Summertime the Soller way…
Published in the Majorca Daily Bulletin
Tuesday 7th July 2015
Photographs by Rachel Fox
Tuesday 7th July 2015
Photographs by Rachel Fox
The summer is here and every week the planes are bringing old friends and new discoverers of the Soller Valley . The bucket and spade brigade are here and are made up of all the little ones who really do think that summer is about the beach, ice cream and paddling in the sea. The English and German schools haven’t broken up yet so the beach is an under fives paradise right now. I returned from a trip to the UK this weekend on a flight from Gatwick which had a major pop group and a lot of babies and young children all heading for Soller, Pollensa and Alcudia. Gatwick on Sunday morning was full to bursting and our flight to Palma was one of the many sold out for the day.
When the holiday makers arrive they find the Soller Valley ready to welcome them with many events to plan for the evenings when the sun goes down. The days are really spoken for as beach or pool lounging times and the reading of the summer reads that are very heavily advertised. The days of wandering the beach and looking, for research purposes, at the titles of the books people were reading have largely gone now. The kindle is the reading source of choice and guarantees the reader anonymity. How will we ever find out who is reading the risqué novel of this summer. At least we all knew who was reading 50 Shades of Grey.
The diving platform has been erected off the Repic Beach and the curious mating game of the young begins. That lump of blue plastic sitting in the sea has been the source of many a teenage holiday romance. The ritual of sitting on the platform and talking leads into showing off the swimming prowess and then on to chatting, jostling and texting. There is a rivalry of this swimming platform between the local teenagers and the holiday makers. After a few days it all becomes friendly but not before the kids war/mating dance has been performed a few times.
One of the local bars on the sea front has just started a weekly disco for the under 16’s. Great music guaranteed and non alcoholic cocktails and drinks. This age group get so frustrated at not being allowed into places that this bar saw a great opportunity to be the most poplar venue in the Port of Soller . Thursday night is all theirs until 11.30 pm. As with all parties most of the fun is to be had in the planning – so it is with this party night. What to wear get the nails done, meet up to choose which clothes to borrow off each other and laugh at the anticipated fun that is to be had.
Open air cinema in the centre of Soller is another treat for the hot balmy nights. The show doesn’t start till 10 pm and that gets all the mums clucking. The ‘my kids are in bed at that time’ to the Spanish influences that have allowed their children a long siesta in the heat of the afternoon so that they can have their fun in the cool of the evening is a regular summer time debate. People with English roots seem to find it really hard to truly embrace the children’s late night culture.
There are so many regular visitors to the Soller Valley who have grown up having holidays here. Summers for them have always meant this place. The memory box of family time, holiday romances and adventures has been created here for a whole generation. There are also the stories that I get to hear and write about where people find the kind of love that brings them here to stay. Unlikely meetings where cupid has got his bow and arrow poised and the end result is that people who arrived as a holiday makers just don’t go back and the Soller Valley becomes home.
Summer is a magical time in the Soller Valley as the searing heats gives way to the cooler evenings and spectacular sunsets. So much is expected of a holiday and time and again the Soller Valley comes up trumps and gives people what they want. Our next big focus is on the local Fiesta of the Estiradors in the Cemetery area of Soller. This very active community organise their three day fiesta from 17th to 19th July 2015. Their programme always includes something for all age groups and the young teens will have their late night moments here too.
Welcome to the summer in the Soller Valley . So much to see, do and be part of – come and see us soon you are very welcome.
