As the Queen, her daughters and quite probably also the King head to calmer holiday places to enjoy their well deserved rest, let's fill the gap with more chronicles from these last days in Mallorca
F&L seems to continue the path they inaugurated in the last State Visit, inviting famous awarded Spanish chefs to do the catering of their receptions (and we have quite a handful of those, so they can use a different chef for each important reception from now on and not repeat anybody for at least two or three years

). This time, the chosen one was Andreu Genestra, whose restaurant in Mallorca is the proud recipient of a Michelin star. ABC could talk with him after the reception and, apparently, the dinner was a total success for the young chef.
Link (with bonus of a pic of Genestra with King Felipe and Queen Letizia)
In Genestra's words:
"It was a very beautiful experience. Above of all, because of the plurality of the guests, and because of having worked with the Royal House, and all what it carries in terms of protocol, timing, working system..."
He also informs there was a number of 390 people at the reception from all the five islands that conform the Balearics
, so his work was "frenetic" in his own words. And the best memory of the evening is that
"the guests ran like vultures to the canapes, they didn't even let the waiters go through!". This leaded of course to the uncomfortable situation of the food not reaching those guests situated in the part of the palace opposed to the kitchen's exit:
"Some people from the Royal House came to tell us we would have to go through the castle's catacombs and go out across a different door so the meal could reach the centre of the hall"
- Note here: when they are in Mallorca, the RF's 'actual' residence is Marivent, that is a more 'modern' palace, but the 'official' residence -in which the reception takes place- it's the Almudaina, and that is a real medieval fortress with its towers, walls and of course catacombes that are usually closed to public, so Genestra can be proud now of having toured the most hidden parts of one of Mallorca's oldest buildings

Here are some pics of the Almudaina from outside and inside:
http://www.españaescultura.es/expor...palacio_almudaina_t0701570.jpg_1306973099.jpg
http://www.españaescultura.es/expor...alacio_almudaina_palma_t07.jpg_1306973099.jpg
http://sobreespana.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/palacio-de-la-almudaina-interior.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...eal_de_la_Almudaina._Comedor_de_Oficiales.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YUvxJDx9Teo/VPIC5E2DngI/AAAAAAAARBY/YbPJZFGv6Bc/s1600/P8190597.JPG (a pic from the courtyard, where the royal reception took place with a view of the impressive cathedral)
Quite a different palace from Marivent, don't you think? This is Marivent Palace:
http://s03.s3c.es/imag/_v0/608x394/e/a/d/marivent-palacio.jpg
Continuing with the article:
Also Genestra had time to talk with the royal couple. Apparently, what King Felipe first asked him was if he was too warm (mind you, the last place I would like to be in a summer afternoon/evening in Mallorca is in a kitchen of an old castle preparing the catering for 390 people

). But as Genestra observed that the king was wearing a heavy jacket suit, he answered:
"I guess as warm as Your Majesty!" Seems like Felipe also thanked him for accepting the proposal of serving the catering:
"I was so shocked. It was me who thanked him!". And he adds:
"I think he wanted to let me now that they want to change the methods in the Royal House. The people was very well represented there by all the guests: there were singers, poets, politicians... (...) I see a generational change in the Spanish Monarchy. Times have changed and His Majesty and the Queen change with them. Many people say we must support young entrepreneurs, but when an important event like this takes place, they hire outsiders. That's why I find so important that the Royal House wanted to work with me, thanks to that 30 young people are here and can up our heads and go ahead"
He also could talk to Queen Letizia:
"The Queen came to me and told me she was surprised by how well I had connected with people. I answered that was because I`m just like them, from Mallorca, with the same values and tastes"
All in all, Genestra defines the experience as a "pride"
. "When I was 18 and people asked me what I wanted to do with my life, I answered I wanted to get my name linked to Mallorca. That when people think in Mallorca, they think too in Andreu Genestra. I don't appreciate the Michelin star or the Royal Reception as much as I do that people call me on the street to thank me for cooking in Mallorca's name (...) The most beutiful thing in life is being a prophet at home"