John Nelson keeps an eye on Alcudia!

• AlcúdiaMar-Vellous
  Brand new this summer (to me at least) is the evening market on AlcúdiaMar, the Port of Alcúdia’s increasingly chic marina. From about 8pm onwards various art and craft stalls line the quayside and, generally, they’re a cut above the usual fake sunglasses brigade. As darkness descends it’s truly magical to stroll amongst the illuminated stalls and yachts. Who needs Portals? The tourists love it and the stallholders and local bars and restaurants certainly benefit. Some are complaining (¿qué sorpresa?) that it takes business from shops in the port – shops that shut at 8pm anyway. Surely we should encourage and applaud anything that makes Alcúdia more attractive for visitors. Anyway, its highly unlikely visitors will go there every night of their holiday. Perhaps local businesses need to look to themselves and emulate what AlcúdiaMar is doing in terms of promotion and innovation. I say well done!
• So True #2
  "Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you." -Mary Bly
• Now then, now then, now then
  With the Socialists back in power rail travel is back on the agenda under the slogan “The Age of Train”. I kid you not. Extensions are planned to the Sa Pobla line to both Alcúdia and Cala Ratjada. Just love the idea of a direct train to Plaza España and both El Corte Ingles and Olivar Market within such easy reach. However, even without the hassle of traffic and parking, how many of us will really give up our beloved cars?
•  Three Times a Lady
  With so many accidents linked to alcohol consumption it’s great to see the traffic police out in force this summer. Last week a lady friend was visiting relatives in Cala Bona and on the way home she was stopped three times: firstly leaving Son Servera, then on entering Artà and finally a breathalyzer test coming in to Ca’n Picafort. Over the top? Maybe. Life saving? Almost certainly.
• Overheard in Playa de Muro
  British Tourist to holiday rep: “Is it a proper British Indian restaurant or a Spanish Indian restaurant?” Nonsensical though this statement is, you sort of know what they mean. 
• Ducking & Diving
  Thousands gather every August in Ca’n Picafort to witness one of the strangest annual rituals Mallorca has to offer. On Wed 15th almost 400 live ducks will be released into the sea from mid-day at the beach opposite the Sol y Mar hotel. Hundreds from the local area then dive in and try to catch the ducks. After all the splashing and squawking subsides it’s good to know the birds are later released unharmed. I’ve never been given an explanation for this bizarre ritual that makes any sense. Does anyone know? Admittedly it’s not an event to everyone’s taste but a spectacle nonetheless.
• Phew! What a Scorcher!
  One cannot shake one’s early education so when it comes to distance, weight and length I still think in the old money: miles, pounds, feet and inches. Similarly, when people state the temperature in °C I have to convert to °F for it to mean anything. However, for real accuracy I’m with Charles J. Brady when he said, “The real measure of a day's heat is the length of a sleeping cat”.
• Dollar Street?
  Long term resident Amy Williams e-mails to inform me that for at least 24 years Avenida Pere Mas i Reus has always been known as Calle del Dollar or “Dollar Street”.  Now that I like. Who wouldn’t prefer it to “G****y M***”?
• May Contain Nuts
  Following on from unfortunate mistranslations, earlier this year I bought a frozen pie in Benidorm and the label warning “may contain nuts” was translated as “puede contener tuercas”. Now tuercas is indeed nuts in Spanish . . . but nuts as in “nuts and bolts”.  Ouch!
• And Finally
  On August 11 it will be 100 days since the abduction of Madeleine McCann in Portugal. Say a prayer!

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