Menorca Gold Blog

Tiny they may be (or they appear that way from the outside at least), the diminutive size of Menorca’s town houses is inversely proportional to the amount of pride their owners take in their home. Walk along any, narrow, cobbled street in the old part of Mahón, Ciutadella, or any of the island’s other towns and villages, and you’ll struggle to stroll along a street where you don’t find some hardworking housewife polishing her windows, brushing dirt off her doorstep or shining her shutters. Appearances really do matter here.

And in May, Mahón’s town houses are going to look smarter than ever, as it’s the annual Maó + Flors festival this weekend, on the 19^th and 20^th.

Maó + Flors is as simple as its name suggests: the town of Mahón gets dressed up, with shops, residents and stately buildings smartening themselves with a burst of fresh flowers, potted plants and blooms. There are several ‘official’ spaces, decorated by artists, interior designers and sponsored by garden centres across town. You can pick up a guide of the different spaces participating in this flowery festival, many of which are elegant stately homes that spend most of the year closed to the public, so it’s a great chance to view some fine architecture too. And to complement the main festival, Mahón’s locals also make sure that their homes, shops and places of businesses look their finest – with window boxes bursting with colour, plants and shrubs sat patiently on doorsteps and even simple cut out paper flowers, stuck in windows. It really is a beautiful sight.

It’s just a shame that Mahón isn’t in bloom every single day of the year, as Maó + Flors is undoubtedly one of the best times of the year to visit the town.

For the majority of visitors, the first view they get of Menorca – and the last one when they depart – is from the air. Whether you get a glimpse of Menorca for the first time, or you’re a regular traveller, an aerial view of the island always offers something new, regardless of how many times you’ve landed on Menorcan soil.

Nicknamed the white and blue island, a view through the thick glass of an aircraft’s window does justice to this description: looking downwards, the Mediterranean’s colours vary from deep, dark blues to sparkling, crystal turquoise waters. And as the plane powers its way from north coast to south, these blues change, as depending upon the wind direction, they will be broken by parallel lines of foam heading towards the coast, or will be a smooth, sparkling mirror on the other shore, broken only by the wake of tiny white fishing boats.

And the blue doesn’t end there either. From the air, you have a privileged view of swimming pools of every imaginable shape and size, each with their own distinctive shade of blue, and each equally inviting.

As for white, well even though it is not obvious on the ground, most of Menorca’s houses, farms and buildings are painted white, topped with rustic brown tiles, so viewed from above Menorca’s towns and villages blur into a mass of white houses.

And what about other colours? Well anyone who has ever flown to, say, Mallorca, or mainland Spain, will no doubt recall the endless rows of buildings and construction that’s visible from the air. That’s not the case on Menorca. If anything, the towns and villages are hard to spot as they are so few and far between – in that sense flying at night makes them easier to identify.

Instead, the first impression Menorca likes to give her visitors is of how undeveloped she is, how many fields there are – green in the winter and spring, brown by the summer – and how many rows and rows of dry stone walls there are that divide up these fields. And then there are the expanses of woodland, marshland, wetlands, barren rocky landscapes, and endless beaches. A view of Menorca from the air is an invitation: to get to know her better.

Menorca’s the place to be this weekend if you have a sweet tooth, or if you enjoy reading, or both. Cake lovers should set their sights on Monte Toro on Sunday – in fact, it’s probably a good idea to walk the three steep kilometres that lead up to island’s highest point, as there will be plenty of opportunities to regain any burnt calories once at the top. Menorca’s pastry chefs get together on Sunday, with their finest wares on display. From delicate miniatures that are easily popped into mouths to giant, sugar-dusted, soft-meringue and cream-stuffed puff pastry creations, there are treats for all, whether visitors are simply faithful followers of a basic biscuit or looking for a pudding worthy of dinner-party status. Look out for the giant brazo gitano, a Spanish version of a Swiss roll too.

Elsewhere on the island, Menorca will celebrate St George’s Day, and as tradition here dictates, this involves giving someone a gift of a book and a red rose. Between Saturday and Monday, Menorca’s bookshops invade streets and squares with an open-air book fair. If the sun shines, and the forecast certainly looks promising, the book fair is a very sociable event, with locals spilling out onto the street, browsing at length at the numerous stalls and returning home with at least one book under their arm. There are plenty of activities for children too, with storytelling, games, while in Ciutadella, for example, children can make their own rose from red felt on Monday afternoon while in Mahón and Alaior, they will be making a giant book.

And the best thing about this weekend? There’s no need to choose between one activity or another, as cakes and books compliment each other perfectly.

Wherever you are on Menorca, whether in the midst of a bustling resort or in the quiet of the countryside, there’s no escaping one of the island’s most distinctive landmarks: dry stone walls. Whether used traditionally, to divide up fields, as a boundary between properties, or ornamentally in gardens, it’s impossible to estimate exactly how many metres of dry stone wall divide up the island, and even more so to estimate exactly how many stones are slotted, perfectly, into each and every wall.

Building a dry stone wall is something of an art form. As their name suggests, not a drop of cement is used to hold the stones together. Instead, builders select larger rocks for the outer faces, filling up the gaps in between with tightly packed stones and even pebbles. Some walls may be finished off with a smooth layer of cement, painted white, but this is simply for aesthetics: there’s little danger of well-built dry stone walls crumbling earthwards. When they do fall down, it’s often the fault of precocious grasses, or trees, or flowers, that have sprung up in between the tiny gaps and with time, their roots have dislodged stones.

There are many variations on the dry stone wall theme – in style, thickness, height, and even in purpose: experts can tell you about a particular angle of dry stone wall that deliberately forces agile cats to choose a more favourable wall to climb. And the dry stone wall is one feature of the landscape that is unlikely to become extinct, as there’s no shortage of raw material. Why else would the island be nicknamed roqueta, or the little rock?

Given the fabulous spring weather blessing the island in sun over the past week or so, any visit to the beach – and you’ll spot sunbathers already – comes accompanied with the question: is it too early to take a quick dip in the sea?

Menorcan springs can be a deceptive character, fooling us into putting on short sleeve shirts and sunglasses one minute, when the next day it could be raining. But by late March and early April, it’s not uncommon to spot a few fearless bathers venturing into the waves for their first swim of the year – and when it comes to children, they’ve absolutely no objections to splashing along the shoreline by now.

So how to tell if it’s time? Well, you won’t find a local jumping into their swimming pool this early on the in year – pools take a little longer to warm up than the sea and it’s wiser to wait until May before diving in, but it’s worth testing the sea with your toes a little earlier. At shallow beaches and bays, take Es Grau, the narrow cove at Cala en Forcat, or even Son Parc as an example, the water warms up pretty quickly – even the most reluctant of bathers will be tempted to paddle as they walk along the beach. Just keep an eye out for jellyfish lying on the sand that winter waves and storms may have washed up onto the shore. As for exposed beaches and bays, say Son Bou’s lengthy sands or Punta Prima, you might prefer to wait a few more weeks before having a full swim – as the faster moving water here still has a bit of a chill to it.

Fashion is one fickle business, but on Menorca, there’s an island staple that manages to ride the ups and downs of seasonal preferences, making a repeat performance on local feet every single year: the albarca.

Albarcas, or menorquinas as mainland Spaniards describe them, are summer classics that never go out of style. Originating in the Menorcan countryside, early albarcas were rudimentary sandals pieced together from scraps of leather and discarded tyres – the tyres offered a sturdy sole while the leather let feet breathe whilst protecting them from the harsh midday sun.

It wasn’t until the 1960s that this footwear made for, and worn by, farmhands began to appear in the island’s towns. As machinery reduced the need for manual labour on farms, workers  relocated to town – bringing their albarcas with them – and a few shoemakers began to produce albarcas by hand. Little by little, shoe factories emerged, producing the sandals on a mass market scale.

Today, the rustic, or traditional, albarca conserves many of the characteristics of those worn by farmhands: a sole made from recycled tyres with two beige strips of leather sewn on top. On the original sandals, the front piece of leather is folded at the edges to hide the stitches, but only a few modern manufacturers are faithful to that technique (with simple running stitches, or even glue, used as an easier alternative). The back strip, made of rubber and covered with leather, should never be longer than the sole, nor should it fall down.

Nowadays, the word ‘albarca’ represents many variations on the original theme, with different colours, patterns, materials, leathers and soles in shop windows. But if you take a careful look at locals’ feet, the most popular style, year in, year out, is the beige, rustic albarca.

This weekend marks the unofficial start to spring – unofficial in the sense that we still haven’t got through March yet, so anything can happen with regards to the climate. But if you look out of the window, the weather is certainly beginning to convince islanders that winter is nothing but a distant memory.

On Saturday and Sunday, Alaior hosts one of the most important events in farmers’ calendars: the Country Fair. True to tradition, the sun always shines for the Country Fair – and this year is going to be no exception to that rule.

The Country Fair brings together farmers from across the island, but they don’t come alone: they take their livestock with them as one of the central events over the weekend is a beauty contest for cattle. A huge warehouse in Alaior’s industrial estate – usually reserved for storing police cars – is converted into a stable, bringing together cows from Sant Lluís, Ciutadella, and pretty much every town in between. By Sunday, the winning cattle will be adorned with ribbons and rosettes, and you can get as close to them as you dare. Apart from the cows, the fair is also a chance for Menorca’s farmers and artisan cheese, cold meat and wine producers to showcase their products – and visitors have plenty of opportunities to sample, and purchase, these local treats.

This year’s Country Fair certainly won’t disappoint. Not only will there be more stalls than last year and the addition of a bar tent with offering low-priced tapas and drinks, but there’s an added attraction for 2012: Alaior’s Farm Cooperative has just inaugurated its new shop. With island fruit, vegetables, cheese and meats for sale, sourced directly from local farms, it’s going to be difficult to go home with an empty shopping bag.

March 1st is the Balearic Islands’ regional holiday – every single autonomous region in Spain has one. First and foremost, it’s a public holiday on the islands and as it falls on a Thursday this year, many Menorcans are taking advantage to escape for a long weekend away, taking the Friday off too (in Spanish this is nicknamed a ‘puente’, making a bridge between one holiday and the weekend).

But for those of us staying on Menorcan soil between Thursday 1st March and Sunday 4th March, there are lots of events planned to make the long weekend speed by. On Thursday, Ferreries’ main square is hosting a Recycling Festival, with games and activities for children, live music, entertainment, and – presumably – information on recycling and original ideas about what to do with what you don’t need anymore. In Ciutadella, in the central Plaça des Born, there’s an equestrian performance at midday, if horses are your thing. Over the weekend, Ciutadella’s hosting an artisan and gastro fair in the Plaça des Pins to browse through, and if you’re driving on Saturday, you might spot a caravan of old-fashioned cars, as they will be out chugging across the island for the best part of the day.

This year’s celebrations are paying special attention to Menorcan art and artists, with exhibitions on at several of the island’s galleries. What’s more, Menorca’s museums are also opening up their doors – some are running children’s workshops and others are offering guided tours.

So there are plenty of reasons to get out and about over this long weekend, and discover a side of Menorca that you might not already know.

Menorca’s waters never cease to bore observers. Whatever the season, they are capable of presenting onlookers with something new, whether they be colours – shades of blues, turquoises, greys and sparkly silvers; shapes – from rows of foam-topped mountains to perfectly still mirrors; or textures – anything from bitter spitting waves that mark your face with salt to silky waters that invite you to join them.

At this time of year, the Med continues to put on an impressive show for islanders. January’s waters are notoriously calm – perfect for novice sailors or those keen to explore the coastline in a kayak

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February is less hard to predict: a bright calm day can change the next, with the fierce Tramuntana north wind slicing up the surface of the sea and battering rocks. These are the days when the ports are closed, and you can often spot cargo ships taking refuge off the south coast of the island, waiting out the storm.

Whatever the forecast says, you can be certain that the sea will always put on a different performance for onlookers every single day.

February’s the time when Menorcans shake off winter, and revive the party spirit that spends most of the summer months present in every corner of the island, but hibernates the rest of the year. When it comes to Carnival, the celebrations in the run up to Lent, locals really do let their hair down, parading, dancing and strolling the streets dressed as cowboys, witches, fairies, princesses, school girls, astronauts, cavemen and just about any other outfit imaginable. From tiny babies snuggled cosily in pushchairs to pensioners, putting on a costume knows no age limits.

School children are usually the first to celebrate the onset of Lent. This Thursday, most schools spill out onto the streets to show off their creative costumes: you’ll get entire classes formed of rock stars, athletes, animals, or any number of themed parades in the morning. In some towns, Alaior and Sant Lluis are two examples, on Thursday afternoon children have to get changed at lunchtime, as by the early evening, there are more activities organised for them in town – if the weather cooperates – and in the local sports centre.

And from Thursday onwards, there are plenty of occasions for revellers to get dressed up: there are parades, smart fancy dress balls, music in the streets, firecrackers, floats and dancing until late across the island. There are also prizes to be won for the most imaginative outfits. Celebrations come to an end on the evening of Tuesday 21^st February, better known to us Brits as Shrove Tuesday. So if you’re out and about this week and next, don’t be surprised if a human-sized bear, or someone in pijamas, or an elegantly dressed king crosses your path – as it’s all part of the fun.