Today I drove to Palma to get some inspiration for this year´s Christmas gifts. This is probably one of the town´s busiest seasons and its actually wonderful to stroll around Palma´s glittering streets and dressed up trees. I decide to have a coffee in one of the Passeig del Born cafe´s. This wide, pedestrian, tree lined street was built in the 19th century with the aim of connecting Plaza Pio XII (the square with the fountain, in front of Bar Bosch) with Plaza de la Reina. This reminds me how much this street has changed since my childhood. I start recalling, the Born Cinema, currently a Zara shop, and the Bar Antonio that has now been converted into a Massimo Dutti shop. I remember too how my granfather told me that the great hobby of youngsters of his generation was to walk down this street: both boys and girls would run up and down in a kind of courtship dance, with the mothers and sisters patroling from the stone benches while the local band would play excerpts from Madrid´s most famous zarzuelas on a small wooden stage. How many couples must have met right on this street! Nowadays the Borne is a hub of luxury brands and elegant café´s that thankfully have respected the original architecutre of the area. For instance, in 2010, Louis Vuitton reformed the Ca´n Alomar Palace( blog picture is actually LV store window), attracting other investors to do the same: Uterqüe, Rolex, Hugo Boss followed and what once was a steet of handicraft shops has become the most valued and sought after street in Palma, with nothing to envy from avenues in our European neighbouring capitals. Obviously, the property value in the area has increased considerably and consequently so has real estate demand in the area. The monthly rental of establishments is around 10.000 € and judging by the amount of people with shopping bags, the investment returns. It´s actually quite surprising to see how this street has changed with time and the fact is that I like the area´s renovated appearance, always respectful of traditional classic architecture and of landmarks like the Palau Solleric center of Contemporary Art. It´s time for me to catch up and finish my Christmas inspiration gift list, and the Born´s crossings can also be very inspiring.
