From Cort to Plaza Mayor

After having a coffee on the terrace of the Hotel Cort, contemplating the façade of Palma City Hall and the ancient olive tree that stands in the middle of the square, we set off on our route down Calle Colón, where some of the city’s most important jewellers’ are found - Relojería Forteza, Piña Grau or Relojería Española – although the most outstanding of all is Relojería Alemana, with its pieces of jewellery and watches by the main international brands; it is also the only official Rolex distributor on the island. A few steps further down the road is the art gallery Mensing, and then the local artisanal shoes by Monge, followed by the hairdressing salon Jean Louis David and the bookshop Abacus. In the same street we find the Antigua Casa de las Medias building, recognisable for the angular shape of its shutters and balconies. Several of the side streets that go off Calle Colón have nooks and crannies that merit a stop, for example Carrer des Set Cantons with the café-patisserie Mariola’s Bakery or Bagel, the only place devoted to the famous bagels, round bread rolls with a hole in the middle. Also here is the well-known bookshop Ramón Llull, or the original shop for children, My Little Place. Another road perpendicular to Colón, Carrer de la Previsió, is home to one of the busiest restaurants serving homemade food with a set menu, Casa Julio. Parallel to Colón is Carrer de Santa Eulàlia, which runs alongside the church of the same name. In it souvenirs have been reinvented following the concept of a memento or gift shop, but with classier articles. We can also find two interesting gastronomy shops selling local products here - Las Gracias and Mallorcària. On the corner with Carrer del Pa is Casa Vila, one of the few photography shops to have survived the digital era.

Returning to Cort, we turn into Calle Jaime II, known in the 13^th century as the street of the Jews, and pass the colourful stained glass windows of the Neo-Mudéjar building Can Corbella. In this part of town, the shops are diverse indeed, with a range encompassing top brands like [...]

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