- In the video: You don’t like Malle anymore: Are holidays still fun, dear Germans?
If you ask a Majorcan what the weather is like these days, you will always get the same answer: “¡Mucho calor!” – very hot! The islanders are in fact used to high summer temperatures. But the heatwaves of the last few weeks are also causing problems for the locals.
The 40 degree mark has been exceeded for several days. And the nights are currently tropical with temperatures well above 25 degrees, extremely sweaty and sleep deprived. Those who manage to cool down a bit with the air conditioning can consider themselves lucky.
In the meantime, the islanders have a simple remedy against the heat: they simply stay indoors during the day, darken the windows and doors, and wait until the heat becomes more bearable again in the evening. The siesta is simply extended a little and night becomes day.
Despite the extreme heat: there is a lot of activity at the weekly market
Of course, this is out of the question for the tourists who currently populate the island. They want to enjoy their vacation during the day on the beach or during excursions. Because: after so many weeks of rain in Germany, everyone is longing for the sun.
But is it really possible to enjoy your holidays in the current heatwave? FOCUS online asked German holidaymakers at the weekly market in Inca. The area in the interior of the island is regularly one of the hottest on Mallorca. Here, meteorologists have recorded maximum temperatures of over 40 degrees in recent days.
There is a lot of activity on this Thursday afternoon in the streets of the city center. A number of tourists wander among the market stalls with fruit and vegetables, leather goods, Mallorcan clay bowls, jewelry and clothing, enjoying the colorful hustle and bustle. And this in a sweaty 36 degrees. But it is noticeable that at lunchtime there are fewer visitors on the streets than in the morning. Apparently many people are attracted by the pool or the beach.
The heat in Mallorca is “not really fun”
“Majorca at almost 40 degrees only works if you have the opportunity to cool off regularly in the pool or the sea, otherwise it’s no fun,” confirms Stephanie Traichel. It’s simply too hot right now and also in the long term. dangerous to health The Cologne resident is on holiday with her husband Dirk, her sister-in-law and their two small children on a finca in Campos – and is limiting excursions to a minimum due to the heat.
In recent days, a trip to the small village of Deià in the Tramuntana Mountains had become a real challenge for the family from Cologne: “We had hoped that it would be a bit cooler in the mountains, but that wasn’t the case,” said the 45-year-old. The group only went to an ice cream shop and then headed straight back.
“The heat radiated from the houses and streets, there was no wind – it was simply unbearable and unbearable,” Traichel reports. “A walk through the city was simply not possible.”
The positives outweigh the negatives: “We embrace the heat.”
But Traichel does not want to give up her holiday in Mallorca in the future either: “We love holidays in the sun – and for us this necessarily means going swimming, putting on a swimsuit and sunscreen, since one of the children already goes to school.” age, the family is looking forward to the summer holidays and thus the hottest time of the year on holiday.
“It’s hot everywhere in the south too, obviously it’s not a Mallorcan phenomenon “, said the vacationer. “And when you think about the issue of the climate crisis, you also have to admit to yourself that you are part of the problem, because we will also get on the plane.”
However, for the inhabitants of Cologne, a holiday on the North Sea or the Baltic Sea is out of the question. “Because the weather there is simply too unstable and I can be unlucky enough to be there for two weeks with 18 degrees and rain and leave my swimsuit in my suitcase.”
Also, one decides Spain-Holidays also take into account the country’s typical culture, people, food and drink – “and we don’t find that in the North Sea. These positive aspects definitely outweigh the negative ones.” “We accept the heat and act accordingly.”
Recreational activities cancelled due to heat
Sven-Hendrik Gnoth is also preparing for the heat during his vacation: “I try to walk in the shade as often as possible and also choose the side of the road accordingly,” said the vacationer, who also came from Cologne and only wore a Mallorcan hat outside. “I also always have plenty of sunscreen with me.” However, in the first few days of vacation he had to painfully discover that this does not always work: “Unfortunately, I already had a little sunburn.”
The heat has already ruined his holiday plans: “Last week we wanted to go paragliding in S’Arenal. But all that was cancelled because of the weather: too windy and also too hot,” said the Cologne native.
The thermometer in the rental car read 41 degrees. “We didn’t notice it in the air-conditioned car, only when we got out.” Instead of spending the day in the water, the family visited the Miró exhibition in Palma. “At least there was good air conditioning there.”
“We’ll see where we go next year”
Sven-Hendrik Gnoth hadn’t realised that the family had chosen one of the warmest places on the island to visit the weekly Inca market: “We only have our rental car for a few days and we really wanted to experience the market – there we just have to put up with the heat sometimes. But at least there’s plenty of shade here.”
When planning his summer vacation, Gnoth had even asked in advance where it would be warmest in the Mediterranean: “A friend was in Rhodes last year, where there were severe forest fires due to the heat and people even had to be evacuated,” the vacationer said.
“We thought that Mallorca with a maximum temperature of 40 degrees would be fine. We would not have thought that it would be more than 40 degrees now and we think that is really disgusting.” It is therefore not yet clear whether he will come to Mallorca again in the middle of summer. “We will see where we go next year.”
For some holidaymakers in Mallorca, temperatures are not a problem
Let the heat ruin your holiday in Mallorca? A no for Yasmin Starr: “When you book a holiday in Mallorca, you know that it can get a little warmer,” says the Duisburg resident. She is traveling with her husband Henning and their two sons Frederik and Benedikt. “We also live in a hotel with air conditioning, right on the beach and a pool, so the heat can’t ruin our mood,” said the vacationer.
“Of course, we are also somewhat limited by the children, who can’t stand the heat,” adds husband Henning. “That’s why we always make sure there’s enough shade and that there’s always something to drink. So the heat in Mallorca is no problem at all.”