Beautiful almond blossoms on Majorca. | Marcial Guillén - kf - EFE - EFE

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It’s the weekend again, the fourth one in 2021. The first couple of weeks have gone by so fast. One minute we were eating the 12 grapes and the next we are at the end of January. I am trying to reflect on what has happened these past weeks. So much going on and yet – nothing. I believe I was not the only one who expected that all would feel better once we got to change to a new year.

Last year at the same time my lovely Palma office was bursting with life. 7 work colleges working side by side to get the projects out to our clients. As a group travel specialist working worldwide, we never had a low or high season. Someone was always going somewhere. I remember I was preparing a very exciting special programme in Mallorca for a group of 10 lucky Scandinavian travel agents. We did these kind of trips a couple of times a year so the project managers that handled the big groups would feel more comfortable to sell the island to their company groups and know what to offer. To do that everything had to be tested, the airport, transfer buses, hotels, staff, local guides and the excursions, restaurants and even the walks.

All in 72 hours, no time to waste. On this occasion the group was to arrive first week of February. My plan was to take them direct from the airport out in the countryside to enjoy some almond flowers and let them have a good picnic “pamboli” and let them try the Mallorcan wine from my favourite bodega. We were supposed to do a hike in the mountains from Deya to Puerto Soller, pitstop at the French Sisters in Can Mico for an orange juice and a piece of Lemon meringue pie, walk down to Puerto Soller where we would enjoy a mixed Paella and some Sangria at a sea view restaurant. There would even have been time to visit the now not so new but still cool Palma Congress Centre, and of cause play some golf in January. All got cancelled 48h before the arrival.

If only we had known. A year down the line we cannot even meet up for a coffee in the same island. I’m sure we will be able to welcome our clients to Majorca again on a trip just like the one I just presented; however, it will not be this spring. It is a shame because I really miss that part of my work.

Last week did something I have never done before in my life. I went to the protest in Palma arranged by Victor Sanchez Valle, a Restaurant owner in Palma. The protest was banned before it started by our local government and our President Sra Francina Armengol. I went to support the people in Mallorca, the business owners and the autonomous, people who are self-employed, and all the others that have lost their possibilities to support their families during this last year. It felt good to be a small part of the protest, but also a bit scary. As a Swedish person brought up in Scandinavia during the 80’s and the 90’s – I do have extreme respect for the authorities. But all went down well and at least we made it to the front page of the newspaper. Afterwards I heard that Sr Sanchez Valle was gifted a fine for starting a prohibited demonstration.

I have talked a lot to the Scandinavian people in Mallorca the past week, many came back to say that they really appreciate the column, and I am so happy for that. As someone said, whatever we can soak up that is not negative at the moment is great! So, I decided for next week to write a little about some of my fellow Scandinavians and to find us all some good news, because despite all, some of the people I know are doing really well right now.

I am very much looking forward to being able to go to meet a friend in a cafeteria and have a coffee again, until then I focus on selfcare and on checking in on people.

Allan Spiegel

Allan Spiegel came to Mallorca in search of the sun and better way of living in 2017 with his family. With long history of working with interior design for the hospitality market in Sweden his idea was to offer the same type of services for the private sector in Majorca, with focus on upgrades and renovations. All was going fine until the first months of 2020 but with no travel possible he decided to concentrate his mind in Majorca. This turned out to be one of his best decisions ever.

Because funny enough the new trend is stay where you are and still do a full makeover of your Mallorca home. “A year from now we will see a huge change in ownership of homes in Mallorca” he says, and most new owners feel the need to remodel or upgrade the properties before they move in. But we are still working with hotel and restaurant projects in Sweden alongside and we use several Mallorca company’s for production of furniture for export – a perfect win /win concept. Altona has done well in 2020 and they are now 15 persons in fact they have even had to hire more staff. If you are interested to see what this Scandinavian company can offer feel free to send an email to info@altona.se