Lithica. S'Hostal Quarries

S´Hostal is an area of sandstone quarries located 1km from the centre of Ciutadella on the east side of the island of Menorca. The quarries fell into disuse in 1994 and that same year the association Líthica rented out this site in order to save it from being filled up with rubble and disappearing into oblivion.

The quarries´ main characteristic is their constant contrast and duality. Inside them you can see a very large area with cubic geometry that is a result of mechanical extraction juxtaposed with an area of old quarries where the stone was extracted by hand; it is a real labyrinth of stone and plants where organic forms and a great variety of environments prevail. Líthica´s aim is to rescue these quarries by giving them new life and safeguarding their essence as a labyrinth and a garden.

LITHICA Website

July

Suddenly you realize that summer has burst like a hot air bubble, and where there was a green fresh meadow there is now a dry wasteland and early afternoon the sound of the cicadas and crickets are almost the only proof that there is life in the fields.

 

Es Castell. The fields surrounding "Bellveure"

The mysterious tree

Some weeks ago I found a very spectacular flowering tree in Mahón. Just beside the power station, in the harbour. 

I thoght it was a Erythrina coralloide, an original specimen from South America and México, but une of our most appreciated guests Mr. John Maycock, from Brakenwood Plant Centre, near Bristol, has proved me I was wrong.

The Pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) is a coastal evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display of red flowers made up of a mass of stamens. The Pōhutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand. Renowned for its vibrant colour and its ability to survive even perched on rocky, precarious cliffs, it has found an important place in New Zealand culture for its strength and beauty and is regarded as a chiefly tree (rākau rangatira) by Māori

Click here to visit the

BRAKENWOOD PLANT AND GARDEN CENTRE

La Concepció

It was in the seventeen hundreds when British governors encouraged the arrival of foreign traders and shipowners in order to favour the trade from our port. The population growth required an expansion fo the city beyond its walls, and some new streets were planned, including the Cós de Gràcia.

The newly arrived Greek colony, which was to reach 2,000 souls, concentrated in this street and its immediate surroundings. They built the Orthodox church of Saint Nicholas and many stately homes attesting to their prosperity.

In 1768, the young Russian prince Andreas Spiridoff died of scurvy when sailing towards the Aegean with the fleet commanded by his father. As this church was the nearest Orthodox sacred ground, the unfortunate nobleman was buried here with great pomp. You can still see the tombstone grave at the church floor, written in Greek, Russian and Latin.

The return of the island to Spanish sovereignty at the end of the century brought an end to economic prosperity, the expulsion of Greeks and Jews and the confiscation of their assets, including the church of St. Nicholas, which was converted to a Catholic church under its current name of Church of the Conception. Its façade dates from the nineteenth century, but inside you can still found the typical features of Orthodox temples.

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