Forgotten Town

What goes around, comes around. It was 8 September (“Finding Nothing But Warmth At Fig Tree Bay”) that I mentioned the fact that there has been talk of Puerto Alcúdia becoming a cruise stop. Well maybe a step has been taken in realising this, though one stresses the maybe. After many years of debate, the dosh is finally to be handed out to construct a new passenger terminal at the commercial port. Though the port is already of course used for passengers, it has primarily been a port for goods, but the terminal project - coming in at a tad under 16 million euros - will increase inter-island passenger movement as well as transport to the mainland ports of Barcelona and Valencia. So no talk of cruises as such. Forget that one then.

The port itself is now more accessible by foot since the extension of the promenade. Like Puerto Pollensa, therefore, Puerto Alcúdia has a functional unit at the end of its promenade: in Puerto Pollensa, it is the military area; in Puerto Alcúdia, the port. But here the similarities stop. Does anyone ever eulogise about the walk along the extended promenade in the way that many do about the pinewalk that leads to the Illa d’Or and then onward - as far as is permitted - towards the military base? No. Not that this extension is unattractive, it just doesn’t have anything much going for it. One might have felt that when it was completed, there would be people strolling along, but generally speaking they don’t. Despite the access, there is a sort of mental block that excludes going past Bodega d’es Port: a block that says ”oh, there isn’t much down there”, so people don’t go, which is a shame as there are restaurants along there well worth checking out. This bit of Puerto Alcúdia is the forgotten part, by visitors at any rate. To go to one of the restaurants along the road heading out towards Alcanada and the port is to be rendered somehow insecure; it is the reverse of the herd instinct or the security in numbers, a phenomenon one can witness elsewhere - the packed church square and promenade of Puerto Pollensa, for instance, and the relative quietness of other parts. Human nature - odd thing.


And a note about the charity day held outside the Little Britain supermarket for Victoria’s Animal Refuge (3 October: “Protection”). A success. Over 650 euros were raised. Thanks to Steve at Little Britain for mailing the report of the day, from which I quote Jim Murchie from the refuge: “This is a great help for the many abandoned dogs we have to deal with. We will use the money raised to waterproof our kennels and cages - all the more essential after the recent heavy rains and flash floods". Personal note: sorry, sorry, I just could not make it.


QUIZ
Yesterday - “Stormy Weather”. Today’s title - which group? Clue: they did a cover of The Isleys’ “Harvest For The World”.

(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)

Protection

And in response to a request ...

Here is a list of the scientific names of the protected species on and around the Balearics that I referred to on 1 October:

Amphibian -
Alytes muletensis (frog)

Birds / fowl -
Aegypius monachus (vulture)
Falco eleonorae (falcon)
Fulica cristata (duck)
Larus audouinii (seagull)
Merops apiaster (the long-beaked budgie type bird)
Milvus milvus (falcon family)
Neophron percnopterus (falcon family)
Oxyura leucocephala (duck)
Pandion haliaetus (eagle)
Phalacrocorax aristotelis (pelican family)
Puffinus mauretanicus

Gastropod mollusc -
Charonia lampas

Mammals -
Miniopterus schreibersii (bat)
Monachus monachus (seal)
Tursiops truncatus (dolphin)

Reptiles -
Caretta caretta (turtle)
Podarcis lilfordi (lizard)

As a sort of footnote to what I did on street names (17 September: Where The Streets Have No Shame), I could also have mentioned that streets take the names of birds. By Albufera, there are, for instance, Corb Marí, Falcó, Gavines (to use their local names) - all of them represented in the above list.

Continuing the animal protection theme. It is the case here that, whilst care for and treatment of animals have improved, there is still a lot to be desired. I recall the time a puppy was retrieved from a rubbish container, having been tied up in a plastic bag and dumped. Just an example. Anyway, this is by way of highlighting the charitable work performed by Victoria’s Animal Refuge in Alcúdia. On Saturday, 20 October, there will be a charity day at the Little Britain supermarket in Puerto Alcúdia for Victoria’s, and if one needs proof of the need for this charity’s work (one aim being to fight pet abandonment), there was a short piece in “Ultima Hora” yesterday. It concerned a dog left on the industrial estate in Santa Ponsa; left without food and water and in an “estado deplorable” - I think the translation is straightforward. More info on the charity day on the WHAT’S ON BLOG.


Also on animals. This weekend sees the annual Alcúdia Fair which, because of its wider-interest factor, is one of the area’s best events. Animals are a feature of the event, the animal fair actually being on the Sunday as are demonstrations with police dogs and horses. Info for the fair is also to be found on the WHAT’S ON BLOG.


QUIZ
Yesterday - Bernard Cribbins. A follow-up to this is - what pop group took its name from another of the Cribster’s classics? And today’s title. Tracey Thorn sang the vocal. But the group was?

(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)