Published in the Majorca Daily Bulletin – Tuesday 11th March 2014
The weather is the weather and living near the sea we are used to the sudden changes that take our world from calm to mayhem. Nothing could have prepared us for the perfect storm that we were to observe this week and it all started with a lengthy warning. The local Soller Police have a very informative Face book page. Their website leaves a lot to be desired but they have got someone on the team that understands the power of Face book. It was via that medium that we knew something big was brewing. We received a lengthy warning about an approaching weather phenomena and the fact that the Port of Soller was going to be the ‘eye of the storm’. A danger to life was mentioned as well as instructions about shuttering up your house and removing furniture from balconies. Right on cue the wind began to howl and the old houses of Soller started creaking and moaning. The sea began a relentless hammering on the shore and the debris for miles around began to be washed up on the shoreline. As day broke and Port of Soller life went on the storm chasers arrived with their cameras and the views were amazing. The 35 meter waves hit the cliffs behind the lighthouse at the Santa Catalina end of the Port and gave great shots of being higher than the lighthouse itself. Locals said that they had not seen such a storm in 25 years and we all watched as nature gave us a spectacle that for most of us was unparalleled. For a day the sea was our vast entertainment and playground albeit form a safe distance. The surfers were there of course dipping in and out of the waves like a drove of sea lions. Local restaurants and bars had a great day looking after the visitors who flocked to see such an event and even the cyclists had to walk the seafront instead of ride. The power of nature has subsided now and the clean up operation has been much in evidence as the rain free storm has given way to perfect spring weather. The day of the perfect storm came and went but will be remembered for years round these parts.
This week is a very exciting one for me and Website Designer Tracey Ivell because we are going live with our new site www.sollerweb.com. SollerWeb is designed to be a simple to use website showcasing businesses, events and news for visitors and residents in the Soller Valley and the Tramuntana region. Our unique selling point is that as Soller locals with longevity in the area we know what people have been asking for from a Soller Site. Residents and home owners want to know the gossip and relevant information for them as it happens. We tell stories on the site seven days a week and post pictures of current events on a daily basis. The feed back on the preparatory work we have been doing on this site for a couple of years now has shown how much people love this facility. They say it keeps them in touch with what’s going on so that when they return they feel as though they have never been away and they slide effortlessly into Soller life again.
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The events calendar is a subject dear to our hearts and one of the reasons that the site has come into being. The collective voice of the English speaking Sollerics have shouted loud and long about not having enough advance information about local events. There is so much going on here if you know who to ask and where to look. Our mission is to bring all this information to everyone via SollerWeb on a constantly updated Events Calendar. This, it has to be said, is a mammoth task but the results will be worth it for all. The event organisers should have increased participants and visitors and residents alike should be able to enhance their experiences here by taking part in a huge list of events and activities currently only known to those in the ‘know’.
Our aim is to be an all encompassing information source for Soller, Port of Soller, Biniaraix, Fornalutx, Deia and Valldemossa. Visitors and residents are equally important to us and we are not aiming to be just a ‘destination’ site – there are plenty of them already in existence. Our claim to fame is having the finger on the pulse of the Hidden Valley and a desire to share it all with you every day. SollerWeb is open for business 365 days a year and will tell you stories, make you laugh, make you cry at the occasional absurdities of life here and above all keep you interested in this stunning, beautiful place in the heart of the Tramuntana. A facility as much for the first time visitor as the full time resident. Bring it on – we are looking forward to the challenge.
