 |
| Spanish brandy - Julio helped us demolish a nearly full bottle of Le Panto in just two sittings |
Sally used to live in a village called Genova, just outside
Palma. If you go ‘downhill’ from Genova you come to Cala Major, and that’s
where we stayed this year. It has a couple of beaches, and is on the Number 3
bus route which makes it easy to get into Palma.
We managed to fit in quite a bit, even though Sally is
slower now (she’s 83) and has macular degeneration, which impairs her sight
considerably. There’s no stopping her though!
 |
| Sally next to some framed pictures of her designs at Theatre Zero |
We managed to fit a lot in to our week – a catch up with Lizzie,
a long-time friend of Sally’s and trips into Palma to the lovely Theatro Sans,
where Sally is known and loved. She spent many years working with them,
designing and making costumes, and teaching. We went to the theatre one evening
to see a fantastic flamenco show. We
managed a beach trip and a swim in the sea, and a couple of evenings we ate in
the hotel bar, down by the swimming pool.
One evening, sitting by the pool between a lovely lemon tree
and a bright red hibiscus, we got chatting with Julio, the bar manager. I don’t
speak much Spanish, and Sally can understand but finds it hard to speak. Julio didn’t speak much English, but we still
had lovely conversations.
Though Julio works at the hotel, it’s not his vocation, his
first love is music! He is a pianist and was a DJ at Cala Major beach, and the
owner of the club asked him to help out one day at the hotel. That was 16 years
ago. I told him I was a bass player, and that my daughter played music too. Julio
said Sally reminded him of his mother. She is 94 and was a dancer. His father,
long gone, was a circus clown. Julio’s
daughter, Maria, worked in the hotel too, when Julio had a day off. Julio came
over even though he wasn’t working. We had a lovely evening, and agreed that he
and I should get married. But there wasn’t enough time this trip, so if I go
back next year (and Sally does want to return, of course), I have a decent
proposal on the table!
 |
| How the casa used to look |
We also ate at a local café where we were served by a
delightful young waitress (about the same age as my daughter) who was
practicing her English. We ate there three times, for light lunches, and on our
last day she was there with a friend on her day off. Even so she came over to
say hello and wish us a good journey home. Yes, we tipped her nicely, and were
given a most delicious Herbas after our last meal at no charge.
 |
| How the casa looks now |
It was a good week. We saw old friends, made new friends,
and got some sorely needed sunshine. The saddest part of our trip was a visit
to the Casa where she had lived. We knew it had been sold, but had hoped the
frontage would be protected. I’m sure the house will be lovely when it’s
finished, and will make someone a fabulous home, but it was sad to lose the
history of Casa Martinez.
I probably won’t marry Julio, but isn’t it nice to have been
asked, even in fun.
NB – I changed Julio’s name, just in case he’s proposed to
another tourist since; I wouldn’t want to embarrass him.
All photos (C) me.
If you liked this, check out:
No comments:
Post a Comment