Experience Mallorca from your home

We are going through difficult times due to the coronavirus, and most of us we have to stay at home on the lockdown. We wanted to contribute a bit to make these times easier by writing this article so you can experience the sights and sounds of Mallorca without even leaving from your home.

We are local experts on Mallorca, and we have done an article with some great recommendations looking for different things, we hope you enjoy it.

A drink: a mallorcan mojito

One of the most popular liqueurs in Mallorca is the hierbas, literally translated into English means “herbs”. It is made by mixing an aniseed-flavoured spirit with a hydroalcoholic solution to which aromas have been added by a process of maceration and/or by the distillation of aromatic plants. The main ingredients are:

1. An aniseed-flavoured spirit
2. Ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin
3. Water
4. Aromatic plants: lemon verbena, camomile, orange and lemon trees, rosemary, lemon balm and fennel, all grown on the island of Mallorca

We propose a cocktail by using hierbas and it is the mallorcan version of the mojito. Instead of using ron, we will use hierbas. We will add soda water, brown sugar, lime and mint.

To prepare the cocktail, place mint leaves and 1 lime wedge into a sturdy glass. Use a muddler to crush the mint and lime to release the mint oils and lime juice. Add 2 more lime wedges and the sugar, and muddle again to release the lime juice. Do not strain the mixture. Fill the glass almost to the top with ice. Pour the hierbas over the ice, and fill the glass with soda water. Stir, taste, and add more sugar if desired. Garnish with the remaining lime wedge.

A book: A Winter in Mallorca

The famous pianist Chopin came in 1838 to Mallorca with his partner George Sand. George Sand (nickname of Amandine Lucie Aurire Dupen) is very important in Chopin’s life. She was well advanced for the epoch she lived: she smoked; she was wearing men clothes…

They started their relation when she was still married, so she decided to leave her husband. When he realised that she was leaving him for another man, he got in a terrible mood until the point to threaten her with a gun. Fortunately, nothing happened, but all Paris knew about the matter. To calm down the situation, George Sand and Chopin decided to leave for a while the city, and the chosen destiny was Mallorca. This is the theory about the reason why Chopin came here. There is also another theory: they came here on holiday like “a honey moon” that would help Chopin to get over his tuberculosis.

They Came to Mallorca the 8^th November. Firstly, they were living in the French embassy, and then in the outskirts of Palma, in Son Vent. In November, Chopin was very ill and he had an important tuberculosis crisis. Everybody found out he had tuberculosis, and the owner forced them to leave the house because he was frightened to get the tuberculosis. Furthermore, they had to pay all the furniture, because the owner burnt it believing that it was polluted by the tuberculosis. Also they had to pay the desinfectation expenses.

They didn’t want to leave Mallorca so they found a new place where to live: a cell in Valldemossa monastery. The change was not good at all for Chopin who got worse. Finally, they had to leave in February due to Chopin illness. 10 years later he died.

On this book, George Sand relates the details of her trip and stay with Chopin on the island of Majorca.

Some music: Antonia Font

If you like listening music, we would like to recommend you one of our favorite mallorca pop groups: Antonia Font. The group was created in 1997, and unfortunately, they decided to end in 2013. They are characterized by their festive music and their humorous and fantastic lyrics. The group’s creative universe includes elements such as outer space and astronautics, combined with themes from everyday life. Their lyrics are written in the mallorcan dialect. They are generally classified as a pop group, though they have stated that they do not have any “stylistic prejudices” when composing songs. On 28 November 2013, the band announced that they officially retired.

You can listen to them on spotify or on youtube amongst other places. If you like live concerts, we highly recommend you the concert at the Gran teatre del liceu in Barcelona.

Our second recommendation is a song for kids that has been very popular last week. The police in Algaida village in order to cheer the population did this

Idò jo trob que aquests dies hi ha gent uniformada que està fent molt bé la seva feina, què punyetes! pic.twitter.com/AjCWFl0Bjp

— Emili Manzano (@EmiManz) March 21, 2020

The video has been shared widely on facebook and video, and it is an example of how the coronavirus makes people to be united and supportive to each other in these difficult times.

Something to watch: a documentary about Mallorca

Youtube is one of the most visited websites, and you can find a huge amount on videos and documentaries on Mallorca. We have done some research as we were looking for something different, and in English. We found this video with different parts about the real mallorca and its life:

• “Cleaning woman island”, concrete castles, Ballermann: Mallorca’s image is negatively affected in some respects. The documentary explores the charm of the largest Balearic island beyond the hustle and bustle of tourism and Rambazamba.

• In the first months of the year Mallorca turns into a sea of almond blossoms. There are around seven million almond trees on the island, once planted to replace dead vines. But now also the almond trees are threatened. The fire bacterium continues to spread, especially on the large plantations. The farmer Biel Torrens wants to save Mallorca’s almond trees and fruit with a small organic plantation and gentle harvesting methods. He shakes the almonds from the tree by hand instead of using a mechanical vibrator.

• The “real” Mallorca is best explored through real Majorcans: Manolo Barahona, TV fishing expert from the local island broadcaster IB3, faces the most difficult task of the year. The Raor is in season, the most expensive fish on the island. Manolo is supposed to get him first in front of the camera and then in the pan. There’s only one catch, the little fish with the piranha teeth just doesn’t want to be on TV.

• Cap de Formentor is the northernmost point of Mallorca. The Mallorcans call it the “meeting point of the winds”. Stones have always played a very special role in this rocky and rough region. The famous stone throwers, the Foners, once fought for the armies of Rome and Carthage. The Foners of today only compete in sports competitions. Old master Diego Camuñas makes his own slingshots, braided from the fibres of the Agave.

• Jaume Gual hangs again over the side of the patrol boat and looks into the tube. Caught: a false parker at sea! The motorboat tourist has anchored in the middle of a seagrass meadow. That gives a book reference and a hefty fine. Before Mallorca you will find the largest Neptune grass meadows in the Mediterranean area. They are considered the “lungs of the sea” and are endangered by ruthless tourists.

• A few years ago Francisco Pizá Bordoy opened his beach bar near Ses Salines. Whoever runs such a chiringuito is also responsible for the entire beach operation. He has to employ lifeguards, keep the sand clean, set up sufficient toilets and of course loungers. In short: provide total relaxation for the guests. The beach entrepreneur himself can rarely relax, as he is a policeman in his main job. The lease contract for his beach section is limited in time. And the competition doesn’t sleep

A virtual tour in one of Mallorca attracttions

Due to the coronavirus all the tourist attractions on Mallorca are closed. Palma Aquarium is running a campaign called #PalmaAquariumencasa (Palma aquarium at home). From Monday to Friday at 11:00 they do a facebook live video showing some of the tanks they have with the fish, and explaining curiosities about it. A great option to see one of the most popular attractions in Mallorca from home, and if you are a family with kids, we are sure they will love it.

Something to eat: an ensaimada

Now with plenty of time at home, it might be a good opportinity

Now with plenty of time at home, it might be a good opportunity to start putting on practice our culinary skills, so what about to do a typical mallorca dish. Lets go for something sweet, the ensaimada! On this video you can find a recipe to prepare it:

If you like cooking, then search for some other amazing and tasty mallorca dishes that you can try at home:

• A trampo salad
• A Coca mallorquina which is very similar to the pizza
• Tumbet
• Pork meat with cabbage, we call it “lomo con col”

You can also soon check our post with Mallorcan food online cooking tutorials. Enjoy!

Feel free to share those ideas with your friends and leave the comments below.