Zombies and the Living Dead

Everything implied by this post’s cryptic title will be made clear.  First the zombies….

If you’ve never read it, I highly recommend Max Brook’s World War Z.

Max is the son of Mel Brooks and has written two interesting books (WWZ and the Zombie Survival Guide) with World War Z being the better of the two.  WWZ details the zombie apocalypse in a very interesting way, using fictional oral histories to slowly paint a complete picture of a world-wide zombie crisis.  Throughout the book the first-hand reports talk about how to stay alive when the living dead are after you.  So what the hell does this have to do with Mallorca?

Well, where we’re staying, the Hotel Rocador, was originally two separate hotels, the Hotel Rocador and the Hotel Rocador Playa.  The hotels are now fairly seamlessly connected into one large property.  However, there are some odd bits here and there.  Some of the public areas of our part of the hotel are no longer in use but remain furnished, creepily deserted and silent.  Areas like the reception desk, the bar, the dining room, and a lower floor are quite eerie in a way reminiscent of the Overlook hotel in the Shining. Theresa and I (she’s read WWZ too) almost simultaneously made comments about zombie preparation when we walked by this desk blocking a stairwell.  I guess that means I married the right person!

Can I get you a drink, Mr. Torrance?

On to part two, the living dead.  Last night while we strolled around Cala D’Or, I saw a sign that made me stop in my tracks.  I’ve already written about my weakness for fruity, island-themed cocktails.  I have one other kryptonite,  one additional Achilles’ Heel that renders me powerless:  Elvis impersonators!  So what did I see last night but a sign for the Elvis de Palma, live and in person.  We of course attended (no cover, unbelievable!) and had a fantastic time.  Pictures will convey the enormity of the evening more than words ever could.

Certainly one of my favorite pictures of all time.

 The King gave me this blue scarf when he "left the building".   The yellow embroidery that can be seen by my right hand says "Elvis de Palma".  Why he gave this to me instead of Theresa is a question that will plague me forever.

Finally, being in Europe during the World Cup (of soccer to Americans) has been pretty cool.  Spain won last night and there was much rejoicing.