Issuu

ROQUETA

JUNE 2024

WELCOME JUNE 2024 - ROQUETA MAGAZINE It is now a full year since John and I took over Roqueta, completing the full cycle of life on the island. We have kept to the tradition of the magazine which has always been to offer a ‘Window on Menorca’, giving an insight into what makes the island special to those who live here and those who visit and fall under its magic spell. Roqueta was born in Ciutadella and so the first fiesta of the year, the St Joan Fiesta on 23/24th June, has always had a special place in its heart. It is by far the biggest on the island and one of the most important fiestas in the whole of Spain. We will never forget the atmosphere and excitement the first time we stood in Ses Voltes late at night as 100 stallions passed through the narrow streets, rearing and dancing around the statue Es Be (or ‘sheep on a stick’ as John affectionately calls it) to the cheers of the crowd. It is up there as a highlight of my life to rival the emotion of seeing the Grand Canyon and the Alhambra Palace for the first time. If you think it is something you would like to experience, then read Vanessa’s Guide to the St Joan Fiesta in this issue (other more relaxed fiestas are available). You need to plan ahead to get your timings right and to stay safe; there are so many elements to the fiesta. It begins with John the Baptist carrying a freshly washed sheep on his shoulders around the town, accompanied by the organising committee and the evocative sound of a flute and a drum. The horse fiestas, which take place in every town across the island from June to September, are just one element of local life that make the island unique. If I had to sum up what gives the island its identity it would include of course the special relationship with the sea; the varied coastline with so many beautiful beaches to suit all tastes and the Cami de Cavalls giving access on foot to so many wonderful natural places. Then there is the history and the prehistory of the island and the special role the harbours of Mahon, Ciutadella, Fornells and the Port de Sanitja have played in its importance to the military and to trade throughout the centuries. The combination of the hundreds of safe anchorages with crystal clear waters and the special winds make this a world-beating destination for sailors, yes even better than the Caribbean. There are many who pass through our harbours on cruising boats, racing yachts or giant cruise ships, who return to put down roots on the island. Where else in the world can you find a beautiful historic port within just a few steps of a major town and yet within an hour’s drive of over 300 beaches and over 1500 prehistoric sites? Our Big Interview in this issue is with Griff Rhys Jones, who sailed into the harbour on his classic yacht to take part in the Copa del Rey. He is one of the many visitors to fall in love with the island and has recently bought a house here. There are many issues the island is having to address due to the combination of its popularity and climate change; overcrowding in summer, water shortages, pressure on local species of plants and animals. Through the pages of Roqueta we aim to provide an insight into all areas of life on the island, how it is being affected, and the ongoing work to protect its fragile existence.

SEND US A ‘SELFIE’ OF YOU WITH THIS MONTH’S MAGAZINE AND RECEIVE THE CODE FOR THE ONLINE VERSION FREE OF CHARGE. Publisher: John Davies Editor: Liz Parr Printer: LV Grupo Grafico y de Communication, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat Dep Legal ME: 187/1973 No. Registro: 1037/3.992 The Publisher reserves the right to edit any material submitted for publication.

All prices quoted were correct at the time of going to press No articles may be reproduced without written permission from the Publisher For Editorial contact info@roquetamagazine.net For Advertising contact roquetajohn@gmail.com For Subscriptions contact roquetajohn@gmail.com

ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

Liz & John

IN THIS ISSUE ISLAND NEWS 04 Fiesta Season, The Big Interview - Griff Rhys Jones, Migratory Birds & Isla Del Rey EATING OUT & WINE

DIVE CENTER CALA BLANCA Christina and Lucy

THE GREAT OUTDOORS 34 Think Global Act Local, Lawn and Garden, Medicinal herbs & Menorcan Honey ART IN MENORCA

WELLBEING

CLUBS AND ASSOCIATIONS

WHAT’S ON

READERS CORNER

ISLAND NEWS

JUNE 2024

ISLAND NEWS

By Christine Brooker

A PLANTATION OF SEAGRASS FOR FORNELLS From 1st October a plantation of Sea Grass (Posidonía oceanic) and another type, sometimes known as Little Neptune Grass (Cymododea nodosa), will be planted in front of the Es Pla zone; this will be funded by environmental compensation of 167.081 Euros from the Govern for work done in the bay. The famous restaurant Es Pla, renowned for its lobster and for visits from the Spanish Royal family, was demolished and another building erected there. The site between Es Pla and the pontoons will cover over five thousand sq. metres. Rhizomes from healthy plants that have been separated from the main plants by bad weather will be used and it is hoped that up to 90% will survive. Work will continue until April 2025 a favourable time for planting. WILD GOATS

SMALL SHOPS CONTINUE TO CLOSE

From time to time we have reported about wild goats in different parts of Menorca happily chomping away in people’s gardens. Now there is a herd of them living in Ses Savinas and they are feasting in Cala Tirant. Over the years there have been various solutions with farmers adopting some, others were culled and there was a petition on Change.org to save the goats. The official organisation Cofib (Recuperation of the Fauna in the Balearics) will give information to the town halls and individuals who need help. Shooting them, as happened in Mongofra in 2022, is not an option since a law was passed in March 2023 protecting the rights and wellbeing of animals.

The Balearics have lost nearly 5000 small shops and businesses during the last 15 years, although the number of companies has risen. The small local shops in the streets have been badly affected by the changes with the large supermarket chains opening and people buying online. Another problem is that younger generations are no longer taking over the businesses due to the long hours and small profits and it is practically impossible to sell or rent them. Another problem is parking, the large shops usually have free parking and the town centres are more complicated. The Govern says three important strategies could help, one is for local businesses to go online so that customers know what goods they are selling, another to find out what the consumer wants these days and change the direction of the business, and the third is to make sure that those that remain are well publicised.

BALEARICS AT THE BACK OF THE QUEUE Although statistics need to be updated from June 2023, the Cotec Foundation for Innovation put the Balearic Islands as one of the last places in the queue for European funds, the only ones after them are Andalusia and La Rioja. The islands receive some 75 Euros per inhabitant, whereas the average is 157 Euros. When they talk about economic diversification, it is worth trying to improve these figures says the Diari. D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

JUNE 2024

MAHÓN CEDES A HOUSE IN THE CENTRE FOR MINORS The ayuntamiento in Mahón has agreed to cede to the Consell, a centrally situated house in the town for some of the minors, at present in the “Casa de La Infancía” (children’s home) near the Explanada. The objective of the Consell is to have various centres where individual attention can be given according to age and necessities. The house is large and doesn´t need much work. The patio is also large with various ornamental features that divide it up and this needs more reformation. In 2022 the house was used for families that had come from the Ukraine. The house, along with other properties, was part of an inheritance to the ayuntamiento in 2018, with the condition that at least for the next 30 years it should be used to house minors. There is also a flat that is being used for battered women with children. The Consell will have the use for ten years, with a possibility of five more. The management of the Casa de Infancia has been very complicated lately, with resignations and teenagers causing problems, and the idea is to separate the smaller children.

PUNTA GROSSA LOSES ACCESS TO BOATS Traditionally people who have the 20 moorings in Punta Grossa next to Arenal d´en Castell have used a pathway to the coast that in its day was authorised by Costas (the coastal authorities). However one of the new owners has built a wall impeding access, saying that the land belongs to them. Something similar has happened to another potential access. The boat owners say that the public right of way is marked on a map from the 1970´s, and the alcalde in Mercadal says he doesn´t know why it was never developed. There is access from the beach but there are rocks in the way and the boats owners almost have to swim there because of them. Presumably if moorings are authorised there should be access. DOLPHINS Investigators from the University of Barcelona from the group Research and Conservation of Large Marine Vertebrates have been investigating the habitats of dolphins and other mega fauna on the north of the island in an area which has marine wind power installations. The group assesses the size of the pod and the number of babies between Punta Pentiner and La Mola. The project called “Dolphins of the wind” (Dofins del vent) took 28 hours, and covered 220 nautical miles. The south winds and the northerly Tramuntana were of crucial importance to the study. The project with the support of the government in Madrid and the Menorcan Institute of Studies network was awarded just over 4000 Euros last year.

“ORCHARDS” ARE NOT FOR RENTING The Consell said it first and now the Govern have confirmed that the houses built illegally on orchards or allotments that are now being legalised under the new Decree of Simplification cannot be rented out to tourists. The councillor for Territory and Tourism Nùria Torrent says they are a social and environmental problem that need a solution but that does not imply that they can be used as holiday rentals. Now GOB, the Balearic ecological group, has announced that it is preparing a document to send to UNESCO formally denouncing the legalisation. Their argument is that the decision contradicts the spirit of the Biosphere Reserve, saying that it is “A speculative urbanistic operation, one of the largest since democracy”, adding that it would mean upping the value of the properties and insulting those people who built things legally. ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

JUNE 2024

THREE HURT IN AIR CRASH

PRIVATE CAR HIRE

A Piper PA-28-180 light aircraft landing at the Aeroclub ended up in some bushes near to the Camí de Malbuger on the 3rd of May at around 20.00. It was human error, said the pilot Fernando Caballero who needed help to get out of the plane, and received 14 stitches on his forehead. He says he was going too slowly and there was not time to rectify his error. One of his passengers was Juan Torres, the owner of the estate agency Bonin Sanso, and he suffered two broken ribs. The other passenger escaped without injury and all three were all able to leave the plane unaided. Three ambulances arrived promptly from the nearby Mateu Orfila hospital.

It happened with houses, now it is happening with cars through social media. Is renting your car a way of earning from something you are not using or should it be illegal? The debate is active on the other islands which have detected this problem for some time and now it is happening here. Prices are well below car hire companies, and there are those who collect people from the airport and others who have six or seven cars. Companies such as Drivy or Getaround advertise the private cars, take a percentage and guarantee insurance assistance etc. The established sector has not commented but is expecting a bumper season with advance bookings mainly from the British and French. BLUE FLAG BEACHES Menorca has three new Blue Flag beaches making six in total, Cala Galdana, Cala en Porter and Son Bou from last year, and now Binibeca Nou and Punta Prima have had the flags reinstated. The previous town council in Sant Lluis didn’t feel it was worth the effort and expense, the present one does. Also included is the port at Ciutadella; however Fornells was unable to recoup theirs. In the nineties the Blue Flags were sought after but now not so much so as they are only for beaches with equipment and services meaning that the unspoilt beaches can´t compete. Some prefer other distinctions of quality which are not specified.

ISLAND NEWS

JUNE 2024

GIANT SQUID Tourists who visit Menorca may expect to find squid on the menu in restaurants but they were surprised by a giant one on the shore in Son Bou on 14th May. Experts had to confirm if it was a “good” one presumably edible and expensive, or a “bad” one. The emergency services (112) were called and various life guards arrived who in turn advised the department of the environment who measured the cephalopod, confirmed its death and removed it.

PRESERVING THE ISLAND FLORA The proliferation of invasive plants is a worldwide problem, particularly in places like Menorca with an insular ecosystem. Now climate change is accelerating the problem. The Biosphere Reserve Agency controlled by the Consell (Island Council) has been involved for three decades with the Life Flora project. This is financed from European funds from Next Generation, under the programme “Elimination and Control of invasive exotic species in areas of the natural network of the Menorcan Biosphere Reserve”. Recently the work has intensified, and a holistic catalogue has been compiled which is very detailed and explains how to control each species. There are some 80 according to Felix de Pablo, the expert in biodiversity. The guide can be found on the Biosphere’s website. Some of the common invasive plants are different types of Mesanbryanthemum (Livingstone Daisies known as patata frita (Chips) in Menorca), Bell Flowers, Agave, Giant Reed and Pampas Grass. SUCCESSFUL ALTERNATIVE ENERGY The boom in solar panels has meant that Menorca now has to export excess energy to Mallorca for about seven hours a day. This change has happened in recent months despite the fact that only four of the 12 authorised Photovoltaic farms are active. For 15 years Menorca had been stuck, producing only 3% renewable energy, and now this has increased to 60%. The power station in Mahón still provides about 25 megawatts or about 30% of the total island consumption energy as solar energy is subject to weather changes. The foundation stone for the largest authorised park in the Balearics, Menorca Renovables II has just been laid near to Mahón, and will be built mostly on the Binifaell Vell and Son Orfila farms. Covering nearly 40 hectares it will house 90.000 solar panels with 60% more potency than the park at Son Salomó and occupying 20 fewer hectares. It could on its own cover the needs of 20% of the island population. One of the innovations is that it will have batteries to store solar energy so that this can be used at night. It will be run by the French company Mirova with vast experience of solar energy in France. They will pay the 80 million Euro of the installation which is due to open in 2026. One major problem is that the second underwater cable to Mallorca, needed to export the energy has not even been started (even though it should have been completed years ago) and will not be finished by 2026 meaning that when the park is finished it will not be able to make use of all the energy produced.

ESTRELLA DAMM For the fourth time Menorca will be featured in the Estrella Damm beer advert this summer, but this time sharing with other locations. They have filmed in the Lithica Quarries and the Talaier beach, both in the Ciutadella area. Two songs became summer hits after the adverts in Menorca, “Applejack” by the Australian group The Triangles and “Summercat” by Billie the Vision and The Dancers. I notice that one of the previous spots included Binibeca Vell, something not likely to happen again.

ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

JUNE 2024

BALD – BUT A LONGER LIFE…

MORE AMERICANS VISIT

A recent study has found that the Balearics lead Spain with the largest number of bald men. However, the good news is that this is related to the longevity on the islands, the longer you live the more hair you lose.

More Americans are visiting Menorca, though not through the Palma New York connection, but via Malaga and Barcelona. Menorca is the fourth Spanish destination that is of most interest in Canada and the United States according to recent studies by Turespaña in California.

BALCONING A British man aged 22 was arrested by the Guardiá Civil police after causing various incidents in the streets and damaging properties at the end of April. In the early hours of the morning he then started to climb from one balcony to another on the second floor of the Hotel Aguamarina and fell to the ground, only suffering some bruising. He had previously been aggressive with police and tried to throw a fire extinguisher at them. They had left him with his brother and sisterin-law who were unable to prevent him climbing from the balcony. He was drunk and possibly under the influence of drugs according to the police, who took him to Mahón where he spent the night in a cell. The next morning he told them that he thought “balconing” was permitted in Spain.

DNA FOR DOGS IN ES CASTELL Excrement from dogs left on pavements and in public places is one of the main examples of uncivilised behaviour on the island and particularly in Es Castell where it has been a problem for years. The alcalde in Es Castell has therefore suggested that a DNA register for dogs is introduced throughout the island in order to catch the offending owners. This had been suggested by the previous town council for Es Castell, although nothing transpired. Lluis Camps, the alcalde, says as Menorca is small people walk their dogs in different municipalities and he thinks it is a good idea to include the whole island in the project. The DNA is taken from the saliva of the dogs by vets and it is calculated that for Es Castell it would take between six months and a year to complete. Local police would then collect the “samples” and hopefully the owner would be fined. In Santa Eulària des Riu in Ibiza the system has already been implemented and is working successfully. Camps says the other alcaldes are very positive about the suggestion, adding that we would see a rapid change and the island´s image would be improved.

CATHEDRAL CLOCK The clock on the cathedral in Ciutadella has been removed for repairs. It has two faces, one interior and the other exterior. The outside one was keeping bad time caused by the intense humidity which affected the hands on the clock, now it will be cleaned and soldered.

D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

JUNE 2024

AURORA BOREALIS The electromagnetic phenomenon that is normally seen in Polar regions and with varied colours was observed in Menorca. A deep pink Aurora Borealis was visible in Arenal d´en Castell, Macaret, Ciutadella and Alaior on 11th May. Last seen in Menorca on 25th January 1938 it is very unusual. Many people were on the lookout the next night, but few saw anything.

ROUNDABOUTS Sant Lluis has signed up six “Godfathers” to be patrons of six roundabouts and keep them tidy and pay for the upkeep in exchange for publicity. This idea has been used in Mahón for some years. Horticulture and water companies, restaurants, the Hotel Sur Menorca are participating, and the children´s park in S´Algar will be sponsored by Alua hotels.

NEW ADULT ONLY ICE CREAM

PUSH, POP, PARTY! La Menorquina in collaboration with GLOP has launched a new ‘pop up’ ice cream based on the popular fiesta drink “Pomada” or “Gin amb Llimonada” (Gin and lemon), depending on which part of the island you live. The new product will be available in bars, restaurants and hotels of Menorca this summer but be warned it has an alcohol content of 4.5°, similar to a beer. GLOP’s Menorcan gin, made at its Es Castell facilities, adds a unique flavour to the pop up. It is a gin obtained using a process of cold maceration with citrus botanicals such as orange blossom, two types of mandarins, as well as ginger, sage and juniper. Iván Leal, CEO of La Menorquina, said “We are fulfilling a historical request we had to reinterpret the pomada or gin and lemonade in a frozen format that is fun to consume: freezing alcohol is an extremely complicated task and I congratulate the team at La Menorquina for having achieved this”. Matthew Meacham, owner of Licores Biniarbolla, manufacturer of GLOP, is very excited about the creative innovation through which he has found a new way to satisfy customers. He said, “it is very interesting to see the collaboration of two companies whose beginnings were decades ago in Alaior. We hope that this summer many Menorcans and visitors will do ‘Push, pop, party’”. La Menorquina was founded in 1940 in Alaior after a young entrepreneur Fernando Sintes (bottom right) had a win on the lottery and set up his own factory. It is now the largest national manufacturer of own-brand ice cream in Spain with sales of 105 million in 2023 and more than 700 employees. The company is still committed to making quality ice cream according to local tastes and with local ingredients, such as Majorcan almonds, Mahon cheese and salt from Ibiza. Licores Biniarbolla, manufacturer of GLOP, is the company that also makes iNNat, the premium gin as well as the liqueurs from Menorca: Herbes Biniarbolla. GLOP is a perfect gin to use as a base for creative and traditional cocktails. At the launch party in Es Castell, it was also possible to try some classic and more unusual gin cocktails, including those made by the team from Jigger, the cocktail bar in Cala Blanca. In 2023, GLOP launched its GLOP Pomada Granizada, which has already proved a success on the island.

Iván Leal and Matthew Meacham

ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

JUNE 2024

JUAN TORRES FOUNDER OF BONNIN SANSO LENDS HIS SUPPORT TO TREBALUGER EQUINE RESCUE CENTRE At the Trebaluger Equine Rescue Centre the founder Sam is in a constant battle against rising prices of animal feed and general expenses. It is these very costs of owning and caring for a horse that leads to many of them suffering and needing to be rescued. On reading about Sam’s efforts to receive more help from the local town councils, Juan Torres of Bonnin Sanso, realised that he could also lend support. By waiving the rent on the land until the end of the year he has matched the amount received annually from the Consell Insular. The rescue centre is situated on 44,000 hectares of former farmland, owned by Bonnin Sanso. Sam has known Juan’s wife Sue for many years and when she mentioned that she was looking for a place to keep the horses 9 years ago, it was serendipitous that the land in Trebaluger had just become available. Sam says it is ideal for the horses, it is close to the urbanisation but isolated enough not to cause problems and she has a very good relationship with her neighbours, exchanging manure (difficult to dispose of in the large quantities generated!) for boxes of tomatoes and potatoes. There is also a well on the property which is shared with one of the neighbours. The money saved on the rent will buy two weeks of hard food or 2 bales of hay. Having to buy hay on a monthly basis as money becomes available does not give Sam great buying power. She has nowhere to store hay in large quantities and so she is at the mercy of the sellers. Sam requested that the Consell Insular came to visit the centre to learn more about the problems she encounters and after the visit they agreed to increase the grant to 4000€ per year. However, they are raising the issue of animal welfare with all the local mayors and Sam hopes this will lead to more help in the future. As a comparison, the government gives 75,000 Euros per year to help run the Protectora for dogs and cats. When an animal in distress is reported to Sam she always uses dialogue with the owner to try and resolve the problem rather than denouncing them to the police. She explains that it costs 1000 Euros to put down a horse, which has to be sent to Es Milar for disposal, and this is out of reach of many farmers or families. Therefore, an old or unwell horse may be left in a field to deteriorate and die. Horses are not covered under the recent changes in the laws for animal rights in Spain. Owners do not have to have them chipped or have passports, but Sam has to cover these expenses as these are a requirement for horses kept at the centre. Juan Torres links with Trebaluger Juan Torres has been living in Trebaluger for 56 years. He was born in Es Mercadal but at the age of 3 his parents moved, first to Son Vilar and then to Trebaluger. His parents moved initially to the red farm in Son Vilar, which was to become the Tonic night club. His father used the cave as a stable to keep his horse called Peatón, which he rode in the fiestas. Juan first met his English wife Sue at the age of 15 but it was not until they were in their mid-twenties that they finally got together and married. Juan started his career working in construction with his father who bought land in Trebaluger with 20 plots for villas, followed by other developments around the island. His clients were mostly British and his work took him to the UK where he met many interesting people from whom he learnt a lot. It was these contacts with the British community that attracted the attention of the Mallorcan, Francisco de Asis Bonnin Sanso, when he came to Menorca looking for a partner to set up an estate agency. In 1987, when they opend the first office, there were only a few estate agents on the island and they were the first to advertise in the press and publish a property guide magazine, and to use computers for property management. In 1991 Juan was joined by Colin Guanaria who had experience in the British real estate sector. Today, Juan is President of Bonnin Sanso and three of his children, Kerry Phillips (Finanve Director), Juan Matteo Torres (Director) and Verónica Torres (Director Ciutadella Office) also work in the business. ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

JUNE 2024

FIESTA SEASON STARTS IN JUNE WITH SANT JOAN YOUR GU IDE TO ME NORC A’S LOC AL FIESTA TRADITIONS by Vanessa Jeny, Menorca Blue

If you are on the island between mid-June and September you will be able to witness one of the local Menorcan fiestas as each town has its version of the same formula of ‘Horses, Jaleo and Gin’ based on the celebration of the town’s patron saint. Not that the Spanish need a reason to celebrate and enjoy life, but they will always find one, as every day of the year there is a local fiesta in some town somewhere in Spain! Local fiestas in Menorca are a mixture of tradition, religion, music, people, animals, dance, food, gin, colour, laughter, family and friendship. It’s an experience that bridges the gaps in language as the sentiment needs no translation. As they say here in the lead-up to the fiesta: ‘Es veu, es sent, Sant Joan esta present’ …meaning you can see it and you can feel it when Sant Joan is present. It’s a shift in energy in the air, not just a change in temperature! If crowds and horses are your flavour of fun, then read on….

A PAUSE IN SLOW LIFE In Menorca during the days of fiesta, the small towns of the small island transform from tranquil spaces to enjoy the slow life, into street parties where young and old gather with live music and always a cavalcade of pure-bred Menorcan horses. Preparations for the fiestas begin months ahead by the local councils, and participating farming families. As the air starts to warm in mid-spring and the days become much longer, horse riders can be seen in the streets surrounding Ciutadella practising for the event, preparing themselves and their elegant steeds for two intense days of fiesta and fun in the intense heat and crowds. Sant Joan (pronounced Jo-aan) is the original fiesta in celebrating Saint John the Baptist. It inspires the fiesta traditions across the island and remains true in customs and ceremonies to its roots. Dating back to the 14th Century, it is held every year in Ciutadella on the 23rd & 24th of June, and the Sunday before, this year the 16th of June. D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

JUNE 2024

THE ESSENTIALS OF SANT JOAN DÍA DES BE - SUNDAY 16TH JUNE 2024 On the first official day of the fiesta, the protagonist is a sheep instead of a horse. A man representing Saint John the Baptist, dressed in sheepskin carrying the sheep on his shoulders, is accompanied by the official committee of horse riders and the sound of a drum and flute, as they visit houses around the historic centre of Ciutadella. It’s tough to time it, you would be lucky to catch a glimpse.

NIT DES FESTERS - SATURDAY 22ND JUNE 2024 Ciutadella hosts several bonfires around the centre of the town at night. Different musical groups wander around town between the bonfires. Carnival rides open this weekend for the kids in the main square of Ciutadella

DISSABTE DE SANT JOAN - SUNDAY 23RD JUNE 2024 This is the first day with the horses and the most intense in every way. It’s normally very hot and very crowded. If you are going to go, my recommendation is at night, after 9.30pm and not with very small children. • Primer Toc & Replec - from 2.00pm - 6.00pm The official acts start at 2.00pm sharp in one of the palaces in the centre of town with the ‘Primer Toc’, the first strike of the drum and flute. The ‘Fabioler’, the rider who leads the cavalcade of over 100 horses, requests permission to start the ‘Replec’ which is the calling of the other horse riders to the cavalcade. • Caragol des Born - 6.00pm At 6.00pm sharp, ‘El Caixer Senyor’, head of the cavalcade, gallops through the crowd at full speed to the centre of the main plaza and the band strikes up the festival tune called the ‘Jaleo’. With no barricades, the cavalcade loops the packed plaza three times, occasionally horses rising on their hind legs. It’s the most intense part of the whole fiesta. Access to the Plaza is controlled by Police and has limited capacity. You can also watch on TV on IB3. • Sant Joan de Missa & Ses Avellanas - from 7.30pm (approx) The cavalcade then leaves Ciutadella till nightfall returning around 9.30pm. In the meantime, those in town enjoy the carnival rides in the centre square, or ‘tossing of the hazelnuts’ (an old tradition) on the ‘Contramurada’ street on the perimeter of the historical centre. • Corregudes de Sa Plaça i Ses Voltes - 10.00pm (approx) The cavalcade heads to the central street of the old town ‘Ses Voltes’, the street with the arches. The whole cavalcade laps this strip three times to the Cathedral Plaza. • Caragol de Santa Clara - 11.00pm (approx) The cavalcade moves to the streets surrounding the church of Santa Clara and loops the route 3 times. This takes time, as many of the houses open their doors for the horses to enter the houses! Be wary of what’s in front of you AND behind you at all times. Lots of people, lots of horses. It goes well into the night and those with enough energy to keep dancing usually finish up in the nightclubs in the Port. ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

JUNE 2024

DÍA DE SANT JOAN - MONDAY 24TH JUNE

GO EASY ON THE ‘GIN AMB LLIMONADA’

The agenda for the actual feast day is mostly a repetition of the day before. The same sequence repeats in the morning and the night with a closed mass and lunch in the middle of the day.

Gin & Lemon is a sweet and strong drink that goes down well and will have you in the fiesta spirit in no time. The small cups make you lose count quickly. Eat well beforehand, drink lots of water and pace yourself. That’s the way the locals do it. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

• Primer Toc & Replec - from 8.00am Same as the previous day, mid-morning the cavalcade heads down to the Port to practise for the mediaeval games which are held in the evening. I recommend meeting them in the Port to watch the action. • Jocs des Pla des matí - Mid-morning There are three types of games. First is jousting on horseback towards a target that resembles a large curtain ring hung at the end of the passageway of the Port. The second is the breaking of wooden shields on galloping horseback, and the third translates to ‘galloping hugs’. Common Sense Tip: Stand far away from the galloping horses, view from a distance! • Corregudes de Sa Plaça i Ses Voltes - until 1.00pm (approx) When the games end, the cavalcade heads back up to Ses Voltes and then Santa Clara for another lap around and in and out of the houses, same as the previous day. • Convidada a la l’Ajuntament & Jocs des Pla - from 7.00 - 11.00pm At 7.00pm, the cavalcade arrives at the town hall to request permission to officially start the games in the Port. Then the cavalcade heads down to the port where the games commence. Finishing with the final vigorous ‘Jaleo’ by the horses and band. Warning, it’s very crowded. Go for the atmosphere which is fantastic, but the views are limited and it’s a long time to stand. The best view is on television on IB3. • Caragol de Ses Voltes & Caragol de Santa Clara - from 11.00pm Same as the previous day, three laps of each, finishing well after midnight. The best chance to see the horses up close and calm during the night.

SANT JOANET - TUESDAY 25TH JUNE - FIREWORKS 11.00PM A day of recovery for everyone post-fiesta, that ends with a fireworks display over the sea. The best views are on the coastline on either side of the Port just north of Ciutadella on the road beyond the lighthouse ‘Sa Farola’ and on the south side around the small castle ‘Castell de Sant Nicolau’.

CHOOSE WHAT TO ENJOY, YOU CAN’T SEE IT ALL No one can see it all, not even the 100+ horse riders. Private homes are invite-only, not open to the public. My recommendation is the morning of the 24th of June. Most of the partygoers are asleep, it’s family-friendly for the kids and the horses are calm.

THE CARNIVAL RIDES ARE OPEN IN THE EVENING DURING THE FIESTA Each year the centre plaza ‘Es Born’ is closed to host the carnival rides which open each evening. You can also enjoy some sweets, ice cream or traditional ‘churros’. No horses or excess of people.

SUMMER SCHEDULE OF LOCAL FIESTAS IN MENORCA Here is the calendar of the town fiestas around the island during the summer. Always popular events for locals and tourists, but thankfully without the influx of 1000s from Mallorca and Barcelona. They come and go for Sant Joan. You can still witness the horses, jaleo and fun fiesta atmosphere. Ciutadella - Sant Joan - 23 and 24th June (and the Sunday before) Es Mercadal - Sant Martí - Third weekend in July Fornells - Sant Antoni - Fourth weekend in July Es Castell - Sant Jaume - 24 and 25th July Es Migjorn Gran - Sant Cristófol - Last weekend in July or first weekend in August

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Llucmaçanes - Sant Gaietà - First weekend in August

Decide if it’s worth it & pay attention at all times: It’s full-on fiesta fun, Spanish style!

San Clemente - Sant Climent - Third weekend in August

IT’S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF Sant Joan is a local fiesta for local people. As a tourist, you have to be prepared to go with the flow and be very cautious of what is going on around you at all times. When in doubt, stay out of the way. There are no barricades. Horses have no brakes, riders have no rear view. Sometimes you need to be wary of the ginfueled crowds. Be careful not to walk into the middle of the cavalcade or put yourself in danger to take a photo. Accidents do happen, make sure it’s not you. If you hear the band step away from the horses fast!

TRAVEL LIGHT, DRESS APPROPRIATELY Recommended are sneakers, jeans/shorts, sunscreen and a hat. There is a lot of walking and standing, not many places to sit in the shade. Keep that in mind. It’s not a place for open shoes, skirts, big bags, valuables or prams.

Alayor Saint - Sant Llorenç - Second weekend in August Ferrerias - Sant Bartomeu - 23, 24 and 25th of August San Luis - Sant Lluís - Last weekend in August Mahón - Mare de Déu de Gràcia - 7, 8 of 9th of September Cala’n Porter - Fiesta of Cala’n Porter - Third weekend in September For more information on these local fiestas and the fiesta traditions, I have written several articles on my blog menorcablue.com. As they say in Menorca, ‘¡Bones Festas tothom!’ which means, Happy Fiestas Everyone!

CONSIDER EVENT TIMINGS AND TRAVEL PLANS During the hottest part of the day, there is nothing to see. The best way to get to Ciutadella is by taxi, bus timetables are scarce and more so after midnight. Check with your local tourist office for more information. If you come by car you need a designated driver or to leave it there overnight. Parking is on the outskirts as the centre is closed, you then have to walk to the centre for at least 10 - 15 minutes. Police with alcohol control are at all roads out of Ciutadella at all hours. ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

THE

JUNE 2024

BIG

INTERVIEW WITH

GRIFF RHYS JONES

Griff Rhys Jones OBE is famous in the UK as a Welsh comedian, actor and TV presenter. His career first took off when he appeared on the comedy show ‘Not the Nine O’Clock News’ in 1979 and then in his own sketch show with Mel Smith called ‘Alas Smith and Jones’ which was so popular it ran from 1984 to 1998. He has also set up two successful TV production companies and more recently has travelled the world presenting travel programmes about Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Two years ago, Griff bought his first house outside the UK, here in Menorca. We went to talk to him to find out why he chose this small island out of all the places he has visited in the World. At the age of 70 Griff shows no signs of slowing down. He was in Menorca in late April for only a few days, taking a short break from his one man show ‘The Cat’s Pyjamas’ which has toured over 40 theatres around the UK. Griff admits he is not organised and when he starts the show, he is not sure how it is going to end. He says he is targeting the ‘elastic waistband’ crowd being largely unknown to the under 30’s. The tour finishes in early June, allowing Griff to finally spend more time at his house here, with his wife Jo and their family and friends.

When did you first come to Menorca? I have owned two classic sailing yachts, firstly Undina, a 45’ wooden boat from the 50’s, and for the last 12 years Argyll, a 57’ 1948 Marconi Yawl. We take part in the classic regattas all over the Mediterranean and have been coming to Mahon since 2004 to compete in the Copa del Rey. In the winter the yacht is moored in Cannes in the South of France. The harbour master there gives us reduced mooring fees as he likes to have a row of classic yachts lining his harbour to attract tourists. My skipper Alex grew up in St Tropez and he knows the area well which is another advantage for me. When we first sailed into Mahon harbour for a regatta, we saw the empty moorings in Fonduco and the abandoned buildings and we imagined the classic boats in a row there with a club house above. However, we soon realised the complex planning issues involved with renovating buildings around the coast, and of course you cannot buy private moorings in the harbour. How did you choose your house here? I have a passion for restoring old properties. I bought an abandoned farm in Wales with 6 dilapidated buildings and gave it a new life. We made a TV documentary about it called Restoration and just like here in Menorca there were many planning regulations and other difficulties to overcome such as tourist tax and finding room for 5 recycling bins, not to mention a bat hotel. My philosophy is that I hate second homes that lie empty for most of the year. I rent out the farm cottages in Wales and also my country house in Suffolk so that they are always occupied and bringing benefits to the local area. I am also the President of the Victorian Society in the UK. Every year the society compiles a list of the most endangered top ten buildings and I go on TV to publicise it. Liverpool Street Station is currently under threat from developers. My first inclination when I discovered Menorca was to buy and restore a classic town house in the centre of Mahon. However, I now have 4 grandchildren and my son and daughter rebelled, saying we needed outdoor space and a swimming pool. This house ticked all the boxes for the family as we have 8 hectares of rustic land but we are also in walking distance of the town and harbour, and it has a tourist licence so I can rent it out when I am not here.

D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

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When I first became involved in Classic yachts there were mainly “hard arsed crews and wrinkly owners”. Over the years we created more of a social group of owner/helmsmen, although we always get the blame when things go wrong. More recently the circuit has changed. Argyll has a true amateur boat crew by all accounts, and we are now up against other “amateur” crews that are flown in from New Zealand, all expenses paid. It has changed from being a group of enthusiasts to being taken over by billionaires. Taking part in the full regatta circuit is very peripatetic; travelling from place to place but spending only a short time in each. I am beginning to tire of Formula 1 and would like to do just Spanish and local regattas. I love the Spanish regattas and I am proud to say that Argyll has won the Spanish league twice, and we won the Barcelona event two years in a row. In the summer, I am hoping to find a share in a small boat here in Menorca to get to the beaches with the grandchildren. Similar to my ideas about home ownership, I don’t want to own a boat I only use two months of the year. I am looking forward to spending time in Menorca and enjoying it to the full. Griff told us that his only exposure in Spain during his career was when he appeared in a soft drinks advert. He reeled off his lines for us word perfect, but he says it was his only Spanish and he is now learning using Duolingo. How much time have you spent in Menorca? We bought the house two years ago but we couldn’t move in for a year as we were waiting for paperwork to be completed including police checks. We finally got to stay here just before Christmas in 2022 and loved spending time in Mahon. Due to my busy schedule last year, I have not been able to spend much time here or to explore the wider area. My knowledge of the island so far has been restricted to our own environment, my garden and furniture suppliers! However, the house has been very popular with all my family and friends who seem to no longer want to go to Wales!

When we visited, Griff had several friends staying and we were met at the gate by Clive Anderson, who kindly went off to tell Griff we had arrived. (Sorry for staring Clive, it took me a moment to realise it was you). Having checked Griff’s Instagram page later, I think Tom Hollander may have been hiding away somewhere too. Through his TV and acting career and his production companies, Talkback and Modern Television, Griff has built up a large network of friends in the theatre and entertainment industry, even sitting next to Lady Di and introducing Queen at Live Aid. I am keeping my eyes peeled around town this summer.

Dates of the VCYC Mediterranean Classic Championship 2024

I have inherited Miguel who farmed the land for the previous owner, Carlos. He was a very keen propagator and so we have an arboretum with many interesting trees including a baobab. I have also been planting trees like mad to create a barrier from the road, to protect me from the noise of the Sunday scooter riders, my only complaint so far. I like the native species of trees such as cypress and evergreen oak but from previous experience I know that you must plant them small and wait for them to grow. If you buy big expensive ones in pots they have become lazy and don’t grow. I am not one to hide away though and generally we have been clearing land. Jo and I love gardening; I am the planner and the pruner of the partnership.

Antibe, France – 29th May

What are your plans for the future?

In addition to Palma and Menorca the Spanish Championship includes:

This year I will be sailing Argyll in June from Italy and then coming to Menorca with the boat for two months in July and August. We will take the boat to the regatta in Palma during that time and then we will be here for the Copa del Rey in Menorca from 27th to the 31st August. As I am now 70, I give myself perhaps 5 more years to enjoy sailing and then I may change to a traditional motor llaut. I first leant to sail with my father but had never raced until we entered Undina into a regatta when I sailed to the Baltic with Bob and then I got hooked.

Porto Santo Stefano Italy 12-16th June Club de Mar, Palma, Mallorca 14-18th August Copa del Rey Mahon, Menorca 27-31s August Imperia, Italy 12-15th September Cannes, France 23-29th September

Cadiz 4-7th July Pollensa, Mallorca 23/24 August Puig, Barcelona 4-7th September

ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

JUNE 2024

A 30 YEAR STUDY OF MIGRATORY BIRDS ON ISLA DEL AIRE SOM - SOCIETAT ORNITOLÒGICA DE MENORCA In 1991 two amateur enthusiasts Santi Catchot and Raül Escandell, both living in Albufera des Grau, had the idea to start monitoring the birds landing on the Isla del Aire. The birds were stopping off on their annual prenuptial migration from Africa to their summer destination in central or Northern Europe. Their initial ringing trials were successful and so in 1995 they began to use the same method every year for 45 days between March and May, building up a unique and invaluable record. This data is now used by scientists around the world and they have become local heroes due to their dedication to the task. Today, with the possible effects of climate change, it is more important than ever that they can find the resources for their team to continue financing this significant migration study. This year the study has recorded a general decrease in the number of ringed birds, as well as as well as the number of species recorded. They cannot draw global conclusions based solely on the data from this campaign, but experts suspect that the lack of rain in autumn followed by the very significant heat wave at the end of winter, both in the Sahel region of Africa (the main hibernation area for birds from Europe), could be the main cause of this significant drop in catches.

The ‘Japanese’ nets have been set up every year for the last 30 years in similar places, amongst the vegetation on the greener part of the island where the birds seek shelter.

I visited on 14th May, the penultimate day of the study in 2024. A dedicated team of people camp in the small building on Isla del Aire and keep an unbroken record of the birds caught in the nets, checking them every hour of every day from 6am until dusk. This year 26 ornithological experts, including researchers and volunteers, have participated. I arrived by rib with Raul, and Sara from Menorca Preservation which has donated 4000 Euros to help finance the study this year. There we met Santi and Lara who showed us the birds which had been caught in the nets that morning One of the first birds to be examined was a tiny chiffchaff on its way to Norway or Sweden. It is one of the smallest species of birds that are collected in the nets. Each bird is weighed and its body examined to record the amount of fat and the condition of its feathers. If possible, its age and sex is determined by looking at the wing feathers but if the birds moult in Africa this can be difficult or impossible. The birds set off on their journey at night and if they get caught in a storm many will die and those surviving the trip will arrive with very little body fat remaining. They will take a while to rest and recover on the island, free of predators, before setting off on the next leg of their journey. Raul told me that most birds will die in their first year but if they make it to the second year, they can live for five or perhaps seven years. D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

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The next bird to be examined was a turtle dove. Two years ago the shooting of these birds was banned in Europe and the numbers are increasing very fast. Santi told me that this one was probably on its way to Italy. It will wait in a tree all day until around 9pm when it will set off for Sardinia and then on to Florence. They know that these birds stay in the centre of Europe as they have fitted some birds with a GPS tracker. Lara had been on the island for 5 days. She had travelled from Ibiza to take part in the study after undertaking specialist training in handling the birds. Lara has a biology masters in biodiversity and has spent time studying in Italy, the Canary Islands and Valencia. She carefully took a flycatcher out of the next bag and could tell it was the Balearic sub species from the white on its head and under its wings. The bird was placed on the scales head down in a special plastic cup and seemed calm and largely unperturbed by the whole process. When freed it flew happily into a nearby bush.

The species showing a decrease in numbers Some of the migrant birds that have decreased in numbers this year are the robin (Erithacus rubecula) -94.9%, the common chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) -50.9% and the blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) -70.9%. These birds migrate from northern to central Europe to the Mediterranean area and northern Africa (without crossing the Sahara Desert). The birds migrating from the European continent to beyond the Sahara Desert, in some cases reaching South Africa, have also declined. These are the group of birds that are most important to this Study. This year numbers of the musical chiffchaff (Phylloscopus trochilus) were down 43.5%, the redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) down 30.7%, the nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) down 37.3%, the Carrasqueña warbler (Curruca cantillans, Curruca subalpina and Curruca iberiae) down 43.9% and the black warbler (Curruca communis) down 48.7%.

JUNE 2024

Blue tit recorded for the first time There was some good news; numbers of the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) were up 24.3% and the grey flycatcher (Muscicapa striata/tyrrhenica) up 37%. Causing excitement was the capture of a blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) for the first time. This is a common species on the peninsula, and it even breeds in Mallorca, but it is the first time it has been ringed in Menorca. Two other species considered rare were also recorded: the zarzerilla warbler (Curruca warble) and the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis), of which 11 were caught on the same day! The Study had only ringed 13 specimens in total, since 1995, and so this was one of the most notable milestones of the 2024 campaign. The total of first captures since the study started, now stands at more than 90,000, birds distributed among a total of 117 different species. This year’s study has had funding from Menorca Preservation, as well as the support of the Sant Lluís City Council and the collaboration of MERAK Diving, in terms of transport, and the Autoritat Portuària de Balears. The Ornithological Society of Menorca is dedicated to the study, dissemination and protection of the birds of Menorca. It is the only ornithological organisation on the island dedicated to scientific study, carrying out a multitude of works during the 20 years since its foundation in 2003. It organises training and events open to everyone. If you find a bird with a ring there is a contact form on their website where you can record the details.

Contact information Website https://menorcasom.org/ Raül Escandell: raulescandell@gmail.com Blog: https://illadelaire.wordpress.com/

ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

JUNE 2024

By Beverley Ward

ISLA

DEL REY

We’ve launched into the summer season with an explosion of visitors, international press buzzing all over the island, a very full first Sunday with Hauser and Wirth now open, and 31 visitors on the first midweek English tour, which all augurs well for the coming months. We’re obviously going to be kept very busy! In fact, with so much to see and to show people during the visit, we have to warn people on the tour to keep up or we won’t get around in time. That said, for visitors it’s so easy to be able to choose the time to return, the catamaran returns to Mahón harbour at half past every hour, at the moment until 4.30pm, then from 6th June you can spend all day if you wish because the boats are running until 11.30pm, which provides plenty of flexibility. The medical rooms are bursting with old equipment, mostly provided from Menorcan or Mallorcan doctors and hospitals, amongst so many newly installed and surprising instruments I was fascinated to be shown a long fine steel tube which opens at the end. This was to extract coins from children’s throats! Does that really happen so frequently? Then another doctor explained that nowadays BIC pens all have the top with a hole in it so that when children swallow them they can still breathe! Amazing that any children actually survived at all in the past. Ma Paz

Monica and Keith Smith

Many of these items and photographs go back to the time that it was a Spanish military hospital, long after the three British occupations and the French and Italians who all used it. For some 120 years until it closed in 1964, not just Spanish military personnel but their families also were treated here so you can see surgical tables for giving birth, old anesthetic systems that used ether to put the patient to sleep, and so much more. Then there are the pharmacy rooms, chapels, the Roma room which remembers the sinking of the Italian battleship etc etc. However, surely most impressive of all, is when you see what has happened over the last 20 years of volunteering work and donations to make possible the rebirth of this huge and awe-inspiring historical building. The visitors on the tours are never left untouched or unmoved on seeing this transformation. I’m going to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to Ma Paz, one of our volunteers who is so talented and gives us so much of her time. She comes not only every Sunday to clean and tidy the laboratory room, but is responsible for the creation of the beautiful stained glass windows in the Catholic Church, the Anglican Chapel, Church Hall and on the first floor in the charming little chapel that was for the private use of the nuns when they worked as nurses for the Spanish military.

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JUNE 2024

These make such a difference; they illuminate the rooms and are works of art in themselves. It was 25 years ago that Paz completed a course on the technique of stained glass to make lamps, but found it was easy to adapt to windows and this has proved to be an expression of her artistic skills. Paz started coming to the Isla del Rey in 2010, when after an initial tour she found herself drawn back by the camaraderie she found, and the fact she could go wherever she liked most to work. She soon became aware of a mutual benefit from participating in a worthwhile project and the personal rewards that it provided. “A special magic” is what she said. I know exactly what she means! Not all our volunteers are permanent residents here, there is no obligation to come every Sunday and a number of British and French especially, have second homes on the island and come to help us when they are here. Monica and Keith Smith are perfect examples of this, their apartment where they come to spend 6 or 7 weeks at a time is overlooking the Isla del Rey, so they hop over on the rib every Sunday when they are on Menorca. “We love it” Monica told me. They were first introduced to it by other “swallows”, Caroline and Michael Stevenson, and since then 10 years have passed, but not diminished the enthusiasm of this warm and friendly couple. While Keith is able to put his experience in electricity to good use as well as helping in the gardens whenever necessary, Monica takes pleasure in seeing the landscape looking tidy, and although claims no knowledge in plant life, she has been nicknamed the “superweeder”. Almost always the volunteers comment on the social aspect of their collaboration, and once again this proved an important factor in returning time and again to give up their Sunday mornings. Monica and Keith have seen plenty of changes over the years and recommend that everyone should come back at least once every 2 years to appreciate the improvements and constant evolution of the old hospital and grounds. So, if you are overdue for a return visit, or looking forward to seeing the Isla del Rey for the first time, book your place without delay on the yellow catamarans and the English tour which is on Tuesday and Thursday at 11.15am or even better on Sunday at 09.15am (when it buzzes with all the volunteers). See you soon! + Info y Tickets: https://menorca.hauserwirth.com Fundación Hospital de la Isla del Rey - www.islahospitalmenorca.org https://www.yellowcatamarans.com/en/kings-island

THE WORLD’S 1ST NAVAL HOSPITAL.

There is an air of peace and tranquillity amongst all the volunteers that help and have helped restore this emblematic building, along with the visitors that enjoy time with us.

WHAT YOU CAN FIND AT MY “HOME FROM HOME”

In winter, volunteers arrive by boat moored on the Muelle d’Hospital built for easy access on the edge of Es Castell. Along the promenade from the Muelle is an old ship’s gun barrel firmly stuck in the ground, previously used as a fixture for mooring Naval Ships. Nelson’s Ship The Foudroyant could well have moored there in Nov 1799.

By Ian J Warren, BEM. The Foudroyant, centre right

Every Sunday since September 2004 a group of volunteers have been recovering the 1st British Naval Hospital, led by a retired Spanish General of Menorcan blood and undoubtedly of British descent judging by his serene character.

On the Port side of the hospital, you will find the Surgeon’s quarters with, today a visitor’s reception for the tours. Alongside are two wards, one converted to a 2nd reception, where on excavation some broken pieces of the original British Coat of arms were found in the old flooring. On the starboard side of the hospital are three old wards, one ward converted into a pharmacy in 1802, the year it became a Spanish Military Hospital. Two more emergency wards have now become workshops devoted to the repair and recovery of every addition to our museum. A museum depicting life, death, and hospitalisation. On the upper floor there is now an exhibition space dedicated to the History of the Port of Mahon from pre Christianity until the present day. A 90-page log of the hospital, dated from October 1798 through to December 1799, records the patients’ names, the ships they came from , their illnesses and the number of days they were treated. A complete Dossier of the Naval Ships is being prepared to show the number of persons on board and information of their voyage to Menorca. Nelson visited Menorca with his ship The Foudroyant from the 13th to 20th October 1799, there is no record to say that anyone was ill on that Ship, one can only assume that their provisions were of the highest standard. In September this year, 20 years into the recovery of the hospital, plans are underway to rebuild the collapsed Surgeon’s assistants Quarters on the starboard side. These will be named after Milburn Warren, Supervisor of the works extending the hospital between 18th Oct. 1771 and Dec. 1773. A presentation will be made to the Spanish Ambassador to UK in September. ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

FOOD & DRINK

JUNE 2024

EATING PRICE GUIDE € = up to €30 €€ = €30-50 €€€ = €50-80 €€€€ = €80-100 €€€€€ = Sky’s the limit!

OUT

The long months of winter are well and truly over, and soon we’ll be complaining about the intense heat! We live in Menorca because we love the outdoor lifestyle and the immense bright light. So many restaurants have wonderful outdoor seating, often with amazing views! How fortunate we are. And you just need to wander along the beautiful bay of Calas Fonts and the noise level will tell you what fun people are having! The Menorca voices can be extremely boisterous at times, but it certainly puts a smile on one’s face, and gives a general sense of “joie de vivre”! One factor, however, which our vigilant readers will have noticed is that prices of most things seem to have risen this year, which includes restaurants of course. We have frequently been paying around 50 per person, although you can get away with much less if you stick to the “menus del dia”….so be warned if you are soon coming out to Menorca for the first time this year.

FORNELLS By Lorraine Well, on a lovely spring morning recently we fancied a run into the countryside and decided upon a visit to Fornells to see if they’d finished all the construction work along the front, which had blighted the village for the last few years. It is our wont to turn right upon entering Fornells and drive along the front, finding a parking spot somewhere near the harbour area. The good news is that all the piles of building materials have been cleared away now, but the waterfront road ends far short of the little port. You are suddenly confronted with a roundabout with no exit but which makes you turn 360 degrees and retrace your steps! And no parking was available in the area as it has been much reduced (as is many places, which is a real worry). So we retraced our route! We reentered the village by the inner road, and this will eventually get you via the back way as far as the harbour entrance and access to the famous Martello tower. There are indeed designated places to park along this road, and you need to check out the narrow walkways which will lead you to the seafront. There is a great deal of new development now taking place “at the back” of the village, and I would be interested to know how long-term residents and regular visitors feel about this? Let us know! It will be become a much larger place altogether, and no longer the “quaint fishing village “ of heretofore.

ES CRANC PELUT Fornells. Paseo Marítimo 98. Tel: 971 376743. Yes, we did eventually find a lunch spot, which lifted our mood somewhat! Es CRANC PELUT is right on the corner as you enter Fornells as we first did as described above. It’s an old favourite, and away from the hustle and bustle of the town. It has a lovely front line terrace. It is very much a seafood and shellfish restaurant as you might expect, with lobster tanks in view!

By Lorraine Ure and Roqueta’s Team of Tasters

JUNE 2024 Prices are not for the faint-hearted, at 158€ for 500 gr. for the Menorcan red lobster, which can be served as a stew (Caldereta), grilled, with alioli, or in paella. But top quality. Everyone needs to try one Caldereta of Lobster one time, and this could be your place! Plenty of tables were enjoying it when we visited! All Spanish!

PLAYA DE FORNELLS BAR AND RESTAURANT OKAPI! Carrer de Cavallería, s/n, local 7, 07748 Playa de Fornells, Tel: 871039956 €€ By Lili Jaubert OKAPI has opened under new ownership. Aurélie and Javi are now at the helm after having spent 10 years in Lille, France. OKAPI has a great location overlooking the bay and although we were there for lunch (they will accept bookings for groups of 20 or more), it must be great for watching the sun set. The food was surprisingly good for a family restaurant, For starters we had Pan cristal con tomate and delicious rillettes de sardines. The Calamar a la plancha was perfectly cooked and accompanied by a generous proportion of stir fried vegetables. The Pluma a la brasa came with a serving of chips. For dessert we had one of the best chocolate mousses I have ever eaten!!! And an excellent Tiramisu. We chose a medium bodied red wine that went well with both of our choices. Our bill came to 76€ for two people I would define Okapi as a fun place to go to, for a meal, a drink, or just dessert. Open every evening, except for Mondays, starting at 6 pm. “Don’t worry, Be Okapi!

FOOD & DRINK

JUNE 2024

RESTAURANTS If you would like to advertise your restaurant in the Eating Out section of Roqueta please contact John Davies by email: roquetajohn@gmail.com or by Whatsapp 609851186

D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

FOOD & DRINK

JUNE 2024

To start we had the smoked Campagne Paté with ravigote sauce and cumin-flavored focaccia, Tomatoes Tatin with Bottarga di muggine, coriander pesto and sweet black olives, Potato and sage Raviolis with beurre blanc, black trumpet mushrooms and low temperature egg and Dry-aged Picana Carpaccio with stracciatella; basil mousse and sugared sesame. For the main course we had Menorcan Suckling Pig with roasted apples, hoisin sauce and sweet-sour lemon curd, Dry Aged Beef Tenderloin matured for two served with potato waffles and red pesto and finally the Ca Na Pilar Arroz with pork rib, cuttlefish, crayfish and mushroom emulsion. With little room for more, we shared two Colada Passion, passion fruit, pineapple, creamy coconut and rum gelée. The wines were a sparkling Mirgin Opus and a red Eidos Ermos. The bill was around 370€ and definitely worth it. Without a doubt this was the best meal I have had in Menorca. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and only for lunch on Sunday.

LAKAÑA Carrer Pere Tudurí, Sant Lluís, 07710. Tel 971 63 54 58. € LaKaña restaurant and bar located in the heart of Sant Lluís opened its door in March this year and what a success it has been. Markus and Manu have been friends for many years and their dream to run a busy local restaurant has come true. Markus, who used to work within a very successful restaurant on the port decided he wanted to do it for himself. The opportunity of an ideal location in Sant Lluís became available and the two young Menorquín friends shook hands and started their adventure. The menu has been very well thought out and you can either pop by simply for delicious tapas or actually have a relaxing supper. Recommendations are the delicious tenderloin of beef, grilled scallops, beef cheeks in red wine, baked cod with sobrasada and caramelised apple and the langoustine ‘croquetas’ are very popular. If either visiting with friends or family the place suits everyone’s appetites and the atmosphere is happy and fun. Not only is the food consistently delicious and very good value; it’s the service that is exceptional. Markus, Manu and their team are so attentive and you are rarely having to wait to catch their eye. They have spent time mastering the wine list and without being too extensive it offers a very good range to pair with your chosen dish. Booking is an essential especially on Fridays and Saturdays! Opening hours - Sunday to Saturday (except Thursdays closed)

Editors Note: Ca na Pilar is a small family restaurant in a typical Menorcan house, situated at the entrance of the village of Es Migjorn Gran, with Chef Victor Lidón in the kitchen and Ona Morante in the dining hall. Victor began his culinary career at the Ca Na Pilar Restaurant at the age of 16. He returned home after a long journey having worked in the kitchen of Xavier Pellicer at the Abac Restaurant in Barcelona (2 Michelin stars), in the Zafferano restaurant in London (1 Michelin star), and as part of the team of Santi Santamaria at the Racó de Can Fabes in Catalonia (3 Michelin stars) where he then became Head Chef.

CALAS FONTS AIGU COVA, CALES FONTS 20, ES CASTELL

ES MIGJORN GRAN RESTAURANTE CA NA PILAR

The former Dinkums! Tel: 971 367017. €€ By Lorraine

Av. de la Mar, 1, 07749 Es Migjorn Gran 971 370 212 €€€€ By Lili Jaubert WOW! What a discovery. It is only after our lunch here that I learnt that it is one of the few restaurants in Menorca recommended by the Michelin Guide, but I totally agree. We were 4 which allowed us to taste a variety of the dishes on the menu.

After a year of no restaurant in this iconic spot, as soon as AIGU opened its doors it seemed to be full! The location of course is spectacular, and Peter and Jose were much missed when they finally retired. Now it has been transformed with new furniture and fittings and is run by the same people who own Restaurant El Aire, right on the beach at Punta Prima. Charming and friendly staff.

ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

FOOD & DRINK

JUNE 2024

D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

FOOD & DRINK

JUNE 2024

Price-wise it’s mid-range with many of the old favourites to suit most palettes. A few unusual dishes include: Aubergines, sobrasada and honey as a starter at 8.80€, mushroom and truffle croquettes (9.00€), grilled octopus with humus and butifarra (8.30), “Broken eggs with tiny prawns” at 13.50€, to name but a few! We enjoyed the aubergines plus a whole Turbot each grilled with garlic at 22.20€. There were three different paellas which looked very tasty. The location is of course great too, so this is a real plus on the Calas Fonts scene. I am sure they will do very well. Our bill, including a decent bottle of Vino Rosado came to 34€ per person…..good value indeed!

TARAMBANA Carrer Moll de Cales Fonts, 28, Es Castell. Tel : 971 726551 €€ By Lorraine

TROPIC

Formerly La Lola, now transformed into a cool and stylish venue with attentive and cheerful service. We particularly enjoyed the “Flor de Alcachofa” (artichoke flowers), a most unusual way of serving them, flattened quite thinly to resemble a flower, both tender and delicious.

A beautiful bijou restaurant set in the heart of Es Mercadal delivered an exceptional mid week lunch.

Two of us enjoyed “Pulpo Braseado”, grilled octopus tentacle, juicy at the thick end and crispy at the other end! Mussels Thai style are another favourite, along with Zamburinas, the baby scallops, flown in by night from Gallicia. A long way in terms of air miles but the distribution of seafood around Spain is given utmost priority (far more than one’s mail it seems!). They say that the freshest seafood you can get is in Madrid!! We also shared a supreme Steak Tartare, which is a real test of freshness, and it was one of the best I’d ever tasted!

Es Mercadal Carrer Nou, 22, 07740 Es Mercadal Tel: 971143096 € By Sharon Evans

The restaurant has a stunning decor with soft pastel colours, muted lighting, and the ambience of a chic french bistro. There is seating both inside and outside on the pedestrian only street. The four of us decided to share 5 plates, as the menu offered such an inspirational choice. We decided on: Burrata salad with red pesto and truffle cream; Three potato bravas with yuca, sweet potato and potato; Quesadilla of boneless rib with truffle with semi cured cheese; Cornbread stuffed with tender beef cheeks with goats cheese and a tomato and onion salsa; and Croquettes with chicken and mango and a mint sauce The plates were brought out at a lovely pace allowing us to savour each one and we felt there was plenty for the 4 of us to have a good amount. The flavours were well thought out and the presentation and the service by the young waiter, flawless. We had a little space for desserts, so we choose two: Pear and camembert tart with ice cream made with carquinyoli (a local biscuit), Red fruit salsa cheesecake with yogurt ice cream. Both were impressive, a good-sized portion, and very tasty. At a little under 100€ for the 4 diners including 4 glasses of wine, 3 soft drinks and 3 coffees, it was excellent value. We all vowed to return to try the main course dishes, sample the cocktail menu and polish of some more of the decadent desserts.

BAR LEMON Carrer Moll de Cales Fonts, 12, Es Castell Tel: 971483271 Of course one of the “hazards” (albeit delightful) is that the amazing Bar Lemon opens around 4 pm, so the temptation is to have “just one for the road” on the way home served by the fabulous Carla, assisted this year by the charming Sofia, with Juan as always the supreme Mixologist with his amazing stock of about 2,000 different spirits and wines! No food!

RESTAURANT ES LLENEGALL Carrer Moll de Cales Fonts, 36, Es Castell. Tel: 971 964847. €€ By Lorraine An old favourite indeed with the talented Isi in the Kitchen and Senai front-ofhouse, where you will be assured of a warm welcome. They always introduce some new dishes each year, which is a nice surprise! Four of us enjoyed Sashimi (such a healthy option), fresh sardines, the wicked Foie With fried egg and chips (least healthy option!), Pan con tomate, goats cheese salad and our favourite Muga Rosado to wash it down with! It’s quite a small restaurant so it’s best to book.

CIRCOLO 32 BOOK CAFÉ C/ San Jordi 32, 07702, Mahon Tel: 61522073 Ilaria Carini and Stefano Mancini have opened Circolo 32 Book café in Mahon close to the Teatre Principal. It is a welcoming place where people who enjoy reading and learning are invited to meet to enjoy a coffee and focaccia and a moment of relaxation. The café is lined with books in English, French, Italian and Spanish. You can go along to help others or to learn to speak a new language. Meet ups are held in English on Friday teatime at 5pm, in French on Saturday mornings at 10:30am and Italian on Sundays at 10:30am. They also hold workshops for adults and children such as ‘drink and draw’ when everyone brings their own materials, a theme is extracted and, each with their own technique, everyone creates together. Check out their Instagram page Circolo _ 32. We do very much welcome contributions from our readers, however short. Just send them to Roqueta (email: info@roquetamagazine.net)…… it is impossible for our small team to get all around the island! We always pay for ourselves, so that has to have its limits too!

FOOD & DRINK

JUNE 2024

ROQUETA RECIPE ASIAN SALMON & PRAWN BALLS INGREDIENTS 400g salmon 170g raw prawns shelled 2 cloves garlic peeled & roughly chopped 1 stick of lemongrass peeled & sliced 1 inch ginger peeled & roughly chopped Pinch of dried chilli flakes to taste 1/2 zest & juice of a lime 2 spring onions washed & roughly sliced 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 1 egg white Pinch of white pepper

METHOD Wash, skin and roughly dice the salmon. Wash the prawns and drain well. Prepare the remaining ingredients as listed. Pop everything into a food mixer. Using the pulse button chop the ingredients until a smooth but still a rough looking paste. Don’t over work it, you want to retain some texture. Cut out a large piece of parchment paper and place on a baking sheet. Rinse your hands under cold water keeping your hands wet. Using a tablespoon, heap the mixture into your palm and gently roll into a ball and place each one onto the parchment. This will make at least 18 balls. There are various methods of cooking the balls but here they were cooked in an air fryer for 12 minutes. Alternatively, you may steam them in a pan or spray with a little oil and oven bake for 12-15 minutes. They are delicious served with stir fry vegetable noodles topped with chopped spring onions and a squeeze of lime. They also go well with an Asian slaw. A fun dish for all the family to enjoy. And for any non fish eaters, or a meat alternative, swap out the fish and prawns for chicken and minced pork respectively. ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

FOOD & DRINK

JUNE 2024

By Michael Stevenson

ARAGON: THE WESTERN WINE

PRODUCING REGION This dramatically beautiful, often challenging region is now enjoying a quiet revival with producers in the DOs (denominacion de origen) of Carinena, Campo de Borja and Calatayud drawing on a rich viticultural heritage and exploring indigenous varieties to produce some great wines. Within this corner of Aragon, from the northwest to the southwest of Zaragoza there is a triangle that covers a remote area producing a huge volume of wine: Campo d Borja in the north tip of the triangle, Calatayud in its bottom left and Carinena to its east make up the triumvirate of DOs. This is the kingdom of Garnacha in all its forms - perhaps even its birthplace. Garnacha Tinta and Blanca make up 35% of the production in Carinena, 60% in Campo de Borja and an even bigger 70% in Calatayud.

DO Carinena is nestled squarely in the Ebro River Valley in the foothills of the Sistema Iberico. It is one of Spain’s oldest demarcated wine regions with its DO awarded in 1932. Co operatives produce 85% of the wines within the DO. Nearly 90% of the DOs wines are red with the producers returning to the more traditional varieties of Garnacha Tinta, Tempranillo and Carinena plus the usual international suspects of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The white grape varieties are mainly Macabeo and Garnacha Blanco. The DO has more old vines than anywhere else in Spain, with many older than 80 years. The best of the Garnacha Tinta wines are elegant and well made. The best producers include Covinca, Mas de Mancuso and Bodegas San Valero.

It is a region dominated by co operatives, to an extent not seen in other parts of Spain and has flitted between wine making fashions. Slowly though, things are changing and, as in other parts of Spain, there is a return to its past, to its rich viticultural heritage a small but exciting revival. The region’s climate is primarily continental. As a rule Aragon experiences both large diurnal and seasonal temperature swings. Towards the end of 1990 many of the old Garnacha vineyards were ripped up and planted with international varieties. The thinking behind this was that the foreign varieties would improve the wines and be easier to manage but the international grapes didn’t adapt well to the conditions and what was lost in the wines was a sense of place and unique character. However now pockets of old vines have been recuperated and old terroirs are being recovered.

D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

FOOD & DRINK

JUNE 2024

DO Campo de Borja is in the north western part of the Zaragoza province in the transition zone between the Ebro River and the Sistema Iberico. The DO was awarded in 1980. The Borjas of Aragon are the same as the Borgias of Italy. The spelling changed to the Italian when Alfonso de Borja, formerly advisor to King Alfonso V of Aragon was elected Pope in 1455. Today six cooperatives produce the majority of wine in Campo de Borja. 82% of the vines here are red comprising Garnacha Tinta, Tempranillo and Carinena plus others as in DO Carinena, and as in that DO the white is mainly Macabeo and Garnacha Blanca. Whilst vines were also ripped out in the 1990s fewer old vines were destroyed. Wines of Campo de Borja have the character of intense red fruits, spice and mountain herbs. The best producers include Borsao, Gil Pejenaute and Vinos de Vientos. DO Calatayud is near the foothills of the Moncayo Massif, a part of the larger Sistema Iberico. The vineyards grow at a considerable elevation and constitute some of the highest in Aragon at 650 - 900 m. 92% of the total vineyard areas is planted with red varieties 62% of which is Garnacha Tinta. This produces deep coloured, concentrated and mineral driven wine with fresh acidity. Norrel Robertson MW and Sharon Wade arrived 20 years ago from the UK and established their project, El Escoses Volante, in the wilds of Calatayud. They produce exciting wine, both white and red and are worth seeking out, as are other producers such as David Seijas and Bodegas Breca. Aragon’s fourth DO is Somontano. As this only has a small percentage of Spanish varieties, around 15%, I shall not go into too much detail. The Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays are on the whole well made but not particularly exciting, but there is a Moristel grape wine from De Vins, Fabregas Moristel 2021 at a price of €13 which I can recommend. HERE ARE MY OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THIS MONTH.

TINTO BARREL BORSAO 2022, GARNACHA, CAMPO DE BORJA. 14.5% ABV, €2.25 MERCADONA. Mid red with a gentle fruit nose. Soft and pleasant easy drinking wine. Surprisingly light considering the ABV. Good as an aperitif, with tapas and light vegetarian and meat dishes. ALTAYA GARNACHA, CALATAYUD 2022, 14% ABV, €3.75 ENRIQUE PENALVER. Dark ruby with a big fruity nose. Dark fruit with a spicy and peppery flavour. Good balance, still quite young, some complexity and a long dry finish. Very good value. Good with meat or vegetable stews. STYLE GARNACHA, OLD VINS, AUGUSTIN CUBERO SL, CALATAYUD 2021,15% ABV, €7.99 ENRIQUE PENALVER. Very dark indeed with a powerful fruity and liquorice intense nose. Very complex big structured wine with vanilla and spicy flavours and generally a lot going on, multilayered. A great example of Garnacha. Well balanced and softens in the glass, very long finish.. Very good with beef dishes. LIBRE Y SALVAJE GARNACHA, CARINENA 2019, 14% ABV, €12.96 DE VINS (VEGAN). Dark deep ruby red, blackberries, prunes and liquorice on the nose. Lovely dark fruit flavours, very succulent. Great balance and poise with broad tannicity and a dry herbaceous finish. Good with meat especially beef and lamb. EN EL CAMINO, MENCIA, MICHELINI I MUFATTO, BIERZO 2022, 12.5% ABV, €15 DE VINS. Dark red with an almost Beaujolais like nose, mid bodied and deliciously crunchy example of Mencia. Lovely fruit, peppery, good balance and finish. Very quaffable with a slight prickle on the tongue. Good with meat and vegetable dishes. Only tintos this month. Happy drinking ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

GRAPEVINE

JUNE 2024

CHRISTINA AND LUCY

DIVE CENTER CALA BLANCA LEARN TO DIVE IN MENORCA Menorca is famous for its caverns, wrecks and underwater archaeology but the location of Dive Center Cala Blanca on the edge of the beautiful and safe Cala Blanca beach, on the west coast, makes it the ideal place for beginners to try diving for the first time. The confined waters of the bay have created a nursery for the Mediterranean with its own house reef where you can find many species within a small area, easily accessible from the shore. Christina Moser, the Commercial Manager and Base Leader, has been running Dive Center Cala Blanca since 2017. Lucy Pennink, Base Leader, PADI Instructor & SSI Instructor, started working at the centre in 2020 and the two of them kept the company going through COVID. For the last two years they have been joined by Javier, from Spain, who comes for the busy summer months. Christina is from Austria and she has been qualified as a PADi and SSI instructor for 15 years. The Dive centre looks out over the confined, crystal clear waters of Cala Blanca and the safe and beautiful bathing zone, safely buoyed off from visiting boats. The beach leads into shallow water which means children as young as 8 years old can have their first taste of exploring under water on a bubble explorer course. From 10 years old they can start the Junior Open Water course in limited depths but once they reach 12 years they can then dive, always supervised by an instructor, down to between 12 and 18m. At 15 years of age the restrictions are lifted, and they can take the full SSI diving qualification. Lucy, Christina and Javier take out small groups of divers three times per day through the summer, but the centre is open from 9am to 6pm every day throughout the season. Beginners are taken out just two at a time and qualified divers are in groups of four per instructor. They are proud of the fact that they will never cancel a dive and are happy to take one person on their own when necessary. Cala Blanca has a fantastic reputation as a place to enjoy a night dive. Divers come from all over the island to enjoy the creatures that can be found in the D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

GRAPEVINE

bay after dark. Within 100m of the shore you can find Balearic conga eels, squid and cuttlefish as well as the red octopus which is a night creature. They all become active at night as they come out of hiding to hunt. In the day time you can also see eels, octopuses, many different types of Mediterranean fish, such as amberjacks as well as sting rays, jellyfish and starfish. Barracudas often come into the bay hunting bait fish. If you keep your eyes peeled you can spot the fantastic brightly coloured tiny nudibranks and sometimes a seahorse. Lucy tells us that she finds the octopus the most exciting creature as there are so many living in and around Cala Blanca, with at least five in the bay. The creatures you are likely to see can depend on the season; in July you can find baby octopuses and nudibranks, in Spring you are more likely to see the rays and in autumn the amberjacks. You can watch the wrasse building nests out of the green underwater plants and you can observe the fascinating behaviour of the cuttlefish as they interact together in groups. If you would like to give diving a go you can take an introductory course; a “try dive”. The first lesson lasts approximately 2.5 hours where you will be taught exercises in the shallow water such as how to clear your mask and get a feel for buoyancy. You will spend one hour in the water with the fish and can enter via the beach or from the platforms in front of the dive centre. After a fun day diving you can relax with a soft drink or a gin and tonic at the adjacent Moonlight Bar. If you enjoyed your first taste of scuba diving, then you can go on to take a qualification. What you need to know before you Dive To be able to go on a dive you will need to fill out a medical statement which asks questions about your heart, lungs, diabetes and epilepsy. If you think you have any health issues it is essential to talk to your doctor before you come on holiday as they may be able to sign you off as fit to dive. Under Spanish law every diver has to have an insurance for diving. For beginner courses the insurance is included in the price. Please check your travel insurance - most of them cover diving excursions as well! If you do not have a policy you can buy one at the centre. If you book an excursion Dive Center Cala Blanca may be able to pick you up from your hotel. All guests under 15 years of age have to be accompanied by one adult which is free of charge of course. For SSI qualifications all the classroom training is done online and students can download the paperwork and their digital card once they have finished the course. If you find you are not confident about venturing underwater you can still explore the wildlife from the surface on a supervised snorkelling trip. A one hour guided trip costs €45 per person including equipment and a wetsuit. The water temperatures range from 16°C in May up to 28°C through to September and October. The visibility in Menorca can be spectacular – the water is so clean that you can see up to 20 metres and more! Lucy, Christina and Javier speak many languages between them and so you can book a course in French, German, Dutch, Spanish or English (a French group booked themselves in for the day and they all were able to get in the water over the course of 3 dives). It is best to book ahead in high season by email or telephone / Whatsapp.

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Specialist courses and dive sites Once you get the diving bug there are many more specialist SSI courses you can take such as boat diving, marine ecology, the science of diving and navigation. There are many policemen and firemen that come to do courses at the centre. Last year, Lucy and Christina trained participants in the Shipwreck project which is exploring several wrecks in Ciutadella Harbour. Other Dive Sites Cala Blanca has its own cave with a chimney hole and there are many other dive sites around the Cala Blanca area. For example, the Canyons at 6–21m are located off the coast near the Irish Bar. Here you can swim through an underwater labyrinth of channels, which snake through the reef just 20 metres from the shoreline. The canyons are all open and well-lit from above. For the more experienced diver the highlight of this spot is the Jewel Cavern. Enter through the “letter box”, a small hole, and be amazed by the brightly shining turquoise vast mouth of the cavern. If suitably qualified divers want to dive further offshore, Cala Blanca teams up with other dive centres. For example, Dive Centre Cala Galdana leads dives on the wreck of the Malakoff, an ocean going French-owned cargo steamer, sunk in 1929 at a depth of 31-40m. Sitting upright on a sandy bottom this forms a fully colonised artificial reef, some 105m long. This wreck is home to huge morays and scorpion fish as well as attracting many deep-water species, such as barracuda, dentex, gilthead bream, triggerfish and John Dory. Pre-requirements for divers are min. 100 dives and knowledge in deep and compression diving. About the Team Christina first started diving in 2006 and became a divemaster instructor in Greece in 2008. She met her boyfriend diving and together they worked in Thailand, Egypt, Bonaire in the Dutch Caribbean, as well as Mallorca. After 10 years of working for others they searched for their own dive centre in the Mediterranean and found Dive Center Cala Blanca. When they parted company Christina continued to run the centre by herself until being joined by Lucy in 2020. Lucy is English and has lived in Menorca since 2001. She first came to the island with her partner Laurence and their small baby son, Reuben, when Laurence got a job with Surf ‘n’ Sail as the skipper of a sailing gullet. Lucy started teaching English and they have lived on the island ever since, having three more children, two more boys and a girl. Laurence set up a very successful boat maintenance company called Sailpower, based in Mahon and two of their sons have followed him into the boat business. Lucy worked as a teacher in the classroom and had only dived as a hobby 25 years ago in Thailand. She never dreamed she could become a diver until she took it up professionally 10 years ago when the children got older. With her experience as a teacher and parent Lucy is a very patient and observant diving instructor taking great care of her students and building their confidence in the water. Dive Center Cala Blanca, Avinguda de Cala Blanca, Polígono B, Parcela 1-D, 07769 Cala Blanca Ciutadella de Menorca Tel/ Whatsapp (+34) 642 682 659 info@divecentercalablanca.com divecentercalablanca.com

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THE GREAT OUTDOORS

JUNE 2024

CUSTÒDIA AGRÀRIA “THINK GLOBAL ACT LOCAL” Jara Febrer Santos coordinates the team of 4 people dedicated to overseeing the Custòdia Agrària programme. Jara has a degree in Biotechnology from Barcelona and a European Masters degree in environmental studies. She completed semesters at universities in Aalborg (Denmark), Aveiro (Portugal), Sydney (Australia) and Hamburg (Germany). For her thesis she enrolled in Engineers Without Borders, to carry out a project in a small town in South Africa, Hogsback, in the Eastern Cape, analysing and designing a sanitation system for a school without running water. On completion of her degree Jara was keen to return to Menorca to use her skills to help solve local problems. She believes that everything starts with education. Jara explained that the reasoning behind the Custòdia Agrària programme is that it is the best way to preserve the landscape of the island on a large scale. 50% of Menorca’s land is farmland, 45% is forest and only 5% is urban. The forests are often situated on farmland, and so in reality farmers are responsible for 75% of the landscape.

Menorca’s Land Stewardship Programme was inspired by initiatives taking place across Northern Europe and the United States 20 years ago. GOB Menorca joined this conservation strategy, starting with a simple environmental seminar which brought together farmers and conservationists and ignited a spark. From this small beginning it grew into the Custòdia Agrària programme of today, made possible thanks to funding from foundations, private and public donors, and public grants. 38 farms have signed an agreement with GOB Menorca to commit to sustainable agriculture and between them they account for 4% of the surface of the island (nearly 3,000 Ha; Menorca is 700km2 in total). The way these farmers manage their land leads not only to wildlife and nature conservation, but also to soil regeneration. With the signing of the Agricultural Stewardship agreement, there is a commitment to a series of sustainable agricultural practices: Crop management: pesticides and herbicides are avoided and organic fertilisers are prioritized. Soil care: plant cover is maintained whenever possible to reduce soil erosion, the implementation of directed grazing practices is supported, to make the best use of forage and to increase soil fertility, and hydrological design is encouraged for the best use of rainwater. Biodiversity: zones are created for wild flora and fauna and habitats that encourage them are conserved. Agricultural resilience: concentrating on local varieties of vegetables and indigenous breeds, which are better adapted to the conditions of the island and which tend to represent differentiation in the markets.

For centuries farming in Menorca was carried out in a sustainable manner and it is only recently that more intensive methods have been introduced. The programme encourages farmers to turn to more sustainable practices but also ensures that as a society we recognise their value in the role of conservationists and give real value to their products. At the end of November each year there is a general meeting to explain what the programme has achieved over the past 12 months and what they can offer for the next year. Farmers can choose from a selection of different resources according to their needs, ensuring that help is channelled to the right areas. The programme takes direct actions on farms such as installing electric fences for directed grazing and solar pumps to modernise rainwater harvesting systems or restoring water storage and canal systems which have fallen into disrepair. In addition, it offers training and consultancy to guide and bring inspiration in areas such as soil regeneration, waste and water management.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS The programme takes a big role in helping farmers with their product promotion. This includes help with labelling and brand image and events such as sample tasting sessions, and cooking demonstrations. One of the most popular activities is the organisation of public visits to farms giving the opportunity for local people to sample the products. They can also sign up to Whatsapp groups through which they can buy products direct from the farm, being alerted to the produce available according to the season. They also organise volunteering days on farms such as collecting rubbish, shaping trees and creating spaces for wildlife. This encourages citizen involvement as people of all ages and backgrounds come together to give a helping hand. Activities are offered to schools all over the island so that children can experience what it is like to work in the countryside. Other aspects of the programme are inventories on the natural values of the farms, land use and land cover mapping, and annual monitoring programmes which can then lead to involvement in policy making and lobbying at a local, regional and national level. What Can you Do? Conscious shopping One way to contribute to the preservation of Menorca’s agricultural landscape is by making a conscious purchase of sustainable local products. You can find a catalogue of farms affiliated to the Agricultural Stewardship programme on the GOB website, including details of the products they offer and where you can buy them. They ask you to think about the environmental and social repercussions of the

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food you consume. You can also visit the GOB Menorca shops where they sell products from the Custòdia Agrària estates: sausages (sobrassada, carnixulla, feut), cheese, wine and vermouth from Menorca, olive oil, jams, and bread (to order). You will also find books related to the island of Menorca: history, gastronomy, flora and fauna, marine environment, gardening and orchards, hiking and horse trails.

Annual meeting of farmers

GOB Shops El Molí del Rei, Camí des Castell, 53, 07702, Maó • Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Monday to Thursday 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Es Claustre Market • Stand 40 of Sa Plaça, Mercat des Claustre, 07702, Maó • Monday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m Monthly draw If you make a purchase of 5 euros or more at the GOB stall in Sa Plaça (Mercat des Claustre, Maó), you can complete a form to enter directly into the monthly draw to win a batch of products from Custòdia Agrària! The products may include a selection of sausages, wine, vermouth, oil, cheese... all produced locally with respect for the environment. So why not buy your copy of Roqueta at the shop each month and enter the draw! https://www.gobmenorca.com/finques-i-productes/ https://www.gobmenorca.com/botiga/

ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

Jara third from left with her team

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

JUNE 2024

LAWN AND GARDEN: HOW TO SAVE WATER AND THE ENVIRONMENT By Tatiana Moreno and Miquel Camps. GOB Menorca.

Stachys byzantina (lambs ear) + Salvia rosmarinus (rosemary) Photo: elblogdelatabla.com

In the last issue of Roqueta, a very thought- 200 litres per person per day in towns with traditional houses, to 1,000provoking article by Judy Bennett was 1,500 litres in villas and urbanisations. published, warning of the environmental We must also take into account the scientific forecasts of climate change. KD]DUGV RI DUWLÀFLDO WXUI ,W LV OLNHO\ WKDW JLYHQ These suggest that rainfall patterns are changing, with a greater likelihood this information, many people are wondering of torrential downpours which make infiltration into the subsoil very how they can adapt their gardens to save an difficult, whilst at the same time rising temperatures are increasing the increasingly scarce resource such as water, rates of evaporation. whilst still enjoying their outside space. Knowing how to use water wisely is therefore becoming increasingly Following Judy´s kind invitation, today we will try to present some alternatives for all those who wish to collaborate in conserving our island, its landscapes and its resources.

important, and the thoughtful design of our gardens is one way in which we can each contribute to tipping the balance in the environment’s favour.

Why our water is in short supply Menorca is a land without mountains, so we have no rivers, no snow, and no areas suitable for large reservoirs. Our only source of water is from the rain. In some cases rainwater is still collected in cisterns, as was the practice in all our houses a few decades ago. Otherwise we must wait for the rain to fall on permeable land so that it can slowly infiltrate into the underground aquifers, from which nearly all of us are currently supplied. But today the growing population, and the increase in urbanisations, swimming pools and lawned gardens, are seriously threatening these aquifers which have dropped substantially from their levels of forty years ago. In some municipalities our water consumption now varies from 180-

Red Freesias, Germanic or Bearded Iris and Stipa tenuissima Photo: Ajuntament de Maó

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Cynodon dactylon

JUNE 2024

Lippia nodiflora

zoysia-tenifolia

Menorquin-ising your garden The climate on the island of Menorca marks the colour of the seasons. With the autumn rains our fields quickly turn green, as if we were in a British Isle. This green remains well into spring, before giving way to the hot, dry summer, when Menorcan shrubs and trees remain green, but few grasses keep their colour without constant watering. For this reason, our planting time is during the autumn, winter and very early spring so that plants receive all the benefits of the rain. And we use traditional Mediterranean gardening techniques (examples are shown in the photographs) to combat the heat and conserve water. Soils are covered with gravel, bark or similar, with shrubs and trees interspersed to offer a range of shapes, sizes, and seasonal colours. Paths, patios, or other flat areas, are covered with marés, the limestone from the south of Menorca that offers coolness to our feet in the middle of the summer. Ground cover plants There is a wide variety of ground-cover plants to choose from that need much less maintenance than grass, whilst giving the appearance of covered ground and reducing water consumption. They are ideal for spaces that aren´t constantly walked on, and can be planted under trees, on uneven ground, or on slopes. Once rooted, their water requirements are much lower than for lawns, and they can be irrigated by a micro-diffusion system installed on drip tubing, which requires much less work. Another benefit of using this type of plant is the wide variety of textures and colours available. Many have flowers with wonderful aromas, and by incorporating them into your garden you will also be helping wildlife, since the flowers feed wild pollinators, and leaves covered by new growth create a small layer of organic remains that considerably enriches the soil. Native plants Our island has several native plants well-adapted to our climate which, when used in your garden can be both attractive and a change from the more commonly used varieties. These plants are as Menorcan as our dry stone walls, or the wild olive tree fences, and will be discussed in a future article. Low maintenance grass If we want to reduce our ecological footprint, it is best to limit grass (if we don´t want to do without it altogether) to areas where trampling is unavoidable, such as around swimming pools or in children´s play areas. In this case, species such as Lippia nodiflora, Cynodon dactylon or Zoysia teunifolia can be useful for people who want to reduce water consumption compared to other more common species.

Asteriscus Maritimus or Gold Coin is found along the coastline in the east of the island. It is easy to cultivate and can be found in garden centres.

BEWARE OF INVADERS! Plants & Grasses to be avoided… Some plants which might be considered useful in the Menorcan garden have the disadvantage of being very invasive in the natural environment. In this case, they should be avoided because they can cause serious, widespread problems across the island. One of the examples known in Menorca, which has involved a great deal of effort to control, is the cat’s claw or crisp (Carpobrotus edulis). This South African species is perfectly adapted to the meteorological conditions of our island, but its ease of dispersal by seed and cuttings has led to its widespread dispersal along different parts of the coast. Carpobrotus has a great capacity to cover other low-growing plants, which has come to represent a serious problem for many native or endemic plants on our island. Enormous human and economic efforts have been necessary to prevent a significant loss of Menorca´s genetic heritage. Other species that have been identified as very dangerous for Menorca, such as Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana), Garden bell (Ipomoea indica) or Kikuyu (Penisetum sp), should also be avoided. In short, the decisions we take in the design of our garden can have important repercussions, positive or negative, that go beyond the boundaries of our property. It is in our hands to make the right choices. Thank you very much for your interest. Recommended book: The Dry Gardening Handbook – Plants and Practices for a Changing Climate by Olivier Filippi (in French, Pour un jardin sans arrosage, and in Spanish, El Jardin sin riego)

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MENORCA PRESERVATION MENORCA IS SPECIAL – PLEASE HELP US PROTECT IT!

The Gala will take place on Wednesday, 17 July at the historic Fortaleza de la Mola (La Mola Fortress), with its commanding position overlooking the entrance to Mahon harbour – a venue that enchanted our guests last year with its spectacular sunset views, and the magical atmosphere generated whilst dining within the warm tones of the fort´s majestic sandstone walls. Throughout the evening, you will have the opportunity to mingle with like-minded individuals who share a passion for the environment whilst supporting our work towards a more sustainable future. From local environment heroes to Menorca-lovers from around the world, our Gala brings together a diverse array of amazing people united by a common cause: to protect our environment, Menorca’s natural resources and the island´s resilience to climate change.

In The dazzling green blending with the russet browns that make up the mosaic landscape so characteristic of our island; the clear blue of our crystalline sea, and the incredible species of marine and wild fauna that inhabit them....Please help us protect Menorca´s incredible natural heritage, whilst enjoying an unforgettable evening at a breath-taking location.

Menorca Preservation’s 2024 Summer Fundraising Gala Now is the time to make your reservation to attend our third Summer Fundraising Gala – an annual charity event that has quickly become a key meeting point on the island for nature enthusiasts from Menorca and beyond. D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

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The evening will start with a wonderful welcome cocktail, followed by an amazing dinner with a local and sustainably-sourced menu, exclusively designed for our event by our collaborators, S’Algar Catering. As the night unfolds, we will hold a charitable auction of one-of-a-kind experiences hosted by Beatriz Ordovás, Director of Christie’s Spain, and international specialist in contemporary art and digital art. And to create as many opportunities as possible for Menorca Preservation´s wonderful friends and supporters wishing to contribute to the fundraising, we will be holding a charitable raffle of more prizes with a focus on sustainability and appreciation of Menorca’s natural environment. Of course, it would not be a celebration without music, so we will close the night with dancing, drinks and partying. A minimum donation of €225 is required to attend, fully taxdeductible for Spanish tax residents (individuals or businesses), and also for UK residents as long as they make their donation through the Conservation Collective (our parent network) with funds ringfenced to Menorca Preservation. (Please visit our website or contact our team for further information.) 100% of the funds raised will be allocated to protect Menorca’s natural surroundings

Join us and engage in lively discussions, forge meaningful connections, and ignite a collective spark for change. With your support, we can continue working to ensure that this island paradise remains a beacon of biodiversity, cultural heritage, and sustainable living for future generations to come. For more information and to book your seats, please visit our website https://menorcapreservation.org/summer-fundraising-gala-2024/. To contact our team, please email contact@menorcapreservation.org.

“We are very proud that our Summer Fundraising Gala has quickly become an incredible meeting point between philanthropists, who love our island and want to protect it, our local environmental heroes, who work so hard to develop vital projects for the preservation of Menorca, and entrepreneurs who understand the value of protecting and preserving this island that gives them so much.” - Rebecca Morris, Executive Director at Menorca Preservation

About Menorca Preservation. At Menorca Preservation we work to promote, support and strengthen the work of organisations that protect our environment. Between 2017 and 2023, we have awarded over €900,000 to support over 90 environmental projects developed on the island, thus supporting over 20 local organisations.

But this is just the beginning! We are convinced that Menorca has the potential to become the island of reference in sustainability in the Mediterranean: an island free of plastic pollution; that prioritises food health and local consumption by supporting the primary sector; that studies, manages and safeguards the immense wealth of its marine environments; that produces and shares clean energy and above all, that puts at the centre of all its actions, the maintenance of the balance between human life and nature.

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MEDICINAL HERBS OF SAN JOAN, PROPERTIES, MAGIC AND RITUALS By Marc Moll

There are herbs and flowers that have a special relationship with San Joan, the fiesta celebrated each year on June 24. There is a tradition of collecting special medicinal plants on the eve of the fiesta which are considered to have protective or purifying powers. The herbs are used in rituals associated with the fiesta and have mystical or spiritual properties. The best known magical herbs that are collected during the eve of San Joan are: Ruda Ruta ssp It is one of the most popular herbs for protection and purification. It is believed to ward off bad energy and attract good luck. Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis is used to clean and purify both spaces and people. It is also considered to attract happiness and prosperity. Verbena Verbena officinalis is particularly associated with the fiesta. It is believed to have purifying and protective properties, and is used to attract good luck and ward off negative energies. Centaura Centaurium erythraea cleanses and revitalises the body. Helecho Pteridium aquilinum is protective and instills wisdom. Camamil.la de Menorca Santolina magonica, sooths and cleans parasites from the body. Maro Balear Teucrium subspinosus, cleanses the mind. Clematis Clematis flammula instills joy and well-being. Poleo or Pennyroyal Mentha pulegium provides mental protection. St. John’s Wort The best known is perhaps St. John’s Wort Hypericum perforatum, a perennial herbaceous plant that has been used for centuries in traditional medicine and popular magic. The magical virtues attributed to this plant are: Protection: St. John’s Wort is said to have protective properties and can be used to guard against negative influences and harmful energies. Hanging a bunch of St. John’s wort on your front door or carrying it with you is believed to provide protection. D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

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Purification: This herb is also used in purification rituals, both to clean spaces and to clean auras and negative energies. It can be burned as incense or used in ritual baths for this purpose. Fortune and love: In some magical practices, St. John’s wort is used to attract good luck and fortune, as well as to encourage love and passion in romantic relationships. Healing: In traditional medicine, St. John’s wort has long been used for its purported healing properties, especially in the treatment of mild to moderate depression and other mood disorders. In terms of magic, it can also be associated with physical and emotional healing. Corona de San Joan, Clematis flammula is used to make a clematis crown or headdress in San Joan and it is usually combined with St. John’s wort. The clematis wreath and other floral decorations symbolise the beauty and abundance of nature during this time of year. Wearers are afforded protection and good luck with the flowers and herbs used having magical properties that can ward off negative energies and attract fortune. The clematis wreath is part of the purification rituals, symbolising the renewal and purification of the spirit. San Joan water is a traditional preparation that is made with specific herbs and flowers. This water is considered to have special properties, such as protection, purification and good luck. To prepare the special water you will need to collect rue, verbena, rosemary, clematis, centaury, pennyroyal, mullein, myrtle and the St. John’s wort flower. The plants must be collected on San Joan’s Eve and it is important to do it with respect and gratitude towards nature. Carefully wash the collected herbs and flowers to remove any dirt or residue. Place the collected plants in water in a clean and sterilised container. Let it marinate overnight, then strain. It can be used in a variety of ways, such as sprinkling it around the house for protection, adding a few drops to bath water for personal purification, or using it in specific rituals during the festival of San Juan.

Marc Moll Marques was born in Ciutadella de Menorca. He is an environmental education guide, ethnobotanist, phytotherapist, floral therapist and forestry specialist. He has been teaching medicinal plant workshops in Menorca for many years and provides advice on gardening with native plants. He also advises on the cultivation of aromaticmedicinal plants native to Menorca for different farms on the island.

Aceite de San Joan. The flowers of St. John’s wort are also used to make oil, also known as aceite de hipérico. The hypericum flowers must be harvested on the eve of San Joan and placed in a clean, dry glass jar. The flowers are then covered with virgin olive oil, making sure they are completely submerged. Macerate, seal the bottle tightly and let it sit in a warm, sunny place for 40 days. Shake the bottle gently every few days to help release the active compounds from the flowers into the oil. The oil should then be filtered and placed in a clean, sterilised glass bottle. Store the oil in a cool, dark place, preferably in a dark bottle to protect it from light. Hypericum oil made in this way can be used externally to treat a variety of skin conditions, such as burns, cuts, bruises, insect bites and muscle pain. However, it is important to note that this oil should be used with caution, as it can increase sensitivity to the sun and cause sunburn in some people.

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GIVE ME ALL YOUR HONEY – AND EVERYTHING ELSE TOO.

By Rachael Adams

GETTING CLOSE UP TO BEE-KEEPING IN MENORCA The sky is blue again, with glorious fluffy clouds still lingering after the rain. I shut the crooked gate and power up the track towards the farmhouse on the hill. The ground is moist. Insects flit about the flowers, finally blooming after a dry winter. My book tells me they’re crown daisies, scarlet pimpernel, corn poppy, common catchfly and, somewhat less endearing perhaps, annual bastard-cabbage. I hear humming and notice bees near my feet. How nice, I think: they’ve come to get me. I meet my friend at the car. She’s donning a huge white overall with an attached hat, elbow-length leather gloves, and stout rubber wellies. She hands me a pile of the same. For some reason, I hadn’t computed that getting up close would actually be part of learning about bees! I’m instructed to first close one zip to shut my neck into the veil, followed by another over it, followed by a Velcro flap over the top just in case. She stuffs a load of pine needles into her “smoker”- like a small metal watering can. Acid smoke fills the back of my throat. We gather up an assortment of primitive-looking tools and set off across the fields to the hives. After a short while, having traipsed far enough away from the house, we cut through a gap in a stone wall and step over the rusting “warning: bees” sign lying face down in the grass. Apart from all the buzzing insect action, this is a fragrant and secluded part of our planet. There is a group of square, colourful boxes on raised benches in the middle of the field. The bees are out and about, flying as far as three kilometres away from their homes to forage for pollen, nectar and propolis. What they gather will be from a mixture of whatever flowers are here. This will make “multi-flower” honey. If it were to be rosemary honey, for example, the beekeeper would have to make sure only rosemary was present within their home range, and the honey is tested for its provenance in the lab. All of the bees flying around us are female. If one of them finds a lot of nectar-laden flowers, she zooms home to perform the “waggle dance”. This is a perfectly choreographed ritual consisting of circles, figure-eight and special noises to tell her colleagues where to find them. It can take a bee up to 2000 flower visits to fill her crop with nectar, a sweet-tasting sap full of sugar, vitamins and salts. Plants make it in glands called nectarines to attract pollinators to them. Many animals, like bats, hummingbirds and bees feast on nectar. The latter take some of the surplus home to store in combs in the hive, where it will be converted to honey. Besides nectar, pollen or sperm dust, from the male anthers of the plant, is also harvested. It’s gathered in the mouth and mushed into a paste before being stored in baskets on the rear legs for the flight home. These baskets are made from tightly-woven leg hairs. It can take a bee 20 return trips (with 2000 visits per trip) to fill one single cell in a honeycomb. The manual advises beekeepers to position their hives on flat ground as flying uphill carrying excess baggage is even more arduous a feat. Back at base, the foraging bee scrapes her pollen droplets off into a cell with her other legs. A different “house bee” then regurgitates her enzyme-enriched nectar, and mixes it with the pollen. After a drying period, the bees “cap”, or seal the cell with wax secreted from specialised glands in their abdomen. This pap and bee vomit will eventually mature into delectable honey. Importantly, while the insects suck up the nectar, the male pollen spores in their leg baskets are likely to come into contact with the female organs within the flowers, thus fertilising the plant. Even more importantly, this is the same process that fertilises many of our fruit trees and edible crops such as clover, cucumbers and sunflowers. Thus, honeybees and other pollinators, even the maligned mosquitoes (orchid pollinators), are crucial to our ecosystems. However, bees are in trouble because synthetic insecticides (such as neonicotinoids) poison them, and due to the loss of wildflowers and habitat that often accompany intensive agriculture or urbanisation. While those concerns are certainly not an issue on this farm, sadly, after such a dry winter there aren’t many flowers out. My friend doubts the creatures will be able to make much honey for themselves, never mind spare any for the humans. What we steal is their larder for when there are no flowers or it’s too wet to fly. She’ll have to put some water out for them soon, she says, as they use it to mix the honey with. D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

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We near the first box and she hands me the smoker and instructs me to “blast through the holes at the entrance to the hive”. I check the Velcro around my neck nervously then give them what for with my ‘watering’ can. The smoke interferes with their senses so they can’t alert each other of danger, and attack. One source claims they believe their house is on fire so they eat all the honey and become too heavy to attack. Regardless, it’s best to open the lid from behind, away from the door. Leather gloved to the elbows; my friend carefully raises the roof off the hive. The humming intensifies, they’re instantly on my veils, inches from my defenceless, perforable skin. There are 12 vertically hanging wooden panels to a box, and each one is crawling with furry, stripy bees, busily tending their combs. A hive generally houses 45,000 residents. We lift one out with a strange metal clasper, and I see perfectly hexagonal cells full of eggs, larvae and pollen. Some are sealed, some are still waiting, with hard-working hairy bottoms poking skywards. A few bees have orange-coloured pollen still in their baskets, while others have gathered yellow. We try to find the queen. Massive, she should be breeding away somewhere near the centre of the box. She was impregnated for life after a couple of nuptial flights as a tearaway five-day-old. She can lay up to 1500 eggs a day. I shoosh some smoke as instructed, clutch the Velcro flap to my neck and peer closer. While we don’t find the queen, we do see a few bigger, rougher, peanut-shaped queen cells. These need annihilating — for if a new queen emerges, she’ll swarm and take half the colony with her. As eggs, all of the bees are identical. What makes the larva grow into a queen, a drone (unfertilised male) or a female worker is the different food and length of time they get it, before being sealed into their cell to pupate and hatch into an adult. The queen becomes a queen because she’s fed strictly royal jelly, a white goop rich in vitamin A that’s produced by young worker bees from glands in their jaws. Larvae that get fed royal jelly for 2.5 days become female workers while those that get it for three become drones. After that they get a blob of “bee bread”, or a mixture of nectar and pollen, to last them until metamorphosis, and are entombed in their cell, by workers who seal it with wax caps. Bees observe strict gender-divided roles. Adult males (drones) don’t do anything beyond impregnate the queen on her nuptial flight, use up all the food and keep the hive warm. They don’t have stings and can’t even feed themselves. They die upon mating because their “endophallus” (self-explanatory, really) snaps off when they ejaculate. In times of scarcity, the ladies barricade the door and let them freeze and starve to death outside. Not sure I blame them. Female worker bees, on the other hand, start their lives as cleaners (of course). They tidy the cells and warm the hive, then graduate to nurse bees that feed bee bread to the larvae, then secrete royal jelly to feed the queen, feed the drones, make wax, guard the fort, and finally go out hunting for food. When flowers are bountiful, they’ll work themselves to death within six weeks. Last of all the queen lays eggs. And that’s her lot. She produces secretions that are spread throughout the colony by her workers when they feed her. This tells everyone that she’s fit and strong and to proceed as normal. If, on the contrary, she was ailing somewhat, she’d stop producing her scent and the workers would build large queen cells and feed up some larvae to become queens that would replace her. Initially, the wax cells towards the inside of the hive are used for eggs, whilst those towards the outside are where the honey is stored. As the central panels are successively filled with eggs the ones storing honey are displaced towards the edges of the box. The more eggs the queen lays, and offspring she produces, the more space she needs to continue. Thus, more levels of boxes are added on top so that honey can be stored by the bees and then harvested by humans. The bees seal the cracks around the edges of the boxes with propolis, a resinous glue they make from tree sap (and which we also pinch). We slot the panel back in and check the next one. In a good year, when there has been enough rain and flowers for the bees, some of the honey is harvested. The wax caps are sliced off and the honey is centrifuged out of the cells. It’s then left to filter out impurities. The wax is re-used, saving the bees from eating precious honey reserves to make more —unless we want candles too of course. We also harvest the pollen – all the rage due to its vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. To do this, micro traps are set at the entrance to the hive so that the droplets get knocked off as the dutiful bugs fly in. It is, therefore, not remotely surprising, that we even harvest their poison by getting the females to sting a silk cloth. Happy that ours seem to be doing alright, we put the lid back on. First, I zap the ones on the edges with smoke so they move inside and don’t get squashed. We make sure to walk most of the way back to the farmhouse before taking our space suits off and dousing the smoker. More rain is forecast, so my pal might be lucky enough to gather some honey after all. ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

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HONEY MADE IN MENORCA

Menorcan honey has been famous for centuries, since the Roman writer Pliny announced that the island produced the second best honey in the world after Greece. The King of Spain ordered Menorcan honey in the XIV century, according to documented evidence of the shipments, and some advertising posters have shown it was exported to Paris and London during the 18th century. It owes its delicious flavour to the huge variety of wildflowers on the island. The honey is collected from bee-keepers with apiaries but it is said that you can still find hives in caves and gorges and under the beams of some houses. Traditionally honey has been used as food, for medicinal purposes or to add to wine. In Menorca there are many traditional recipes such as sobrasada with honey, aubergines with honey, white cheese with honey or mel i mantega (honey with beef dripping and bread crusts), a typical dessert on All Saints Day. It is produced on many farms as a complement to main activities. It is, therefore, a well-established product that can be found in any basket of products made in Menorca. The climate can strongly affect production though, and in dry years, it can quickly go out of stock. In 2006, the brand ‘Mel de Menorca’ was created, which currently includes all the island’s production that is marketed commercially. This includes honey of a thousand flowers (mil flores) and the monofloral honey of enclover, heather, bramble, and rosemary. There is a Menorca Beekeepers Association and there are around 1,500 hives distributed throughout the island producing as much as 10,000kg of honey. The honey here is as unique as our flowers and it is said that it has a saltiness due to the influence of the wind in the low, maritime environment.

Specialist Honey Producers in Menorca The Agroxerxa website lists many farms producing honey on the island and you will find jars of local honey at local shops, markets and fairs but here are details of some of the specialist producers:

Illa de Mel Rafel Mascaró and Sara make a small production of high quality honey in Sant Climent. Illa de Mel was born from their passion for bees and the production and packaging are done in a traditional way. To ensure their bees and other pollinators have flowers available, they plant camamil.la and enclover. Illa de Mel won the best multifloral honey in Spain in the Mieladictos 2022 honey tasting competition.

Rafel Mascaró and Sara, Ila de Mel

Dolçamar Mel de Menorca Beekeeper Antoni Anglada has been making honey near Ciutadella since 2012 producing different types of honey from plants such as yarrow, honeysuckle or rosemary. They won the best flower honey 2018, 2019 and 2020 in Spain in the Mieladictos annual awards. You can also buy Dolçamar honey and propolis sweets.

Mel i untis Miquel Anglada Marquès produces honey under the trademark of Mel i untis located on the Camí Sant Joan de Missa, Ciutadella. Apart from honey, there are other products related to bees and other plant-based products produced on his farm, such as honey beer and honey vinegar.

Sebastià Pons Pons - S’eixam Sebastià Pons in Sant Climent was the first beekeeper in Menorca who decided to become a professional. He is the largest producer of honey in Menorca and the oldest according to the Agroxerxa website. He has over 350 hives in 6 Apiaries.

Lorenzo Riera and family

Apiario Mobilista Lorenzo Riera Lorenzo Riera is continuing the 200 year old family tradition of cultivating bees. Lorenzo is currently engaged in the production of honey as an amateur, which he markets both through direct sales and through different businesses on the island.

Xec Gornès Moll - Mar de Mel Xec Gornès is an artisanal beekeeper who works with environmentally friendly products. He makes quality honey from native bees selling through local shops, fairs and markets.. For more information about honey producers see https://agroxerxa.menorca.es/ D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

ART IN MENORCA

JUNE 2024

MEN IN RCA ART

Numa Foundation Ciutadella Fundació Numa has opened a new open air art space in Plaça Quintana de Mar, Ciutadella, on the far side of the port from the town. It has been designed so that everyone can enjoy and reflect on art in a serene environment, fostering tranquility and inner well-being. Inner Voice by Caspar Berger Until October 2024 This summer you can immerse yourself in “the essence of self-exploration through the eyes of Dutch artist Caspar Berger”. “Inner Voice” is an “immersive journey that connects the intimate whispers of the soul with the expansive language of art”. Caspar Berger makes conceptual art in which the self-portrait and his own body are a recurring point of departure for artworks that explore themes such as freedom, mortality, and political systems and beliefs. Berger uses a wide variety of materials, including bronze, silver, gold, silicone, epoxy, wood and felt, as well as video and multimedia, sometimes in combination. His work is divided into themes entitled Skin, Skeleton, Universe and Spirit. Berger says that creating the first exhibition at NUMA has been an unprecedented journey for himself and his wife Annick, exploring what it means to truly collaborate. As NUMA took shape, so did the context of “Inner Voice”. For example, the installation of the sculpture ‘Judas’ in a Talayotic cave over 2,000 years old brings a connection to history and time depth, enriching the experience of the exhibition. The exhibition invites us to ask ourselves: Do we listen enough to our Inner Voice? It is an invitation to delve deeper into your own being, beyond ego and fashions. Berger was born in Utrecht, the Netherlands, on January 24, 1965. Berger’s work can be found in the collections of several Dutch museums, including the Beelden aan Zee Museum in The Hague, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Singer Laren Museum, in Laren. He was awarded the Singer Prize in 2013 and the Sacha Tanja Penning in 2014. Tickets General tickets can be booked on the website for 15€ (reduced rate 8€). This gives access to the Numa centre, which offers magnificent views of the old town. It includes a visit to the exhibition spaces, the courtyard and the gallery-coffee shop. You can also book guided tours in English, French and Spanish. Duration: 90-120 min. Max. 12 people. Price: 36€ (reduced rate 18€). It includes an exploration of the exhibition spaces, the courtyard of the main building and the gardens of s’Albufera with its Talayotic caves. Tours in English: Wednesdays from 9:30h - 11:30h, French: Wednesdays from 11:30h - 13:30h, and Spanish: Tuesdays from 9:30h - 11:30h Fundació Numa Espais de Cultura, Plaça Quintana de Mar, 07760 Ciutadella de Menorca

https://www.numamenorca.com/ contact@numamenorca.com T 971 778 091 M 648 972 531 Photographs: Erik & Petra Hesmerg / Valérie Nagant ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

ART IN MENORCA

JUNE 2024

HAUSER & WIRTH GALLERY ISLA DEL REY

Hauser & Wirth Menorca is an art and education centre in the natural setting of Isla del Rey, the island in Mahon harbour. Hauser & Wirth sensitively repurposed some of the existing 18th-century outbuildings of the naval hospital to create the 1,500 sq.m art centre, which has welcomed over 180,000 visitors since it opened in 2021. The exhibition space comprises eight galleries and an outdoor sculpture trail. A garden by the landscape designer Piet Oudolf runs alongside the gallery buildings, incorporating native perennials and plants suited to the Mediterranean climate. Adjacent to the gallery is Cantina, a lively outdoor restaurant set under the shade of the olive trees, focusing on local produce and Menorca cuisine. The management of the restaurant has been taken over by Hauser & Wirth but you will recognise the team from previous years.

SUMMER 2024 EXHIBITIONS Roni Horn Until 27 OCTOBER An exhibition by the New York-based artist Roni Horn (Joan Miró Prize in 2013) features a selection of sculptures and installations that interact with the historical gallery spaces and appear to be in a constant state of change, responding to nature through the skylights and windows and the presence of visitors. At the heart of the exhibition lies a collection of nine round sculptures made from solid cast glass. Horn creates these sculptures by pouring coloured molten glass into a mould, and letting it gradually harden over the course of several months. The resulting sculpture has rough sides showing the impression of the mould in which it was cast, while its firepolished top is smooth and glossy, resembling a crystalline pool of water. In the main hall you can also see pieces inspired by the verses of Emily Dickinson. In the adjacent room you can find the pure gold sculpture ‘Double Mobius, v. 2’; two ribbons in the form of a Möbius strip, a geometrical form that appears to be two sided, but only has one side.The piece is designed to “strip away the layers of cultural significance associated with gold and allow visitors to experience the actual material, in the shape of a strip denoting both intimacy and infinity”. In the final room is a black sphere that is not a sphere, but an Asphere. It is a copper work which appears to the eye as a ball, but it is not symmetrical in one axis. Horn has described the work as ‘a self-portrait’, linked to the artist’s experience of androgyny and resistance to binary labels. Horn’s works are featured in numerous major international institutions and collections including the Guggenheim Museum, New York NY; Museum of Modern Art, New York NY; Tate Modern, London, England; and Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France.

D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

Eduardo Chillida working in Alcaufar (Menorca) en 1996. Photo: Hans Spinner

Eduardo Chillida ‘Chillida in Menorca’ Until 27 OCTOBER The exhibition of works by the influential Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida (1924 – 2002) is part of a wider programme celebrating his centenary. The artist had a deep connection to Menorca through a selection of sculptures and works on paper created during his time on the island. The exhibition contrasts these works with some of those he produced in the Basque country. The son and grandson of Chillida were at the press launch of the exhibition and they gave us a wonderful insight into family life with the artist. On his visits to Menorca, Chillida drew inspiration from the white light of the Mediterranean that was a perfect contrast to the ‘black light’ of his native Basque Country. They told us how he became a completely different person whenever he was here, he felt freer and was able to enjoy creating pieces outside in the open air by himself. He said that Menorca was a wonderful place, not just because of the light but also because of its open character. Chillida spent many summers here from 1989. He set up an outdoor studio at ‘Quatre Vents’, the family house in Alcaufar he created with his wife Pilar Belzunce. There he found a quiet place to work on his clay sculptures, surrounded by the fields and their dry-stone walls. At ‘Quatre Vents’, he also had a studio with a large window overlooking the sea, where he explored many of his ‘gravitations’. He spent his whole life fighting against Newton trying to make all his pieces float, or rather “go up and not down”. On the walls of the gallery, you can see many of his paper collages. He hated the idea of using glue and if you look closely, you will see that he used wires to join the paper. This allowed him to keep the space between the layers, again allowing his art to float.

Double Mobius, v.2 2009/2018 Two pure gold ribbons and two plastic pegs Photo: Marc Domage

His work in Menorca was completely different to the steel sculptures he created in a forge in the Basque country emphasising Chillida’s interest in making space visible through the forms around it. His steel sculptures took years to produce. His grandson explained how one (see picture) had started out as a piece of steel more than double the height of the finished piece. When you visit the exhibition make sure you take a close look at this sculpture to marvel at the hours and work involved to bend the metal into such a shape. And to give you a further insight into the mind of the artist, his grandson told us he spent two weeks walking around the finished sculpture before deciding on the exact place to put his signature stamp; he was a perfectionist. We were told that Chillida never planned exactly what he was going to do, but let his pieces evolve. He said he ‘never knew how things were going to be but he knew how they were not going to be” and “if you know what you are going to do then you have done it before”. He had a large family of 8 children and many grandchildren, and they grew up around his work, playing amongst his sculptures. They had family lunches every Sunday, but he was always thinking, being curious and aware of everything happening around him, such as a leaf on the wind. At the exhibition you can see examples of his ‘Lurra’ sculptures that he modelled in Menorca —a series named after the word ‘earth’ in Basque. They are made from chamotte clay, a type of clay which can be fired in large blocks without breaking. Every piece in the exhibition is unique; he did not believe in making copies. He only did so once when a gallery sold out of his work and persuaded him to make 4 additional works in bronze. He hated it and likened the gallery to a shoe shop. His wife warned him that this attitude was going to be very bad for his career, but he said he preferred to multiply the owners and not the work. It didn’t seem to do him any harm. Throughout his lifetime Chillida was recognised with numerous awards, including the Grand International Sculpture Prize at the Venice Biennale (1958), Kandinsky Prize (1960), Grand Award for Arts in France (1984), and Jack Goldhill Award from the Royal Academy of Arts in London (1996). There are Exhibition Guided Tours every day from 6 June at 12.15 pm in English and 6.15 pm in Spanish/Catalan More information at https://menorca.hauserwirth.com/en/home where you can book the yellow catamaran to take you to the Isla de Rey. ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

WELLBEING

JUNE 2024

NUTRITION AND FITNESS WITH TOM AND JESS

I KNOW WHAT I NEED TO DO, I JUST CAN’T SEEM TO MAKE MY HABITS STICK! SOUND FAMILIAR? Hey, It’s been a month of weekly zoo trips with a picnic beside the goats, which are a current zoofavourite of Olive and Lola and afternoons and weekends gardening (rabbit ears and Elsa dress are mandatory for Olive). The girls help to put handfuls of raked twigs and leaves into the wheelbarrow and they ‘help’ to wheelbarrow the bits across to the far end of the garden, saying hello to the chickens and tortoises along the way. Tom’s been exercising his carpentry muscles and designing and building raised beds so we can grow our own herbs and vegetables, and he’s built a sandpit which will keep the girls and friends entertained for many an hour over the summer and years to come. Growing fruit, veg and herbs was one of my health goals for 2024, to be more connected to our food chain as a family and teach the girls how food grows and be able to eat from garden to table as much as possible. I can’t wait for things to start sprouting and eventually, to be able to gift friends and family with veg boxes because our raised beds are thriving! Onto today’s nutrition article, all about habits, and how to make them stick. Being consistent over weeks, months, and years can be a difficult pill to swallow in a world where we’re increasingly used to immediate results and instant gratification. Whilst deep down we know that the most effective way to achieve any health goal is through consistent practice of desirable habits & behaviours, being patient, and consistent, in the current moment, is a less exciting route. ‘Quick-fix’ solutions, in my experience, and when I speak to the health and dieting histories of my clients, rarely yield sustainable results and can even damage your health. The honest truth: habits and lifestyle behaviours you practise consistently will support your goals long-term, permanently, and sustainably. In order to change habits, you must create a ‘new-normal’ and make it your way of life. The habit of brushing your teeth before bed, for instance, is something you have been doing for years without even thinking about it. You dry your body after a show giving the process very little thought. Healthful eating and exercise, however, are less automatic and require conscious effort for most people. My clients who make working hard on forming new habits their focus, are the ones who achieve their health goals and maintain their progress and results for a long time. Making healthy living habitual and automatic is the key, so how do we support this process? You might be thinking ‘I know what I need to do to feel better, I just can’t seem to make these habits stick!’ Here are four tangible steps to help you. 1. It Is Important To Know Your Why. In most cases, a doctor or someone you know telling you “you need to lose weight” will not be enough to motivate you to lose weight and maintain that weight loss. If, on the other hand, your ‘why’ is that you want to be able to walk miles comfortably while exploring a new country, or a new stretch of the Cami, or to have more energy to play with your children and grandkids, this is a different story. For me, my why is for my two girls, Olive and Lola, to remember their mum as a healthy, vibrant mum, the mum who goes down the slides with them at the park and chases and tickles them and their friends around the garden, who will play for hours on the trampoline with them and have the energy to make homemade ice lollies and carrot cake muffins after a morning of clients, before I pick them up from nursery so snacks and meals at our house are delicious and nutrient-filled. When you can directly connect with your why, making everyday choices becomes clearer, and more effortless and continuing with your health journey becomes easier, rather than the stop-start approach. When I feel myself repeatedly making choices that aren’t aligned with my ‘Why’, I come back to ‘what would a healthy and vibrant Jess do?’, and that quickly gets me back on track in a positive and uplifting way, without shame or guilt. Step #1 - Be clear on your ‘why’. Why is change important to you? D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

WELLBEING

JUNE 2024

2. Elimination should not be the focus.

consistency much easier. Start with one or two habits, and build on them.

Frequently, in my private nutrition practice, I see clients who, understandably, want to stop “all the bad” habits at once, to get to their results in the quickest amount of time. More often than not, this approach leads to frustration and overwhelm. Very quickly, they’re back to the drawing board, feeling defeated and deflated, with their self-confidence chipped away, frustrated at not being able to ‘stick to’ their goal, despite their deep desire for change.

For example, suppose your breakfast has a low protein content. You know that a protein-rich breakfast is going to raise your energy levels, boost your mood and reduce your sugar cravings throughout the day. You can start with a proteinrich breakfast and then after a couple of weeks once you feel confident you’ve conquered that, you can introduce balanced snacks so that going into lunch or dinner you are calm (and not hangry). Small changes made consistently will contribute greatly to balanced blood sugar levels, an optimal weight, great energy levels, good sleep quality, and so much more.

Instead of removing the bad, consider adding a new, desirable habit to a current habit you practise already. This concept has been coined ‘Habit Stacking’. It’s the most successful way to incorporate small desirable habits seamlessly into your current routine, and very simply, you stack a new habit onto an established one. For example, it might be that you know you need to add drinking more water to your day-to-day life because you know you’re not drinking enough. So, adding more water might be your focus. Step #2 - What positive change would you like to incorporate into your life? (note - I am asking you to think about what you want to add, not take away). 3. Become familiar with “The Habit Loop”. This can be explained as follows: there must be a trigger, or cue, which initiates the habit loop, like an alarm clock in the morning. The trigger sets in motion the next stage of the loop, which is the routine, such as getting up and taking a shower, then eating breakfast and drinking coffee. At this point, you experience a reward, which continues the cycle. Feeling fresh and awakened, ready to take on the day, is the reward for waking up and taking a shower. Essentially, the reward completes the loop and makes the habit automatic.

Step #4 - What one thing would make a notable difference to your health right now? It doesn’t need to be complicated. The best things are often the simplest. Getting in 30-minutes of movement to your day, drinking water, going to bed before 10pm, getting a protein-rich breakfast to start your day and your hormones off right. I hope the above has been helpful. Have a great month, and I hope to report back with positive news on the vegetablegrowing front next month! Jess Nutrition Support - Personal Training - Qi Gong - Yoga - Island Hikes Cooking Workshops www.TheOnlineNutritionClinic.com www.jessntom.com

Forming or altering a habit requires repeated consistent behaviour. I highly recommend Charles Duhigg’s book ‘The Power of Habit’ for those interested in how habits are formed and changed. Step #3 - What existing habit could you attach your desired habit to? With the water example, it might be that before you have your first cup of tea in the morning, you drink your first glass of water. 4. One Change At A Time. When you try to make multiple changes at once, the likelihood is you’ll feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and it will become too difficult to maintain any sort of consistency. We know that our health is a reflection of what we do, and don’t do, over time, rather than one-off events, so how do we best navigate change? Even though someone may need to address several areas of their health and lifestyle to see and feel the changes in their health they want to experience, focusing on one area and adopting one new habit at a time, makes maintaining ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

WELLBEING

JUNE 2024

YOU ARE AMAZING AND VERY LUCKY June is a special month for both Jess and me. We both have birthdays early in the month, Jess on the 2nd and mine on the 4th. Then, on June 25th, we celebrate our wedding anniversary. Eight years ago, we were surrounded by 126 of our wonderful friends and family, sharing our wedding vows on the coast in Cavalleria, footsteps from the water, with Fornells in the distance, and then we danced the night away in the woods with our friend DJ’ing until he could no longer oblige to the request of ‘one more song’, and the day really had to come to an end. Eight years pass so fast, and lots happens, and that is the case for each of us. Every so often, I stop and think about something or other. It may be about space and how there are more planets in the galaxies than grains of sand on Earth or another mind-bending galactic fact.Or, interestingly enough, honey never spoils. Archaeologists have found pots of honey in ancient Egyptian tombs that are over 3,000 years old and still perfectly edible. The facts that really make me realise how amazing my body is, though, are ones like: Your heart beats more than 110,000 times every day. It pumps more than 7 litres of blood every minute, travelling more than 60,000 miles in a 24hour period. You will inhale around 4 million litres of oxygen in a year. If we took all the DNA from all our bodies’ cells, straightened them out, and then put it end-toend, it would stretch to Jupiter and back more than 10 times.

(Jupiter is 365 million miles away, at the shortest distance between its and the Earth’s orbits) The body contains 30 - 40 trillion cells. A trillion is always a complex number to get the head around. I always used the following explanation when giving health talks about this subject: 1000 x 1000 = 1 million. It would take nearly 12 days of non-stop counting to count from 1 to 1 million, one second at a time. 1000 x 1 million (1,000,000) = 1 billion (1,000,000,000). Counting to one billion non-stop would take nearly 32 years! Consider that momentarily, and you’ll appreciate the difference between a millionaire and a billionaire. There are no trillionaires, though! 1000 x 1 billion (1,000,000,000) = 1 trillion (1,000,000,000,000). It takes nearly 32,000 years to count to a trillion. Now, think about all those cells. Now that you appreciate how big the number 1 trillion is, let’s expand a little. If you do the maths, you’ll realise that the chance of you being here is far higher than 1 in a trillion.

However, you then have to go back to each generation and use the same calculations for your grandparent’s meeting, and then their parents, and then their parents. We are fortunate to be here; it is a miracle. My point is that we are incredible on a micro level. I have not even scratched the surface, but you get my point. You’ve won the lottery of life many times over to be breathing and reading some simple text like this. It is easy to think we have no luck at certain times, but our very existence is built on a mountain of luck and miracles. A quote from Martha Graham to finish today’s article: “There is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost. The world will not have it.” You are a miracle. Keep being you because your presence matters. Please remember that.

The chances of your mother meeting your father, it is around 1 in 1000.

Today, appreciate how amazing you are, and be lucky.

Then factor in the chance of the specific sperm cell from your father making contact with the particular egg cell from your mother, a chance of around 1 in a billion.

Tom

Then multiply 1000 by 1 billion = 1 trillion.

www.jessntom.com

Personal Training - Nutrition Support - Qi Gong - Yoga - Island Hikes - Cooking Workshops

D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

LOCAL NEWS

CLUBS AND ASSOCIATIONS

JUNE 2024

NEWS

LADIES LUNCHEON CLUB Our May luncheon went well with a sunny day, the meal was well attended and many ladies sat outside, before and after the lunch, some even during it. As always the raffle prizes and the buffet were excellent and well received. Our talk was from Jayne Wolstenholme´s daughter-inlaw, Morgana, who had worked for an insurance company specialising in dealing with funerals. She explained how the company takes care of all the costs and administration. These can include cremation, burial, cars, a church service or a memorial, and the notice in the local newspaper. They will also fly the body back from anywhere in the world should a death occur outside Menorca. (Annie Gooch asked, tongue in cheek one hopes, if she could be flown from Menorca to England, but this is not possible with a Spanish company) Debbie Bayley who had worked in insurance helped out with explanations. When I first came to Menorca everyone seemed to belong to a Mutua (like a Friendly Society) and would pay a small amount each week or month to cover funeral costs, these gradually disappeared and were taken over by larger companies. The manager of the company also came along to provide information. The June lunch is at the Hotel Agamenon, so we will have another lovely view of the port.

LADIES PROBUS The Ladies Probus lunch was held at Dos Pablo’s in Cala en Porter and Paul donated a bottle of wine for the raffle organised by Sandra which was gratefully received. Lunch was worth waiting for as it was delicious and a round of applause was given to staff. We will be attending again later this year.

CANCER SUPPORT IN MENORCA

We cannot quite believe it, but with more donations still rolling in, Walk Against Cancer 2024 raised over €16000! A massive thanks goes to everyone who helped in some way: participants, sponsors, those who donated, those who helped us organise and run the events, those who donated prizes for the raffle, the list goes on and on. We would like to give a special thanks to Anita who put so much hard work into organising the events while walking herself. And, of all those who took part, each one special in their own very way, we would like to make particular mention of two of our junior participants, Scarlett and Louis who raised €400 each. We also have to talk about two other very special people, Helen and Alison, who are both cancer patients and yet between them they raised €5955, simply amazing. Thank you for every single euro that has been donated, we will put this to good use. The money raised will go to helping cancer patients on the islands. If you are affected by cancer and live in Menorca we can offer you free nutritional advice and counselling, either online or by phone. We can also offer support if you have to come to Mallorca for any treatment. And there are other ways we can support you, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us and we will do our best to help. INFO@CANCERSUPPORTMALLORCA.COM

ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

LOCAL NEWS

JUNE 2024

SPIRITUAL WELLBEING

YOUTHFUL HOPE Three years ago, as part of an article for Roqueta, I mentioned that the Church of England has a programme called the Ministry Experience Scheme (MES), which offers young people the opportunity to spend a year in a parish working and observing what life is like as an ordained minister. Each intern is assigned someone to guide them, as well as a pastoral mentor, whose role is to listen and support them. I was duly assigned to a young woman from the Netherlands, Daleen, to be her pastoral mentor. Daleen and I keep in touch regularly, while she has been studying at a seminary in Durham for the past three years. At the end of June I hope to be able to travel to Brussels, where she, along with several others will be ordained as a deacon. Then she will be off to Lisbon to serve as a curate in the Anglican chaplaincy there, to be ordained as a priest in the not-too-distant future. As I said three years ago, if there needed to be evidence that life can be restored to the dry bones of the church, there are young people, with enthusiasm, inquisitiveness, and spiritual energy, who can serve as an oracle of hope. There are those who like to demean or belittle young people for all sorts of reasons, whether it be to assert that they have a sense of entitlement, or a naive lack of reality, or … well, I’m tired of hearing the recital of complaints about young people. I don’t believe that the current generation of youth is any worse than any preceding generation. Not only that, but they have inherited a world that is the creation of those who have gone before. Kate and I were invited to be guests at an English language class for adults recently, where we discussed a lot of things, with a conversation that I would probably not have managed in Spanish, so I was impressed by the fluency of the students. One of the subjects discussed was the comparison between student protests of the 1960s and student protests in 2024. Why should young people not protest about perceived injustice in the world? Does it make a difference? Well, it could be argued that the Vietnam war came to an end partly because of protests. The sad thing is that there are those who protested against war, inequality and injustice in the 1960s who seem to have migrated to a different point of view in their later years. Is it because we all have become just a little too comfortable within our own lives and resent the potential intrusion of others into our comfort? I have to be careful, or I will stray back into territory that I covered previously in last December’s Roqueta, when I mentioned John Wesley’s complaint of the rich, that they had no idea what ordinary lives were like. Most of us in the western world are rich by global standards, and wilful ignorance of the plight of others is, as I said then, often just an excuse for hardness of heart. Meanwhile, returning to the subject of young people and the priesthood, I was pleased to be invited to the cathedral in Ciutadella at the end of April to witness the ordination of a young man from Es Castell, Jaume, to be a priest in the Roman Catholic church. I have known him since he was sent to me to help him with his English studies in secondary school. The ordination was a splendid ceremony; cathedrals, whether Roman Catholic or Anglican, generally know how to do such things well! The following day, when Jaume celebrated his first mass as a priest,

By Rev Paul Strudwick

Es Castell was rife with clergy from Menorca, Valencia and other parts of Spain. It really was quite encouraging, because far fewer young people present themselves to be considered for a role as a member of the clergy than was the case decades ago. Not only that, but Jaume seems to have been gifted with a spirit of caring and compassion, coupled with humility, and an understanding of servant leadership. I hope and pray that he will carry that sense of humility with him throughout his life as a priest, because it’s all too easy to forget that as a priest he is (we are) called to servant leadership. Compassion is easily blunted by arrogance and pride. I wrote to Jaume to congratulate him for his ordination, and express my respect for his gifts. I also reminded him that he should never stop learning, or being open to learning. The more we know of God, the more we realise that we don’t know, and this should keep us on our toes, and always ready to grow in learning (and awe, I suppose!). In all of this, I was acutely aware that I was holding a mirror up to myself. How do I match up to having appropriate respect for youth? Do I approach servant leadership with a spirit of humility? Am I open to continuing a journey of learning? Should I work harder at improving my ability to converse in Spanish? Well, that last one is undoubtedly true! Above all, can I grasp the nettle of frustration, disappointment and sadness from a damaged world, and from it pluck the flower of hope (to borrow tangentially from Shakespeare)? Perhaps readers would like to look at the young people around them, look for what is of value in them, and then hold up their own mirror, to ask themselves similar questions. Like the protesting (and non-protesting) students of the 1960s, today’s young people will evolve and change through the course of their lives. Yet I hope that they manage to hold on to the core spirit of idealism which the world seems at pains to dilute and dismiss in waves of cynicism. Maybe those of us of more mature years could do more to encourage and sustain the enthusiasm and hope of younger people. Who knows, maybe some of it might even rub off on us.

CHURCH INFORMATION Worship in the church of Santa Margarita takes place on Sunday mornings at 9am and 11am, as well as at 11am every Wednesday, and morning prayer with a focus on healing at 11am on Friday (also on Zoom). Santa Margarita continues to offer worship online, to respect the needs of those unable to worship in person at the church. We hope to celebrate the fiesta of Santa Margarita on 20 July as we have in past years, with a procession from the Roman Catholic church and an ecumenical service of thanksgiving to follow. And refreshments! The church web site will continue to be the place to seek up-to-date news and information about online worship: our new web site can be found at anglicanchurchmenorca.net).

The phone number for the chaplain, Paul, is +34 617222382 and his e-mail is chaplain@anglicanchurchmenorca.com (which remains the same).

D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

LOCAL NEWS

Milan Grijmans

JUNE 2024

The Age Concern shop is busy as always and, of course, full of bargains! Thank you so much for your generous donations. We have had a lot of new volunteers over the last year. We asked Milan, one of these to tell us about herself. Milan Grijmans from “Trails of Menorca” “Hi! I would like to introduce myself to you; I am Milan Grijmans, Dutch, 57 years old, married to Fer, we have 2 grown-up children and have been living on this beautiful island for much of the year since 2023. I have been coming to Menorca since 1997. My parents had a chalet in Coves Noves where we went as a family several times a year. Later with our own family, we had fine holidays in Coves Noves. Deserted beaches, quiet coves, relaxed people, delicious food and we love the Menorcan cheese and sobrasada! Sometimes we take a dive underwater, one of our hobbies here. Last year, we had the opportunity to transfer our business to a larger law firm. This was the moment for me to get out of the business and expand my passion of hiking. I wanted to combine this with spending more time on Menorca: so, I started the company “Trails of Menorca” here. We organise day hikes at different levels: from light to heavy. My husband is still in the process of handing over the business and spends 2 weeks a month on the island. The intention is that once our children are a bit more settled, we will stay here even longer. But for now, our children can also be found here with great regularity. I like to be around people and when we decided to spend more time on the island, I also wanted to volunteer. Flicking through the internet, I came across Age Concern and the idea and vision behind it appealed to me. It is nice to have a group of people who are there for each other, helping each other. I am happy to contribute to that. I thought I might be a bit of a stranger as I am Dutch, but I feel very welcome. Thank you for that!” If you are interested in volunteering, even if only for part of the year, please contact the shop for more information. We are having some problems with donated books …. If you bring books, could you please check that they are in good condition as it costs us money to dispose of those which are in too poor condition to put on our shelves. Social Activities Our two lunches on the first and third Thirsday of each month are proving to be very successful and well attended. Visitors and guests as well as members are welcome . Fish n Chip lunch Bar Pons, Thursday June 6th, 1.00 for 1.30pm Please contact Sandy on 650 729 430

Menu del Dia Can Avelino, Thursday June 20th, 1.30 pm Please contact Chris on 669 949 370 Drop In Centres Feel free to just ‘drop in’, chat and make new friends at our two centres: Es Castell ‘Drop in’ at the Jubilado Centre on the Esplanada every Monday morning between about 10.30 and 12.00. Cala en Porter ‘Drop in’ at Bar Pons, currently on every Tuesday morning between about 10.30 and 12.00. Trip to Cala Blanca, Ciutadella and Truvi: We hope to be running this popular trip in June. Transport is free for members. Please check with Christine on 669 949 370 Membership You can become a Member of Age Concern by paying 12 to our Membership Secretary, Shelley, either at a lunch or in the shop or by bank transfer if you wish. You can also donate through the DONATE page on our website. Apart from the importance of offering your support to our organisation you also get a discount on the lunches you attend! Ways we can help you Please remember our confidential Lifeline service to help with individual problems, information, and help with translation etc. Our Medical Equipment Loan service is available for everyone either living on the island or just visiting. We require a deposit (returnable) and, though there no fee, we ask for a donation when the equipment is returned. Whenever possible we will deliver to you. Appointments essential! Information and Contact Numbers Confidential Lifeline service to help with individual problems and information lifelineminac@gmail. com +34 676 904 487. Medical Equipment Loan service acmenorcamedequip@ gmail.com +34 629 016 307 Shop: menorca@ageconcern.org.es 971 156 110 Manager: 636 347 286 Opening hours: Monday – Saturday, 9.45 – 13.15. For the latest information and current offers follow us on Facebook: Age Concern Menorca 2015 or visit our website www.ageconcernmenorca.com

who helped to finance several of the eight original impressionist exhibitions, and who generously supported the likes of Monet, Renoir, Degas, and Manet. His own distinctive paintings provide a fascinating insight into both his own lifestyle and the changing face of Paris during the 1870’s and 1880’s. He was known for his impressions, which include stylish men in their top hats. “Gustave Caillebotte: The Man in the Top Hat,” with Brian Healey, promises to enlighten and entertain. This month THE ARTS SOCIETY MENORCA makes a jump from pottery to Impressionism. Our third lecture of The Arts Society Menorca’s 2024 season welcomes BRIAN HEALEY on Thursday 20th June. A successful painter in his own right, he became a fully accredited speaker for the Arts Society in 2016. He is knowledgeable on his subjects and offers approximately 30 lecture topics on art history and related topics. Brian will be presenting a talk about Gustave Caillebotte (18481894). Caillebotte was one of the central figures of French Impressionism, yet he is among those artists who remain to be more fully discovered and appreciated today. His fame was initially founded on his role as a patron, and only later did he gain full recognition as a painter. Unlike most of his fellow artists, Caillebotte came from a privileged background that allowed him to indulge many passions, from painting and gardening to boat racing on the Seine, all of which are chronicled in his own work. It was Caillebotte

As in past years, we take a break in July and August from lectures, resuming in September with Stella Lyons. You may remember Stella’s excellent Zoom lecture during Covid on the interpretation of paintings. Joining us at the Aeroclub San Lluís, this time, in person, she will talk about the work of American Realist, Edward Hopper. Closing out our season in October with jewels and fashion! “The Jewellery and Fashion from 1890 to 1929 Downton to Gadsby” with Andrew Prince. Still lots ahead. Memberships, Guest Tickets, and reservations for Brian Healey’s lecture are available by contacting Malcolm at: menorca@theartssociety.org. With our sincerest thanks to our sponsors BLEVINS FRANKS, Jorge at Restaurante Asador Aeroclub and Santa Margarita Anglican Church in Menorca. See you at the lecture!

ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

LOCAL NEWS

JUNE 2024

PART 2: HOW TO PREPARE FOR WORRY-FREE TRAVEL WITH YOUR PET by ROQUETA’s VET Caroline Langlois

Phone or WhatsApp: +34 685753292 Email: vetmenorca@gmail.com C/Santa Victoria 30, 07701 Mahon

By car, plane, boat... Travelling with your pet can be a rewarding experience. However, it requires careful preparation to avoid problems and ensure the animal’s well-being. Last month we looked at the administrative aspects of preparing to travel with your pet. Today I’m going to give you some practical advice on how to prepare properly so that the trip and holiday go as smoothly as possible. Here are a few precautions to take before taking your pet on holiday: See a vet before departure Before taking your dog or cat on a trip, it’s important to check his health and make sure his vaccinations are up to date. A check-up with your vet will reveal any medical conditions that could make the journey difficult or dangerous for him. You should also take your pet’s age into account: a very old or very young animal may find it harder to cope with a long journey. Your vet will be able to help you check the papers you need for your trip. Your vet will also advise you about certain medications to reduce stress or travel sickness. I personally do not recommend tranquilisers or sedative products, which can have side-effects that may be difficult to manage during the journey. There are some natural products based on plants or pheromones, without any side effect, that can help your pet travel more serenely. Don’t wait until the last minute: some of these treatments should be started a few days before your trip. Don’t hesitate to ask your vet to help you prepare a basic medical kit for your pet: external and internal parasite treatments adapted to the travel destination, usual hygiene products, first-aid kit (with everything you need to disinfect a wound, make a dressing, remove a tick, basic medicines for dairrhoea, for example). Your vet will advise you on the products your pet may need.

You should also find out which vet is closest to where you will be staying. Prepare a travel kit Apart from the medical kit described above, prepare a travel kit for your dog, including food, water, collapsible bowls, treats and poop bags. Also take wipes to clean up after a little accident or if he’s ill, a lead, a carrier or harness, and an identification collar with your details. Don’t forget to take all the important documents with you, such as your pet’s passport and identification. Prepare your pet several weeks before your trip If your pet is used to getting into the car for walks or short journeys, you’ll have no trouble convincing him to get into his carrier when he goes on holiday. If it isn’t the case, gradually get your dog used to going on short, pleasant trips. Take him for a walk or to play in the park, rather than taking him to the groomer or the vet! Your dog needs to associate the image of the car with a positive consequence. On the day of departure, keep to his routine as much as possible and take him for a walk a few minutes before leaving so that he can do his business. Avoid feeding your pet in the two hours before the car journey., it’s better to travel on a light stomach! Travel safely Depending on the mode of transport you are going to use, you need to take certain precautions.

D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

LOCAL NEWS

How do you travel with your dog by car? Safety is very important when travelling by car: your pet must not be allowed to move around freely in the vehicle. To comply with the law, but also to ensure the safety of all when travelling by car, the law provides for three ways of transporting a dog: - in a crate or transport cage. Choose a cage suited to your pet’s size and leave plenty of space around it to ensure good ventilation. Choose a goodsized crate so that the dog can sit, lie down and move around at ease. - secured with a safety belt attached to its harness (not a collar, to avoid the risk of strangulation) - comfortably installed in the boot. The boot should be separated from the rest of the vehicle by a grille or even a net, but the latter holds the animal less securely in the event of an impact. Adapt the pace of the journey to your dog, and take a break every 2 hours to stretch your dog’s legs, to give him a drink and to let him do his business, or more often if it’s hot inside the car. Never leave him alone in the car! Always take him with you. Heatstroke, which unfortunately affects many dogs every year, is a real veterinary emergency. For cats, a carrier is still the safest way to travel by car. How do you take your pet on a plane? In most cases, your pet will be able to travel with you in the cabin if it weighs less than a certain weight (including his bag), which depends on each airline: 8 kg for example for Vueling, Iberia, Transavia, TUI, 10 kg for Volotea or Air Europa. You can find all their conditions on their websites. The cage must be placed at your feet, on the ground, throughout the flight. Otherwise, your dog will have to travel in the baggage hold in a crate. In that case, it’s important that your dog has all the comfort and safety it needs when travelling in the hold. That’s why special equipment is required: transport crates complying with IATA (International Air Transport Association) standards. In addition to the constraints and IATA technical standards for transport crates, your dog must be able to stand with its head fully erect, without touching the top of the crate. He must also be able to turn around and lie down comfortably. The crate must also be equipped with a drinking trough and bowl fixed to the sides so that your dog can eat and drink whenever he needs to. Book your tickets as early as possible, as the number of animals allowed on board is limited, and ask the airline about departure formalities and fares. It should be noted that certain breeds of dog are banned from air travel. Following a number of deaths of animals when travelling in the hold, some airlines are now banning certain breeds of dogs and cats. Brachycephalic breeds (flattened face) that can present respiratory problems during flights are concerned, including for example French or English bulldogs, or pugs. In addition to these breeds, there are also so-called “dangerous dogs” that airlines refuse to allow on board their aircraft.

JUNE 2024

TREBALUGER EQUINE RESCUE CENTRE By Samantha Lake

The days are getting warmer and, after feeding, the animals wander off to find shade under the trees to take siestas. They are allowed to roam free in 3 main herds, forming friendships. Many have never known this lifestyle before as they have been shut inside a stable or confined to a small paddock all their lives, never interacting with another equine. The herds are formed according to their requirements and mobility and whilst they wander around the fields, we clean, scrub and sort out the centre! It is why we do it, so they can live as equines should. We have been offered a lot of help and great support for this year from the restaurant Bambu in Binibeca. They have been working very hard behind the scenes with one of our volunteers creating a link from their webpage to ours to make it easy for people to contributed to the work we are doing on the island. Ben and Jules are regular visitors to the centre now and I can’t thank them enough for everything they are doing to help. As with so many things nowadays, costs have risen and our outgoings have doubled in just two years because of the rising prices of feed and hay, so this has been a lovely friendship forming. Here’s to a good season for both establishments! Also the owner of the land has decided to waver the cost of the rent of 408€ per month until the end of the year, also giving us some breathing space which will help us significantly. So, a big thank you to Juan Torres and Bonnin Sanso for their generosity, it is very much appreciated. Our day to day routine is hard; with 34 equines, 20+ cats, ducks, chickens, a dog and a pig to care for. The work never ends but when you see the changes in them it makes it all worthwhile. Any animal when safe and loved will show its appreciation in some way, some just take longer than others, it all depends on their previous circumstances. We are open to visitors every day from 09.30-12.30 hrs. and love people to come and interact with the animals and understand the work we are doing. If every reader would take 5 minutes of their time and join us with Teaming and give just 1€ a month this would help toward our costs greatly and give us a regular secured income. Thank you.

https://www.teaming.net/trebalugerequinerescuecentre We look forward to meeting you. Trebaluger Equine Rescue, 10a Cami De Ses Cometes, Trebaluger, 07720 WhatsApp +34 689 802 108

Please note that some airlines, such as Ryanair or Easyjet, do not allow pets on board (except guide/assistance dogs on certain routes), Travelling by boat with your pet As with any other mode of transport, it is essential to prepare for a boat trip with your dog in advance. Each shipping company has its own rules. Pets can travel either with their owners, in the cabin or in a space reserved for animals, in a kennel or in the hold in cage. Some ferry companies may refuse to allow dogs on board. This is very often the case for so-called “dangerous dogs”. Travelling with your pet can be an unforgettable and enriching experience for you and your four-legged friend. By following these tips and planning your trip carefully, you can make the most of this adventure with your furry friend, and above all, don’t hesitate to ask your vet for advice when preparing for your trip. Bon voyage with your beloved pet! ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

LOCAL NEWS

JUNE 2024

MCC APRIL/MAY REPORT By Julian Hagger Club Captain

The start of a new cricket season is always an exciting time for any cricket club and it was no different at Menorca CC despite the decision of Dan Sullivan to stand down from the captaincy after two years at the helm. Dan has worked tirelessly to bring in new players and to encourage existing players who perhaps hadn’t played for a while to come back into the fold. This ensured that when pre-season training started I, along with Sunday Captain Markus Dow, was able to call on a fit and healthy squad to put them through their paces for the season ahead. Due to the number of requests for fixtures this year, 52 no less, the season started uncharacteristically early on the 6th April. Fears of April showers were soon dispelled though as some beautiful weather and our spectacular ground, itself subject to a lot of hard work and preparation by the grounds team with the help of the playing squad, greeted the touring teams of; The Touring Cavaliers, Nomads CC, Turville Park and Sevenoaks Vines. The team had to wait until the visit of Sevenoaks Vines to register their first win of the season as thoughts started to turn to the annual Balearic Cup, held in May. There was time to notch up a second win before this against Kings Head Bledington and it was understandable that the team went into the tournament with confidence running high. It was a timely return to form for batters Adam Lavin, Dave Catterall and Adam Cockroft whilst the bowlers were also starting to find their lines and lengths with wickets aplenty. In the field, the team looked sharp and were holding onto their catches well.

JUNE MATCH DATES 12.30PM START

SUMMER CRICKET 11AM START

01/06/2024 THE BINMEN 02/06/2024 THE BINMEN 08/06/2024 SANDSEND SWORDSMEN 09/06/2024 SANDSEND SWORDSMEN 15/06/2024 GOATEES 16/06/2024 GOATEES 22/06/2024 SUTTON COLDFIELD 23/06/2024 SUTTON COLDFIELD 29/06/2024 MOGADOR WANDERERS 30/06/2024 MOGADOR WANDERERS

13/07/2024 GAME OPEN FOR VISTORS 17/07/2024 GAME OPEN FOR VISTORS 20/07/2024 GAME OPEN FOR VISTORS 24/07/2024 GAME OPEN FOR VISTORS 27/07/2024 GAME OPEN FOR VISTORS 31/07/2024 GAME OPEN FOR VISTORS 03/08/2024 GAME OPEN FOR VISITORS 07/08/2024 GAME OPEN FOR VISITORS 10/08/2024 GAME OPEN FOR VISITORS 14/08/2024 GAME OPEN FOR VISITORS 17/08/2024 GAME OPEN FOR VISITORS 21/08/2024 GAME OPEN FOR VISITORS 24/08/2024 GAME OPEN FOR VISITORS

The squad departed for Ibiza, this year’s Balearic Cup venue, with game involvements taking place on the Friday versus our hosts and Saturday v. Mallorca. Unfortunately, we came up against two extremely strong and hostile bowling attacks on an unfamiliar and newly laid pitch and on each occasion failed to register a score that would trouble either of our opponents. The spirit of the group remained high however and we still managed to compete in phases of the games with a smile on our faces which was the most positive aspect to come out of the weekend. Ultimately Ibiza’s quality proved too much in the final with star player Antonia Barca battling through the early exchanges with the Mallorca opening attack to register a wonderful 133 helping his side to complete a hat trick of cup wins in the last 3 years. As always, the team exchanged gifts, stories and a few laughs during the traditional presentation dinner. Back on the little rock and we welcomed back BAC 1-11, a team that has been visiting Biniparrell for a number of years. For the first time this season both the Saturday and Sunday teams registered a win with Toby Cotton scoring his maiden 50 for the club and young Jamie Kernall taking a career best 3-9 on Saturday and Richard Morgan continuing his good form on Sunday with 43* and 2-11. The final weekend of May was topped off with a double winning weekend with both teams putting in excellent performances against West Sussex Barbarians. George Wade-Smith made a match winning maiden 50 on Saturday to see the team home by 6 wickets despite a century from opposition captain Matt Baker while the Sunday XI completed a 50 run victory.

MENORCA SPANISH UNDER 14 CHAMPIONSHIP RUGBY A FANTASTIC PERFORMANCE IN VALLADOLID

Menorca Rugby played a great role in the U14 Spanish Championship held in May in Valladolid. The Menorcan team took part in the ‘Clubs in Development’ section and it, was their first experience at national level. They achieved a balance of three wins and three defeats, an excellent record. It was “a spectacular experience”, according to the coach, Fonso Alibés. The National Championship was held at the Pepe Rojo rugby field in Puebla, and was divided into two days. On Saturday, they played four matches, winning three of them. One was against the prestigious club Barça Rugby, which was a significant achievement.

Davide Della Campa tackling for the U14’s

On the Sunday, the matches were more difficult and this, together with a series of injuries to some key players, led to defeat in the two matches. However, the experience was extremely positive and shows that there is great potential amongst the young players, boding very well for the future of the club in Menorca.

D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

WHAT’S ON

WHAT’S

JUNE 2024 Every month we try to list events that we know are happening to help you plan ahead. Of course if you hear of anything else yourself that is of interest to the readers, then please let us know info@roquetamagazine.net

MUSIC FESTIVALS

JUNE 2024

MENORCA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2024 2-9 August: sustainable music festival held in the Recinte Firal in the town of Es Mercadal https://menorcamusicfestival.com/ 2 August: Melendi 3 August: God Save The Queen 4 August: Nil Moliner. 5 August: Stay Homas + Guillem Gisbert 6 August: La Oreja de Van Gogh 7 August: David Bisbal 9 August: Stool

CRANC ILLA DE MENORCA FESTIVAL 2024 26-29 September: taking place in Cala Figuera, port of Mahón. https://crancfestival.com

53RD MAHON OPERA SEASON 2024 7 and 9 June: performance of the opera La Bohème, by Giacomo Puccini, in the Teatre Principal. An outdoor screen will be placed in carrer Ses Moreres, where people will be able to watch the opera live (free of charge). 7 June at 9pm. 9 June at 8pm.

26TH MENORCA JAZZ FESTIVAL

PEDRA VIVA

Information and tickets: www.menorcajazzfestival.com

July and August: Music and scenic arts festival in beautiful locations across the island. Full programme and tickets from www.pedravivamenorca.com/

1 June: Jazz Didàctic with Noa Lur- jazz for children, 5.30pm, Pla de Sant Joan (at the end of Ciutadella port).

The programme so far: 15 August: Joan Dausa in concert at Torre-saura country house, Ciutadella at 10pm.

LIVE MUSIC AT ES CLAUSTRE The courtyard in Es Claustre, by Iglesia del Carmen in Mahón town centre is the scene of many live concerts; over seventy have been scheduled throughout the summer until October. 15 Jun: Eva Sola 20 Jun” Toamala 21 Jun: Ferran Palau 27 Jun: Gigi McFarlane 28 Jun: Club del Rio 29 Jun: Muchachito Bombo Infierno

CONCERT LIVE MUSIC AT JAZZBAH Located in the port of Ciutadella, jazzbah regularly holds live concerts throughout the summer. Check online for more information on https:// jazzbah.es/ 7 Jun: Xanguito – Album launch 8 Jun: 5th Anniversary Bah! Spartacus 28 Jun: Pride Party

COVA DEN XOROI Open every day from 3pm. As from 5.30pm only adults admitted. Live bands and guest DJs for the sunset session. Disco Night from 15 June. COVA Days in the afternoons for children throughout June including the Childrens Microtheater telling the story of the Legend of the Pirate Xoroi. From 6€ Tickets from https://www.covadenxoroi.com/ ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

WHAT’S ON

JUNE 2024

FOLK DANCING IN CIUTADELLA 7 July: 8.30pm in Plaça Federico Pareja. 21 July: 8.30pm in Plaça Princesa Joana 28 July: 8.30pm in Plaça Jaume II. 18 August: 8.30pm in Plaça des Pins. 25 August: 8.30pm in Plaça de l’Almirall Farragut

TEATRE DES BORN Plaça des Born, Ciutadella Ciutadella’s theatre puts on a full programme of events, listed on the website https://www.teatredesborn.com/ Tickets available online and from the ticket office open Tuesdays 11.30am to 1pm, Thursdays 7 to 8.30pm, also one hour before the start of the performance. 7 Jun: Encuentros Art in Movement 14/16 June: Foc i Fum 5 July: Romàntics. La 5à de Txaikovski

LIVE MUSIC EVENTS 7/8th June: Enfusion Choir concert at the Aeroclub in San Lluis. Tickets €10 from the Aeroclub in practice days 4pm Tuesday and 10:30am Fridays 8 June: Classical concert performed by the Ensemble Tsaldaris, 8pm in the cloisters of the Museum of Menorca, Mahón. 21 June: Ferran Palau in concert at Es Claustre, Mahón. https://www.esclaustre.com/es/agenda/ 1st, 7th and 10th July: James Kirby Sunset Cruise Concert on board ORCA 7pm CALA LLONGA, Tickets and information: jameskirbymusic.com 2nd July James Kirby concert at the Caves of Xoroi CALA EN PORTER information: jameskirbymusic.com 6 July: Celtas Cortos in concert in the Cales Fonts car park, 10pm. Tickets from https://entradium.com/events/celtas-cortos-en-menorca 6 and 7 July: Concert Ferreries, by Fernando Ferrer Martinez, on the Auditorium terrace, Ferreries. 8th July: James Kirby concert at the Jaz bah, Ciutadella 10pm jameskirbymusic.com 9 July: The Binigaus Band in Es Mercadal. For the first time a Fusion between the Music Band of Es Mercadal and The Binigaus Band. 11th July: James Kirby concert at Es Claustre, Ciutadella 10pm jameskirbymusic.com 12 July: Sopa de Cabra in concert in Recinte Firal Es Mercadal, at 10pm. Tickets from https://entradas.codetickets.com/entradas/sopa-de-cabraen-concert-menorca 12 July: Amparanioa in concert at Es Claustre, Mahón. https://www. esclaustre.com/es/agenda/ 13 July: The Binigaus Band in Es Migjorn Gran. For the first time a Fusion between the Music Band of Es Migjorn Gran and The Binigaus Band. 30 August: Antonia Font in concert at Es Claustre, Mahón. https://www.esclaustre.com/es/agenda/

TEATRE DE CIUTADELLA (TEATRE DE CALÓS) Carrer de María Auxiliadora 38, Ciutadella. Tickets available from https://www.ukalarimenorcaevents.com/ 1 June: Music show with Amistades Peligrosas, 9pm. 26 July: American rock punk tribute fest, 9pm. This event will be held in the Sala Multifuncional in Ciutadella at 9pm. 10 August: Hotnight Musical cabaret. Time to be advised. 14 September: Vaya pack de vasc@s comedy, 10pm. 21 September: Aladdin Tribute show, 7pm. 19 October: Brother in Band. The Very Best of Dire Straits

TEATRE PRINCIPAL Carrer d’en Deià 40, Mahón This is the oldest opera house in Spain, dating from 1829, with a wide programme of shows and concerts. See website for full programme. Tickets available online or from the box office. Guided tours on Wednesdays in June, July and August at 12 noon (one hour) in Spanish, Catalan, English and Italian. Bookings on telephone 971355602 or email principal@teatremao.com Box office open mornings Tuesday to Saturday 11.30am to 1.30pm. Afternoons: Thursday and Friday 6.30 to 8.30pm. Also, one hour before the start of a show. https://www.taquilla.com/mahon/teatre-principal-de-mao 7 and 9 June: performance of the opera La Bohème, by Giacomo Puccini, in the Teatre Principal. An outdoor screen will be placed in Ses Moreres, where people will be able to watch the opera live (free of charge). 7 June at 9pm. 9 June at 8pm.

LIVE MUSIC IN MAHÓN

21 and 22 June: Dance show un viatge sense mapa, performed by Alba Estudi de Dansa. (On 21 June at 8pm, and 22 June at 6.30pm.)

1 June and 8 June: Live music between 1 and 3.30pm in Plaça Bastió, Carrer Bonaire, Plaça Espanya, Plaça del Carme and Plaça del Princep.

29 and 30 June: Dance show Nit de dansa, performed by Escola de dansa Ute Dahl. (On 29 June at 9pm and 30 June at 7pm.)

LIVE MUSIC IN CIUTADELLA

FESTIVAL OF ANCIENT MUSIC

The local council are putting live music events in the town centre. 2 June: Nuraki, 12 noon in Plaça de la Llibertat (Fish market) 8 June: Marc Bosch, 12 noon in Plaça d’Artrutx 9 June: Leonmanso, 12 noon in Placeta del Roser.

The Festival of Ancient Music is taking place once more in Es Migjorn https://es.musicaantigaesmigjorn.com/ 25 July: Réunion des Goûts performed by Il Gesto Armonico, 9pm in Es Migjorn parish church.

D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

WHAT’S ON

26 July: Crónicas Vivaldianas: La sonata performed by the Ensemble Tsaldaris, 9pm in Es Migjorn parish church. 27 July: Conference/concert by Laura Triay, musicologist, 8pm in the Saló Verd, Es Migjorn. 28 July: Mujeres a la sombra, performed by Marina Plovins (soprano), María Antonietta Muggianu (soprano) and Graziela Lleonart (rhapsode), 9pm in Es Migjorn parish church.

FOSQUETS DE LÍTHICA Every summer an arts festival takes place in Líthica quarries, on the outskirts of Ciutadella. Tickets available from www.fosquetsdelithica.com 3 July: A piano sol, performed by Marco Mezquida, 9pm. 11 July: Tres Ànimes, tres Llibertats, Daphné Souvatzi (mezzo soprano), François Aria (guitar) and Artyon Minassyan (duduk), 9pm. 18 July: Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, performed by Coral Càrmina, with the OCIM conducted by Daniel Mestre i Dalmau and E. Blasco (organ), 9pm. 25 July: Traversées, Constantinople, 9pm. 1 August: Fl4menca, with Ana Fernández (vocals), Carmen García (guitar), Romina Vázquez (percussion) and Helena Cueto (dance), 8.30pm. 8 August: Tanyedoores, performed by Milo Ke Mandarini, 8.30pm. 15 August: Classical music concert with the Bachcelona Consort, 8.30pm. 19 August: Night of the full moon with Balkan music Bratia and aerial show Al fil de la lluna, by A Plom i Vol, 10pm. 22 August: Il Gesto Armonico, by Especial Quietud Musical, 7pm. 29 August: Confesiones a Lope, drama performed by Cia. Almaviva, 8.30pm. 1 September: Day of the Labyrinth, from 5pm onwards. 5 September: Na Clara, performed by Clara Gorrias, 8pm.

SALA ALBERT CAMUS

JUNE 2024

CINEMES MOIX NEGRE CIUTADELLA http://www.cinesmoixnegre.org/ Films shown in the original language most Tuesdays at 8.30pm. Cineclub films screened every Tuesday and Thursday at 8.30pm.

OPERA AT THE CINEMA ES MOIX NEGRE, CIUTADELLA. 6 June Opera Lucia de Lammermoor, by Gaetano Donizetti, performed in La Scala of Milan. 8.15pm. 11 June: Opera Andrea Chenier by Umberto Giordano, performed at the Royal Opera House, 8.15pm.

SAVE THE DATE MENORCA DOC FEST 4 October – 1 November: Documentary festival https://www.menorcadocfest.com/

GUIDED TOURS Torre d’en Galmés: Sundays at 10am (in English). Tickets online https://www.menorca.es/es/Visitas _ guiadas _ al _ poblado _ de _ Torre _ den _ Galmes/15447 Cova de s’Aigua, in Cala Blanca: guided tours in English daily at 9.30am and 3pm. https://www.menorca.es/es/ Visitas _ guiadas _ la _ Cova _ de _ sAigua/14052 Guided visits around the Hospital on the Isla del Rey In English: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:20 in French: Wednesdays at 11:20 In Spanish: Monday to Saturday at 11:15 and 19:15. Sundays in all languages departing on the Catamaran at 9am CATAMARAN SUMMER SCHEDULE – Departures from Mahón from 11:00 to 21:00 Return from the Island from 12:30 to 23:30T

Carrer de Sant Lluis 58, Sant Lluis www.salaalbertcamus.org

MENORCA BIOSPHERE RESERVE

8 June: Magic show with Cloquell, 7pm. 15 June: Comedy: Lavar, marcar y enterrar, performed by Talia Teatre, 8pm.

OCIMAX CINEMA MAHÓN: https://www.aficine.com/cine/ocimaxmahon/ Cineclub films shown in the original language on Thursdays at 8.30pm.

Guided visits on different aspects of the Biosphere Reserve. Visits are in Catalan and free of charge. Places are limited and are to be booked in advance on www.menorcabiosfera.org or by WhatsApp to 699 824 897 1 June: Una mar de sal, 10am to 1.30pm. 10 August: Pluja estel·lar, 9pm to midnight. 22 September: Una bassa d’oli, 10am to 1.30pm. 26 November: Una guarderia al mig del mar, 10am to 1.30pm. 16 December: De la pesca de l’anguila a la gestió de l’aigua, at 9.30am then again at 11.30am.

TALAYOTIC MENORCA GUIDED VISITS: These tours are in Catalan and are free of charge: you just need to sign up for them. Tel: 689 33 28 88. 8 June: Son Catlar 21 September: Talatí de Dalt 20 October: Trepucó 17 November: Es Grau – Torrre de Rambla. 14 December: Rituals in talayotic times, Museum of Menorca.

CAN ALBERTI CULTURAL CENTRE Calle Isabel II 9, Mahón www.hotelcanalberti.com/en/art/ 28 June- 8 July: Photo exhibition by Isabel Muñoz. 11 July- 2 August: Art and photo exhibition with Ibasho Art gallery. ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

WHAT’S ON

JUNE 2024

EXHIBITIONS Confrontacions, by Carles Moll, at El Roser exhibition hall at Carrer Roser 11, Ciutadella. Open Monday to Saturday 11am to 1pm and 6 to 9pm. Until 13 July. Admission free Francesc Hernandez Monjo. Marines: Can Oliver. Calle d’Anuncivay 2, Mahón. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 1.30pm and 6 to 8pm. Sundays open 10am to 1.30pm. Until 16 June. Free admission to the exhibition. Admission to the museum: 5€. Sunscreen: experimental photography by artists Víctor Masferrer and Maite Basterra, at the Museo de Menorca, plaça d’Es Monestir, Mahón. Open Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am to 6pm. Also, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays from 10am to 2pm. Free admission to the exhibition. Admission to the museum: 4€. Jesús Rafael Soto, exhibition of the artist’s works at the Galería Cayón. Open Mondays: 6 to 9pm. Tuesday to Saturday: 10.30am to 2pm and 6 to 9pm. Open from 3 June to 29 August. Carrer de Sant Roc 24, Mahón. Admission free. A peu i en bicicleta per Menorca: an exhibition about archaeologist Mascaró Pasarius, in Sala de cultura Sant Diego, Alaior, open 5.30 to 8.30pm. Until 2 June. LÔAC: Contemporary art gallery located at Calle Santiago Pons Quintana 56, Alaior. Open Tuesday to Sunday 5 to 8pm, also Saturdays and Sundays 10am to 1.30pm. Admission 5€.

FUNDACIÓ NUMA ESPAIS DE CULTURA Plaça Quintana de Mar, Ciutadella de Menorca A new cultural centre, located on the corner of carrer Santa Barbara and carrer Marino Benejam (on the northern side of the port, just up the hill from the bridge). Run by the Fundación Numa, the centre is opening with the Inner Voice exhibition of 30 sculptures by Dutch artist Caspar Berger. Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday 9.30am to 12.30pm. Also Tuesday to Saturday 5 to 10pm. Admission 15€. https://www.numamenorca.com/

HAUSER & WIRTH Contemporary art exhibitions on Illa del Rei. 9 June - Free Vermouth concert with Sofia Ribeiro Trio at Cantina in collaboration with Es Claustre 12:30pm 23 June - Free Vermouth concert with Ester F Mata Ensemble at Cantina in collaboration with Es Claustre 12:30pm 24 Jul Outdoor Cinema i- Chillida: art and dreams (1999), directed by Susana Chillida in Spanish in the gallery’s central courtyard 21st August Outdoor Cinema Do the Right Thing (1989), directed by Spike Lee 120 min English language with Spanish subtitles in the gallery’s central courtyard The gallery is open until 27 October, showing works by Roni Horn and Eduardo Chillida. Admission free. Several activities (tours, concerts, workshops, etc) are organised throughout the summer. Please see website for more information. https://menorca.hauserwirth.com/en/home

RECYCLING The recycling plant at Es Milà is running guided tours (in Catalan) for anyone interested in learning more about how recycling is dealt with in Menorca. The tours are free, and held on the first Thursday of every month (except July and August) at 5pm (lasting one hour). Places need to be booked in advance by filling in the form on the website https:// www.cremenorca.org/ and clicking on the link Visita la planta de Milà. D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

WHAT’S ON

JUNE 2024

SPORTS EVENTS

LOCAL FIESTAS DATES SUMMER 2024:

29 May- 2 June: The Menorca J Class Regatta

Ciutadella: Sant Joan 16, 23- 24 June Mercadal: Sant Martí 20-21 July Fornells: Sant Antoni 27-28 July Es Castell: Sant Jaume 24-25-26 July Es Migjorn: Sant Cristófol 3-4 August Llucmaçanes: Sant Gaietà 3-4 August Alaior: Sant Llorenç 10-11 August Sant Climent: Sant Climent 17-18 August Ferreries : Sant Bartomeu 23-24 August Sant Lluis: Sant Lluis 24-25 August Mahón: Mare de Deu de Gracia 7-9 September Es Mercadal: Sant Nicolau 14-15 September Cala’n Porter: 21-22 September

https://www.clubmaritimomahon.com/es/regatas/menorca-j-class-regatta/142 1 June: 10/5 Milla Ciutat de Maó. Race alongside the port of Mahón. https:// www.carreramao.com/en/ 20-22 June: 26th Regatta Menorca Sant Joan www.regatamenorcasantjoan.com 27 – 31 August- 2 September: Copa Del Rey Classic Ships sailing regatta. www.velaclasicamenorca.com 28 September: The Trail Nocturna, night run, https://traildelsfars.com/nocturna 6 October: Artiem Half Menorca Triathlon. www.artiemhalfmenorca.com 11-13 October: Mountain bike tour of Menorca. www.menorcabtt.com 18-20 October: International cycling tour. www.menorcacicloturista.com 21 October: The October Trail run. https://illadelstrails.com/programaoctober-trail/

SANT JOAN FIESTAS 2024 ROUGH GUIDE

BANK HOLIDAYS Everything closed, although in the summer months, many shops tend to stay open. All shops and businesses remain closed during the respective local fiestas. 15 August: Assumption Day 12 October: Spain’s National Day 1 November: All Saints’ Day 6 December: Constitution Day 8 December: Day of the Immaculate Conception. 25 December: Christmas Day.

Saturday 15 June: Vetlla des Be (The vigil of the sheep) from dusk right throughout the night. Sunday 16 June: Dia des Be (Day of the sheep), starting at the Caixer Senyor’s house at 9am, then going round to the town hall and the bishop’s palace, continuing round the town right throughout the day, eventually finishing up at the Caixer Casat’s house. In the evening at about 8pm there is the traditional battle of hazelnuts on the Contramurada. The hazelnuts are intended to represent kisses. The Municipal Music Band plays by Calós bar.

ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

WHAT’S ON

JUNE 2024

Saturday 22 June:

STREET MARKETS

Sant Joan bonfires at various points throughout the town, with music and dancing from 9pm onwards.

Mahón: Tuesday and Saturday 7am to 3pm in the Plaça Esplanada. Mahón: Daily, Pla de Baixamar, 10am to 8pm. Ciutadella: Monday and Friday 8.30am to 3pm in the Plaza Borne. Alayor: Thursday morning in town centre. Fornells: Wednesdays, 9am to 2pm. in Carrer de la Mar. Sant Lluis: Mondays and Wednesdays, 10am to 1pm in Pla de sa Creu. Es Castell: Mondays and Wednesdays, 8am to 2pm in Plaza Esplanada. Ferreries: Saturdays 9am to 1pm in Plaça Espanya.

Sunday 23 June: Eve of Sant Joan: 2pm. The Fabioler (piper) asks the Caixer Senyor for permission to start the gathering of the horses and riders, from the Caixer Senyor’s house. The Fiesta flag is handed over to the Caixer Fadrí by the wife of the Caixer Casat. The horses gather in the Plaça des Born, awaiting the arrival of the Caixer Senyor, who canters into the Born at 6pm sharp. The whole cavalcade sets off to Sant Joan de Missa for Mass, at about 7.30pm. Meanwhile, there is another traditional battle of hazelnuts on the Contramurada. The horses make their way back into town for the Corregudes de sa Plaça at about 10pm and the Caragol de Santa Clara, at about 11.30pm. Monday 24 June: The day of Sant Joan. 8am: The fabioler asks the Caixer Senyor again for permission to start the gathering of the horses and riders. 10am: the horses head down to Es Pla for the heats of the jousting games. They then return to the Born for the Corregudes a sa Plaça, carrying on to Santa Clara for the Caragol. This is followed by Mass in the Cathedral at about 2.30pm. 5pm: The horses and riders gather once more. They make their way to the Plaça Born and at about 7pm, the Caixer Senyor invites the townspeople to come down to Es Pla for the jousting games. On the way down to the port, the cavalcade calls into Santa Clara convent to pay respects to the Abbess. The jousting games take place throughout the evening, before returning to the Cathedral Square for the Corregudes a sa Plaça and the Caragol de Santa Clara by about midnight, finishing in the early hours of the morning. Then the last notes of the flute are played, signalling the end of the Sant Joan fiestas.

CRAFT MARKETS Mahón: June to September, Tuesdays and Saturdays, Plaça del Carme, 9am to 2pm. Mahón: July and August, Tuesday evenings, in the streets of the town centre, 8 to 11pm. Ciutadella: 1 June to 15 September, Mondays and Fridays (also Wednesdays in July and August), in Plaça des Born 7pm to midnight. Ciutadella: 1 June to 30 September, daily, on the steps down to the port, 7pm to midnight. Ciutadella: 1 June to 30 September, daily, in Portal de la Mar (slope down to port), 7pm to midnight. Es Castell: 15 June to 15 September, daily, in Cales Fonts, 7.30pm to 1am. Es Migjorn Gran: July, August and September, Tuesday evenings in the town centre, 6 to 11pm. Alaior: 1 June to 15 September in the town centre, Wednesday evenings, 7 to 11pm. Es Mercadal: July to end September, Thursdays, in the town centre, 7 to 11pm. Es Mercadal: October to end May, Thursdays, Carrer Nou, 10am to 1pm. Ferreries: Fridays, 6 to 11pm in the old part of town. Fornells: 12 June to end September, Mondays, Carrer Major and Plaça Esglesia, 7 to 11pm. Sant Lluis: 15 June to end August, Friday evenings in town centre, 7 to 11pm.

GETTING AROUND THE ISLAND If you prefer using public transport as an alternative to taking the car, there are three bus companies covering different parts of the island. Buses are very punctual, although bear in mind timetables vary greatly depending on the time of year. Up to date bus timetables can be checked online. TORRES www.bus.e-torres.net Torres buses run between Ciutadella and resorts along the west coast, as well as to the unspoiled beaches to the north and to the south of Ciutadella. Torres also operate the line from Mahón town centre to the airport. TMSA www.tmsa.es TMSA buses run across the island connecting all the main towns, as well as routes to the resorts on the southern coast and eastern coast AUTOS FORNELLS https://www.autosfornells.com/ connecting Mahón with the north-eastern coastline up to Fornells, also connections to Alaior and Es Mercadal.

MARKETS FARMERS’ MARKETS Ciutadella: Wednesdays and Saturdays 8am to 2pm in Plaza de la Libertad (by the fish market). Mahon: Sundays 9am to 2pm, in Carrer de s’Arravaleta and Carrer Nou (by the American bar). Mahón Tapas by the fish market: Monday to Saturday, 11am to 11.30pm. Also, open Sundays in July and August. Ferreries: Saturdays, 9am to 1pm in Plaza España (main square).

TO RENT: Large family villa in Es Castell. Quiet location overlooking Calas Fonts and the harbour of Mahon and a few minute’s walk from restaurants, shops and all the amenities of Es Castell. Not a resort. 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 sitting rooms, pool, garden, BBQ, terraces in a residential area with wonderful views. No air conditioning but high up so always a breeze. Fans for all bedrooms. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms downstairs, 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms upstairs. Very well-equipped kitchen as it is a family home. Wifi, toys and children’s books. TV for DVDs only. 2 cots, stair gates, 2 highchairs etc. Available 2024 10 June - 3 July, 6 - 13 August, 29 August - 12 September. Now booking 2025 Contact owner email stevos.chiswick@btconnect.com or 00447917717919

D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

WHAT’S ON

JUNE 2024

ISLAND INFORMATION CONSULATES How do I contact the British Consulate? You can call or send an email to our contact centre Tel: 933666200 Email: spain.consulate@fco.gov.uk (Make sure you put ‘Menorca’ in the subject line) They will be able to answer most general enquiries and will pass you through to the team in Palma, should you need further assistance. www.gov.uk/government/world/spain. Germany San Andreu 32, Mahón. Tel 971 36 90 12 EMERGENCY NUMBERS General Emergencies 112 (equivalent to 999 in UK). 24 hour service in 4 languages. Domestic Violence 016 Local Police 092 National Police: 091 Police station Mahon: 971 363 712. Police station Ciutadella: 971 363 066 Fire Service 971 35 10 11 Sea Rescue 900 202 202 Emergency Ambulance 061 OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION Tourist Information visit www.menorca.es. Offices in Mahón and Ciudadela Taxis 971 36 71 11

Chemist shops are closed on Sundays, but some are open on Saturdays. Shop Opening Hours 09.00 – 13.30 and 16.30/17.00 – 20.30 Larger supermarkets Monday to Saturday 09.00 – 21.00 Sunday mornings in summer Banks Monday to Friday 08.15 – 14.00 If hiring a car, you are required to keep with you: Hire documents, driving licence and a photocopy of your passport. NB: Seat belts are compulsory, and children must be in the back of the vehicle For a comprehensive list of all bus times on the Island, please visit www.tmsa.es Internal flights in Spain from Menorca: Iberia – www.vueling.com, www.iberia. com POST OFFICES Carrer de Ciutadella, 76, 07701 Maó Plaça des Born, 9, 07760 Ciutadella de Menorca Carrer Llevant, 5-7, 07720 Es Castell Carrer Lepanto, 43, 07740 Es Mercadal Carrer de sa Lluna, 13 (antes, Carrer de Sant Esteve, 14), 07710 Sant Lluís HOSPITALS WITH 24 HR EMERGENCIES MAHON Hospital Mateo Orfila Rda. de Malbúger, 1, 07703 Mahón, Phone: 971 48 70 00

CIUTADELLA Canal Salat C/ Sant Antoni Maria Claret, s/n 07760 Ciutadella Tel: 971 480 112 PRIVATE CLINICS CLINICA JUANEDA Avenida Vives Llull, 6 07703 Mahón Tel. 971 351 115 info.menorca@juaneda.es CLINICA JUANEDA Jose Delfin Serra, 10, 07760 Ciutadella Tel. 971 480 505 info.menorca@juaneda.es POLICLINICA VIRGEN DE GRACIA Av Vives Llull 6, 07003, Mahon Tel: 971351115 RED CROSS CREU ROJA MAÓ C/ Josep Anselm Clavé, 162 ·07703 Tel.: 971 36 11 80 Creu Roja Ciutadella c/ de la Creu, 2 07760 Tel.: 971 38 19 93 CREU ROJA FERRERIES Av. Jaume Mascaró, 66, 07750 Tel.: 971 37 31 39 Creu Roja Es Mercadal C/ Veterinaris Gomila, 12, 07740 Tel.: 971 37 53 00 CREU ROJA ALAIOR C/ Orient, 39 · 07703 Tel.: 971 37 12 38

CREU ROJA SANT LLUÍS C/ Pere Tudurí, s/n · 07710 Tel.: 971 15 10 01 CHEMISTS Chemists or Farmacias are found around the island. For emergencies out of hours, there is a list of duty chemists displayed on the chemist door. GAS All cooking gas used in Menorca is bought from REPSOL BUTANO. Bottles can be exchanged at petrol stations and at the depots. Mahon: Avinguda de Fort de l’Eau, 125, BJ, 07701 Mahon: Main Road. Maó-Ciutadella ME-1, Km. 3,5. 07714 Ciutadella: Cala Morell Road, c/ Algaiarens, km. 1,5, 07760 See the website for opening hours https://gasmenorca.es/centros-dedistribucion/ FLIGHTS FROM THE ISLAND For all information and timetables regarding travel by air and sea to and from the Island please refer to the airline websites. To contact the airport, call 971 157 000

READERS CORNER

JUNE 2024

BRANNU

By Richard Reeves

We have been coming to Menorca for over 45 years to stay in our villa built in 1967. We have had several Sea Ray speed boats from Pedros Boat Centre to enjoy just going round the island and stopping off in the different bays - the favourite being Bini Parrax. This lasted until 2012 when the joys of owning a speed boat were rather outweighed by the ever increasing costs and the closing off of many bays to such boats, so the last Sea Pearl was sold. The following year a chance advert in Roqueta had a Menorcan llaut for sale and I had always said that as soon as I was too old for speed boats that’s what I would buy. This boat, called Brannu (a pun on brand new) had been found in someone’s garden in a very sorry state by two English guys. They took it and restored it lovingly and painstakingly with beautiful polished teak wood and covers. At that time its engine was very old - mid 1930’s - and the sort that you found on cement mixers with a pull cord that goes the opposite way. We struggled on with this for a few years but after several breakdowns and rescues I decided to get a new diesel engine which was quite revolutionary - it started on the button not a cord, and didn’t pack up on the high seas. It was stored at Marine Power when not in the water and when we came out it went in at Canutells and was moored alongside the other fishing boats rather than being stuck on a buoy out in the middle of the Cala. However, since Covid we have not used Brannu and as we are both getting a little older the likelihood is that our usage will lessen and it seems a great pity that this dear little llaut is not going out and giving pleasure to both the user of the boat but also to everyone who sees the boat - people stop and take pictures as they walk past the mooring - she is that beautiful. So with great sadness we have asked Marine Power to try and find someone who would like to buy Brannu and to enjoy pootling round the island in great style. You can still see a number of llauts around but not looking like this Royal Yacht.

MY ANIMALS AND ANOTHER FAMILY By Johnny Wright

themselves). One of our dogs, a Rumanian Shepherd, a rescue dog, did a runner from Binisafua but was very efficiently retrieved from the pound in Mahon. One of our cats, Brooke, died under our car in Binisafua, not because someone had run her over but because her time had come.

We started bringing our pets to Menorca about twenty-five years ago mainly because there was no-one left at home in West London to look after them but also because what was on offer in Menorca was pretty good for both parties. Firstly, loving family care for our two dogs (dachshunds- Oscar and Mr.Smith ) and their friends, our two cats (Maisie and Brooke) was guaranteed. Secondly, the drive up and down France became an enjoyable part of our holiday shared, we like to believe, by both the dogs and, less likely, by the cats. French gites in small towns like Meaulne and Mercurol tended to welcome us and our menagerie, although one of our dogs ate a bedroom door in Mercurol. Thirdly and importantly, Menorca is very well supplied with vets, some a bit expensive but others very good value- all seem to be good vets. Our dogs and ourselves believe that Ursula Von Hofe on the Mahon Poligono is a major doggie star. Fourthly, our animals loved lazing in the sun and Oscar the flying dachshund was obsessed by our pool, swimming every day several times. He did not enter the pool down the steps, he did not jump in, he ran fast alongside the pool and then dived in, a racing dive of course, barking unceasingly. There are, of course, downsides to travelling with pets. The paperwork and the necessary jabs and pill can be tiresome (but much worse for the animals

If you want to get your extended family to Menorca, a car is very useful. A few years ago, pet-free we were waiting for our luggage at Mahon Airport when the luggage carousel ground to a halt as a large piece of luggage got jammed in the mouth of the carousel as it entered the baggage-hall. It moved, not because the carousel problem had been resolved but because inside the stuck box, an obdurate, wickery sort of thing, was a dog, a large dog, an Alsatian not perhaps in his best mood, indeed keen to get out. He had been allowed to travel from Barcelona to Mahon in the hold. Who, one wonders, authorises this act of cruelty? Our dachshunds, the “boys” as they were known loved the large choice of walks on the Cami de Cavalls, one of the best dog walks anywhere. The boys had one awful walking experience in the fields above Es Canutells. There a couple of tall mules did not care for low-flying dachshunds, in fact they took grave exception to their presence and went for them. The boys were too quick for the Muffins but did ask us to avoid this field in future. Our dogs could walk across the Nursery Ground at Lord’s but they could not enter the hallowed precincts of MCC BiniParell so all is not quite perfect if you are a dog. The cats hated cricket anyhow. We no longer bring our dogs or cats to Menorca but that is mostly because, old as we now are, we no longer have any, so we bring our grand-children- Coco and Stevie-May-instead.

D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T

READERS CORNER

JUNE 2024

PIG TALES

By Rachael Adams

NO FLEAS BUT RATHER DRY KNEES

“What’s wrong with Dot?” – I ask my mam. “Why’s the pig rubbing her face on the tree like that?” I ask myself. This is most unusual, she’s scraping her head from side to side across the laurel bush, flicking her stumpy trotters in distress. Something isn’t right. Then I notice it: a dark oily patch is running from between her shoulders down her neck and straight into her eye. When I first got my pot-bellied pig there were quite a few things I didn’t realise I’d end up doing to keep her in tip-top condition. A bit like a horse, a bit like a moody teenaged human, and not much like the short-lived pigs in the farming manuals, I’ve had to make it up as we go along. 12 years on, I might write a manual myself. Ticks Back in the laurel bush, the penny finally drops. I grab the watering can and flush the poor pig’s head over and over again, drying the oily mess off her skin with a flannel. I scour the hollows behind her eye. She sighs in relief, “Thank you ma”. Flea drops are designed for cats and dogs. But they have fur. And softer skin. And when you squirt the drops out of the small plastic doser onto their necks, they are soon soaked up by the fluff. For Dot, however, with her rough skin and few remaining bristles, the drops had run straight down her cheeks. Her mohawk moulted away for the summer, there had been nothing to stem the flow of poison into her eyes. And mam, none the wiser, had got straight back on with the dishes. Ticks were a new thing for Dot, she had managed unscathed in our old chalet, with a relatively tidy lawn, up until she was eight years old. Then we moved to a shanty in a very large field - come summer flush with ticks. They caused big purple weals on her skin and preferred her lady parts or her beautiful soft pink armpits. Even when they dropped off, they left nasty thick scabs. Dot’s too heavy for one person to lift, and I can’t be bothered to take her to the vet scales to estimate which dose of flea meds she needs. Fortunately, there is an equation for this, something to do with multiplying the pig’s girth (“heart girth”) by its length (distance from behind the ears to the top of her tail). Deeming this beyond my grasp, I used an online pig-weight calculator instead. Turns out she is 55-60 kilos. It was hard to get the measurement right because her mohawk kept getting in the way and she has a swayed back too. Thus, requiring the same dose as two big dogs, she now gets two shots of flea drops a month over the spring and early summer. Though we no longer put them in her eyes, but rather, apply one in the dip of her back behind her withers, and one on her rump. Eyes Other parts of Dot’s beauty routine are performed daily and take but a few seconds with a hanky. Her eyes, with the characteristic pot-bellied lolling roll of fat across her brow, seem well designed for getting eyelashes stuck in them. Therefore, she accumulates a lot of sleep. I poke it out first thing in the morning so she can find her way through the neighbour’s orchard to last year’s rotten apples. Ears ore Since Dot rootles around in her field 24 hours of the day, her ears get more es waxy —nothing a good fish around with a cotton bud can’t sort. She loves it! Exfoliating/brushing/ moulting She moults, strangely, at the end of the summer, so that she’s bald by he September/October. During this time, she looks very cute and round. The es long mohawk across her shoulders is the last part to go, and her bristles at make a right mess of the house. She then gets all prickly as her new coat comes in (also very cute). By winter she’s morphed into a full-blown, hairyy monster-hog. Because she’s very clingy and demanding, I groom her almost daily. She

loves any kind of attention and readily throws herself down next to me in the sun. All I need to do is touch her tummy and she flops over. Though it has to be sunny. Her beauty kit contains one wire brush for exfoliating, one longhandled shower brush for removing exfoliated scales, my sister’s hairbrush for preening the mohawk, eye rags and a bottle of Johnson’s baby oil. Now, if it happens to be bad weather, she hides in her house all day and I can’t get anything sorted. Pig oiling Once I’ve exfoliated the dead skin with the scratchy cat brush, it’s time for oiling. Dot’s knees have always been dry, even as a baby. They’re covered in some sort of callus. Her skin is like a pachyderm’s, or a “non-ruminant ungulate with a thick hairless hide”. Such as an elephant. Some people include warthogs in this classification and she sort of is one with her tusks and mohawk. She also has skin folds halfway down her back legs like a rhino. Dot’s coat is rough and bristly. Covered in a thick layer of fat, it feels cool to the touch. Alas, it’s also scaly and dry, and she itches her belly on rocks and trees so that she ends up with bald flanks. Back in the day — when the odd lucky pig still lived outdoors —American lice-ridden hogs heaved their itchy hides against fenceposts and caved them in. In response, a rollingball contraption called a “pig oiler” was invented and the pigs anointed themselves in used engine oil laced with insecticide. Nota bene. I don’t do this in high summer in case she ends up roasting in the sun. As her dead skin comes off the new skin is pinker underneath, so it may be wise to let the old scales flake off naturally, slowly— giving the new a chance to pigment for the summer. Fleas N/A. Even before we learnt how to put flea and tick medicine in her eyes she never had a single flea. Nothing to hide in I suppose? Trotters Trotter trimming is a whole other story, covered extensively in a previous chapter. Suffice it to say there aren’t really any quick tricks. It takes me a full three weeks of coaxing her with tummy tickles and strawberry cider to cut all 16 toenails, 4 to a foot, with horse hoof parers. Dot gets the full works, she’s exfoliated, brushed and oiled into a gleaming dark bullet. All trim and tidy, she retires to her sleeping box. I soon hear little snores emanating from within. My sleeping porcine beauty. P.S. I’ve had to write this article with one hand because she wanted her back scratching. She rests her head on my foot and flicks my toes if I don’t comply. nd videos of her on Instagram #dottytrotters Find

READERS CORNER

JUNE 2024

OUR RETURN IN 1963 AND THE HOUSE PURCHASE

Part 3 By Ann Port

Rather than return to the Alcaufar hotel, we felt sufficiently confident to rent a villa and hire a car for our return the following summer. This time I was able to bring a college friend with me. June soon arrived and we were off for a whole summer again to renew our acquaintances with our friends in the sleepy village of Alcaufar. The chalet was compact for the four of us and required some ingenuity to put the very basic kitchen equipment to multiple uses. Our bedroom was separated from the main room by only a curtain. But it was a base and exploration was firmly on the agenda. Apart from Rafalet and Punta Prima one of the new beaches we discovered was Binibeca and we became regulars at the Bucaneros where Santiago worked with his father, and rang the bell when a tip had been given. It became a ritual to take friends there for a paella for many years. We renewed our acquaintance with Villa Carlos and ate at the iconic Bar España. A Welsh chap called David ran a bar and was a genial host. We didn’t just stay local though and made frequent trips to Ciutadella and to the beach at Cala en Porter just developing into a popular resort, particularly at night because of the Caves of Xoroi. We were told the famous legend of the Moor who stole a local girl from Alaior and took her to live in the cave where they had children until he was discovered by locals following his footprints in the snow and sadly met an untimely death. For this exploration we had a car, a little Seat 600 rented from Jandro Goñalons who ran his business with his cars parked in the Esplanade in Mahon. Jandro, always smart with a trimmed moustache also hired out bicycles. I hired one but suffered punctures on my first outing by injudiciously choosing a very bad road. I attempted a puncture repair but suffered another on my return so had to return it rather shamefacedly. After that I stuck to my own two feet on the cart rutted roads full of stones unless it was necessary to use the car. It was at this time that my parents started to look in earnest for a house to buy. They found a delightful farmhouse in the village of Llucmaçanes just outside Mahon. It was extremely rustic, which was estate agent speak for ‘totally unmodernised. It was painted brilliant white that shimmered in the sun and had tiny little windows upstairs which my mother called ‘postage stamp windows’. In fact, they let in an amazing amount of light with the shutters open. Small windows were deliberate to keep the house cool as there was no air-conditioning in those days or even ceiling fans in domestic houses. The house had probably been vacant for some time and the upstairs used for storing produce such as sausages and tomatoes, suspended on hooks. There was no bathroom or mains water, but it did have its own well. This was concealed behind a cupboard door off the entrance hall and there was a bucket and pulley system. The first task was to have the water analysed to see if was fit for consumption and indeed whether it was plentiful. The analysis came back in detailed form and was favourable and so the purchase of the property went ahead. One of the first jobs was to have plumbing fitted and an electrical pump for the well. The house was solidly built with stone flagged floors but of course no pool or even telephone. There was a pretty garden with moonflowers, bougainvillea, and dry stone walls separated various areas with vines, an apricot tree and masses of potential. The purchase entailed all the usual complications with all the legal documents required in Spain and the necessity of having a notary and other professionals including an architect with the plans for improvements.

Then of course there were the builders, plumbers, electricians, and tilers to be engaged. None of this was assisted by the British government at the time who operated a very protectionist policy. Strict limits were imposed on the amount of money that could be taken or sent to Spain. Every amount you took abroad was recorded in the back of your passport. Repairs and improvements on the property had to be approved by the Bank of England. Those occasionally necessitated actual visits to the bank and to Menorca to supervise the transactions. Because of the limits some of the furniture purchased was basic. To be fair, there wasn’t a lot of choice in Menorca at that time. Muebles Gali was the first point of call and then a visit to Ferreries was recommended as the furniture making centre of the island. My parents decided to ship soft furnishings and small, simple kitchen equipment over and most of it was loaded into my mother’s car and sent via Barcelona. Unfortunately, whilst at the docks the car was broken into and some items stolen, not to mention the damage to the car. When it eventually arrived in Menorca a lengthy visit to the Aduanas (customs)was required. You learn fast about bureaucracy and paperwork in these circumstances! Little did we know we had only just crossed the first hurdles. The building work would take much longer than anticipated but they would include some hilarious moments not to mention minor frustrations. If the British had their rules equally Menorca had theirs or not so much rules as traditions. My mother wanted the shutters and doors painted bright blue. She was discreetly advised that this would be frowned upon in the village and so they were painted the obligatory dark green. The delights of village life were yet to come such as collecting our milk, still warm from the farm next door and being woken by the cockerel and the braying of the donkey in the byre opposite our house. The villagers were immediately friendly, but it took us a while to unwind and adapt to their pace of life. We were fortunate in having a local shop / post office and it was also a meeting hub. Each customer was afforded the time not only to make their purchases but to catch up on local gossip. There was absolutely no rush whatsoever. This caused some frustration as we were not yet fully acquainted with who and what was under discussion and couldn’t contribute as the others did as they sat on barrels or boxes to consume a drink. My mother caused consternation by asking for half a dozen eggs. They were more usually sold one or two at a time and when my father requested six bottles of beer it amused him that the price was written down 6 times and painstakingly added up. It was also the only place in the village that had a phone and the conversation was quite public. The shop had a fugoneta (van) and there were just three other cars in the village, ours, the taxi and the one belonging to the local mayor. Transport was mainly on foot, cart or bicycle though the young were keen on Mobylettes and Vespas. Without television we settled into this far more congenial and stress free. pace. That wasn’t the case for the local housewives that kept their houses absolutely spotless and cooking and washing was all done the hard way. We learned not to waste water, a precious commodity and how to recycle it for the garden. Next article… legal issues aside I will tell you about the very practical issues of renovating an old farmhouse including its first ever bathroom, a project that was far from simple in those days.

D O N ’ T M I S S A N E D I T I O N , S U B S C R I B E T O D AY ! V I S I T: R O Q U E TA M A G A Z I N E . N E T