Manacor & Son Marroig

Thursday 14 June 2007
I rode the train to Manacor this morning to buy some gifts I have heard that they sell there. The train is very modern and comfortable. It took about an hour to get to Manacor from Palma. When I got to Manacor I asked the clerk in the station where I could find articles made of olive wood. She said she didn´t know anything about articles made of olive wood. I walked outside the station and asked three taxi drivers visiting in the shade. They told me to walk one block to the north and one kilometer to the west. I visited with them a while longer before one of them asked me if I would like to take a taxi to the store. I answered yes, and the three taxi drivers proceeded to discuss which one would have to take me. The finally decided that the driver with the least senority should take me.

He told me to get in, and we headed toward the store, Olive Art. He told me that this was his first day as a taxi driver. He had been a bus driver. We had gone only a block or two when he asked me if I spoke English. I told him yes, and he proceeded to speak in flawless English. Asked where I was from and his eyes lit up when I told him I was from California. He told me he had a rich uncle in Los Angeles who was in the import export business and specialized in wine. We had quite a nice visit. I found lots of nice things made of olive wood in the very large workshop and show room at . Customers can view the workers making articles of wood through large glass windows. A store manager took me back to the train staton, and I was back in Palma by 1400.

I took a nap until Angel arrived at 1515. We went to Luisa´s house for dinner. Luisa had bought a Spanish ham, jamon Serrano, a shoulder with black feet meaning that it was fed on acorns. Angel sliced it thinly, while Luisa fried anchovies. She had previously butterflied and boned them. She coated them in flour before cooking them. We drank beer with the meal. Luisa had made salmorejo earlier in the day. Salmorejo is thicker than gazpacho, and made of white bread, very ripe tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. It is blended until very smooth. She served it with very lean crumbled bacon, and offered hard cooked eggs to slice thinly on top of the salmorjo. We ate it with French bread. It is quite good and I hope to make it myself one day. She also served slices of manchego cheese, and of course the ham.

We cleared the table, and put it away. Angel took a nap on the couch. Luisa made expresso, and served it on the balcony with cream, sugar, and some cookies that Ana had bought at the store on the first floor. The view from Luisa´s balcony is beautiful. We took several photos on the balcony. I hope to stitch some of them together when I get home. Angel took me home before he went shopping with Ana.

Lola had invited me to a chamber music concert at Son Marroig, near Deía and Valdemosa. She picked me up at 1920 and we met some friends of hers, another Ana, Elia and Rafa before leaving Palma. Ana rode with Lola and I. Elia and Rafa took their own car. They all speak English well. Elia and Ana are anesthesiologists.

Son Marroig is an old Mallorcan mansion. Much of the main building is a museum. One large room has been adapted for concerts. There are drapes that can be pulled over the large windows, and they have hung drapery from the exposed beam rafters to improve the sound characteristics. The hall holds about 100 people. I was very pleasantly surprised by the music. The musicians were very animated, and the music very lively. At times it sounded like jazz. Lola brought me back to Ängel´s place at 2330. I worked on photos and this blog until 0200.