living mallorca

There is a very nice view at the top of the stairs that join Carrer Conquistador with the esplanade in front of the cathedral. You can see the mountains right in the outskirts of Palma where the luxury area of Son Vida lies. If only I could afford a house there! You can also spot the spire of Església de Santa Creu, which is next to Es Baluard museum. The rooftops you can see to the left of the spire belong to the up-and-coming Llotja (fish market) quarter, which is full of Irish pubs and great restaurants, an area with lots of character.

Right in front of your eyes, there is an imposing tower. It’s called Torre dels Caps, which means “Tower of the Heads” in English. The legend tells that the heads of those executed during the Medieval times used to hang from the tower, and so it got its creepy name. However, the tower you see today is not the real one, no human remains have ever hung from the current tower. During the Lisbon Earthquake in 1755 part of the tower suffered considerable damage and so it needed to be rebuilt. Once we started caring a lot more about our important and historical heritage, during the XX century, it was also restored to how we know it today.

I hope this has not spoilt or ruined your visit to the area where the tower is – just try not to think about how evil human beings were (and still are) in the Medieval times!