Majorca Mallorca

This week on the Majorca Mallorca podcast, Vicki sits down with Glynis German for a conversation about one of life’s few certainties, death.
It may sound like a heavy topic, but this episode is full of warmth, honesty, humour and practical advice. Glynis shares how her background, family life and years in Mallorca led her to become an end-of-life doula, funeral celebrant and host of Death Cafés.
They talk about why death is still such a difficult subject for many people, how grief needs space rather than silence, and why planning ahead can make an enormous difference for families. The conversation also explores what happens when someone dies in Mallorca, why funerals happen so quickly here, what repatriation involves, and why understanding the system matters whether you live on the island or are simply visiting.
Glynis also explains the role of a death doula, the purpose of Death Cafés, and why asking “what matters to you?” can be far more helpful than asking “what’s the matter with you?”
This is a compassionate, fascinating and very human episode about grief, ceremony, community and making peace with difficult conversations.
What we cover in this episode
Glynis German’s journey from Jamaica and Wales to Mallorca
Why Mallorca reminds her of Wales
Her work as a celebrant, funeral celebrant and end-of-life doula
What a death doula actually does
Why funerals matter in the grieving process
How families are becoming more involved in eulogies
The cultural differences around death in Mallorca
Why funerals happen so quickly on the island
The importance of funeral planning, paperwork and insurance
Repatriation and what happens if someone dies abroad
What a Death Café is, and what it is not
Why talking openly about death can be a relief
Support options in Mallorca for grief, illness and end-of-life care

Chapter markers
00:00 Introduction
00:20 Meet Glynis German
01:09 Growing up Jamaican and Welsh
03:11 How Glynis ended up in Mallorca
05:33 Why Mallorca reminds her of Wales
08:03 Life and work on the island
10:53 Becoming an end-of-life doula and celebrant
13:39 Holding space for weddings, funerals and families
16:29 Asking not “what’s the matter?” but “what matters?”
19:41 Why funerals are such an important part of grief
22:01 Memorials, rituals and saying goodbye in different ways
24:45 What happens when someone dies in Mallorca
26:53 Funeral costs, planning and practical realities
32:45 Repatriation, travel insurance and preparing ahead
38:05 Why Glynis was drawn to working with death and dying
42:18 Death Cafés in Mallorca and how they help
47:31 Why these conversations matter for grief and loss
51:01 What a death doula actually does
53:16 An old role returning in a modern form
56:56 Spirituality, grief and finding peace
01:02:21 Advice for anyone feeling anxious about death
01:05:18 How to contact Glynis and find support
01:07:58 Outro
You can get in touch with Glynis here https://glynisgermanfunerals.com/
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A warm, thoughtful conversation with Tara Huber, creator of Deia Unpacked, about life in Deià, the stories that shape a village, and what happens when a place changes from holiday fantasy to real home.
This week’s guest is Tara Huber, host of Deia Unpacked, a podcast devoted to the characters, ideas and voices that give Deià its identity. Tara first came to Mallorca in 1989 and, after years of returning, eventually began spending much more of her life in the village during Covid. Out of that period came Deia Unpacked, a podcast she created in 2021, built around long-form, lightly edited conversations with people connected to Deià and the wider island.
In this episode, Tara reflects on the shock of arriving in Mallorca from late-80s Brooklyn, the beauty of the drive through Valldemossa into the mountains, and the complexity of moving from visitor to resident. She talks honestly about small-village life, the value and danger of gossip, the international make-up of Deià, and the sense that even in a place often caricatured from the outside, there is a very real and supportive community underneath it all.
She also shares how the podcast grew out of grief and reinvention after Covid disrupted her long career in fitness and personal training in Washington DC. What began as a project became a grounding force, and a way of understanding not just the village, but herself.
The conversation also explores the differences between life in America and life in Mallorca, from food culture and healthcare to entrepreneurship, politics and pace of life. Tara speaks with real passion about women’s health, ageing, the freedom that can come after fifty, and why art, conversation and curiosity matter more than ever.
There is also a fascinating section on Regenera Deià, a regeneration project looking at how the village can restore terraces, reduce fire risk, support local agriculture and create an economy that helps people stay rooted in the community.
It is a wide-ranging, funny, thoughtful episode about place, identity, creativity and what it really means to belong somewhere.
You can see more about Tara and her podcast here https://www.deiaunpacked.com/
00:00 Intro to Tara Huber and Deia Unpacked
02:05 First arriving in Deià in 1989
05:19 Holiday Mallorca versus living here
10:21 What village life in Deià is really like
13:45 Brooklyn, New York, and parallels with Deià
15:05 Living between the US and Mallorca
16:54 Tara’s work in fitness and how Covid changed things
17:55 Why she started Deia Unpacked
20:17 Food culture, health and America versus Mallorca
28:52 Washington DC compared with island life
31:50 Politics, entrepreneurship and life in Spain
37:24 Women’s health, HRT and getting older
43:38 Starting the podcast and learning through it
45:44 How Tara chooses her guests
48:46 Who listens to the podcast and where
52:43 Favourite episodes and where to start
54:36 Advice for Americans moving to Mallorca
57:31 “If Deià is Manhattan, Sóller is Brooklyn”
01:00:49 Regenera Deià explained
01:07:03 Why art matters and whether artists should be funded
01:13:26 What’s next for Tara

In this episode, Vicki sits down with Bronwen Griffiths, president of Cancer Support Mallorca, to talk about her remarkable life in Spain and the charity’s work supporting people affected by cancer on the island. Bronwen shares how she moved from the UK to Spain in her twenties, built a life across Menorca and Mallorca, spent decades teaching at Bellver International College, and eventually stepped into one of the island’s most important volunteer roles. Together, they discuss language, belonging, paperwork, healthcare, family life abroad, and why nobody facing cancer in Mallorca should feel they have to do it alone.

What happens when you move to Spain in your twenties for love, build a life on the islands, raise a family, teach generations of children, and then find yourself leading one of Mallorca’s most important charities?
In this episode of Majorca Mallorca, Vicki talks to Bronwen Griffiths, president of Cancer Support Mallorca, about her 50 years in Spain, her life between Menorca and Mallorca, and the work the charity does for people facing cancer far from home.
Bronwen talks about arriving in Spain in a very different era, learning the language from scratch, adapting to island life, and spending 32 years teaching at Bellver International College. She also explains how Cancer Support Mallorca helps patients and families navigate one of the hardest experiences life can throw at them.
They discuss practical support, hospital appointments, translation help, counselling, nutrition, wigs, transport, end of life planning, volunteering, and the realities of private versus public healthcare in Spain. It is a warm, honest and deeply useful conversation for anyone living in Mallorca, especially those who may one day need help, or want to offer it.
In this episode:
Bronwen’s journey from London to Spain
Life in Menorca and Mallorca in the 1970s and 80s
Learning Spanish and finding your place abroad
32 years at Bellver International College
What Cancer Support Mallorca actually does
Why paperwork matters so much in Spain
The difference between private and public healthcare in serious illness
Volunteering, fundraising and community support on the island

Useful links
Cancer Support Mallorca
cancersupportmallorca.com
Contact Cancer Support Mallorca
[email protected]
WhatsApp: +34 659 887 455
Cancer Support Mallorca publicly lists support including patient drop-in centres, emotional support, nutrition advice, translators, transport, practical help, oncology materials and volunteer programmes.
00:00 Intro
04:06 How long Bronwen has been in Spain and Mallorca
04:39 Leaving the UK at 23 after a holiday romance
05:23 Life in Menorca, hotel work and moving around Spain
07:44 Being a young British woman in Menorca in the 1970s
10:08 Learning Spanish and settling into island life
12:08 Leaving teaching in the UK behind
13:20 Family, friendship and community in Spain
16:00 Returning to teaching at Bellver International College
18:27 Retirement, daughters and grandchildren
20:00 Raising bilingual children
22:00 Why making the effort with language matters
25:00 Taking over Cancer Support Mallorca
26:14 How the group began
27:25 What Cancer Support Mallorca actually does
29:21 Nutrition, counselling and buddy support
32:42 Living through cancer and speaking openly about fear
34:00 End of life planning and practical help for families
36:34 Funding, volunteers and how the charity runs
39:53 Hospital drop-in centres and awareness
41:02 Wigs, scarves and support materials
42:11 The art group and knitting group
43:00 Fundraising and the annual walk
46:54 How many patients are being supported now
47:20 Private versus public healthcare in Mallorca
50:00 Why getting your paperwork in order matters
55:00 Helping patients navigate bureaucracy
56:51 The future of the charity and volunteering
58:38 Who volunteers and how the organisation works
01:00:34 Where to find Cancer Support Mallorca

Sign up for our free newsletter here. https://majorca-mallorca.es
Please follow Majorca Mallorca on Social Media:
FACEBOOK PAGE https://www.facebook.com/MajorcaMallorca.es
FACEBOOK GROUP https://www.facebook.com/groups/MajorcaMallorca
INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/majorcamallorcapodcast/
You can email MM on [email protected]

Oliver sits down with Nick Brown, a regular in the Majorca Mallorca community known for translating complicated rules into plain English, to unpack what is changing at Europe’s borders.
They cover the Entry/Exit System (EES) kiosks and biometrics, how the Schengen 90 days in any 180 days rule actually works, what could cause longer queues at Palma, and the practical stuff people can do to reduce stress when arriving or departing.
They also break down ETIAS, why scam websites are already appearing, and a separate but related headache: the UK’s ETA rules, especially for British dual nationals travelling on non-UK passports.
Key takeaways for listeners
EES is the “at the border” change: biometric registration and electronic tracking replace the old stamp logic for most non-EU short-stay travellers.
90/180 is rolling, no reset: it is not “90 then one day out then 90 again”, it is “are you over 90 of the last 180 days, today?”.
Queues may be worse before they are better, especially at busy regional airports in peak season, because first-time registration takes longer and needs staffing.
ETIAS is not live yet: the EU’s official position is that it will start in the last quarter of 2026 and travellers do not need to do anything now.
UK ETA is now enforced for people who need it, and costs £16 via the official route.
Beware paid “application services” and fake sites, especially for ETIAS, since it is not even open yet.

Mentioned in the episode
EU official Travel to Europe pages: EES and ETIAS (what they are, and current status)
European Commission explainer: EES vs ETIAS differences
UK Government guidance: Apply for a UK ETA, cost, what it does and does not do
UK Government announcement on ETA enforcement (25 Feb 2026)
Banco de Alimentos de Mallorca, donation options (as referenced by Nick)
Brits in Spain Facebook page, run by the British Embassy in Madrid (referenced in the discussion)

EU EES (official): https://travel-europe.europa.eu/en/ees
EU ETIAS (official): https://travel-europe.europa.eu/en/etias
European Commission: EES vs ETIAS explainer: https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/news/ees-vs-etias-main-differences-know-travellers-2026-01-29_en
UK ETA apply (official): https://www.gov.uk/eta
UK ETA enforcement news release: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-enforces-digital-permission-to-travel
Banco de Alimentos de Mallorca (donations): https://www.bancodealimentosdemallorca.org/donativos
Brits in Spain (British Embassy Madrid): https://www.facebook.com/BritsInSpain/
....and some links from Nick.
Work out how long you can stay with this spreadsheet.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wTSpknDO0azRvEa_JQvCTJ_W3iMBafySYi9p3i6KvYw/edit?gid=1766127169#gid=1766127169
...help him to help local charities while getting a personally guided tour of Palma from the man himself.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563615153343

Mallorca Restaurant Week is live, and despite the name, it’s five weeks long.
We’re joined in the studio by Anna Ruiz Alvaro and Mia Narpta, the team behind Mallorca Restaurant Week, to share what’s new for this edition, why the event focuses on the low season, and how it brings together restaurants, producers, hotels, and partners across the island.
We talk about:
When it runs, and why the timing matters
How restaurants are chosen, beyond Michelin stars
The local produce commitment, and why it’s part of the point
What you can book, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails
How feedback leads to end of event recognitions
A few suggestions to get you started, from Japanese spots to veggie picks

Book through the official site and explore the list of restaurants and menus. Links are in the show notes.
Show notes
Guests
Anna Ruiz Alvaro, Mallorca Restaurant Week
Mia Narpta, Mallorca Restaurant Week

What you’ll hear
Mallorca Restaurant Week starts now and runs until 31 March, with a closing party on 30 March at Tabana
Over 50 restaurants participating, with more joining during the run
Why it’s designed for low season, to support restaurants and extend the season
The focus on local produce and the island’s food ecosystem
How booking works, and how feedback is collected
Names mentioned in conversation include Mark Fosh, Voro, DINS Santi Taura, Adrián Quetglas, Andreu Genestra, Aromata, and others

Mentions from the conversation
Restaurant Week website: restaurant-week.es
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/restaurantweekes/

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