....from a potentially restricted Pollensa municipality - keep smiling, stay safe and hasta el próximo domingo!