Today I visited Algaida, the last on my list of the top 10 villages in Mallorca. It was near Pina, where I was staying but a much larger town (but not large…around 4000 inhabitants. Apparently it is famous for the windmills which are around the town, but I missed them. I did not miss seeing the church of Sant Pere in the center of town, built in the 1400s. There was a service going on (Sunday), so I did not venture inside. The town has pretty buildings, with many interesting doorways and the typical narrow Mallorcan streets.

After leaving Algaida, I drove west to Santa Maria de Cami for the Sunday market and to visit friends, Gabi and Frank, (Gabi is on the German team for which I play). I parked at the school about a kilometer from the market, where there was ample, easy and free parking. The view of the town from there with the mountains behind the church was really nice. I approached the town near the church, then walked through the market, past the live poultry and rabbits (birds, hens and roosters, rabbits were for sale), through the fresh produce stands, featuring sausages, cheese and local produce…lots of peaches, cherries, delicious looking watermelons, olives, Mallorcan bread and more, to the far side of the market where I met with Gabi and Frank. After talking for a while Gabi and I wandered about the market, past all the stalls selling clothes and Mallorcan baskets and purses, and on to the tomato/olive stalls where we both acquired tomatoes and green olives (the tomatoes are already gone…delicious and I’m not normally a raw tomato fan).

We had a light lunch…Mallorcan bread topped with crushed tomatoes and anchovies and for Frank, meat, and of course olives. Then we went back to their house nearby (Gabi filmed some of the driving on the rock wall bordered Mallorcan roads…and the peacock I had to stop for near their lovely home) to watch some tennis…Wimbledon! I had to leave (flight to Barcelona) before the Keys/Paolini match ended (and given the ending, I’m glad I didn’t see it).

I got gas (not at the station I was intending…right brand, wrong location, a seven minute detour), returned the rental car, got a ride to the airport (Roig is easy to deal with), and checked in for my Vueling flight. This time I was able to carry on my racquets, and all was pretty smooth other than the excruciatingly slow boarding process (not sure why, maybe it had something to do with their strict carry on policy…I already had my roller bag tagged and sized), but the waiting area was small and it took about 30 minutes of queuing before we started boarding, and disembarking was even more chaotic.

The flight was very short, but still managed to arrive a bit late, but my bags were out before I walked to the baggage claim.

The Barcelona tournament began yesterday, Sunday but I don’t play before Wednesday…my opponents aren’t scheduled to play today, Monday. More on Barcelona later.