Cycling in Menorca.

Our first guests this season have been Mr. Pierre Di Marco and his friends. A group of enthusiastic cyclists who pedaled around part of the island by the "Cami de Cavalls" last April.

This video is the result of his journey.

Nos premiers clients cette saison ont été M. Pierre Di Marco et ses amis. Un groupe de cyclistes enthousiastes pédalé autour d'une partie de l'île par le «Cami de Cavalls" Avril dernier.

Cette vidéo est le résultat de son voyage.

Sant Joan 2015. Sunday of the Lamb.

The rituals of the Menorcan Festes de Sant Joan have remained unchanged since medieval times. On the Sunday prior to Saint John's Day, called the Diumenge des Be (Sunday of the Lamb), the committee gathers at the palace of the caixer senyor, where the flag is presented to the caixer fadri. After the fabioler has played his first sounds on pipe and drum, the group sets out to summon the authorities for the festivities. Accompanying them barefooted is the Homo des Be, a man dressed in sheep skins, and carrying on his shoulders a 1-year-old lamb which represents the living symbol of Saint John the Baptist. The lamb has been washed and combed regularly on each of the seven previous days, and is watched all night to prevent it from getting dirty. In the early morning of the Day of the Lamb, the animal is adorned with colored ribbons and painted red crosses on its back.

 

All the pictures by Menorca.info

Sa Cova dels Jurats.

After a summer storm in the morning and taking advantage of the peaceful afternoon, I have returned to Cales Coves today.

The archaeological site of Calescoves, located in the creek of the same name,
is made up of a Proto-historic burial place, a ritual well, and a defensive seaside settlement, and was an anchorage site from IV century BC to the Late Roman period. Some cuts in the stone have also been identified, conceivably used to situate the votive sculptures that sailors used to offer when they arrived at the anchorage. 

Finally, it is highlighted the presence of a cave, known as Cova dels Jurats or l’Esglesia (The Church) that was a cave shrine from the Late Talayotic culture to III century AD. Some epigraphic inscriptions —most of them engravings, others paintings— are located in a natural shelter, just at the main access to the cave, provide evidence of the celebration of the Parilia, a festivity dated the 21 April, the same day on which Rome celebrated its foundation. Presumably also celebrations related to the agricultural seasons took place here.

some Roman inscriptions

     The carved rocks which according to archaeologist investigations were worked to place votive sculptures on them.

Wild carrot

The wild carrot is a herbaceous, somewhat variable biennial plant that grows between 30 and 60 centimetres (1 and 2 ft) tall, roughly hairy, with a stiff solid stem. The leaves are tri-pinnate, finely divided and lacy, overall triangular in shape. The flowers are small and dull white, clustered in flat, dense umbels. They may be pink in bud and there may be a reddish flower in the centre of the umbel. The lower bracts are three-forked or pinnate, a fact which distinguishes the plant from other white-flowered umbellifers. As the seeds develop, the umbel curls up at the edges, becomes more congested, and develops a concave surface. The fruits are oval and flattened, with short styles and hooked spines. The dried umbels detach from the plant, becoming tumbleweeds.

Cales Coves

A sinuous sea inlet has formed these two spectacular bays, which are isolated, virgin, quiet and quite small as well, one has an orientation toward northeast and the other one toward northwest. This coastal corner is characterized by being located between high and steep vertical cliffs, which were used by the first inhabitants of Menorca as necropolis (9th-7th century BC), as you can see in the 90 excavated coves in these rocks, which gave the name to this place. Another characteristic of this beach is the rocky surface and the low influx of visitors, because it is quite narrow and therefore uncomfortable.

The marine and underwater conditions for anchoring boats are excellent, and it is one of the best shelters in the summer for the boats that navigate around the south coast of Menorca, if there is no wind blowing from south-southwest. The ground is sandy in the centre and rocky on the sides, deep and clean, although there is not much place. If the navigator wants to anchor, he is recommended to do so in the north-eastern cove. 

Another edible plant. Scolymus Hispanicus.

Scolymus hispanicus (common golden thistle or Spanish oyster thistle) is a flowering plant in the genus Scolymus in the family Asteraceae, native to southern and western Europe, north to northwestern France.

It is a herbaceous biennial or short-lived perennial plant growing to 80 cm tall, with spiny stems and leaves. The flowerheads are bright yellow to orange-yellow, 2–3 cm diameter

Flowers of Scolymus in the dry soils close to Cala Mesquida.

Since at least the time of Theophrastus in ancient Greece, this plant has been known for medicinal and culinary uses. Although it has been cultivated at times, currently most of the plant which is consumed comes from harvesting of wild plant.Very popular in almost every province of Spain, where it's usually eaten in stews during Spring time. It's also used in salads, soups and with scrambled eggs in Andalucia where it is called "tagarnina". 

In the sixteenth century in Salamanca, the washed young plants used to be eaten with their root, either raw or in stews with meat, and it is mentioned in the most known classic Spanish book "Don Quixote".