One of the things I miss most today from my time living in Mallorca is not only the fresh ocean breeze off the Mediterranean or the fresh fish and vegtable dishes laden with garlic and olive oil, but the best part of the day...the siesta. The word siesta comes from the Latin sexta hora, meaning the sixth hour (counting from dawn). The siesta is predominant in many of the Spanish speaking countries in the warmer climates and used as a time for a little nap and to recharge. In Mallorca, the siesta begins at 1 p.m. and lasts until 4 p.m.. All stores and businesses close to go home for lunch with the family and to take a nap. For me, I took advantage of the best hours of the day to do what I enjoyed most.
I liveed directly on the sea and would spend my time swimming, workinging out at the gym, coming home to eat lunch and take about a 20 minute nap all during the course of my four hour break. I couldn't have asked for a better schedule. It was during those four hours, that I too felt like I was on vacation enjoying the beautiful blue skies and ocean view. There were days when I needed the sleep after being kept awake during the night from the partying tourist. This was often the case during the summer months when I would be kept awake from the late night bar crowd heading back to their hotels. I had heard and seen it all from my windows at night, from the drunken brawls outside my apartment to the not so happy drunk couple fighting in the street.
I recall one incident where I was woken up around 4 a.m. to a loud fight between a man and a woman who had obviously been drinking through the night. The Guardia Civil came rather quickly with screetching tires, jumped out of their truck with billy clubs raised, and with four swings the noise was over. That was a scene that I saw countless times to settle the often unruly intoxicated tourists. It amazed me to see the Guardia Civil in action, who were often times 'quick with stick' to bring situations under control. They are a highly respected organization by the Spanish people, which is an organization left over from the days of the Franco dictatorship.
Most of my German co-workers were against the siesta and would rather just get the workday overwith. There were the days at work where I needed the extra break. Dealing with tourists all day at the car rental company could on some days be stressful. I recall one day in particular where I had rented a car to a German family in their late 30's. They seemed like your typical happy, middle class family on the island for their two week vacation. I had rented a car to the husband for 10 days. Two days later, the man returned with the car saying he was hearing some stange noise coming from the engine and he wanted to exchange the car for one in better working order.
I went outside to take a listen to the car and the first thing I noticed, was a dent on the front grill of the car. He obviously had hit something and denting the car, pushing the radiator back a few inches, therefore making a loud screatching sound when the car was running. He acted as if the dent wasn't there. I said, clearly the problem is this dent in the front of the car and asked, 'what happend?' He responded, saying that the dent was there when I had issued him the car. This was a tactic that many customers who have some sort of accident would frequently try. They would always say I gave them the car in that condition.
Okay, I went into my office and called our headquarters, explaing the situation to the owner in Spanish so that the German gentleman now standing in front of my desk could not understand. All the owner said was, the contract states that if you have an accident with the car, the contract is null and void. No refund will be given and no car replacement will be offered. He said, 'tear up the contract...no car for him,' and slammed down the phone in my ear.
The German man was looking at me with somewhat nervous anticipation since he obviosly could hear the yelling on the other end. I switched now back to speaking German and said, 'sir, I have good news and bad news. We inspect all cars before sending them to our customers and are certain that the car was in proper working order. Since there was an accident with the car and you have full insurance, you will not be billed for the damage. The bad new is, I cannot issue you another car and per the contract, cannot give you a refund.' In a split second, the once easy going friendly man turned 180 degrees into what appeared to resemble a rabid dog. He lunged towards me with a closed fist. Sensing that I was going to be hit, I tried to slide my chair back quickly, only to feel my $2 flipflops sliding on the tile floor.
As he lunged towards me, in a split second he decided against throwing a punch. The next 2 minutes was a tirade of swearing and knocking things over in my office. I somehow found the strengh to remain calm and told the guy to leave my office, but apologized for the company policy as if that even mattered at that point.
Once he had left and my heart rate settled, I noticed it was about 5 minutes to 1 p.m. My beloved siesta was about to begin. I closed up my office for the four hour break to take full advantage of my time off and enjoy a beer tthat day instead of my usual workout routine.
Today, I was going to have a beer or two with my lunch. I would go home and enjoy the fresh sea breeze from my balcony and enjoy the view of tourists working on their sunburn. I miss the Spanish siesta and my life in Mallorca. The good and the sometimes not so good, but the worst days were still some of the best memories of my life.
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