Earlier this summer, the former Conservative MP, cabinet member and TV presenter Michael Portillo, spent two days in Majorca filming for his Great Continental Railway Series.
Clutching his beloved Bradshaw’s Guide To Railways, which dates back to 1913, Portillo first caught the modern train from Palma to Manacor, which Bradshaw described as the “capital of pearls,” and then caught the century-old electric Soller train.
The Majorcan experience is part of a programme which sees Portillo return to Spain, or more importantly Catalonia, to trace the early 20th-century roots of the Spanish Civil War, which divided his Spanish family and sent his father into exile.
He discovers a nation fractured at the time by social tensions and regional loyalties, which today offers a rich diversity of cultures to delight the tourist.
On his travels, he is trampled underfoot at the bottom of a Catalan people steeple and learns to make the perfect paella. He pays homage to the genius of Barcelona’s most famous architect and meets the man responsible for finishing off Antoni Gaudi’s life’s work. And he discovers a beautiful art nouveau Palace of Music with an emotional history.
The programme is on BBC2 tomorrow night (Friday) at 10pm local Spanish time.
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