Easter is almost upon us and the ‘faithful’ and the ‘curious will attend church on Sunday and emerge with Palm Crosses. Some churches will have Palm Sunday processions involving donkeys. In Soller there will be plenty of Palm Crosses handed out and some of them will take their place on home balconies for the year, until next Easter comes round. This is the beginning of Holy Week and Easter seriousness will take over. In Soller this means the Parades of the penitents around town on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. Prepare for the flowing robes and the pointed hoods. These observances often shock when they are seen for the first time. The main thing to remember is that silence reigns. Don’t chatter when you pass a Penitents Parade, it is considered very bad form.
The ’fortnighters’ have already arrived and are filling the hotels. A two-week school holiday around this time in the UK, means families are with us again. I love the children on the beach and uncomplicated holidays spent making castles and attempting to put toes into the freezing sea! Weather is glorious but not warm enough for the average person to attempt to swim without a wet suit.
Staffing issues are hitting us in the Soller Valley, and the hoteliers are trying to solve one of them. Rentals are so expensive here which means many seasonal workers rent outside the Soller Tunnel along the main bus routes and into Palma. This is all fine until it comes to getting home at the end of their shifts. The buses stop after the 10.30pm service, and this is why a problem exists. Some employers have taken to providing taxis home for the staff. The Soller hoteliers have lobbied the bus company to provide a bus service till midnight. We wait to see the outcome, but this would be such a popular decision. Soller young people, tourists and locals are tired of being the 10.30pm Cinderella’s. Many have asked for this for years, to have the added weight of the Hotels Association is a boost for the cause. What will the visitors of this year find in Soller and the Port that is different to last year? Most people don’t want to see change unless it is the repair of an eyesore. Frequent visitors love everything to be just as they left it. For the most part that is the case. Cafes and restaurants have changed hands but all with positive good ideas for their new ventures. Lots of cleaning, painting and upgrades have happened. Some business owners have added another to their portfolio. Some people have retired, and their shops have become something completely different. The wheel of life turns here the same as it turns everywhere else.
At the ‘bridgend’ of the Repic Beach a derelict eye sore has nearly finished its wonderful transformation to a smart new block of tourist apartments. Many pass it now and ask for information as to how they can buy one. That ship sailed a long time ago and nothing is for sale. This is a change that no-one can complain about as it is farewell to neglect and ugliness.
Soller bay is as empty as it going to be right now. The small boats will arrive for Easter and then it will be a full bay until October. New restrictions are said to be in place on the free moorings this year. Last year it was considered overcrowded. We wait to see the supervision on this and whether anything will change. The fine yachts who pay big bucks for their moorings are also on the move and sail in majestically. We all love the beauty of this and the fantasy world it represents for most of us here. Love to watch and wish…
Easter is a great time to visit us here in the Soller Valley as traditions tick on as they have done for generations. The weather is said to be good for the whole Easter season and we are ready to receive the visitors and guests with great pleasure.
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