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ROQUETA

WINTER 2023

WELCOME WINTER 2023 - ROQUETA MAGAZINE Welcome to the winter edition of Roqueta, our final issue of 2023. Following tradition, we will now take a break until Spring when our March/April issue will look forward to the new season. Roqueta is now available online in French and Spanish and so we welcome new readers to our pages. We produced our first issue of Roqueta in June and, with the exception of the initial nerves, it has been an overwhelmingly enjoyable and rewarding experience. What could be better than travelling around the island to meet interesting and inspiring people and to discover and learn the latest developments in everything from farming and food to sports and archaeology. This month you can learn how the magazine started 50 years ago in 1973, the project of a young Swedish and English couple… yes a surprise to me too. After some fantastic warm and sunny weather, the main tourist season drew to a close at the end of October with high winds and big seas causing ferries to be cancelled. Those 2nd homeowners who had booked on the last Corsica Ferry to France had to make new plans, causing last minute uncertainty and added expense. With no direct flights to the UK or France this winter we are once again reminded that we are still living on a small island and at times we can become cut-off from the mainland. As a resident it is relatively easy and inexpensive for us to take a connecting flight via Palma or Barcelona but for non-residents it can be costly, especially with luggage. There will be more talks and petitions but in the end it is down to simple economics of supply and demand. Can those responsible for tourism create more demand? A question we have been asking for the last 20 years.

Liz & John

IN THIS ISSUE ISLAND NEWS

MEMORIES

FOOD AND DRINK

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

WELLBEING

The articles of Rachael Adams should never be missed as she roams the barrancs and fields of Menorca seeking out the small farmers. This month she investigates tangerines and gourds with a Christmas theme.

LOCAL NEWS

This year I invited Vanessa Jeny to join our team as I had enjoyed her website Menorca Blue. Every month she gives us her insight into the local traditions and Fiestas, teaching us all a few Menorquin phrases along the way.

WHAT’S ON

MADE IN MENORCA

READERS CORNER

Many people tell me that they read the magazine cover to cover as it is full of such interesting content. This would not be possible without the help, talent and dedication of our monthly contributors who give up their valuable time to provide us with excellent content, and always on schedule. It is no small task to meet my deadlines on a monthly basis through the summer season. If you like to dip in and out, then there are some articles I want to ensure you do not miss. One of these is the page written by the Rev Paul Strudwick. Whatever your religion, or lack of it, Paul writes so eloquently every month on thought provoking topics in a very wonderful way. He often likes to include a few lyrics from some of his favourite bands. This month he is writing on the theme of childhood and includes a poignant poem on the ‘Rascal children of Gaza’. He reminds us how lucky the children on Menorca are to be able to play in safety and without any real restriction.

Every month Christine Brooker provides an entertaining round-up of the news pages and Anne Marie Espinasse also trawls the press to bring us the What’s On pages to ensure that we miss nothing of interest. Lorraine Ure is in charge of the ever-popular Eating Out section and Michael Stevenson is dedicated to seeking out the best wines. This year we introduced our Vet, Caroline Langlois, formerly working in Paris, and Jess n Tom continue to keep us fit and healthy. All these articles are proofread meticulously by Veronica Griffiths and now also in French by Elisabeth Jaubert. Thank you to the many other people who have contributed articles and to those who take the time to alert me to activities such as the current Shipwreck Project in Ciutadella. Please do continue to send me your suggestions. Special thanks also go to James and Caroline Warne who have carefully photographed and catalogued their favourite walks and bike rides so we can all follow in their footsteps or tyre tracks, learning new things along the way. John and I hope to be out exploring on Electric bikes in the Spring. However, as I write this, I am housebound recovering from a hip replacement operation at the wonderful Mateu Orfila hospital, where I was cared for in my own private room under the Spanish national health service. Another reminder of how lucky we are to live in Menorca. Seasons greetings to you all, both in Menorca and around the world. We hope for a more peaceful New Year. 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

Cover Illustration provided by Mike Horseman

ISLAND NEWS

WINTER 2023

ISLAND NEWS

By Christine Brooker

ECOTAX The Govern (Balearic Government) will not remove the Tourist Tax, as they did previously when the PP(conservative) were in control, but they are going to make substantial changes to the law passed by the previous Govern. They want to make sure that the tax is equally distributed throughout the islands but first they have to solve their differences with VOX the extreme right-wing party that they are in coalition with... They want the money to be used for tourist and environmental projects as this was why the tax was introduced. Armengol, when president, used the money for financing the building of homes with the argument that these were needed because of tourism. She also bought electric scooters and bikes, financed the Science University and used money during the Covid crisis. The PP says that she used the tax like a money box and hoteliers have been very critical of how the tax was spent. The latest announcement is that four million Euros will be used to pay for the New Biosphere Reserve law. The news has been received well in Menorca, but politicians are wary in case no more money is forthcoming from the tax.

THE STRANGE CASE OF STOLEN TORTOISES 12 tortoises were stolen from the GOB recuperation centre; local and national police have located them in a private house in Ciutadella. They have been returned to the centre. The Council for Agriculture and Fisheries is investigating...

MENORCA IN DANGER OF LOSING PART OF 60 MILLION EUROS FOR TOURIST ZONES Menorca is in danger of losing its share of the 60 million Euros that the Govern gives to tourist zones that have been declared “mature”. Menorca has been excluded despite needing money for many of its older urbanisations. The law covering mature zones was passed 11 years ago and even though many areas in Menorca would more than qualify, successive Island Councils have not registered them. Once an urbanisation is declared mature some buildings can be permitted on “rustic” land under the new PTI, The Territorial Plan for the Island, which includes public services but not more tourist places. Towards the end of October, the Ayuntamiento in Ciutadella applied to have all their urbanisations declared mature. Once the declaration is achieved all improvement plans that affect different administrations must be given priority. Menorca may still receive some money, as occasionally funds are granted “in extremis” as happened with the collapse of Thomas Cook, or the plan for Sustainable Tourism from the central government. GOODBYE WIND FARM The wind farm on the road to Es Grau that opened 19 years ago is due to close. For the last three years due to a lack of productivity it has been haemorrhaging money and has accumulated a loss of 600.000 Euros. Simon Gornés the councillor for the environment says it is not viable to continue production. Over the 19 years the turbines have produced over 92.000 megawatts, the consumption of 1.937 families saving 84,000 tons of CO2 going into the atmosphere. The cost of dismantling them is included in the project to replace them with three new wind turbines over 100 metres high which will triple the power previously generated. This project was started by the previous Consell and has not yet been finalised. Gornés says when it is he will consult with the alcalde of Mahón and those in charge of the Biosphere Reserve as he is concerned about the visual impact of the new turbines.

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

WINTER 2023

SOLAR ENERGY Finally the solar park at Son Salomó, at present the largest one in the Balearics, has started to provide the grid with energy. After a decade of negotiations, paperwork, and constant delays, Son Salomó is at last a reality. When it is fully operational it should provide 15% of Menorca´s annual needs. Currently, alternative energy only provides 3%. The park has 50 megawatts of power from 110,000 panels that cover 69 hectares and in some months it could provide 70% of the demand.

NEW DECREE FOR ILLEGAL TOURIST RENTS AND NEW BUILDINGS Once again the subject of illegal renting to tourists is being debated. This problem never seems to go away. The councillor Marta Vidal says that in the city of Palma 90% of tourist rentals are illegal (Statistics from 2020). She has passed a new decree which involves more vigilance by the Consells. The decree will also make it easier for homes on rustic land that are habitable to have a Cédula de habitabilidad (Certificate of Occupancy). The opposition says this is granting an amnesty to illegal building. Ruins of buildings that were never completed with expired licences will be granted new licences provided they build affordable homes. Prices of building land will be controlled to prevent speculation. Also cohousing and coliving (two English words the Spanish are using!) are to be encouraged for young people, old people and also medical staff who find accommodation such a problem when they come to work on the islands.

MASTER CRIMINALS Two young burglars broke into various properties in Cala en Blanes and stole televisions. As they had no transport at 4.a.m. they called a taxi to take them to an address, specifying that they needed a minivan. The taxi driver, presumably somewhat brighter than the thieves, took them to the address and then informed the police. They were arrested.

NEW POLICE CHIEF EMERGENCY DENTAL SERVICE The Official College of Dentists in the Balearic Islands (CODB) started a new private service from 11th November to attend people on the islands who need emergency dental treatment at weekends and public holidays between 9.00 and 21.00. The private service that does not involve any private insurance or contracts will be co-ordinated by CODB. When the patient calls the number he can choose between Menorca, Ibiza, Palma and other towns in Mallorca. In each zone the dentist on duty will go to their own clinic if necessary to attend the patient within an hour. The patient must pay for the service immediately as there are no agreements in place. The Spanish National Health Service does not offer any emergency service at present (apart from pain relief and basic dentistry) the college says this leads to worsening conditions and unnecessary pain and this is why they have started the service.

The new “Comisaria” (police chief) of the National Police in Mahón is Diana Olmo. Born in Malaga, she has worked for the Central Brigade in Madrid, and has co-ordinated the Centre of Images and High Technology in Malaga and at her last posting in Gerona.

PETITION FROM CHANGE.ORG Change.org has started collecting signatures in the U.K. to persuade Easyjet to continue its flights to Menorca in the winter. ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

WINTER 2023

ISLA PLANA The Consell is to increase its budget for the restoration of the Isla Plana in the port of Mahón. It will be used for sports, particularly light sailing and rowing, by the Club Náutico de Villa Carlos, the Club Maritímo de Mahón, and the Amics de Mar (Friends of the Sea, also from Mahón). There has been a delay during the handing over of the building from the Spanish Ministry of Defence to Port Authorities and the Consell. The Consell has decided to completely restore the old building that dates from 1940 and will now spend €1.580.000 instead of €800.000. Work should finish at the end of 2025 (an extension from 2023). BODY IDENTIFIED The body that washed up on the beach in Arenal d´en Castell last May has finally been identified as a 56 year old Catalan from Sant Adrià de Besós near Barcelona. The family had reported his disappearance; he had been for a cycle ride and after had gone for a swim. The theory is he probably drowned in April; he was identified by DNA from one of his daughters and from his femur. The family has taken the body back for burial. Readers may remember the British couple of tourists who discovered the body when out for a walk at 7.a.m. who told the media how their holiday had been “ruined” and said they were going to “denounce” the authorities for not cleaning the beach early in the morning - not an ounce of sympathy for the poor man who had drowned. DON’T STEAL OUR ROCKS! DOOR BY DOOR RUBBISH COLLECTION Selective rubbish collection has started in Mahón, Sant Climent, Canutells, Binixíquer and Llumaçanes. The community containers have disappeared and residents will now have to sort their rubbish and put it out according to the calendar that they have been given. This new collection method has been introduced as the recycling rates using the old system were too low. Organic rubbish is collected on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, plastic on Monday and Thursday evening, paper and cardboard Saturday evening and glass on Saturday morning. Each household is provided with a bin with an identity chip and rubbish will be checked and if it is not on the correct day, it will not be collected, and the householders will be informed.

Over the last nine years thousands of tourists have tried to take rocks and containers with sand in them from the island. Some have been successful but over 15 tonnes have been confiscated and returned to the ecosystem. Most of these are detected at the airport; the scanners on the ferries are not strong enough to catch them. At the moment people are not fined, nor are they for exceeding the amount of liquid or trying to take prohibited substances or objects. In Sardinia, fines range between 500 and 1000 Euros with possible jail sentences for large amounts. Despite this tonnes of sand disappear each year. Cadaqués in Catalonia fines people 350 Euros for removing stones from the beach.

24 new vehicles have been bought and 35% more staff employed for the new system. Es Castell will shortly start the same system and the Socialists in opposition on the town council want the IBI (rates) to be reduced to cover the new tax on rubbish collection; Mahón has done this after pressure from the opposition (in this case PP). So far the council has resisted, Sant Lluis are studying their IBI as it was an electoral promise to reduce it.

NEW CHEMIST IN ES CASTELL The first new chemist in 14 years is to open in Menorca in Calle Fontanilles in Es Castell. A law dating from 2015 reduced the number of people forming a family from 4 to 2.58 (sounds strange), and a pharmacy is allowed for every 2,800 inhabitants, Es Castell had 7,625 residents that year. Now the town will have three chemists, one in Son Vilar, one in Carrer Gran and the new one. Legislation states that there must be a distance of at least 250 metres one from the other. The new chemist will make a total of 41 on the island, some are in tourist urbanisations. Three pharmacies in Es Castell, but they have taken away the petrol station! ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

WINTER 2023

iNNat reuses its gin bottles contributing to the care of the island

BREAKDOWNS IN LIFT ANNOY MAYOR OF MAHÓN The alcalde in Mahón is dissatisfied with the constant breakdowns in the new lift at Ses Voltes in Mahón. The last time it was out of action for ten days after intense rainfall. Since the lift was opened in 2021 there have been numerous problems and firemen have sometimes had to rescue people using ropes. There was a fierce debate at the time the decision to install a lift was taken, with PSOE and ARA Maó opting for the lift and the PP in opposition preferring an escalator. Many people thought that the Tramontana wind would affect the lift. It would be a good idea to put a sign up in the street when the lift is out of service as numerous tourists and residents have to walk to the lift before they find out it is not working and some are disabled.

SOLARIS COUPE 52 AT DUSSELDORF How about putting one of these on your Christmas list, or it could be something to buy with your winning lottery ticket. This Solaris, in the universe of luxury vessels, stands out for its elegance, performance and sophistication, and is an example of modern and avant-garde design. Every line and curve has been carefully sculpted to create a unique aesthetic. Inside, it offers a luxurious space that combines comfort and functionality. Pedro’s Boat will be at the Dusseldorf Boat Show in January, as the official distributor of Solaris Power in Menorca. The partnership guarantees continuous support and maintenance for boats kept on the island.

The Menorcan gin brand iNNat has launched a logistics system for collecting its glass bottles consumed in bars, restaurants or events, with the aim of reusing them and thus contributing to reducing the carbon footprint and with it, the impact on environment. In collaboration with the Menorquina de Bebidas distributor and with all those customers who want to join this innovative initiative, the objective is for all empty bottles to return to their Es Castell factory for refilling and relabelling. “Every time an iNNat bottle is reused, it will be screen printed with a specific stamp and the number of stamps that each bottle accumulates will allow us to know the number of times each bottle has been reused,” explains Matthew Meacham, owner of the business. With this action that they have named “The more stamps, the more lives”, iNNat positions itself as the first gin brand in Menorca to reuse its bottles, placing emphasis on values such as sustainability and the preservation of nature. iNNat received an award in 2023 in recognition of its commitment to Menorca as a Biosphere Reserve, and its sustainable work with the environment. The company produced 15.000 bottles in 2022 and this is a great initiative, let´s hope that other companies follow suit. It seems strange that the old system (in the U.K. at least) where we paid deposits on bottles and returned them is not reintroduced, especially as we are a Biosphere Reserve.

BUILDING LAND FOR SALE IN SON PARC There is still plenty of land for sale in Son Parc where it is possible to build. The latest offer is from Addmeet for two plots that measure just over 39.000 sq. mts., almost four hectares near the golf course of which 14.000 sq. mts. can be used to build 61 top class detached villas. The plots are on sale privately online and only “qualified” investors will be told the price. Information in El Confidencial says that Basque money is behind the sale, including the Kutxabank. The plots are near another zone where 50 villas are under construction. 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

WINTER 2023

JET2 IN MENORCA WE TALK TO ZOHREH RAZAVI, DESTINATION MANAGER, JET2.COM AND JET2HOLIDAYS How was your season in Menorca this year? With more than 40 weekly flights operating to Menorca from across ten UK bases during peak periods this year, Summer 23 represented our biggest ever programme to Menorca and we are absolutely delighted with how it has gone. Our aircraft have been full of happy holidaymakers, with the majority of our customers enjoying a package holiday with Jet2holidays. Menorca is a key destination for us as it is a market that sees a large proportion of customers travelling on an award-winning Jet2holiday, meaning that their flights, transfers, and accommodation are all covered, along with many other benefits such as 22kg hold baggage and ATOL protection. How does this compare with previous years? We have continually expanded our hotel and villas portfolio in Menorca, in line with our growing flying programme. The reason for this is very simple – after another wet and gloomy UK summer this year, British holidaymakers simply want to book their holidays and get away to somewhere where the sun shines. Menorca is an extremely popular destination because of this, and our team of more than 70 colleagues on the island have worked tirelessly to make sure every customer has had the best experience on their well-deserved holidays this summer. Do you have a good relationship with the hotels that you work with on the island? Because we own an airline, we invest significantly in Menorca as we have capacity to fill. That means the priorities of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays are perfectly in step with hoteliers on the island because we are in the business of filling seats, and they are in the business of filling beds. That means that nobody works harder than Jet2holidays to fill hotels, because we have to sell seats on our flights too, and this partnership approach is proving to be enormously successful. Will there be any changes to your holidays and flights in 2024? We are adding another brand-new route between Liverpool and Menorca for Summer 24, which is an exclusive route from Liverpool. We are also the only airline to operate to Menorca from Leeds Bradford, Glasgow and Edinburgh. As a result of this latest expansion, we have flights and holidays on sale from 11 UK bases to Menorca in Summer 24. Based on the demand we are seeing, we are looking forward to another exceptional summer on the island next year. Can you tell me about your role? I’ve been with Jet2holidays for seven years. I first started my career in Mallorca and moved to Menorca two years ago. I’m the Destination Manager so I’m responsible for managing our team and ensuring a seamless, VIP customer journey from the beginning to the end of their holiday. We put everything into delivering the award-winning customer service that Jet2.com and Jet2holidays are famous for, and nothing gives me greater pleasure than hearing from happy customers. I absolutely adore Menorca and it’s hard to say what it is that makes it such a wonderful place. The laid-back pace of life or as the locals say ‘tranquillo’ make Menorca very special, as does the unspoilt nature and of course the people. How important is Menorca to Jet2holidays? Menorca is somewhere we have operated to for many, many years and it has always been a critical destination for us, and for our customers too. We have consistently increased capacity and extended the season to the island, and our growth will continue in both Summer 24 and Summer 25. We have a new route to Menorca from Liverpool for Summer 24 and we have new hotels and villas going on sale too. With more seats and hotels on sale than ever, we are working hard to fill those aircraft and hotels with happy holidaymakers, and it’s very clear just how committed we are to this incredible island. We are looking ahead with a lot of confidence. ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

WINTER 2023

BONES FESTES MENORCA’S TRADITIONS & FESTIVITIES FOR DECEMBER & JANUARY Menorcan end-of-year festivities, like the rest of Spain, are centred around traditions, both religious and cultural, packed into an extended version of ‘the silly season’ that extends from the 22nd of December to the Epiphany on the 6th of January. Two full weeks of celebrations, public holidays, recovery days, saints days and so much fabulous food that you will be eating leftovers for weeks after, inevitably delaying your New Year healthy eating plan till late January. You have been warned! 22ND DECEMBER: LA LOTERIA DE NAVIDAD The unofficial start to the holiday season for the entire country is the Loteria de Navidad which takes place on the 22nd of December every year. This lottery which has maintained the same format for decades is considered the biggest in the world due to the number of winners produced in a single lottery in a single day. There are 1807 prizes to be won of different amounts, and the jackpot of €400,000 is affectionately known as El Gordo, ‘the big one’, where the single winning number is pulled from a large spinning barrel of 100,000 numbers. There are over 180 series of these numbers and multiple tickets or ‘Decimas’ as they are called for each series of each number. So instead of having one jackpot winner winning €400,000 with a single decima ticket, there are 1850 tickets with the same number and each ticket wins the same amount if the number wins a prize. There are 13 winning numbers (and 1850 of each number) for the top jackpot prizes ranging between €6000 and €400,000 per ticket. That is A LOT of winners celebrating every year on this day. All numbers are distributed in lottery offices all over Spain and go on sale mid-year to coincide with the summer holidays where traditionally people buy a ticket whilst on holiday in July and August from that location. The lottery draw on the 22nd dates back to the year 1812 and continues with the same tradition of having all the numbers in one rotating caged ball and all the prizes in a separate rotating ball. The numbers drop for a period of approximately 4 hours with rotating pairs of school children singing each

by Vanessa Jeny, Menorca Blue

number and each prize to a live and televised audience with each prize draw being verified by a panel of judges. It’s the day that changes 1000s of lives of people all over Spain as entire towns become winners when the winning number is sold in their location. As the tagline goes ‘The real prize is being able to share it’. Sharing what you have generously with friends and family I have found to be a particularly universal characteristic of Spanish people all over the country, so of course the biggest lottery in the world in Spain would generously share the winnings with as many people as possible causing the multiple simultaneous and spontaneous fiestas across the country. Have you bought your Decima? Single tickets are €20 and winnings range from getting your money back, to €100 if your number is pulled and matched with a €1000 ball, up to €400,000 if matched with the number for El Gordo. As the saying goes ‘You have to be in it to win it!’. 24TH DECEMBER: NIT DE NADAL Christmas Eve in Spain is called La Noche Buena, meaning ‘The Good Night’ or in Menorquin its called Nit de Nadal. It’s a time to visit family and share a drink with friends, and Midnight Mass is hugely popular. Services are offered in churches in towns all over the island and it’s also an opportunity to visit the often extravagant Nativity sets in churches called Betlem in Menorca. Some displays are hugely intricate incorporating not only the traditional Nativity but extended scenery of Menorcan farming activities, sometimes with water and transitioning from day to night. Well worth a visit if there is a display in your town. 25TH DECEMBER: NADAL Christmas Day in Menorca focuses traditionally on food and family. Giftgiving is postponed to the 6th of January as gifts traditionally come from the Three Kings, not from loved ones or Santa Claus.

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

ISLAND NEWS

What is exchanged and shared on Christmas Day is normally food with traditional Christmas sweet treats, liquors and wine. Christmas Baskets are gifted to family, colleagues and professionals as gratitude for service. These baskets are of different sizes and include a variety of items such as sparkling wine, liquors, turrón, chocolate bonbons, pates, cheese, packets of cured meats, olives etc… there is no shortage of delights to share at this time of year.

WINTER 2023

5. Pata de Jamón – The highest quality cured ham sliced from the bone 6. Es Galets de Nadal – The large shell-shaped pasta served with meat & vegetable broth 7. Rem – 12 Grapes (Rem) eaten at midnight on New Year’s Eve 8. Dolçes – Mini individual cakes 9. Gall d’indi Rostit – Roast Turkey, called Pavo Asado in Spanish 10. Trufas de Chocolate y Mazapán – Chocolate Truffles and Marzipan 11. Pastissets i Amargos – Traditional Menorcan Biscuits made with flour, lard, sugar, almond and eggs 12. Roscón de Reys – Large sweet bread ring made for the arrival of the kings Many of the traditional foods eaten at this time of year are known for their names in both Spanish and Menorquin. Polvorons are a Spanish Christmas classic, a biscuit-like treat made of white flour, ground toasted almonds, lard, cinnamon, and powdered sugar. There are a variety of flavours and they just crumble in your mouth. Homemade Chocolate Truffles are another tradition, every fiesta in Menorca is a reason to enjoy Pastissets, the shortbread-style biscuits dusted in icing sugar. Christmas has its own selection of post-dinner sweets, known as Dolços that are brought out at this time of year. Bought in trays of 12, 18, or 24 for the reason that it’s hard to stop at just one, you want to try all of them! One favourite of international fame is the Spanish Turrón. Made from a sweet mix of honey, sugar, egg whites or egg yolks and nuts such as ground almonds, all of which are baked and formed into a rectangular bar shape like chocolate. Similar to this is Marzipan which is made primarily from almond meal and sugar. Traditional end-of-year celebration beverages include Cava, the Spanish version of Champagne, a few bottles of Spanish Red Wine and after-dinner Spanish liquors such as Pedro Ximenez Sherry, or Hierbas, the liquor from the Balearic Islands made with herbs and an aniseed base flavour.

MY SHORTLIST FOR THE ‘12 FOODS OF CHRISTMAS’ INCLUDES (BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO): 1. Turrón – Sweet in block format like chocolate made with egg, nuts (almonds) and sugar 2. Porcella – Roast Suckling Pig, also known as Cochinilla in Spanish 3. Pinyons – Sugar-coated pine nuts 4. Polverons – Biscuit-like made with flour, ground nuts, lard and cinnamon

Whilst in many countries a roast Turkey meal is always on the Christmas menu, throughout Spain including the homes of Menorca, other inviting plates adorn the Christmas table. Seafood is popular, as is Roast Pork. A common Christmas dish is a broth made from the fresh stock of chicken, beef and vegetables, with a type of pasta known as Galets de Nadal. This bowl of soup is affectionately known as Brou de Nadal. It’s delicious, warming and so easy to make, on a cold Christmas day its served as a first course with a plate of the meat from the soup and potatoes served as a main course. This two-course combination any other time of the year is also known in Menorca as Vianda and the soup is served with other types of noodles.

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

WINTER 2023

New Year’s Eve in Menorca like most places around the world is the time to celebrate the transition of one year to the next with friends and family. New Year’s Eve dinner at ‘Spanish Time’ is a tradition that starts around 9 - 10pm, with many restaurants offering a set menu price that includes a 3-course meal, drinks and Cotillón which is usually party hats and masks, whistles, streamers and the above mentioned Rem (grapes in Menorquin), 12 to be exact. The national tradition is to have 12 grapes ready to go when the midnight clock strikes and one grape is consumed at each of the 12 bells. Its a nationally televised and synchronised event that dates back at least 100 years (the origins are a whole other story). Get your grapes ready and good luck! 1st January is a public holiday and rest day, the same as everywhere else in the world. 5TH & 6TH JANUARY: DÍA DELS REIS Tradition in Spain is to wait until the Feast of the Epiphany on the 6th of January to exchange gifts; an extra long wait for the kids, exactly 13 days after Christmas. In the same tradition of Santa Claus in other countries, in Spain, it is the Three Kings, called Los Reyes Magos who deliver presents to everyone both young and old in every home in Spain, in the same way they did for baby Jesus all those centuries ago. Every December children write letters to the Kings, who are considered magical (Magos), asking for what they want to receive. The letters are collected by a servant of the Kings called the Patge. The night before, the 5th of January parades are held in every town and city where many children and performers participate. Families line the streets to see The Three Kings pass through the town on the way to each house to deliver presents. Here in Menorca, The Kings are loaded with sacks of wrapped sweets which they toss into the crowds as the parade continues for all the kids to catch and collect. That night or the next morning wrapped gifts for the whole family are left by the Kings somewhere in their home. The story goes that the naughty kids are left with a small bag of coal! More of a tale that is told than anything else. No presents are exchanged from family members as all the presents received are from the Kings themselves. They are always generous to those who have been good! All this comes with that extra two-week wait for the greatly anticipated arrival of Gaspar, Melcior and Baltasar who are the Three Kings from the Orient. Even though these days gift giving and storytelling is more of a blended version with Santa Claus and Christmas Trees, inevitable with so much advertising and international movies, the spirit of the season remains magical for the kids of the family. And the wrap on the two-week festivities comes just over one week, before the next big fiesta in Menorca, the Feast of Saint Anthony, Sant Antoni. 17TH JANUARY: SANT ANTONI, OR DIADA DEL POBLE DE MENORCA The 17th of January marks the Feast of Saint Anthony. The day is a public holiday marked with various activities in every town. Sant Antoni is also celebrated in a big way on the other Balearic Islands, it’s the largest fiesta in Mallorca, but in Menorca, the day commemorates the victory of King Alfonso III in 1287 regaining the rule of Menorca from the Moors after almost four long centuries.

PHOTO COURTESY OF XAVI MARQUES TRIAY

31ST DECEMBER/ 1ST JANUARY: CAP D’ANY

TALAYOTIC MENORCA OFFICIAL CELEBRATION On September 29 in Son Catlar Ciutadella, one of the largest talayotic sites of the Balearic Islands, 500 locals attended the official act of celebration in honour of this global recognition of Menorca’s unique cultural heritage. The acceptance and inclusion of Menorca Talayótica in UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2023 is the result of a collaborative project between the Cosell de Menorca, Local Councils from different political parties, and various groups of stakeholders and experts including archeologists, geologists, anthropologists, historians, teachers, local associations, private property owners and farmers over a span of 9 years. The small island of Menorca is home to one of the most dense and well-preserved collections of prehistoric Talayotic sites in the world. The celebration of the UNESCO listing took place in the form of an open-air concert with an idyllic scenery of the sunset for the opening act of traditional verse ‘el glosat’ and guitar by Moisès Coll and Miquel Llufriu, followed by an audiovisual presentation and speeches from dignitaries and leaders of the project team responsible for the 9-year journey to this achievement for the island. Guests were then treated to an hour-long classical concert under the full moon by local Baritone Simón Orfila, Soprano Rosalía Cid and pianist Alejandro Calafat.

All around the island, Sant Antoni is recognised with different events to mark the occasion. Some of these events include concerts, exhibitions, traditional dance displays, family entertainment, games, an outing of classic Menorcan fishing boats, street fairs, an official address by the local mayor, and special church services. So really, the end-of-year extended two-week celebration season turns into almost a month-long reason to eat, drink, and celebrate with loved ones! Another reason to love the Menorcan local lifestyle! Merry, merry and happy, happy to you all for all of it. Bones festes tothom! ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

THE

WINTER 2023

BIG

INTERVIEW WITH

MICHELLE STAPLETON

MADAM FILMS IN MENORCA Michelle Stapleton started working in Advertising at the age of 17 and she set up her first film production company at the age of 26. In 2013 she teamed up with two other successful women in the industry to start Madam Films, which she describes as a personal, tailored and hands-on approach to UK film production service. Now ten years later, Michelle is bringing her experience to Menorca. Michelle Stapleton founder of Madam Films

How did you first get started in the industry? My first job was in Agency Advertising in London. In those days commercials were iconic, shot on 35mm film with huge production budgets for companies such as British Airways, Dunlop, Volvo, Nike, Pepsi, to name but a few. I gained experience working with global award-winning directors who started their careers in advertising and went onto to major success in films, such as Tony Kaye, David Fincher and Michael Bay. I worked my way up the production ladder and at the age of 26 along with my then business partner and 3 film directors I set up my first production company, Brave Films, in London which became Production Company of the Year in its first year and then one of the top multi award winning London Production Companies. How difficult was it to balance your personal life with running your own company?

locations, supplying all the local crew, wardrobe, hair & makeup casting, art department and equipment in order to facilitate their shoot for the incoming production team. We are known for working with ‘A-list’ Film and Sports Brand Ambassadors, and you can see in our portfolio that we have worked in a wide range of industries, working with Vodafone and Pepsi on their commercials with Mo Salah, Red Bull with Max Verstappen, to Masterclass Films with Lewis Hamilton and Naomi Campbell and with Netflix, Warner Bros and Disney. One of the films I am most proud of is being credited for co-producing ‘The Cave’, a documentary about a female Syrian doctor struggling to care for the injured in a hidden underground hospital. The film was nominated for an Oscar in the category of best documentaries in 2019. You are now bringing your company to Menorca. Tell me about this exciting development.

Tell me about your success at Madam Films

Madam Films SL is the first UK Service Production Company incorporated on this stunningly beautiful island. It is a unique destination, and it is largely undiscovered, and yet to be shot. It offers film locations of incredible landscapes, interiors and exteriors providing the perfect backdrop for fashion, luxury and lifestyle brands. From the natural landscapes of beaches, coves and quarries to a unique theatre and architectural gems. I have shot a lot of films on Mallorca and mainland Spain and there they have companies and equipment in place ready to make films whereas there aren’t such companies based here. I have met people working in Mallorca who are originally from Menorca and they told me they would love to return to the island to work given the opportunity.

Madam Films soon became one of the UK’s top service companies. We provide production services for overseas clients looking to shoot in the UK. This involves casting for their project, finding and securing all required

In 2020 we embarked on our green project, working towards planet positive production by taking detailed steps towards carbon neutral productions. Menorca fits in perfectly with this ethos going forward and we will always

It was certainly a challenge at times as I had three children in close succession. I set myself a limit of never being away from the children for more than 3 weeks at a time. This meant they often had to fly with me to shoots overseas and to be present on the film sets. This experience has stayed with me throughout my career, and I make sure my companies support diversity and working mums. I did take some time out to concentrate on parenting but then I came back to help out a company called Crossroads Films on a difficult project. This is where I met my current business partners, Carly Stone and Pippa Bhatt, setting up Madam Films in 2012.

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ISLAND NEWS

WINTER 2023

Michelle with Carly Stone and Pippa Bhatt Photo: Cinegirl

try to minimise our carbon footprint, by bringing in equipment by boat for example and source as much as we can locally, albeit a limited supply here. We have access to a network of suppliers from neighbouring Mallorca, mainland Spain, Portugal and beyond. We have already developed a relationship with Menorca Preservation, helping them to produce a film to attract new sponsors to this inspiring initiative and share their work and what they so diligently do. We work with a charity called ‘Just One Tree’ to ensure that some of our profits from every shoot go towards reforestation. £1 plants 1 tree. My aim is to be able to offer new opportunities on the island for people from all backgrounds and, of course, including working mums. I would like to work with schools and colleges in Menorca to give young people here the opportunity to get onto the film set, experience working in film production, and to develop their talent to help launch them on a new career. I have been able to take some time out from work and enjoy living on this island over the last year and now I feel I am at a time in my career when I want to pass on my knowledge and experience to others. COVID was a big shock for the film industry with so much of the talent working on a freelance basis. Their income disappeared overnight and we are still feeling the repercussions today. I want to be flexible with myself, and with our clients and crew, reassuring them that it is OK to take time out for home life and family when necessary. They will always stay on my contacts list and in my mind for when they are ready to return.

You can explore the work of Madam Films on the website madebymadam.com ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

ISLAND NEWS

WINTER 2023

By Beverley Ward

ISLA

DEL REY The visits have helped us financially as we have been trying hard to pay off our debts before advancing on any new projects. There was a very supportive and generous reaction to our request for special donations this summer for our “historical debt” and we managed to raise 120,000 euros, so we’re optimistic we will be able to complete full payment of our debt this year.

The Remembrance service held in St George’s Chapel

We recently held the AGM for all the volunteers of Isla de Rey, followed by a delicious paella by Binifadet and La Cantina for us to enjoy together with family and friends. The meeting was to update everyone on our current economic situation and also our plans and projects.

Whilst we were trying to raise money to pay debts, no new projects have been started. However, some work which was already financed is underway such as the collection of rainwater, solar plaques and most importantly, our long-awaited ramp is now going out to tender so at last it’s in sight. Also, the completion of the first floor displays on the history of the Port Mahón is nearing completion and for next summer we are planning how to have this open for visitors all day, and where an accompanying guide will not be necessary.

The first news was that there have been some 64,000 visitors this season to the island, even more than last year, although of course not all of them were able to visit the old hospital as we can’t keep our guides working during all the opening hours of Hauser & Wirth. The numbers are very positive however and with a big thanks to all the volunteer guides and helpers who gave up their free time to help, we managed to offer up to three guided tours around the hospital per day. English tours were on Thursdays and Sundays, and we may even extend this next year due to the large numbers on the Thursday visit, particularly at the end of the summer. We also have to thank Fomento de Turismo for financing us to pay two professional guides who made a big difference. 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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Perhaps the most exciting news and something which our President is now determined to fight for - and he has already been personally to discuss with the Minister of Culture in Madrid - is to rebuild a large chunk of the hospital that fell down many years ago and was originally symmetrical with the Director’s House. This will make a big difference for us, to be able to return the hospital back to its original size and provide additional space for congresses and conferences of up to 100 people, something which is not possible at present except by using the outside patio. The ground floor will also provide a very much needed space for storage, both for ourselves and for Hauser & Wirth. Finally, we have to protect the island from erosion, often caused by passing ships where the small beaches get washed away; and perhaps, more worryingly on the eastern side, we have seen how the lower level of rock is being eroded below the paleochristian basilica and this must be protected.

WINTER 2023

This is something that the Port Authority is looking into and will be helping us with. So, to summarise, despite some worries (mostly financial) and frustrations (mostly bureaucratic), we are nevertheless steadily progressing, with the patience and determination which has characterised our project from the earliest days. As our President Luis Alejandre always reminds us, keep smiling! Visitors are welcome every Sunday morning throughout winter as well as new volunteers. You need to be at the jetty of the Moll de l’Hospital at 08.30 on any Sunday morning and you will be back at 11.30. Light refreshments are included at the end of the visit and donations will be welcome. On Sundays 24th and 31st December visits will be postponed to Tuesday 26th December and 2nd January respectively.

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ISLAND NEWS

WINTER 2023

SPANISH SUCCESSION TAX UPDATE – GOOD NEWS FOR THE BALEARICS By Cathal Rochford, Partner, Blevins Franks

III – siblings, cousins, aunts/uncles, nieces/nephews, in-laws, We had some welcome tax news • Group stepchildren this summer. The Balearics Islands • Group IV – everyone else, including unmarried partners even if has eliminated succession tax for registered as a pareja de hecho, unless the region grants them the assets passed to your closest family same rights as spouses (Andalucía and Valenciana do) members. 5) The tax rates and allowances are determined by the state each year, but There are so many benefits to living in Spain, but, as with anywhere, there are both pros and cons. Many people find Spain’s succession regime to be complex and costly, and expatriates need to understand how Spanish succession tax and law works and affects their family.

the regions can make them more beneficial for local residents. 6) UK nationals can be liable to both Spanish and UK inheritance tax since UK inheritance tax is based on domicile not residence, but a credit is given in Spain for tax paid in the UK to avoid double taxation.

The good news is that over recent years many Spanish regions have reformed their succession tax rates and allowances to protect spouses, children and parents from this tax, and this now includes the Balearics.

Balearics succession tax reforms

Spanish succession and gift tax (SSGT) key facts:

With effect from 18 July 2023, the following deductions are available for both inheritances and gifts:

1) SSGT applies to both inheritances and lifetime gifts. 2) It is charged on each recipient, including spouses. 3) It is due when: a) the beneficiary is resident in Spain, or b) the asset being gifted or inherited is a Spanish asset (Spanish property, bank account etc). 4) Beneficiaries are divided into groups: • Group I – children and other descendants under 21 • Group II – descendants over 21, parents and other ascendants, spouses

In July, the government of the Balearic Islands approved a substantial change to the succession tax rates applicable in the region.

• The succession tax liability is reduced by 100% for group I and II beneficiaries. In other words, children, parents and spouses of the deceased will not pay any tax. • Where there are no children or grandchildren, the succession tax liability is reduced by 50% for siblings, uncles, aunts, nephews and nieces. • There is also a 25% reduction for the rest of group III beneficiaries (children in law, in-laws), as long as the deceased did not have any other descendants. The initial amendments limit the changes to Spanish tax residents, but it is expected that further amendment may extend the scope of the changes to non-residents who own assets on the islands as well.

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WINTER 2023

Other beneficiaries The other rates and reductions have not changed. Under the local Balearics rules, if you have descendants and leave assets to group III beneficiaries, they receive a personal reduction of €8,000. This reduces to €1,000 for group IV. Unmarried couples within a stable relationship (las parejas estables) are treated as spouses, for tax purposes provided this is officially registered. Beneficiaries with a disability, however, can benefit from a €48,000 or €300,000 allowance, depending on the level of disability. The main home reduction which is normally for groups I and II beneficiaries can be extended to other recipients if they are aged over 65 and have lived with the deceased for 2 years before death. Succession tax rates in the Balearics start at 7.65% for inheritances up to €8,000 and rise progressively over many bands to 34% for any amount over €800,000. Multipliers based on the level of kinship and pre-existing wealth of the beneficiary can increase the tax liability. Estate planning You also need to be aware of how Spain’s succession law imposes ‘forced heirship’. In general terms, children are entitled to receive two thirds of an estate’s assets, so under Spanish law you cannot, for example, leave everything to your spouse. This applies to foreign nationals living in Spain by default. You can however use the European Succession Regulation ‘Brussels IV’ to opt for the succession law of your country of nationality to apply on your death. You need to specifically state this in your will. This applies to all foreign nationals living in the EU, it is not restricted to EU citizens. Every family is different. Take personalised advice, based on your situation and objectives, to help ensure your estate is divided as you wish and with as little tax and bureaucracy as possible. You can take steps now to make life easier for your family and heirs when you’re gone. Tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; individuals should seek personalised advice. Keep up to date on the financial issues that may affect you on the Blevins Franks news page at

www.blevinsfranks.com

DO I NEED A

By Susan Worthington

FINANCIAL ADVISER? Just recently I returned “home” to continue my work under the wing of The Spectrum IFA Group. Two years ago I moved away thinking I could expand the range of services to offer my clients, but sometimes the grass isn’t greener. However, leaving one base for another also creates time for reflection and, sometimes, realisation that where you were was rather good. Change is always happening around us, but for some it can be unsettling. I am fortunate in that all my clients and contacts have been happy to stay with me on my journey. It made me appreciate that a client’s commitment to one adviser for the duration of their financial arrangements is fundamental to developing a strong relationship and achieving successful outcomes. It’s what an adviser can help them with that matters, and supporting those requirements over the long-term creates a unique bond. Matching the actual advice and arrangements to a client’s needs should be the highest priority for any adviser.

SO WHAT CAN AN ADVISER PROVIDE: • Helps maintain perspective (and calm) during stock market turbulence. This is particularly relevant at the time of writing! • Able to explain and problem solve when something goes wrong. • They provide more accurate news and updates from the real experts, steering clear of the media hype and scaremongering that is everywhere. • Recommend tax efficient arrangements geared to your lifetime and also very importantly, after it, for your family. • Have access to investment fund experts who often fare better than self-selected choices. • Keep you on track as your circumstances change. Nothing ever stays the same, part of life’s rich pattern, so having a hand to hold you through that change can be comforting and supportive. • Liaise with your tax or legal advisers to ensure your overall interests are protected. Not everyone chooses to work with a financial adviser. Some people can’t find one they can work with or trust or just simply prefer to manage their own affairs. Many don’t do anything at all. According to a recent report from The Prudential, more than half – 53% – of UK adults say that financial problems and changed circumstances over the last 12 months have caused them to seek financial advice. Of this figure, 33% have already sought financial advice, whilst the remaining 20% are planning to do so. Most people will benefit from the knowledge and experience of a professional financial adviser, especially if they have a variety of assets. When deciding between working with a financial adviser or doing it yourself, you just need to weigh the benefits against what you could be missing out on. Just a thought…….!

Telephone: +34 670 308987 Email: susan.worthington@spectrum-ifa.com TSG Insurance Services S.A.R.L. | Siège Social: 34 Bd des Italiens, 75009 Paris | R.C.S. Paris B 447 609 108 (2003B04384) | « Société de Courtage d’assurances » Numéro d’immatriculation 07 025 332 – www.orias.fr « Conseiller en investissements financiers », référencé sous le numéro E002440 par ANACOFI-CIF, association agréée par l’Autorité des Marchés Financiers » | The Spectrum IFA Group Limited. Junction Business Centre, 1st floor, Sqaq Lourdes, St. Julians Malta SWQ 3334. Malta Business Registration Company Code C104229. MFSA Authorised Person ID TSIG22387

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

ISLAND NEWS

WINTER 2023

PROPE RT Y

REVIEWS A YEAR OF CONSOLIDATION WITH THE BRITISH MARKET JO LA FOSSE, CASAS EN MENORCA We have been pleased to see first-hand how the British market has remained relatively unaffected by setbacks in the purchase and sale of properties. The relationship between residents of the United Kingdom and Menorca is a stable one, and UK citizens continue to purchase properties here despite the complications of recent years. Menorca is still very much a place where they seek to make their home or to buy a second home. Throughout 2023, we have continued to remain one of the companies of reference in the sector for the British market, with our English-speaking team busy accompanying new clients and vendors alike throughout the process of buying or selling a property. What will happen in 2024? The reality is that social, economic and political instability is resulting in some caution in comparison to previous years, but we are in no doubt that the promotion of Menorca abroad is attracting new visitors and buyers in love with the idea of owning a little piece of the island of Menorca to escape the stresses of everyday life.

HOME MENORCA SIMON COTTON Following a successful 2021/22 we were a little more cautious for 2023 as prices had increased to new heights and new instructions for the correct product was challenging. Until spring, activity was high however, the summer months saw a reduction in enquiries and sales. Autumn has seen an increase in movement, especially in the local sector. The lack of new construction, delay in the issuing of licences and the increased cost of materials and labour is not helping the sector with new build products to sell. Prices seem to have stabilised for regular products but continue to rise for the more unique products such as villas with sea views and rural properties. Banks are offering finance with offers for 1st time buyers however, the reality is, they are unwilling to take high risks on people with limited incomes as they did between 2000 and 2008. Inflation and rising interest rates are making people looking for a primary home more cautious, the 2nd home market and luxury end seems to be affected less. We are cautious for 2024 for several reasons, people with homes are nervious to move so this is compounding the problem of new stock coming to market. There are fewer new properties being built because of the lack of new licences being granted and the increase in the cost of materials and labour. We feel that there will continue to be demand for the 2nd home market from a variety of other nationalities including the French, Italian, British, German, Dutch, Swiss and an increase in interest from the USA. Clearly, buyers from Mainland Spain will remain as the majority movers and shakers on the Island.

THE REAL ESTATE MARKET IN MENORCA IN 2023 AND OUTLOOK FOR 2024 JUAN MATTEO, BONNIN SANSO The real estate market in Menorca has continued to draw significant interest both nationally and internationally in 2023. Although activity has stabilised after an unusual 2022 marked by exceptional factors, the island remains an attractive destination for those seeking tranquility, discretion, and harmony between nature and the sea, regardless of the time of year. One notable trend in 2023 is the increasing interest of developers and investors in real estate development on the island. The current supply exceeds 100 recently constructed homes designated for the second home market, a figure not seen for decades in Menorca. Additionally, the profile of buyers looking for investment opportunities has grown, particularly in sectors like hospitality, restaurants, and general commercial assets. Regarding the nationality of buyers, Spaniards continue to be the primary group, although in some cases these are Spanish expatriates who have returned to the island after residing in various parts of Europe, Asia, or America. However, there has been a small shift in the international market. For several years, where French buyers surpassed British buyers, UK buyers are now almost on par in 2023. This anticipates a continuous growth and optimistic prospects in the short and medium term. These optimistic short and medium-term prospects indicate ongoing growth in this area. Despite the positive trends, the Menorcan real estate market is not without challenges. Accessibility to home purchase for younger individuals and locals remains a significant issue, exacerbated by rising interest rates and a lack of new constructions designated for primary residences. Social, economic, and political changes have created a complex situation, increasing pressure on the long-term rental market, which struggles to meet demand that outpaces supply. On the other hand, regulations in tourist housing seem to have had a minor impact on the annual real estate market. Effective solutions are needed to promote property acquisition and facilitate rental access, in addition to streamlining procedures and providing a more favourable timeframe by local authorities. Looking at the prospects for 2024, a continuation of the trend in the Menorcan real estate market is expected, with the ongoing shortage of certain types of properties and a growing demand from buyers seeking specific properties. Furthermore, price adjustments in some housing categories are anticipated. To address the property shortage, the importance of building new homes designated for primary residence and improving public infrastructure is emphasised. In summary, the Menorcan real estate market in 2023 has witnessed strong interest from investors and buyers, both nationally and internationally. The prospects for 2024 suggest continued demand and the need to address challenges such as the lack of housing for certain segments of the population and the necessity for price adjustments in certain housing categories. The island remains an attractive destination for those seeking a unique connection with nature and the sea, regardless of the time of year. Please keep an eye out for our year-end public statistics for a comprehensive overview of the 2023 market performance in terms of figures and data.

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

HOSPITAL EMERGENCIES IN MENORCA Help and Advice if you are transferred to Palma By Alison Gurney

WINTER 2023

This summer my husband, Ian, had an emergency transfer from Menorca to SonEspases in the medi jet. He was suspected of having a heart attack and was heading to the cardiology centre of excellence in Palma to have a stent fitted. As he was whisked away in the ambulance, wrapped only in a sheet, I felt stunned, frightened and a bit overwhelmed at what my next challenges would be while he was safe in the hands of the medical staff. I hope that sharing my experiences of what proved to be excellent treatment may help others who find themselves in a similar situation. As the medical staff at Mateu Orfila handed me paperwork, they mentioned that I would need to take Ian’s medical card along with his passport and some clothes so that he could travel home when his treatment was complete. So my first task was to book a flight and travel to Majorca - at nearly 70 I haven’t done these things on my own for a long time - and then find somewhere to to stay for a few days (though I was not sure exactly how many). Spanish friends supplied reassurance, and I settled down to sort arrangements. The notion that Ian was having a heart attack was very scary but, as I knew that he was in very good hands, I decided to wait until I had news of his operation before I contacted family back in the U.K. I was glad that I did this as by the following lunch time I was able to send a photo of him, attached to several wires, but with a smile on his face looking restored. I was also much more able to cope with the flood of concern and good wishes that followed. To book my flight I started with the Skyscanner app This showed the flights available. As I needed to collect some paperwork from the hospital to take to Palma, the mid-morning flight was perfect. This was with Air Europe, operated by Swiftair. The price included a cabin bag. Paying by credit card is now a much more secure operation that often requires passwords or texted codes. I was glad I was aware of these controls as I am not the usual flight booker! A useful skill to have. The hospital at Mahon made it clear that as residents, we could claim any related travel costs so I began to save details, including boarding cards. The flight was straightforward, and I reached Palma and joined the taxi queue . I had no idea where Son Espases was located in relation to the city and was surprised as we drove out and the hospital appeared surrounded by countryside. It was impressive. Making sure to ask for a receipt for my taxi fare, I was able to pay with my card and so save the cash that I had. Arriving at the main entrance, I was directed to an office-open, until about 2 pm each day, where there is a dedicated team who coordinate patients and their families from the Balearic Islands who visit for treatment.There is a colourful map of the islands on the window. There are also phone numbers. Explaining my predicament, I asked for advice about accommodation nearby. To my surprise and huge relief, I was told that as a resident there was accommodation available for me in the hospital. Twelve rooms are located on the ground floor - the cardiology department was on the second floor. I have some knowledge of Spanish but that had been swept away by stress! So I was very grateful to have help in English. I made my way to the second floor and was even more relieved to see a smiling husband sitting up in bed in ICU. Along with the accommodation I was also given some vouchers for some food. Staff at the hospital even apologised because they asked me for a 10€ deposit for the TV remote control. With Ian on the road to recovery I began to explore the hospital site. It is huge. There are two small supermarkets selling drinks, snacks, toiletries, and magazines among other items. There were several coffee shops and restaurants. There was ample parking on the lower level. The hospital is very well served by buses into Palma. It was possible to buy WiFi day passes. After three days of treatment we were able to make arrangements to come home. This is where we needed the WiFi. At Palma airport we made our way to the yellow assistance post, more or less in the middle of the drop off area, adjacent to the blue disabled parking zone. There we needed to press the intercom and we requested assistance through the airport. A very nice young man collected us in his truck and organised our luggage and boarding cards at the Vueling desk. There is a separate security section for travellers with assistance and that is directly opposite to the gates used for Menorca. It was very handy! A few days after our return we completed the paperwork. It looked complicated but was fairly straightforward and I took it to the hospital to make our claim. This is located to the left behind the Enquiries desk at Mateu Orfila. Everyone that we dealt with throughout the whole experience was kind,helpful and supportive. It really helped! It is at times like these that friends prove their worth too. It was very much appreciated. We have organised an Emergency Pack with lists of what we would need to take. We have included passwords for the bank accounts; security arrangements for the credit cards that we might need to use on line; emergency phone numbers for family and friends; breakdown arrangements for the car (just in case); and some standby cash. We hope we don’t ever need to use it!

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

MEMORIES

WINTER 2023

How it all began KERSTIN BACKMAN THE FOUNDER OF

ROQUETA MAGAZINE

When we first relaunched Roqueta in June this year we were delighted to be contacted by Kerstin Backman. She told us the story of how Roqueta was first published, against all the odds. Every day we meet readers who are so happy that the magazine is back in print, as it has become an important backdrop to their own Menorca story. We would like to thank Kerstin for her initiative and perseverance to get Roqueta up and running. Here she tells us how it all began. Dear Liz and John, Although many years have passed since I left the island, I try to keep in touch and follow what is going on. I am delighted to see that the project I and my ex husband devoted our life to 52+ years ago which eventually, despite censorship and many other problems during the Franco era, saw daylight in 1973, is up and running 50 years later! I hope and trust that your venture will be a lot smoother and less problematic than ours. We were young, devoted and fortunately quite naive - or else it would never have happened! Before coming to Menorca, I was working in tourism, mainly in Spain, for a Swedish tour operator. I spoke Spanish and was used to working in Spain. My ex-husband worked in publishing and was third generation in a family printing company in the UK. After seven years together in the UK, we decided to do something totally different. We, Richard Whewell (Ricki), myself Kerstin (known as Swedish Tina, since no one could pronounce my name) and our 5 year old son Nicholas settled in San Cristobal (no Menorquin names at all back then) in February 1971. Our intention was to provide something we felt the island needed and was missing, i.e. a magazine in English directed mainly to the visitor but also to foreign residents. The fact that during the Franco era all media were extremely restricted, surveyed and censored, was an unexpected blow for us. I started working in a local travel agency and my husband, together with a handy Englishman, 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

MEMORIES

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started Menorca Homes & Gardens whilst pursuing our magazine idea. We were thoroughly vetted by Dr Mateu Segui and D.Guillermo de Olivares from El Diari, who came to our home in San Cristobal to check these weird strangers with surprising ideas. We were approved and allowed to produce a monthly supplement in English to the daily local paper. A way to see what we were up to and under their control. The setting procedure turned out to be a nightmare and an endless adventure in itself. Since nobody spoke or understood English, I had to spell each word, letter by letter, to the man who did the setting with lead type! This took place late at night or early in the morning after he finished the next day‘s Diari. The printing was on an old Heidelberg and the quality really poor. Not at all what we had hoped to produce. In the square behind the market there was a printing company, Imprenta Sintes. Manuel Sintes was a charming man who gradually became a friend. Believe it or not, he held a still valid, unrevoked, Permiso Legal for a publication named Roqueta (the Menorcan nickname for their island). There is much more to be said about this, but in short, he liked our idea and eventually Roqueta saw the daylight. Annette Bell (Anabel) sold adverts for us and later contributed articles. My husband and I parted company and he left the island. I continued running Roqueta, eventually together with an architect I was working with, Javier Hernandez Montesinos. We decided to print in Palma at Ultima Hora, which meant a move to colour and a much-improved quality. I certainly remember Henny van Eck and her beautiful daughter Pia who was on the first front cover. Here are some photos from El Festival International de la Canción in Teatro Principal, where Geronimo Marques (from Ciutadella) and I were comperes. The festival was held two years running. The third photo is from one of Henny’s Boutique Pian fashion shows, where I was the compere, in 1974 if I remember correctly. When we moved to San Cristóbal (now Es Migjorn), only two foreign families lived there. One of them is the Russell family. Rusty and his wife became good friends. His son is living in Mahon and his older brother David is now the world-famous guitarist. We had some wonderful evenings in the Russell gallery/ cave underneath their house, listening to David giving recitals. I have since followed his tremendous career with great pride and interest. It was also in San Cristóbal where we met Annette. We were considered mad living so far from work and school in Mahon. El Sereno (the village night watchman) asked if we could take his son to and from school, so he too could attend La Salle. We did. This caused quite a stir in the village and several families wanted to follow suit. After two years we moved to Mahon and by then La Salle was running a regular school bus to SC! You may know that Nicholas Parsons and his wife Denise had a house near San Luis. He was a well known TV personality, loved the island and wanted to do something behind the camera for once. His dream was a documentary about Menorca’s culture and history. This became a reality, when he became the producer of a film that was made over a whole year, showing the different seasons, fiestas and activities. I became a production assistant, negotiating permits to film on the islands in Mahon harbour (then military), access to palaces in Ciutadella and much more (the film is now available on You Tube thanks to Steve Morgan – see purple column). The most dramatic occasion was when the film crew had arrived for the first time. All was set to start. Only one thing was missing: the main camera was stuck with Customs at Barcelona airport and would not be released. Franco’s control and censorship were not to be played with! The crew was ticking money and Nicholas was desperate. The director, a BBC man Eric Davidson, and I went to Barcelona. I was pleading and explaining in tears to many ice-cold men in uniform and we were sent from one office and authority to another. After two days the camera was released and filming finally commenced! In February 1978 after 7 years, and with Roqueta in its winter hibernation, my mother became ill and as an only child I had to leave Menorca suddenly and return to Sweden. My focus was getting my son settled in a new school with a different language and building a new life for us in my home country. Roqueta’s destiny was not my main concern then. Menorca has left many imprints in my life. When my husband Staffan and I got married in 1987 it was Suzy (Nicholas Parson’s daughter) who helped us organise everything in London, in the Swedish church. I have and value several friendships from back then and we are regularly in touch: Swedish Annette (Bell then, Crosthwaite today… yes! another Annette Bell), who had Boutique Gemini in C/ Angel. She returns regularly, usually in August. We meet in Sweden and UK. Belgian Greta (Nelissen, now Morren), who worked in tourism and later promoted high-class Menorcan shoes around the world. She comes back to the island once or twice every year and we are frequently in touch. British/Spanish Margaret (Gray then, Thomas Adams now) who once with her husband ran Bar Nelson in Son Vitamina. Later she had her own business at Mahon airport as a handling agent for foreign airlines. Staffan and I have over the years spent much time in another part of Spain, Almunecar in the Granada province. Margaret came to visit, and liked our little town so much that she left Menorca after all those years and settled in Almunecar. Thank you Menorca for beautiful friendships! To end my story, let me say that I am proud and delighted that Roqueta is still up and running and even celebrating its 50th anniversary! I wish Liz and John every success and all the best. Congratulations! With fond memories and best wishes Kerstin Backman ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

EUREKA! (AKA I’VE FOUND IT!) By Steve Morgan

OK, first of all a little bit of background… Over 10 years ago, I saw a VHS video (younger readers, ask mum and dad about those) entitled ‘Last of the Quiet Islands’ which was presented by Nicholas Parsons (again, refer to mum and dad or see Kerstin’s article adjacent). It was a fascinating look into Menorca in the 1970’s with questions as to how it would develop in the future and whether it would suffer the same fate as Ibiza & Mallorca with ‘over tourism’. There’s too much in the film to detail here but to whet your appetite, we get to see the start of the development of the 2nd golf course at ShangriLa, an interview with Santiago at Bucaneros and much more. I was so enchanted by the video, I copied it onto my PC and gave the VHS video back to the owner. A few weeks later, my PC suffered what was then known as the ‘blue screen of death’ and all was lost. Back-up? Er… Well, I was going to do one but I was very busy at the time, honest! So, I spent the next 10 years (not all of it of course) trying to find another copy. I wrote to Nicholas Parsons’ agent, no reply; his daughter, no reply; and even tried through contacts at Anglia TV where Nicholas used to produce many programmes, all to no avail. Nothing on the internet, it was as if I dreamt the whole show! Then, one day my friend Cassey said she had found an old video at the back of the drawer with just ‘Menorca’ written on it, so not the one I had seen. I then contacted ‘Arxiu d’imatge i so de Menorca’ a government department in Mahon who deal with old films & photos of Menorca, who arranged to have it digitised and, yep, you’ve guessed it, it was the video I’ve been looking for! So, I’ve uploaded it to YouTube for you to enjoy. Just go to YouTube and, in the search window, type ‘Last of the quiet Islands (Steve Morgan)’, make yourself a cup of tea (or coffee), break open a packet of digestives (other biscuits are available) and have a look at Menorca as it was in the 1970’s. My work here is done!

FOOD & DRINK

WINTER 2023

EATING

OUT

By Lorraine and Roqueta’s Team of Tasters

WINTER 2023/24 What an amazing year it has been for the restaurant scene in Menorca! Lots of new openings, lots of innovations, and a very successful season to reward the effort and confidence shown by those who have invested time, money and human resources to deliver some great results! Now of course you are all wondering what will be open during the forthcoming winter months! Aren’t we all…. Even the most regular contenders do need to take some time off during the “quiet” season, not only for staff rest time but also for annual maintenance, upgrading, renewing infrastructure etc. Many have not confirmed their exact closing times as we go to press so it really behoves us all to telephone in advance just to check before you plan to go out! But what can be nicer than to have a lunch sitting in the sunshine on a glorious day when much of Europe is freezing and miserable. These last few weeks have been amazing in this respect. Here are some of the restaurants we have particularly enjoyed.

RESTAURANTE SA PUNTA Carrer Miranda de Cales Fonts, 2, Es Castell. Tel. 690 85 46 71. www.sapuntamenorca.com My “Restaurant of the year”, so much so that we are aiming to be there on Christmas Day. What a joy not to have to cook….or to shop for it! An absolute plus is they are open for lunch EVERY DAY OF THE WINTER until Easter. They offer the most wonderful views of Cales Fonts and of the harbour in all directions. A huge effort has been made to ensure the restaurant can be adapted to every possible weather combination. So…of course it’s not cheap. It’s A La Carte only, but the food is exquisite. Definitely a place for all your celebratory occasions! Really special news is that during the winter months they are making an unusual special offer, not to be ignored! Every Tuesday if you book for lunch you can BRING YOUR OWN WINE which they will chill, open, serve - but without charging corkage. This can make a special lunch really affordable. Certainly a generous offer…and most definitely appealing! In addition to the Christmas Lunch Sa Punta will also be repeating their very popular New Year’s Eve Party with DJ serving a special menu with wine pairing.

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RESTAURANTE EL GRILL

PORT MAHON HOTEL (ALSO CALLED SETH PORT MAHON)

Carretera del aeropuerto s/n, Mahon, 07712. Tel. 971 36 79 03. www.elgrillmenorca.com

Av. Del Port de Maó, s/n 07701, Mahon. Tel. 971 36 26 00.

Located near to the airport, El Grill is open year-round for lunch and dinner. Sitting outside is a delight but we really lovely the warm “farmhouse” atmosphere of their winter interior. They have a blazing brazier for cooking delicious cuts of meat which you can check from their display cabinet. Luis, the owner, is always attentive and knows exactly what’s going on in every detail.

Yes, completely refurbished inside and out this year. We are lucky to have this place where all the bedrooms and public spaces have now been upgraded. Great loyal staff, open all year round. Their Buffet meals are much improved, but we believe with fewer numbers during the winter meals will be A La Carte. On a nice sunny day, it’s a real joy to enjoy a drink on their terrace with its incomparable harbour views. The excellent local Binitord wine is available by the glass.

GREEN GARDEN

EL MOLÍ D’ES RACÓ

Passeig de s’Arenal, 5, 07713, Punta Prima.

C/Major 53, Es Mercadal. Tel. 971 37 53 92 / 971 37 52 75. www.molidesracomenorca.com

The Green Garden in Punta Prima will be open throughout the winter! This is great news if you like the walk to Alcaufar and back. What could be nicer than a bracing sea front walk followed by a hearty menu del dia. It’s on “the strip” and offers a very pleasant menu selection with seating inside and out. The great advantage in Punta Prima is their huge car park. Not so important during the winter, but if only more centres offered adequate parking, then that would be hugely helpful to local businesses.

The long-standing windmill. Always buzzing, great service, amazing value “menu”….a truly Menorquin experience. Of course, this means it can be very loud!

HOTEL JENI, MIRADO DEL TORO 81, Es Mercadal. Tel: 971 37 50 59 / 971 37 51 24. www.hoteljeni.com

SA TAVERNA SANT CLIMENT

Mercadal is really spoilt for choice for restaurants for most of the year. Lucky people! But as it’s situated in the centre of the island, it’s really accessible to everyone. I’m mentioning Hostal Jeni because it’s a real surprise. It’s a proper small hotel with….rooms! It has a lovely pool area at the back, open all year. There is great cafe with indoor and outdoor seating, and a selection of “Menus”. Modern indeed but still very Menorquín in ambience, under family management too, and right in the centre of this vibrant mid-island town at the foot of Monte Toro.

TARAMBANA Carrer Moll de Cales Fonts, 28, 07720 Es Castell. Tel. 971 72 65 51. One of the great new places this year (it’s where La Lola used to be). Completely revamped. A great menu beautifully presented. Innovative but not “over the top” with weird combinations. Great wine list too. Warm and welcoming right on the water’s edge in Calas Fonts. Not to be missed before they close! (closing 17 Dec - reopens March).

THE CARDAMOM (INDIAN) Moll de Llevant, 267, Port of Mahon. Tel. 871 504 602. www.thecardamommenorca.com They have the “sunny tables” at this time of year! We really rate this place as the most authentic Indian in Menorca. Very friendly service and a menu that allows you to adjust your own chosen level of spicing. From “mild” to a FIVE CHILLI PHAAL! Not for the faint-hearted. They offer a five percent discount to all residents, and do a great take-away service too. At present open every day of the week, but they may close for one day a week during the winter. Great cricketers too, who support the club, which is great!

EL PUERTO ASIÁTICO Moll de Llevant 298, 07701, Port of Mahon. Tel. 971 35 11 40. www.restaurantelpuero.es We like this place more and more. It’s like “the old Way” was when it first started and before, in some views, it got a bit “too big for its boots”. They offer great “Menus” on weekdays, plus a large A La Carte with Chinese and Japanese specialities, plus take-aways. Try the Duck Noodles!

SUSHI ES CASTELL Carrer de sa Font, 1, 07720, Es Castell. www.sushiescastell.com

Tel. 871 902 779.

Another “Way spin off” overlooking Calas Fonts at the top of the ramp near the Health Centre. Seating both outside and in. Great choice of oriental specialties.

Carrer Sant Jaume 25, Sant Climent. Tel. 971 35 26 61. Another new one this year! It’s an historic local bar, in the high street of Sant Climent, on your left as you head towards Cala en Porter. Thought to have been not particularly welcome to “outsiders” in the past, it is now under the ownership of the Casino Sant Climent. It still retains its historic ambience, with its rough old stone floor and big open hearth (now with “gas wood burner”), but a new friendly approach to service. There is a great selection of tapas, filled “bocadillos” and more. I always enjoy visiting Sant Climent! Cas Tix is a really great supermarket, with a proper butcher and the freshest fruit and veg; there is a “real” bank; and a wonderful “general store” which is a cross between John Lewis and “Open all hours”. Just ask and he’ll have it tucked away somewhere! Plus, we have the very jolly Cafe de’s Pla. This is also under new management and has been freshened up inside, but still offers the finest Pizzas to enjoy on site, take home or order for delivery within quite a wide local area (Café d’es Pla - Tel.971 37 79 79).

More Winter Choices from Roqueta Readers AQUARIUM Carrer Marina 99, 07760 Ciutadella de Menorca. Tel 971386700. Aquariumrestaurante.com. €€€€ By Victoria Dowie (Vegan) Lovely restaurant in the port of Ciutadella. The staff are very friendly and helpful and the vegetable paella is the best I have ever eaten on the island. This was my second visit and the food did not disappoint. They advertise that they are open throughout the winter, but check before taking the long drive if you are going from Mahon. We had a bottle of the most delicious Verdejo and a vegetable paella for two. They also offer a lobster menu of the day. They are very proud of their lobster and marisco, but being vegan, I have never tried it. Starters include salads and seafood. The garden salad is delicious and fresh - literally ‘from the garden’ (no iceburg). Rice, fish and meat dishes are offered for main course. The outstanding part of this restaurant, apart from the paella, is the staff and the location. In the winter, the taxi can drop you off literally outside.

BAR ALEXANCA Carrer Mayor, 45, Bajo 2, 07740, Son Parc. Tel. 624 17 17 06. Our friends in Son Parc highly recommend Bar Alexanca, which has great service and friendly staff. They can be found there from morning until late at night enjoying a full English Breakfast, lunch, dinner or late night drinks. It offers a Spanish menu with lots of tapas and raciones but also pizzas, burgers and kebabs, an entrecote or a honey curry salmon.

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

FOOD & DRINK

WINTER 2023

O’MALLEY’S PUB Via de Ronda, 32, 07740, Arenal d’en Castell. Tel. 690 79 84 46. Also recommended by the Son Parc residents is O’Malley’s in Arenal Castell which they say has the best Guinness on Draught plus a very large screen for sports. This bar does not offer food but the owner Ken is very happy for you to order a take-away pizza or Chinese from the local restaurants when they are open. Be warned though, the Chinese in Arenal will be closed from 4th December to 25th February. O’Malleys is open every day from 4pm except Tuesdays and from 1pm on Saturday and Sunday. O’Malley’s will be closed from 15th December to 15th January.

Winter Restaurants CIUTADELLA Restaurant Ses Voltes, Ciutadella Restaurante Smoix Fusión Café, Paseo Maritimo Ciutadella

GOLF SON PARC (BAR-RESTAURANT SA BOUERA D’ES GOLF)

Bar Ulisses

Club de Golf, Urbanisation Son Parc. Tel. 689 22 43 12.

Nopales taqueria, Ciutadella – Mexican Street Food

We are happy to report that sandwiches are back on the menu at the restaurant at the Golf Club, including one with crispy bacon.

LA BELLA NAPOLI

Sa Torreta de Can Rafa, Urbanización Los Delfines

Carrer del Pasarell, 50, Punta Grossa. Tel. 688 49 70 24.

Pez Limon

This is another great stop-off for lunch after a scenic walk around Arenal or Son Parc. It offers the full range of pizzas and pastas at very reasonable prices. Open 7am to 11.30pm every day except Thursday when they shut at mid-day. They are also happy to host birthday parties and special events.

Cittadella

CLEMENTINA Carrer de Sant Lluis, 20, 07710 Sant Lluis. Tel. 682 60 82 05. Clementina Gastro Bar in Sant Lluis is now offering a winter menu which includes a Sunday lunch of Roast Beef of enormous proportions. Friends from Son Parc took their leftovers home and reported having another full meal! Delicious Fish and Chips with tartare sauce are still available every Friday, but again make sure you leave plenty of room. You can start with a sharing plate of tapas or some soft, mouth-watering garlic bread. You can be sure that everything Mike cooks for you will be delicious.

PORT OF MAHON Restaurant Arjau Hammetts Mestizo Restaurante Il Porto Bandidu Bar Restaurant Calucha Pappa e Ciccia

MAHON Pasaje de Madrid al cielo, Mahon Sa Botiga, Mahon Binibuffet, Binipreu Tapes Can Avelino Can Avelino 23 Cristine Bedfor Sa Factoria des Baixa

ROUND AND ABOUT S’Olivera, Tapas Surf Burgers Sant Lluis Alma Salada, Cala Torret Restaurant Ca Na Pilar, Es Migjorn Restaurant Loar, Ferreries

LAVALL Pl. Alfons III, 2, 07760 Ciutadella. Tel. 971 38 61 61. www.lavallmenorca.com

Sa Fonda Fornells

This restaurant in Ciutadella has been highly recommended by Tricia. It describes itself as a restaurant, tapas bar and vermouth bar. Situated next to Aurora in Pl. Alfons III, it offers good quality food, a little different to the usual fare, such as oysters served in a shell with Bloody Mary. The restaurant specialises in seafood tapas and offers 5 different varieties of oysters. Tricia went there with 4 adults and enjoyed a mix of tapas, 2 bottles of very nice rosé, lots of beer and delicious desserts for 40 Euros per head. There is also a lunchtime menu.

Sa Pedrera des Pujol, Torret, Sant lluis

RESTAURANT CAS CÒNSOL

Es Rustit, Mahon

Plaça des Born, 17, 07760, Ciutadella. Tel. 971 48 46 54. The restaurant is located in the old French Consulate in Ciutadella in Plaça des Born and it has an upper terrace with the most fantastic views. It is open for lunch and dinner every day except for Mondays.

Es Festuc, Alaior Es Tomatic, Es Mercadal Miramar, Cales Fonts

PREPARED MEALS TO TAKE AWAY Plats de Casa, Ciutadella Ses Voltes a Casa, Ciutadella

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WINTER 2023

BÒTIL BLAU Bòtil Blau is a project that was born far away from Menorca, in Pouilly sur Loire, a French municipality located on the banks of the Loire, in Burgundy. In that small village, where I grew up, wine is an essential part of everyday life: the vineyards that stretch to the horizon, the effervescence at harvest time, the comforting warmth of the bonfires burning the remains of pruning in winter, the joy of tasting a new vintage... Everything reminds us that we are in the land of winegrowers. There I learned that making wine requires a lot of work but also some art, and that a bottle of wine has many stories to tell. After living in France for several years, my father, a Menorcan, decided to return to the island with the whole family in 2006. One day, talking with his friends, he decided to start importing French wines in Menorca. At that time, these products were still difficult to find here. The main idea, which is still the guiding thread of our company, was to work directly with French winegrowers to avoid intermediaries and offer quality products, lovingly produced by small family wineries. At the beginning, Bòtil Blau started with a few references, mainly Pouilly Fumé, a famous appellation from the Pouilly sur Loire region, and Champagne. Over time, we have considerably expanded our range with wines from all over France, with classics such as reds from Burgundy and Bordeaux or rosés from Provence, and with more confidential wines, very interesting, such as the peculiar vin jaune (yellow wine) from the Jura.

So far, our customers have been mainly restaurants, but we also have some private customers. Our next goal is to open a point of sale in Sant Lluís where people can enter the world of French wine and discover new products. Now we are preparing the latest novelties for the Christmas holidays. For us it is an important time because it is a moment when we enjoy our loved ones, we toast with the family and meet up with our usual friends. Wine, in the end, represents all this: sharing moments together and creating memories. For more information, follow us on social media: @botil_blau_menorca Contact: botilblau@gmail.com +34 696 731 510

In 2021, I decided to take over from my father at the head of Bòtil Blau to continue promoting the wine culture in Menorca and to propose an alternative to the big brand wines found in all the traditional stores. In this way, we also want to promote the work of those winemaking families who love their land and produce excellent wines, but few people know about.

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

FOOD & DRINK

WINTER 2023

By Michael Stevenson

CHRISTMAS WINES It is hard to think that Christmas and the Festive Season followed by winter will soon be upon us, especially as I am writing this article on a lovely sunny day when the temperature is 22 degrees and the sky is so blue. It is nearly the last two weeks of November so I must get focused on Festive and Winter wines. Each year at Christmas we have more choice in Menorca. We now have an Aldi, a source of good and reasonably priced wines in addition to Lidl. The problem with recommending from these two supermarkets is that they change the stock of wine they carry every few weeks. Our established supermarkets such as Eroski and Mercadona have consistent ranges of wines, especially Mercadona’s own label wines such as Comportillo Riojas, the Campo de Borja Borsao reds and the outstanding white Monterrei Godello, to mention but a few. Eroski has a very good range of white and red Riojas, Navarras, Ribera del Dueros, Familia Torres wines and Sherries all worth investigating and reasonably priced. Bini Preu has a very good selection, especially organic and vegan wines, at very reasonable prices. Their Rioja selection is particularly good. Our own independent supermarket, Sa Botiga de S’Uestra, has a very good range of wines, all very keenly priced. They have a good selection of Cavas, Riojas, Navarras, Ribera del Dueros, Ports (why not), Sherries and more. Well worth a visit to stock up for Christmas. Their Rioja La Montesa range is well worth investigating and their Gin Xoriguer is about the cheapest on the island.

We are lucky enough in Menorca to have a number of independent wine merchants, the best of which are De Vins and Enrique Penalver, both of which have their big outlets on the Mahon Poligono. Both have an excellent selection of all the Spanish Denominacions de Origen (DOs) as well as wines from most wine producing countries. De Vins has a very comprehensive range of French wines. Their websites are very helpful as are their staff when you visit the shops and they deliver to your house. Now is the time to start planning our drinking requirements for the festivities well before they are upon us. We should have wines across the spectrum that suit all palates and budgets. Remember to get a few cases of inexpensive white, pink and red for impromptu and for when friends pop by and thank goodness we no longer linger under the shadow of Covid restrictions. Do not forget Sherry. This underrated and ancient fortified wine is so versatile. After a long Christmas morning walk there are few wines to beat a glass of Sherry. It could be a Manzanilla or Fino, both bone dry and refreshing. Try La Guita from Sa Botiga de S’Uestra, La Gitana or the fino Tio Pepe or, if you fancy something very different, the Lustau East India from De Vins, who have really increased their Sherry range. If you are having fish over Christmas try a flavoursome but light white if the dish is delicate (not Tuna); big fish dishes are best paired with big rich whites or rosados. If you are having good cuts of meat, especially beef or lamb, serve your best reds - Riojas, Ribera del Dueros, Torres or equivalent. Avoid so called “natural

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wine” unless you have done your research. Spain’s underrated Cavas are very good value and usually well made unlike most Italian Proseccos. The two recommended below are consistent year on year. There are plenty of good sweet and sweet fortified wines available from the inexpensive but lovely Moscatels to the PX Sherries and Ports. Have a really wonderful New Year and Kings and I shall be back in the Spring. HERE ARE MY FESTIVE RECOMMENDATIONS:

CAVAS ANNA DE CORDORNIU BRUT, N.V. TRADICIONAL, CLASSIC CAVA GRAPE AND CHARDONNAY, 11.5% ABV, MERCADONA 8.95€. Pale with small bubbles and lovely crisp Cava/Champagne nose. Very refreshing, well made, pure and classic Cava, such poise and balance and so, so drinkable. A wonderful aperitif. MAS CORVINA CAVA, BRUT RESERVA 2019, MACABEO, XAROL LO, CHARDONNAY AND PINOT NOIR, 12% ABV, DE VINS 7.50€. Pale straw, good mousse and lovely classy nose. Crisp elegant Cava with lovely character, flavour and length and a cut above most other Cavas. A great Christmas celebration aperitif.

BLANCOS GODELLO, MONTERREI 21 MERCADONA OWN LABEL, 13% ABV, 4.90€ Lovely pale straw with a classic Godello nose. Classy white from Galicia, elegant and flavoursome with great balance and a nice finish. A real bargain. Great with fish, white meat or on its own. One of my favourite white wines this year. QUINTALUNA VINEDO SELECCIONADO DE SEGOVIA 2020, VINO DE LA TIERRA DE CASTILLA Y LEON, VERDEJO SEGOVIANO, VIDES VINOS OSSIAN, 13.5% ABV, DE VINS 8.50€ Very pale straw, herbaceous nose - soft, flowery, dry, complex and layered. Subtle and very drinkable with a smooth long finish. Good as an aperitif, or with risotto or fish pie.

ROSADOS PRINCIPE DE VINA ROSADO, GARNACHA NAVARRA 2022, 12.5% ABV, EROSKI AND WIDELY AVAILABLE 4.50€. Good mid-pink, lovely fruity nose, my go to Rosado. Well made, great ripe fruit flavours and good with food. Very reasonable and very drinkable on its own or with tapas, fish dishes or embotits.

WINTER 2023

BAI GORRI RIOJA ROSADO 2022, TEMPRANILLO, VIURA, GARNACHA, 14% ABV, DE VINS 8.65€. Lovely coral pink. Good fruit and power on the nose. Nicely fruity but dry and grippy, softens in the glass. A well made old fashioned Rioja rosado.

TINTOS SOLA FRED MAS ROIG, VINO TINTO, MONTSANT, CARINENA 2021, 14% ABV, DE VINS 6.30€ Very dark ruby, lovely fruity spicy Christmas nose. Fresh but ripe fruit with depth and complexity, light tannins, lovely balance and still young. Rounded with a long finish. Highly recommended. Good with red meats, sausages and stews. EL COTO RIOJA CRIANZA 2019, 13.5% ABV, MERCADONA 6.30€ AND WIDELY AVAILABLE. Mid red with spicy autumn fruit. Ripe fruit, oaky and cedary with complex waves of ripeness. Great balance and a gorgeous Rioja Crianza. Enjoyable with a very long finish. Even better than the Cune Crianza. Good with red meat, meat or vegetable stews and cheese. ANARES RIOJA CRIANZA 2020, 13.5% ABV, EROSKI SPECIAL OFFER 3.99€ FOR 2 OR MORE. USUALLY 5 TO 6€. MADE BY BODEGAS OLANA S.A. Dark vibrant ruby, lovely complex Rioja nose. Very classy Rioja Crianza at a bargain price, it even has the edge on the El Coto above. Don’t miss out on this. Good with roast red meat, grills etc. SANGRE DE TORO 2021 CATALUNYA, GARNACHA AND CARINENA, 13.5% ABV, EROSKI AND WIDELY AVAILABLE 4.90€. Dark cherry red with dark fruit on the nose. Lovely spicy ripe fruit, well made and a nice finish. When in doubt a lovely everyday wine. Good with all meats and vegetables, tapas and cheese.

FORTIFIED AND SPIRITS LUSTAU EAST INDIA SHERRY NV, 17.5% ABV DE VINS 50CL 17.94€ Very dark with a lovely smoky generous nose. One of my favourite after dinner sherries, not too sweet, smoky and very satisfying. Try it with mince pies or Christmas cake. CARDENAL MENDOZA SOLARA GRAN BRANDY DE JEREZ, 40% ABV, EROSKI 25€ AND WIDELY AVAILABLE. A real seasonal special, bright dark mahogany. Very powerful but clean sherry like nose. On the palate it is beautifully balanced with a lovely long finish. I don’t drink spirits as a rule but this is fabulous. Happy drinking and a very Merry Christmas!

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DISCOVERING MENORCA

BY ELECTRIC BIKE By James and Caroline Warne

We’ve been lucky enough to have been coming to this beautiful island for 23 years and have had a home in Mahon for nearly all of that time. Over the years we’ve discovered many of Menorca’s amazing treasures, largely due to our passion for walking and boating and have shared some of our favourite walks in several issues of the wonderful Roqueta this year. We’ve always had a pair of mountain bikes, but have never been attracted to the extreme off-road riding of the Camis or using them during the heat of the summer months. Over recent years, the cycle lane network has expanded all over the island, almost unnoticed to those who don’t use them. Cycling from our house in Mahon to Sant Lluis and beyond or even to the airport is now possible without hardly venturing onto a public road. This, coupled with the popularity and affordability of electric bikes, persuaded us to splash out on two Riverside E500 electric bikes from Decathlon for €1299 each in May. We wanted a hybrid bike rather than an off-road, still with telescopic forks and disc brakes, but with slightly wider tyres for the gravel tracks and lanes – as well as the odd bit of Cami cycling when absolutely necessary!

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Well, we thought we knew the island but were simply not prepared for what we have discovered and the fun we’ve had. The cycling options here are amazing, and soon we found ourselves even pushing the 90km limit of the bikes’ battery range to the edge. We’ve flown around the island, persuading visitors and friends to rent them and join us on days out, punctuated (of course!) by numerous pit-stops at our favourite cafés and restaurants. As the bikes are so easy to cycle up-hill and for long distances, we’ve found ourselves covering many kilometres with ease. Even on hot days we have stayed cool in the breeze whilst the motors do all the hard work. Sitting higher and travelling slower than in a car, it’s amazing what you see over walls, from the lovely houses and gardens to incredible views and wildlife - and that’s even if you’re not nosey! ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

So, this article is just a taste of one of our many favourite rides which just keeps giving and it can be varied easily by adding sections or taking detours to make it longer or shorter if required.

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MAHON TO ALAIOR AND RETURN VIA SANT CLIMENT - 24 MILES The first part of this ride takes us a little way along the Me-7 to Fornells from Mahon. Crossing the roundabout, we could turn left off onto the Cami d’en Kane to Alaior after approximately 1.4 miles. BUT please don’t be tempted, for this ride, we stay on this road (the only busy road of the whole trip) for just another 1.6 miles to be rewarded by discovering the most beautiful and almost deserted quiet lane, the Cami des Pontarro. (Pics 1 & 2). Soon we pass pretty fincas, fields with dramatic limestone outcrops (Pics 3 & 4) and climb gently into the hills in the centre of the island, never seeing a car. As the bikes ‘Power mode’ makes light work of the steeper sections, we eventually arrive after 3 miles for a drink stop at an adorable 700-yearold Hermitage, Sant Llorenc de Binixems (Pics 5,6 & 7) built during the reign of Jaume 2nd in 1301. The hermitage hosted the Feast of Saint Lawrence every year until 1833 when it was moved to the town centre. However today, on the Sunday before the feast day, the Festival of Binixems is held with a ‘Jaleo’, or dance of horses festooned with decorations and the image of Saint Lawrence is moved to the town. We leave the Hermitage, enjoying an exhilarating downhill ride through the forest along Santa Barbara, where a rumbling sound emerges in the distance. Rounding a corner, we emerge to the dramatic sight of a huge quarry in the valley to the left, the stone crusher munching away. (Pics 8 & 9. Just after, on the left, is the Roca de sa Partera (Pic 10) - ‘The Birthing Woman’s rock’ – or a large rock that forms a tiny shelter called a coberxet, a kind of little chapel with a figure inside that resembles a new born baby. The rock gets its name from the fact that

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many years ago a woman travelling along the lane went into labour, jumped inside the rock cavity and gave birth to a child there. Although found and helped by a peasant woman the next day, they sadly died there – and the rock (previously adorned with a cross) remains in their memory. At the end of the lane, after passing yet more pretty fincas (Pics 11 & 12) we turn right onto the Cami d’en Kane (Pic 13) and after a mile or so left into Alaior. It’s worth noting that to make a longer ride, The Cami D’en Kane can be cycled all the way to Es Mercadel, or a turning right (not the main road) onto the Forest Cami sa Roca after half a mile provides an exhilarating ride to Fornells. In Alaior you can visit the Renaissance church Santa Eulalia, (Pic 14) and the Civil war bomb shelter beneath if it’s open. We then took another break at the Ca Na Maru café in the quaint main square (Pic 15). From Alaior, take the Carrer des Melians from the traffic lights out towards Cala’n Porter where, after just a short distance passing under the main road, we find the start of a wonderful cycle lane (Pic 16) which runs parallel with the road. After 3 miles, we stop at one of the most impressive Prehistoric villages, the Torralba d’en Salort. The highlights are the impressive Taula (Pic 17), the House with stone & earth roof – the only one in Europe! (Pic 18) - and the remains of a roundhouse carbon dated to be 15,000 years old, mind boggling!

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We continue to the end of the red cycle lane where we turn left onto Cami Cutaines which is a quiet and pretty lane with stone walls passing lovely fincas. At the crossroads by the barn after 2 miles, we turn right for Sant Climent, where lunch beckons in the square opposite the church at Café d’es Pla (Pics 19 & 20) for one of the best pizzas on the island and a well-earned rest. You can however go straight on at the crossroads to visit (in my view) the best and most fascinating prehistoric village on the island, the Talati de Dalt – which has houses from 3,000BC which are completely intact! You can go inside them and wonder at what stories their walls could tell. From Sant Climent, proceed on the main road for a short distance towards Mahon (only a mile) before turning left opposite the end of the airport runway into the pretty Cami Torello. Although we turn almost immediately right onto the Cami Vell de Sant Climent (signposted Llucmaçanes), it’s worth continuing along Torello for a short distance to see the remains of the Basilica des Fornas de Torello to see the incredible largely intact mosaic church floor depicting lions and peacocks discovered in 1952 (Pic 21). The Cami Vell de Sant Climent crosses straight over the main road, and bearing right onto Sa Costa (Pic 22) emerges onto the main cycle path all the way back past Lidl to Mahon (Pic 23).

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THE GIANT CATERPILLAR OR HOW TO GROW GOURDS AT ES MOLÍ DE BAIX The most wondrous, ginormous, green caterpillar. I’m still trying to take in all the vibrant colours, distracted by the scent of lime on my fingers and the sound of trickling water. “Surely I must be in another world” - I breathe. Flora holds the vines aside like a curtain and beckons me into her gourd tunnel from under her hat. “Well welcome into yet another world”. I Step into the matrix.

I’m as high as a kite having just sped as fast as I could back down the ravine on my vintage road bike. The sun dazzles my eyes so they don’t have time to adjust to the dark on the overgrown parts of the track. Dangling vines and tendrils smash against my face as I blast back out into the sunlight. I zoom up the hill and hop off my bike gasping, thrilled to be back in such a lush spot. Flora is just polishing off her meal, her calm aura counteracting my intrusive hyper one. Business-like, she dons her gum boots, trusty poncho and unfailing straw hat. Off we trot. We weave through the pomegranates, past the banana and bay trees, and stop to admire a lime. We pick one and scratch the skin off to smell it. “Mind your step,” says Flora as I follow her through the tumbling morning glory and horsetails, agog. I pick my way over the stone slab that covers the ancient Arab water channel hewn in the rock. And then I see it.

I first met Flora at the beautiful Molí de Baix farm this spring when I wrote about her avocados. Her father bought the place in 1981. She moved here from Holland in her early 20s and worked as a florist at Truvi Garden Centre in Ferreries, and later in Sant LLuis. After that, she came back to the farm and now looks after it herself.

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Once mature assessed by lifting and checking the weight the gourds are cut at the stalk. Next, the three donkeys are diverted from their lawn mowing to carrying basketloads of booty back up to the house to dry out. Once dry they can be stored indefinitely. We exit the grub and I duck to save my head feeling like a child hiding in this fragrant, cool, caterpillar tent. We wander back to the house through the orchard. A flock of migrating starlings roars over us. I squint further up the sheer cliff walls and am put out to find a plane interrupting my view. The real world is still up there. I quickly lower my head and sniff my lime fingers again. Wood smoke is mingling with the scent of everything else I can’t identify. I can hear the gurgling torrent hidden behind the walnut tree.

Her home in the ravine, or the Barranc d’ Algendar, is beyond description: a plant and birdlife explosion hidden between vast limestone cliffs. I was delighted to discover that she’s not just a farmer, but a florist and an artist. She does flower arrangements with the wild plants her ravine provides and grows her gourds to make lamps, bowls and candleholders. So now I’m back to write about these too. THE GOURDS We are inside the caterpillar, a living, pulsing, calabash tunnel. Planted from seed, the sinewy vines have clambered up a cane and metal trellis and now entomb us in a leafy shelter. Green bulbous fruits dangle everywhere, around 200 to 300 of them. There’s a wild array of Asian, Indonesian and Menorcan strains. Some have hybridised to become mongrel gourds. A few are mottled whilst others are more yellowy. One looks like a wrinkled bommy knocker out of the Flintstones. It’s a ‘Dinosaur skin’. Fortunately for other people who aren’t writers, visitors can come here too - for a small fee of course. Flora welcomes visitors in guided groups, only from September to March so as not to disturb the breeding Egyptian vultures. She explains about the plants, her fruit farm, and the history and legends of the Barranc d’ Algendar, in all its majesty. She will share any fruits that are in season and folk can bring their picnics. Though she takes groups of up to 15 people, we’re reminded to keep quiet to avoid ruining the tranquillity reigning here. Having said that, it’s hard to hear her above all the birdsong. The money from the tours gets reinvested in preserving this most delicate and unique environment, so it’s well spent.

The idea is that hanging gourds grow into a better shape — while those lying on the ground would get a squashed side. Dangling from above also helps reduce predation, and increase aeration which in turn prevents mould from settling in. I’m told it’s possible to put gourds in boxes or use bands to encourage different shapes. In this way, one can make oneself a Buddha gourd, even. Young gourds are coated in small bristles. After a few months, they become smooth and paler as they ripen. The longer they’re on the vine, the thicker and harder the skins get — which is the aim if we want to make a lamp out of it. Enthralled, I try not to trip on the drip system hose, nor chip a tooth on the engorged bommy knocker looming in my face. We kneel on the ground together to examine the soil. Phew!

I take my leave as sparrows fly out of the honeycomb holes in the rock above our heads. A pigeon coos, turns around and takes aim. Flora scoots off to get a couple of hours strimming in before dark. I make my way slowly along the track to civilisation, walls lined with capers where the sun hits, holm oaks presiding where it doesn’t. A kestrel glides over from one side of the cliff face to the other. I can hear spotted flycatchers, black caps, marsh tits and robins. I like the crunching of the dry leaves underfoot and am glad to have two or three km of this to gather my thoughts. Sighhhh. Guided tours are available in English, Menorcan, Spanish and Dutch. Find out more at www.esmolidebaix.es/en/. To book one though, it’s best to contact Flora directly by message on her WhatsApp 0034650202021 as the network is patchy at best. To explore her art visit www.floraritman.es/. Catch her at the Christmas market in Ferreries on the 8th, 9th and 10th of December.

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AN END AND A BEGINNING TA N G E RI N E AN D OR AN GE C YC LES By Rachael Adams

I don’t always get the story I set out to write. A couple of years ago, while working as a farm inspector for the Consell Insular, I visited a citrus tree farm. The ageing owner barely had time for me as he flew up the lane on his motorbike with buckets full of oranges. I remember checking pheromone sticks and insect traps set out on small green tangerine trees. These were his “mandarines de Nadal”, or Christmas mandarins. They would obligingly be ready by December, and so I made a note to come back one winter. All citrus fruits originated in the southeast of the Himalayas. Around about the 16th century, “mandarins” left China and travelled along trade routes to Southern Europe through Tangier in Morocco, thus becoming “tangerines”. My generation (millennials according to Google) doesn’t think twice about tangerine ancestry or origins, but my parents’ generation back in Blighty (Boomers 1 and 2 according to Google) remember them as an exotic delicacy stuffed in the bottom of an Xmas stocking for the well-behaved. Here in Menorca, we have oranges, clementines, satsumas, mandarins - you name it, all grown as winter fruits. The Christmas mandarins in particular had been hard to find. Real farms are disappearing almost as fast as new agrotourisms are being built and fruit farms, confined to the ravines of the southern coast, were few and far between to start with. I could only find one farmer that still had them.

One early morning this November I set forth on my vintage bike. I make my way back down the lane in the Barranc de Cala’n Porter hoping to find the fizzing farmer, hoping he’ll have time to tell me his story. Instead, I find a seemingly derelict mess. Some hens peck about amongst upended crates, bits of string and a rusty bath. Nobody’s here. Maybe he’s forgotten all about the meeting. And then he arrives, quietly freewheeling his scooter down the mossy track, no hustle no bustle. He’s giving it all up. Retiring. Notepad in hand, camera at the ready, I’m flummoxed. Deflated. Saddened. His children, (Gen Z), would rather keep their office jobs than work on the farm. I stare at the 12,000 trees, laden with produce, branches heaving with tonnes and tonnes of fruit. The fruit of a life’s work. Suspended in wait. “The buyers don’t want me to retire”, he says, “but what am I to do? I’m tired of toiling for 10 hours a day, I want time for myself now too.” He hopes somebody who is genuinely interested in caring for the trees will take over. He says his lemons are 80 years old, his plums at least 30.

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Having previously worked with dairy cows, fruit farming was a new challenge for him. He knew from growing food crops for the cows and ploughing the land just how much soil was lost from the ravine to the sea every year. Therefore, he was clear from the start that he wanted to practise regenerative farming where possible. He stopped ploughing and let vegetation take root to anchor the precious soil in place. He aims to become certified organic in the future. Agricultural assessors were brought in to test the soil and choose the best tree strains to plant. The phoenix rises from the ashes. Together they decided to uproot the old navelate oranges so that they stood in lines rather than being dotted all over. This will help with the maintenance, and harvesting with the tractor. A heavy pruning and a lot of water encourage new rooting. They plant new Hernandina and Murina clementines as these are best suited to the heavy soil. I can see neat rows of them extending the length of the alluvial plain. Their trunks are encased in plastic bags to stop lateral shoots from forming. They are treated only with organic, oil-based treatments to prevent fruit fly damage. These are now one year old, and the drip hose is laid close to their trunks. Once the trees become established the hose will be moved a metre away and buried, this is to draw the roots sideways and encourage growth. Burying the hose also helps to reduce moisture loss and keep the hose out of the way when they strim. Boira the border collie models the stone walls and wild olive gates for us as we walk. This peaceful ravine is the perfect, sheltered sunny spot for the young trees.

Well pruned and watered, he reckons the trees can live over 100 years. However, if left unattended, it can be very hard to get them back up to healthy production. With his newfound time, we chat amicably as he leads me through the dense, shady understory. We’re bent double as the branches are so low to the ground. He explains that the best way to grow citrus is in a sheltered spot, and by keeping the trees and leaves densely packed, so that not a ray of sunlight can filter through to the ground. This helps maintain the moist microclimate. In his orchard’s heyday, he had 5 employees picking the fruit, always by hand because his trees are so dense no machines could get between the trunks anyway. The men wore bags on their fronts and would gather up to 12 kilos at a time. He did all the pruning himself after the harvest. The mood lightens. “Do I want a dog?”- he’s got two -. “No, not really.” “Am I married?” - he’s got two sons -. “Certainly not”. No longer in business, this farmer didn’t want to be named nor his property photographed. Were these the last of the Xmas mandarins? I collect 5 kilos just in case, arrange them in my basket and get back on my bike to try to find another citrus farm I can write about. I soon find hope: in the form of Pere Àngel at S’Hort des Barrancó. In the Barranc de Trebaluger ravine, this citrus tree farm was left unattended for a few years. When Pere Àngel arrived 4 years ago the brambles reached across the fields as far as the house. Canes stuffed the torrent to the gunnels, posing a big fire risk.

But not when the floods or “riades” come. Recursos Hidrics is the government body in charge of keeping the torrents clean so that water flows through each ravine. Previously, each farmer cleared the canes and brambles from the part crossing his land, but now they aren’t allowed to touch them. The wait for officials to come and do the work is notoriously long and causes huge frustration among farmers, especially those wanting to plant new saplings. In this case, it delayed the project by a year. “We cannot afford to plant trees for the floods to take them, we’d have to go and find them at Trebaluger beach”he said. There is already a “fortí”, or very wide stout wall, running at a right angle to the torrent that acts as flood defence, plus a couple of smaller walls that he rebuilt. Pere Àngel observes that when they built smaller fields in the past, surrounded by many stone walls, they knew what they were doing. Alas the bigger tractors these days, even in Menorca, seem to require larger fields. While we wait three years for the new clementines to grow, the navelate oranges are on sale at Ca na Clara and the Cooperativa in Ferreries. Ca na Clara’s family were actually the first ones to plant oranges here, decades ago. Though it takes a while, trees can be revived, orchards brought back to life. New learning opportunities are all around us. Ca na Clara, Carrer Ciutadella, 14, 07750 Ferreries, Illes Balears https://emblematicsbalears.es/comercios/ca-na-clara/ Cooperativa in Ferreries, Poligon industrial, Carrer dels Araders, 11, 07750 Ferreries, Balearic Islands https://agroxerxa.menorca.es/ Contingut.aspx?idpub=399

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2023: A HUGE YEAR FOR

MENORCA PRESERVATION Menorca Preservation is a nonSURÀW RUJDQLVDWLRQ WKDW DLPV WR preserve, protect and restore Menorca’s natural surroundings. We support and catalyse environmental projects that contribute to the preservation of our wonderful island, focusing on 4 fundamental pillars: Land, Sea, Energy and Plastic-Free Menorca. 2023 has been a great year for Menorca Preservation, which has been very much driven by our work against plastic pollution via our PlasticFree Menorca Alliance, as we have been able to significantly scale up the scope of our efforts in this key area of work – thanks to significant funding received from the Spanish Government’s Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030. In addition, we have also supported the work of 13 local environmental organisations throughout the year, with whom we have supported and carried out 24 environmental projects in Menorca, to which we have awarded over 470,000 euros. All these initiatives have been focused on continuing to work towards a more sustainable and resilient island in order to combat the effects of climate change, implementing actions focused on: 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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LAND Towards a more cost-effective and climate-resilient primary sector As an island, Menorca’s primary sector faces critical environmental challenges: the high pressure on water resources and rising temperatures that increase the risk of droughts and fires and the lack of resources to effectively mitigate those challenges, along with a need to transition to more sustainable farming practices, are definitely some of the main concerns for Menorca Preservation. So, with regard to this pillar, we have carried out training modules focused on sustainable plant and animal production as part of our MENORCA PRESERVADA training programme for farmers, with the technical support of Agroassessor farm consultants. To date the training has had over 130 farmers attending, with sessions highlighting important issues such as organic fertilisation, pest and weed control, and organic vegetable, fruit, vine, milk and meat production, among others. In addition, a Commercialisation module has also been carried out, focusing on the basic concepts of Marketing, Branding and Corporate Image. Additionally, our Steering Committee has approved significant financial support for GOB Menorca’s Custodia Agraria – Land Stewardship programme until 2025, an initiative that has been running since 2004, to which over 35 farms are adhered and which we believe constitutes a real platform for change in Menorca’s agricultural model, essential for the preservation of the mosaic landscape that is so characteristic of our island.

SEA Improved understanding of our marine environments and a properly protected marine environment Menorca was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1993 by UNESCO and, on 19th June 2019, UNESCO approved the extension of the Biosphere Reserve limits to incorporate the marine area that surrounds the island from the coast to 12 nautical miles offshore. This way, Menorca became the largest Marine Biosphere Reserve in the Mediterranean, going from 71,191 hectares to the current 514,485.

Despite all this, and that to date, 61% of the waters within the Biosphere reserve are under some form of declared protection, only 1.7% is actually protected and managed – this percentage was slightly increased with the creation of the Isla del Aire Marine Reserve (RMIA), which Menorca Preservation, along with other local organisations, was able to support. Consequently, we consider it crucial to continue funding research projects focused on gaining a better understanding of our environments, in order to develop effective and efficient management plans that truly protect and preserve our sea, to ensure we are all able to continue enjoying our wonderful marine environments in the future. In this sense, this year we have supported the work of the Socio-environmental Observatory of Menorca (OBSAM) focused on studying: the evolution of recreational fishing in Menorca to understand how these practices impact our marine environment, the conservation status of the shallow bays of Fornells, Addaia and the Port of Mahon in order to develop management and restoration plans for potentially damaged areas, and the monitoring of the posidonia meadows to quickly identify any negative alterations or impacts caused by climate change or human pressure.

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Additionally, together with other local entities, we have also carried out a study into the viability of a Participative Governance project around the Isla del Aire Marine Reserve, which aims to increase the knowledge of the benefits that a Marine Reserve can have, both for life underwater and also for the surrounding community. Should the Participative Governance project then be implemented, the aim would be to use it to improve the Marine Reserve’s management, protection and surveillance and benefit its surrounding communities.

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TOURISM – 0 PLASTIC EXPERIENCES

PLASTIC-FREE MENORCA

In order to help visitors and residents to reduce their own plastic footprint, we have developed several initiatives aimed at providing visitors and residents with plastic-free services and activities to enjoy our island: 11 filtered water fountains at tourist hotspots and 14 reuse points for beach articles at strategic locations such as beaches, hotels and car rentals have been installed during the summer. These actions have so far helped us to avoid the use of 48,090 bottles (0,50cl) and supported countless families to reuse buckets, spades and umbrellas during their holidays on the island.

Towards a plastic-free Menorca

PESCART MENORCA

The Plastic-Free Menorca Alliance is a platform created in 2020 by Menorca Preservation, formed by different Menorcan entities with an important trajectory in the protection and preservation of the environment to join forces and work towards a plastic-free Menorca. This year, the Alliance has been focused on 3 main areas of work:

Creating collaboration and circularity to promote a second life for discarded fishing nets

AWARENESS RAISING AND EDUCATION We have enabled 931 children in Menorca to participate in talks and workshops on the importance of caring for our natural environments and the problem of plastic pollution thanks to the projects Kilometres of Plastic for Iris, implemented by 0 Plastic Menorca, MicroPlastic Watchers, implemented by GOB Menorca, and Learn through Surfing, implemented by the Surf&Clean association.

This project is an amazing example of circular economy and collaboration across sectors and entities, which is focused on recycling fishing nets discarded by fishermen in order to convert them into new commercially viable products. To date, we are so proud to have been able to collect over 1000 kg of nets, a large amount of which we are helped to process by the Foundation for people with Disabilities. Of the nets recovered from Ciutadella and Fornells fishermen, over 646 kg of have been converted into commercially viable products, working in collaboration with 25 local craftswomen and artists who have sold over 450 products during this year.

LOCAL BUSINESSES A key challenge has been for local businesses to meet the current Balearic waste law which has ambitious plastic reduction actions. Therefore, through our Plastic Free certifications, we offer free support and advice to local businesses in order to help them comply with the law, as a minimum requirement, and significantly reduce their plastic footprint. To date, over 50 businesses have been certified Plastic Free and thanks to this initiative, we have ensured the removal of +3,400 coffee capsules and plastic tea bags, +12,800 units of single-dose packaging (sugar sachets, sweets, etc) and +17,550 straws. ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

Menorca Preservation was created and established in the island in late 2017. To date, we have awarded over 900.000 € to over 85 local environmental projects on the island. We exist thanks to strongly committed businesses, fabulous collaborators, wonderful local entities and individuals, like yourself, with a deep connection to Menorca and who wish to preserve its precious environment. If you feel you can support our work in whichever way, please do reach out to us! www.menorcapreservation.org

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THE MENORCA

SHIPWRECK PR OJ E C T Did you know that hidden beneath the water and sediment of Cala Busquets, within the harbour of Ciutadella, there are at least 5 different shipwrecks waiting to be fully explored dating back to Roman times? A team of divers from the Menorca Shipwreck Project arrived in October to begin a multi-year archaeological project to catalogue the site and to excavate an approximately 300-year-old shipwreck. It is a collaboration between The Explorers Club based in New York, Spanish Archaeologists, local museum staff and cultural heritage officials. Over the past decade, small discoveries during construction in the harbour have led to the designation of the entire port as an underwater archaeological site. At a depth of roughly 4 meters (20 feet), the port area has been described as an ‘underwater museum’ with dozens of wrecks from Roman times through the medieval era to modern day. One reason for the concentration of wrecks is because of the environmental phenomenon called the rissaga. These sudden oscillations due to a combination of wind and tide cause havoc in the narrow harbour, when the water suddenly drains away and then races back, grounding and sinking ships and boats. We have seen the damage it has done in the last 20 years and so you can only imagine the disasters that have occurred over thousands of years.

The Shipwreck Project team gave two talks on the background to the excavation, one at the Museu Can Saura in Ciutadella and one at the Museu de Menorca in Mahon. Trevor Wallace from the Explorers Club introduced the event bringing along his Explorers Club flag and then Xavier Aguelo, Archaeology Co-Director, talked us through the surveys that have been carried out at the site. Ceramics, remains of various ships’ hulls, and amphorae were found in 2006/7 and in 2009/11 systematic surveys were carried out of three different areas of 1m2. They also collected oral information from local sailors and divers. These included anecdotal reports of a local woman seen wearing a roman ring! The team implores the public that the tampering or removal of any archaeological material of any kind is not only damaging to the goals of the expedition but also illegal. This project is conducted with an Archaeological intervention permit, Maritime Captaincy Permit, and Permit from the Balearic Islands Harbor Authority. Many artifacts can be seen in the museum of Menorca as well as manifests and ledgers recording shipwrecks when the island was under Spanish rule. There are three wrecks of interest that have been identified in preliminary surveys. There is a Roman Shipwreck which contained 20 amphorae in the style of the Baetica Region (1st Century CE, South of Spain), a medieval shipwreck from the13-1400s, and an 18th century shipwreck. It is possible there could also be remains of ships from as far back as the Punic era (3rd or 4th centuries before Christ), but further research is needed to corroborate this.

Excavation of the 18th Century Ship The 18th century ship appears to be a Pinque or Pink vessel commonly used for maritime trade. It would have had lateen sails and it was around 23m in length. There are two theories about its origin, the first is that the wreck dates to a period in Spanish history when the crown was actively fighting wars of independence in the New World in the late 1700s. The presence of musket balls could indicate that this ship was bound for the New World to resupply armaments when it sunk. The second idea is that it is a Genovese merchant ship from the early 1700s that was transporting textiles. The aim of this expedition is to find out which of these theories is correct. The disruption from the Rissagas has caused the artifacts from all the different time periods to shift within the sediments but this study is focusing on the top layer of the 18th century shipwreck. The team of archaeologists have used vacuums to remove the sediment and expose the wood of the hull. They have started to document this first layer and extract artifacts while a surface team coordinated the documentation and conservation. The project was also run 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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Members of the Team The underwater excavation has the collaboration of the Menorca Council, the Menorca and Can Saura Museums and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, but the main source of funding is from The Explorers Club and The Ocean Foundation. Trevor Wallace Vice President of Research and Education at The Explorers Club is the Expedition and Field School Leader. Trevor is a filmmaker and explorer and has participated in 5 flag expeditions in Siberia, India, and Panama. He has had his work featured by National Geographic, CNN, and Discovery Channel. In 2018 he was awarded ‘New Explorer of the Year’ alongside Dr. Gino Caspari and other awardees, Apollo Astronaut Capt. Jim Lovell, and Jeff Bezos. Dr. Carlos Velasco is Field School Divemaster and archaeologist. Carlos has a PhD in Prehistoric Archeology working for 20 years on the Ancient Bronze Age and the Origins of Complex Societies in the Western Mediterranean. as a Field School for expedition members, some of them new to diving and to archaeology, giving them the opportunity to learn the basics of both these aspects in a series of workshops and technical labs. The team arrived in Menorca on 21st October and the field school ran until 4th of November. The archaeologists then continued to work on the excavation, backfilling, and post processing until the permits concluded on November 20th. It was unfortunate that the project coincided with the storms that arrived in Menorca at the end of October making the work more difficult and badly affecting visibility at the start of the project. In 2024 and beyond the team would like to seek permission from the Government to remove the wreck and move it to the museum but if this is not possible it will be covered up again for protection. A 3D model will also be made of every wreck in Busquets.

Xavier Aguelo is the Scientific Lead and Metal Specialist. Xavier has 25 years of experience in diving, surveying and excavating in the Balearic Islands. Xavier has collaborated with the Museum of Menorca, the Center for Underwater Archeology of Catalonia (CASC) and co-directed the underwater excavations of the Binissafúller and Calescoves wrecks. Octavi Pons is a Pottery Specialist and since 1996 he has coordinated the work for the elaboration of an underwater archaeological chart of Menorca. He is a staff archaeologist at the Museum of Menorca. Dr. Marcel Pujol is a Naval Architecture Specialist and since 1983, he has participated in archaeological excavations, both on land and underwater in Menorca. Since 1994 he has been professor of Nautical and Underwater Archeology at the University of Barcelona and is currently at the University of Cadis. Carolina Godoy is the Field School Coordinator with a degree in tourism and fluency in 6 languages. She is an experienced diver and has worked in the protection of the marine environment and its biodiversity for the last five years. Bruno Parés is the Technical Lead and a terrestrial and underwater archaeologist specializing in 3D documentation and heritage visualization.

The Explorers Club The Explorers Club was founded in 1904 and has its HQ in New York City with a community around the world. The Explorers Club has been supporting scientific expeditions of all disciplines for over a century. Some of their most famous expeditions include: NORTH POLE In 1909 Robert Peary, Matthew Henson, their Inuit guide Ootah, and three other Inuit named Ooqueah, Seegloo, and Egigingwah, reached the North Pole—or at least came close. SOUTH POLE on 4 December 1911, Amundsen and his team became the first to reach the South Pole. At approximately 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the team simultaneously shouted “Halt!” and raised the Norwegian Flag. HIGHEST POINT ON EARTH THE SUMMIT OF MT. EVEREST on May 29, 1953, Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund P. Hillary reached the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak. 1960 DEEPEST POINT ON EARTH MARIANA TRENCH on January 23, 1960, US Navy lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard set a record for the deepest descent below the ocean’s surface aboard the bathyscaphe Trieste. SURFACE OF THE MOON APOLLO 11 on July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin walked on the Moon while Columbia command module pilot Michael Collins orbited. For more information watch Trevor Wallace’s webinar available on the website www.menorcashipwreckproject.com/ w w w. m u s e u d e m e n o r c a . c o m /e n / l e a r n - a n d - r e s e a r c h / underwater-archaeological-maps-of-menorca/203 www.explorers.org ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

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MORVEDRA VELL OLIVE FARM Olive oil production in Menorca has never been abundant, but the remains of an oil mill from Roman times have been found in Alaior and there is other evidence that oil has been produced for private consumption. Over the last 100 years olive tree farming has gradually increased and now there are over 80 hectares of planted trees shared between 20 producers according to Oli de Menorca, the local association for producers which was established in 2014. In 2020, Menorcan Olive Oil was registered in the Balearic Islands Catalogue of Traditional Foodstuffs by the Balearic Islands Government. The local producers are working hard to get recognition for their oil from the European Union through a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). This would bring them into line with the cheese and wine producers which have already achieved recognition of exclusive origin. The application has been approved by the regional and Spanish governments and is now in Brussels for its final approval. As worldwide prices of olive oil have risen, our own small producers have become more price competitive. Although still more expensive than the large producers they are similar to premium brands. It is the best time to try the local organic products or to buy them as a special present for friends and family. MORVEDRA VELL OLIVE FARM The Morvedra Vell estate looks out over land covered in wild olive trees (known as ullastres in Menorca and acebuches in Spain) which stretch down to the virgin beaches of Cala Turqueta and Macarella. From the house you get a beautiful view across to the sea with Mallorca on the horizon.

For the last 10 years, olive trees have been grown here according to ecological farming methods and the farm has signed an agreement with GOB to guarantee sustainable management respecting biodiversity and the environment, as well as best practices in regenerative agriculture. At Morvedra Vell there are now 12 hectares of planted olive groves where they produce mainly arbequina, picual, empeltre and arróniz varieties. The wild olive trees on the rest of the estate are nurtured with as much care as the cultivated varieties and the oil or oli d’olivó is extracted and added to the final product to give it a distinctive taste. In recent years they have started to plant other varieties such as royal changlot which, when mature, will increase the aromas of their blend When the current family owner bought the estate in 2004 the land was in a poor condition and at that time not many people were interested in acquiring rural properties in Menorca. There were cows and sheep roaming the land and when he decided to plant the first olive trees the sandstone rock had to be broken up by machines before the young saplings could be planted. A 1m2 area was cleared for each tree and they are grown in rows 6m apart. Once established, the roots grow down into the interstices of the rocks. When we visited in November, the land was ready to plant 1000 more trees to bring the final number to around 4000. They generally buy young saplings at two or three years old but then they must wait 8-9 years for these trees to become fully productive and profitable. Last year they planted around 300 empeltres of six to seven years of age which will become fully productive in two to three more years. The farm is managed by Pito Barber who was born at Sant Josep, a farm in Ferreries, which was bought by the same family before they acquired Morvedra Vell. Pito also works at Sant Josep where he manages the sheep and the vineyards. Morvedra Vell is part of Custodia Agraria, Menorca’s Land Stewardship programme with the aim to farm the olives with total respect for the environment and this allows the olive oil to be ecologically produced and certified. The land between the trees is not ploughed, but instead the vegetation is cut, mulched, and put back on the land along with cow manure to form an organic cover. As well as enriching the soil it also helps to retain the moisture on the soil and to allow the maximum development of biodiversity. GOB arranges volunteering days on the farm for activities such as rubbish collection, pruning trees and installation of olive wood gates to replace old metal ones. It also helps with the marketing and product promotion. The trees flower in March/April but this year there was not enough rain early in the year for the blossom to flourish. The farm used a watering system which is regulated by sensors which monitor the moisture in the soil. The water comes from rainfall and the deposits on the farm and is pumped using solar energy. Batteries are used so that the watering can be carried out at night to minimise evaporation from the soil. The relatively small size of the olive oil farm allows the production and harvesting to be carefully monitored leading to award winning products.

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Pruning is done by hand in a way that is best for harvesting and also to allow air to get to the plant to prevent disease. Pheromones are used also as an organic method to prevent pests. The major insect species threatening olive trees in the Mediterranean region is the olive tree fly. Rather than spraying the trees with toxic insecticides, sexual pheromone components are used to disrupt the mating of the flies by attracting and trapping the females. If you see a container hanging in the tree, this contains the pheromones. The grove is experimenting with a local producer of ecologic containers for the product. A second method consists of spraying a white powder made from kaolin clay mixed with water every two to three weeks to form a physical barrier and repellent which discourages the flies from perforating the surface of the olives and laying eggs. When the larva becomes adult, it will create a large hole to leave the olive, allowing infestations which can cause problems to the quality of the oil. Other pests include snails which eat the leaf bud. Pito carefully monitors the ripening of the olives so that they can be picked at the optimum moment. He tells us that this is when 50% of the olives on the tree are black and 50% still green. 2 kg samples are sent to a laboratory in Catalunya where they are further analysed for fats and other qualities. We were lucky to be visiting Morvedra at harvest time. The pickers, including Pito’s son, were using handheld electric machines with vibrating prongs to carefully ‘comb’ the olives from the trees. They fall onto nets to be collected and taken straight to the mill for processing (if you would like to help out they call it ‘Agrofitness). In previous years they have also hired a vibration machine from Mallorca which fixes around the trunk to shake the olives from the larger trees but this year the machine was not available. In 2023 the farm installed a new olive mill to allow all the processing to be carried out on the farm, improving the quality further. In previous years, they had to take the harvested olives to a mill elsewhere and at busy times they had to wait for a slot to become available. 1 litre of oil can be produced from 8-9kg of the cultivated olives whereas the wild olives are much smaller with less flesh and they produce a lot less oli de olivó per kilo. The plant at Morvedra can process up to 500 kg of olives per hour and in good years they have produced 2500 litres of oil. Last year production was adversely affected by a sudden hailstorm which damaged some of the olives just as they were ready to be harvested. Others which were less ripe survived the major onslaught of ice. Dry years can also affect the quantity of olives produced but not the quality.

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The olives are ground at the mill either the same afternoon they are harvested or the morning after using certified ecological processes. The oil is cold extracted using modern Italian machinery, and the entire process is mechanised. The final process is to decant the oil using gravity until it reaches its purest form. Pito told us that they avoid using centrifuges to avoid losses of aroma. Next year the farm is planning to offer its milling services to other olive oil producers in Menorca. The oil is sent to Tarragona for EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) certification, and it is stored in separate containers for each type of oil before being blended and bottled on site. The award winning Morvedra oil is a blend of Arbequina and Picual with 1-2% of Olivó The latter gives the oil its unique flavour. A 500ml bottle costs €12.50 on their website and it can also be purchased in a 1 litre can for €20.50. AWARD WINNING FLAVOUR Morvedra’s olive oil won the Gold Medal at the Concurso TerraOlivo and they also participated in BIOFACH in Germany which is the world’s most important exhibition for organic products. There they achieved 4th place aganst the best olive oils in the world which opened up new Central European markets to their product. Morvedra say that professionals at the olive oil tasting events have highlighted “the intense fruitiness of its taste with bitter, spicy, green and sweet nuances, as well as evoking almond, artichoke and tomato flavours. Its soft, arbequina olive base is complemented by the stronger taste of the picual. The result is an olive oil ideal for accompanying vegetables and salads”. A full list of points of sale can be found on the website https://www. morvedra.com/punts-de-venda/ Contact: info@morvedra.com, Tel: +34 607 721 128 Gobmenorca.com/custodiaagraria email: custodia@gobmenorca.com GOB organises public excursions to farms which consist of a walking itinerary through nature and ending with a guided visit and a tasting of the products. They are held at the weekends and are open to everyone. They are announced on the website. People should register to receive the newsletter if they want to be informed regularly. They can also follow GOB on IG (gobmenorca _ oficial) or in FB (gobmenorca). For more information on olive oil producers: https://www.olidemenorca.org/ Email: olidemenorca@gmail.com

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By Marc Moll

WILD OLIVE (OLEA OLEASTER)

THE MEDITERRANEAN DECAF “Ullastre”, pronounced “oo-ass-tre” with a rolling ‘r’, is a small perennial tree growing to between two and ten metres in height. It is a hardy species native to the Mediterranean that prefers poor soils and arid, hilly regions. The wild olives that grow on the northern side of Menorca are bent away from our prevailing North wind, the Tramontana, and thus have the top halves pointing South. They form dense woodlands known as “ullastrars” and are important habitats for many animals such as snakes, pine martens and tortoises. Botanists have classified these woodlands as “Ullastrar Menorquí” due to the specific plants that live in the undergrowth, such as the White hedge-nettle and asparagus. In the autumn their ripe berries sustain thousands of migrating birds, notably the starlings on their way down from Northern Europe to Italy for the winter. The blood-red stains all over the pavement are testimony of their feeding habits. Its dark green leaves are tougher, smaller and narrower than those of its cousin the common olive. These traits help the tree to prevent water loss during the long dry summers. The fruit, “olivó”, has a large stone and less flesh than that of the common olive (Olea europaea), which is grown to eat. It

also has a more bitter taste. Nonetheless, it is still possible to extract oil from these fruits; “oli d’olivó”, or olivó oil. However, the smaller size of the fruit means there is more labour involved and the litres of oil obtained are much lower. It is rich in vitamin E and minerals such as iron, calcium and magnesium. WILD OLIVE USES The trees represent a cultural feature of the Menorcan countryside as they can be seen on all of the hillsides, either alone or in thickets. • The oil and leaves are used as food supplements due to their high vitamin E content. The fruits are pickled in water, salt and herbs. Pont Modorro farm in Menorca makes pure olivó oil and has specialised mills and presses for the smaller, harder fruit. • As food for animals. Before farmers here began growing cereals such as Ryegrass, clover and oats, cows and sheep ate wild olive leaves as their staple. • In joinery. Local woodworkers, or “araders”, used the hard wild olive wood as their main material to make farm tools, furniture, harnesses, and the renowned Menorcan gates.

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• In baking. Leaves and fruit stones were ground into flour to make biscuits and bread. Only a small part of this flour was mixed with grain flour to boost the flavour. In Mallorca and on the mainland they still do this today. • In cosmetics or medicinal products. The oil can be used as an antiinflammatory or to reduce scarring and promote healing. In the olden days farmers mixed the oil with wax to apply to wounds on cows’ udders. The leaves are gathered up after pruning, ground up and used as an extract in anti-ageing creams.

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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 aromatic-medicinal plants native to Menorca for different farms on the island. Marc will be selling his products at the Hotel Jardi Ses Bruixes Christmas Fair on 1517 December. His Matcha won the award for Best Drink 2023 at the Arrels Fair

• In medicinal teas the leaves act as a liver cleanser, diuretic and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. They also boost the immune system, prevent cancer and ease fevers. • As a flower essence wild olive can increase energy levels and promote peace, wisdom and serenity. • Ground and chopped-up leftovers are bound in a cloth and steamed to make a “pinda”. These tools are then used in Ayurvedic herbal massage. DECAFFEINATED MEDITERRANEAN TEA There are many different ways of making wild olive tea, and it can be drunk hot or cold. • From wild olive leaves as a cleanser • Wild olive leaves mixed with Menorcan camomile Santolina magonica, to relax and promote balance • Roasted wild olive leaves with fennel Foeniculum vulgare, as a digestive and antioxidant • Wild olive leaves with Pink rock-rose Cistus creticus flowers, as an antiinflammatory • Wild olive leaves can be ground into a powder to make matcha. Matcha is then made into tea with water or milk, or added as a food supplement. ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

WELLBEING

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NUTRITION AND FITNESS WITH TOM AND JESS

CAN YOU BREATHE OUT, WITHOUT BREATHING IN?

I’ve recorded a free Taster session for you to enjoy from the comfort of your own home. No equipment is required, just yourself, a Wi-Fi connection and enough space to stretch your arms out in front of you and to the sides. Perfect to do over the festive break if you find yourself needing some time out and to recalibrate. If you’d like to receive the free 20-minute taster session, head over to www.qigongwithtom.com/taster, and you’ll be able to access it from there. Alternatively, email tom@qigongwithtom.com with the words ‘QI GONG’, and I’ll email you the link. Let me know how you feel afterwards. The most commonly reported feedback from all those who have enjoyed this taster session is that they feel energised, yet relaxed and grounded. Taking time out for ourselves is often at the bottom of our list. Taking the time to prioritise yourself can be the best use of time we can make. I wish you all the best and have a great winter. Tom PS. To see what others are saying about the sessions, what Qi Gong is and how to become a Founder Member at the lowest price, then check out https://www.qigongwithtom.com

5 WAYS TO NATURALLY INCREASE YOUR ENERGY Balance If you asked a room of 100 people if exercise is a good idea for their health and longevity, how many do you think would say ‘yes’? It’s going to be pretty conclusive. Ok, same 100 people. You ask them if meditation is worthwhile practising for their health and longevity. How many do you think would now say ‘yes’? Once again, the results are likely one-sided.

I hope you’ve had a great end to your 2023. It’s been a really fun, happy and full year for the Dyer clan, our first summer season with two little ones in tow, which meant that Lola joined many a workout playing with the Pilates balls and resistance bands and being an all-round cheerleader for our personal training clients! Lola turns one at the end of November, and she and Olive are both at nursery now, which has given Tom and me a lot more bandwidth (and energy!) to help more people with their health again. It’s great to be back.

The physical act of working out - the yang / the body.

One of the most common things I hear clients and friends say to me is how they struggle with low energy. It’s such a widespread issue, yet as a society we’ve normalised it. If you feel tired a lot of the time and you feel like you’re dragging yourself around all day and struggle to get out of bed in the morning, let me be the person to remind you of what you intuitively know: this is not normal. Let me closely follow this statement with something positively reassuring: there’s a lot you can do regarding nutrition and lifestyle to support your energy, and this article will arm you with proven strategies you can implement right away to feel more energised.

The mindset practice and working in - the yin / the mind.

And sigh in relief.

Now you ask those 100, how many of them exercise and meditate? How many now answer ‘yes’? We often know what we should be doing to better ourselves, but knowing and doing don’t always match up. Many of us work out and have hobbies which enable our bodies to move and be strengthened, which is fantastic. The benefits of regular movement are countless. But did you know that we’d reap more benefits from our ‘work out’ if we also ‘worked in’?

When working out is combined with working in, the synergistic blend is greater than the sum of its parts. 1 (body) + 1 (mind) = 3 Just like breath, inhalation requires exhalation; without the two, we don’t function. If you’re anything like me, you may have found it hard to get into the ‘working in’ part. This is what got me into Qi Gong. I was looking for a way to calm my mind and increase my energy, but I struggled to meditate and sit still in my thoughts. Qi Gong is a gentle movement-based practice that practises mindfulness whilst working on one’s internal energy - the more I read, the more it ticked my boxes, so I gave it a try. The rest is history. Fast-forward 4 years and I’m now a Qi Gong practitioner, looking to share this practice with others because I love the way it makes me feel. Energised, yet calm. Clear-minded and peaceful. Grounded. Relaxed. Qi Gong is a blend of exercises incorporating mobility, strength, breath and intention work. It’s a form of meditation, but a form that feels more available to people who struggle with the sedentary nature of typical meditative practices.

Before I begin, I’m running a group-led programme in January where I will coach a group of men and women to feel more vibrant, healthier and finally address their health symptoms. If you’ve been burying your head in the sand and finally want to take charge of your health, email me at hello@jessntom. com, and I’ll add you to the waiting list so you can be the first to know when the doors open to the 8 Week Body Reset programme. Right, onto the 5 tips for today to help increase your cellular energy. You have 37 trillion cells in your body, and these cells are your energy factory. If your cells aren’t getting the proper fuel/nutrition, they won’t be able to perform at their highest level and will not allow you to feel like you’re functioning and feeling your best. In every one of these 37 trillion cells, you have microorganelles called mitochondria. Mitochondria take the food that you’re eating and turn it into ATP, our cellular energy. When it comes to converting food into energy more efficiently, our cellular metabolism, there are many things we can do nutrition and lifestyle-wise to increase our energy production.

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WELLBEING

1. Maintain balanced blood sugar throughout the day Suppose you’re eating a simple carb rich meal, a bread sandwich, or a pasta salad. In that case, you’re likely going to feel really tired within an hour after eating that meal because the bread/pasta will spike your blood sugar within that hour, after which you’ll experience a blood sugar crash. When you start to crash, you’ll typically feel more tired and foggy-brained. It’ll feel like you’re unable to process things cognitively and like you’re running at a diluted power. When our brains feel cloudy, our thoughts aren’t as sharp, and it’s not as enjoyable to function. Tip: include protein, fibre and healthy fats with carbs to help round out the blood sugar spike. A meal can contain the same number of calories, but including protein, fats and fibre will make a radical difference in our blood glucose response, energy and cravings. 2. Eat more nutrient-dense foods Foods that contain the micronutrients that help fuel the energy metabolism process in our mitochondria will make a radical difference to how we feel. Our mitochondria take proteins, fats, and carbs from our diet and convert them into energy (ATP). Still, in order to create ATP, they’re reliant on specific cofactors and coenzymes which come from the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in our diet. If our diet is low in the foods that fuel these ATP-generating reactions, we will experience energy lulls. The main vitamins and minerals important for our mitochondria are: B-vitamins (B1, B2, B3), magnesium, and CoQ10. You can find these nutrients in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and pulses, but some great nutrient-dense suggestions include pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, organic chicken, broccoli and spinach. 3. Hydrate with filtered water and electrolytes Your cells need to be hydrated if you want to have that consistent energy throughout the day. You need to continue watering your body in order to feel energised throughout the day. Dehydration is one of the fastest ways to feel exhausted (and also create premature wrinkles). On the flip side, rehydrating is one of the quickest-acting ways to feel more energised again, so it’s an immediately satisfying one to tick off your list and ensure you’re well hydrated. • Amount - Ensure you get half of your weight (in pounds) in ounces of water. For example, a 140-pound adult would aim for 70 fluid ounces of water each day. Of course, your water intake will increase when it’s hotter and when you exercise. • Filtered - Make sure your water is filtered. I personally like reverse osmosis, and then use an electrolyte powder to replace the minerals lost in the filtration process. • Electrolytes - If you don’t have enough magnesium, potassium and sodium in your diet, then the water you take in will stay as extracellular fluid, and you’ll end up just peeing it out. Electrolytes are needed to transport water into your cells’ intracellular space, ensuring your cells are hydrated. Ensure the electrolyte you use has no added sugar or added ingredients. You could be eating the perfect diet, but if you aren’t addressing some of the next lifestyle factors, you won’t be able to maintain your highest level of energy. 4. Prioritise a regular sleep routine To feel energised throughout the day, you need high-quality sleep at night. One of the key ways you can do this is with a proper sleep routine. Aim to go to bed at approximately the same time every night and wake up around the same time in the morning. Stay consistent with those timings throughout the week, and this will help to support your circadian biology, or your circadian rhythm as it’s most commonly referred to, which is essentially when your body knows when it can expect to be asleep. This helps to tie in hormonal regulation, so you’re producing melatonin at

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certain times of the night, and you’re producing serotonin and cortisol at certain times of the morning, which are going to help you feel more asleep at night and more awake in the morning. Being structured and consistent with your sleep and wake times can help you get into a deeper sleep and can be helpful for those who struggle with waking up at night. You can get different devices, from wristbands to watches, which help to give you sleep data and tell you how many hours of sleep you’re getting and how much deep sleep you’re getting. For you to get more REM sleep and deep sleep, you want to aim to get to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time in the morning. You also want to try to cut off your exposure to blue light at least one hour before bed so you don’t get overly stimulated by your devices or by the artificial lighting in your home. Blue light-blocking glasses can be helpful to wear if you’re working late into the night or watching telly, and you can adjust the light setting on your phone so it’s emitting the lowest exposure of light. You can also change the lightbulbs in some of the lamps you typically switch on at night and switch them for red light bulbs, which will be more calming and less stimulating, but we’ve yet to do the lightbulb switch in our home; instead we have our lamps on a really low setting at night time as I prefer the ambience with low-lighting! If you enjoy reading at night, you can get great blue light-free lamps or clip-on lights which could be a great way to keep your reading ritual whilst minimising the stimulus. 5. Incorporate regular movement throughout the day. Regular movement is important for blood sugar regulation and metabolic health, but it’s also key for mitochondrial health, supporting your cellular energy. Regarding movement, strength training a few times a week is beneficial, but aside from that, a great place to begin would be to focus on getting your step count consistently high. Start tracking your steps, and the ultimate goal would be to aim for 10,000 steps, but if you’re only at 2,000 now, slowly work your way up. You can track your steps on an Apple watch, phone, or Fitbit. If you don’t have a tracking device, you could block out a couple of 20-minute slots in your diary each day and devote them to walking: a morning walk and a late afternoon walk. The more stagnant your body is, the more stagnant you’re going to feel, so being intentional with getting consistent movement into your days will help with your mitochondrial function and ultimately help you live a long, vibrant life. • BONUS - Prioritise deep breaths. Breathe deeply into your belly on the inhale and a deep enough exhale so you feel your belly contracting. This will help to activate some of the parasympathetic nervous system state, which is when your body can rest and digest, rather than being in the sympathetic nervous system state, triggered by shallow breaths, which will leave you feeling wired and tired, and all-round totally exhausted. Leave sticky notes around the house, by your kettle, on the fridge, on your TV remote, by your toothbrush, or set reminders on your phone to act as a reminder to breathe deeply. I hope the above article has given you some clarity and inspiration regarding boosting your overall energy levels. Pick the one or two tips that feel the most available and relevant to you and try to maintain a certain level of consistency with them. I mentioned at the start of the article that now that our two girls are at nursery/ pre-school and I am back into work mode again, I’m going to be running an online group-based nutrition programme to help people get on top of their sugar cravings, give them more energy and overall reset their health. Sign up to our newsletter, and you’ll be the first to know so you can join in: https://www. jessntom.com/newsletter. Otherwise, email me on hello@jessntom.com and I’ll add you to our waiting list! Wishing you a wonderful festive break. Jess w w w.j e s s n t o m.c o m

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

LOCAL NEWS

CLUBS AND ASSOCIATIONS LADIES PROBUS

WINTER 2023

NEWS

The October Probus ladies’ luncheon was held at Piccolo Mundo in Alcafar. What a beautiful setting to hold a lunch. The food was excellent and service was great. The President Janet Quale, gave three members their birthday cards and also mentioned that birthday cards and Christmas cards were on sale. There was a choice of four starters, four mains and desserts. These were all served promptly and with a smile by staff. A great time was had by all who attended and we will certainly use them again in the future. The November Probus lunch was held at Can Avelino 23 and was attended by 38 members who enjoyed the lunch of three choices over three courses, with wine, water and coffee included. Sandra and Janet arranged a raffle with eight prizes and we also held a fashion show with all outfits from Age Concern and raised 65 Euros. They were modelled by Susan, Sandra, Avril, Janet and Jenny with the commentary given by Shelley.

LADIES LUNCHEON WINTER The Ladies Luncheon Club continues to thrive, obviously with some resignations when members move etc. but also new members join. Our September lunch was held in Il Porto and mostly we had a good varied menu as always. The restaurant kindly invited us all to cava at the end and we were made very welcome. Unfortunately parking is never easy in the port and the lift suffered one of its frequent breakdowns that day so some ladies were rather puffed when they arrived. Good raffle prizes as always. October saw us back in the Hotel Port Mahón where they are always pleased to see us. As the lunch fell on November 1st (All Saints Day) just after Halloween, Jayne our president suggested people might like to dress up. The response was wonderful, we didn´t quite have Freddie Kruger, but almost! I will never forget the lady in the orange tutu. You will be able to see some of the outfits from the photos. The Port Mahón has undergone some reformation since we were last there and now includes show cooking, so apart from the buffet we could also have entrecote and a surprise a Welsh Chef to cook it. We shall have to investigate... Jayne organised a quiz which was very good, no one got 100%. As always people were very supportive of the raffle which does help club funds. Next lunch will be our Christmas one on 6th December so we will look forward to that with some surprises (hopefully!). Annie Gooch is organising her Christmas Boxes again for families in need which she co-ordinates with the Red Cross. If you need any information please get in touch with Annie or the Committee. 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

WINTER 2023

Enriching Lives through the Arts It is hard to believe that our very first lecture of the newly formed Arts Society Menorca was more than four years ago in April of 2019. You may remember, directly from the Antiques Road Show and many BBC programmes on antiques, it was Eric Knowles who entertained and educated us on “Lalique - Master Jeweller, Master Glassmaker”. Last year, Marc Allum, also a specialist on Antiques Road Show, invited us to “Bring an Object” for his fascinating spontaneous talk on these objects. Spoiler alert: in May 2024, after having to cancel due to COVID, we are finally going to enjoy yet another Antiques Roadshow expert, Will Farmer, and his lecture on the “A Bizarre Life: Looking at Clarice Cliff”. Meanwhile our last lecture for 2023 was by Tony Rawlins - a huge success. We had a full house! Besides our 43 annual members we had 14 local students studying English from Escola Oficial d’Idiomes de Maó. Tony visited the Arts Society Menorca last year and was so entertaining that we invited him back to close this year’s lecture season. He did not disappoint, with “How the Advertising Industry Exploited Fine Art”. Picture Michelangelo’s “David” in a pair of Levi cut-off jeans, and you have it! We thank you all for joining us each month for our lecture season offerings. Marc Allum

Looking Forward to 2024 And forward we go into a new year. Besides Will Farmer in 2024, we will start the season with a lecture in April on “Pots and Frocks, the World of Grayson Perry” presented by Ian Swankie. “Gustave Caillebote: The Man in the Top Hat” with Brian Healey is featured in June, before our summer break. In September, Stella Lyons will be speaking on “All the Lonely People, the Work of American Realist, Edward Hopper”, live this time after her Zoom lecture during COVID. To end the programme in October, Andrew Price will share his expertise with his lecture on “From Downton to Gatsby: Jewellery and Fashion 1890 to 1929”. Here is some more excellent news for you. We, “the Committee” have decided that we will keep our membership fees the same for next year’s season. Feel free to begin inundating Malcolm with both new memberships and renewals in February 2024. Oh yes - and did I mention, we are bringing back the very popular book raffle following each lecture! We will continue to give a voucher for a free beverage when you purchase a guest ticket, thanks to Anglican Church in Menorca. While we are thanking sponsors, a big thank you to Jorge and his team at the Aeroclub San Lluís, with a full bar and tapas available for sale, and plenty of parking; for the incredibly talented artist Jorge Fernández for the use of his painting as our cover artwork; and of course the generous support of BLEVINS FRANKS. You can follow us on FaceBook, The Arts Society Menorca or on our website www. theartssociety.org/menorca or get in touch at menorca@theartssociety.org. Have a joyous holiday season and may there be peace in 2024!

Stella Lyons

Will Farmer

The Committee: Victoria and Clive Dowie, Malcolm Price, Carles Jiménez and Kate Strudwick

CANCER SUPPORT IN MENORCA

caring for a loved one during their cancer journey. And for those who are grieving, counselling can help them understand their feelings and start to adapt to life without the person that has died. Counselling, and certain other therapies offered through our wellness campaign, are available to Menorca residents via online and phone sessions, if you would like to find out more please contact us on info@cancersupportmallorca.com

How Counselling Can Help. Cancer Support Mallorca is happy to offer free counselling to anyone affected by cancer. This includes the patient themselves, their carers and close family and those who are grieving because they have lost someone to cancer. Counselling can help the patient cope better with the emotions that arise with a cancer diagnosis and reduce the anxiety they may experience, all in all improving their quality of life before, during and after treatment. It can also help with any fears they may have when it comes to certain procedures or treatments.For the carer and close family, counselling can offer a space to unburden themselves and to deal with the different emotions that arise from ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

LOCAL NEWS

WINTER 2023

22ND VOLTA CICLOTURISTA THE INTERNATIONAL CYCLING EVENT DESIGNED TO SHOWCASE MENORCA The 22nd Volta Cicloturista Internacional a Menorca ran (or cycled) on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of October 2023. The format of this and the previous 21 events has been pretty similar. There is a prologue stage of 30-40km that potters out of Mahon to a local place of interest and back, just to warm the legs up, on the Friday afternoon. Stage 1 on Saturday morning is a more punchy ride of about 100km that includes a 1.4km climb up to the old army base at S’Enclusa and Stage 2 on Sunday morning is a ride of about 60km that includes the 3km climb up to the top of El Toro. Stage 2 is the signature segment in the event which is the brainchild of the magnificent Arturo Sintes, a keen amateur cyclist who wanted to stage a cyclosportive that is as much about showcasing the island as it is about cycling. His commitment is obvious – at various points over the 3 days he is master of ceremonies, route planner, support vehicle driver, DJ, cheerleader and (if you look closely enough) the drummer of the band playing at the ‘Festival of Rock and Cycling’ on the Friday night in the main square in Mahon. Everyone gets pulled along by his enthusiasm, making it a joyous event. He is well connected in the cycling world so manages to persuade a few former pros to join in; this year we had 3-time world road race champion Oscar Freire, Tour de France stage winner and podium finisher Joseba Belocki and from home, our very own former GB champ and Olympic Triathlete Sian Brice. The beauty of this event is that it is wonderfully Menorcan. The cycling is important, but not so much that normal Sunday morning MAMILs (Middleaged Men in Lycra) and MAWILs can’t join in and have a blast; the only timed sections are the 2 main climbs which determine your final position, the rest of the cycling is done on closed roads with stops every 20km or so to re-group. The net result is that for the most part you are behind a lead car blaring cheesy rock and pop music and being sucked along in a peloton of 300 or so mixed ability cyclists, giving you all the thrills of being a tour pro whilst travelling along at a relatively manageable average speed of 25km/h. As important as the cycling is the celebration lunch on the Sunday afternoon. Arturo ensures that riders and guests are well fed and watered, whilst presenting certificates for all finishers as well as awards for riders who have competed multiple times, awards for the quickest climbers, various age groups, couples and teams. This makes it feel a little like a primary school sports day, where it is not about winning but taking part, but park your cynicism at the door and embrace it, as it makes you feel proud to be part of such a warm-hearted event. The biggest cheer of the day was not for the winner (incidentally Markel Belocki, 18 year old son of Joseba and aspiring Spanish racer) but for the lady who was last up Monte Toro, who rode up the final few steep metres to loud applause before being embraced by her cycling buddies. So, if you are a regular cyclist, or a weekend lycra warrior, or someone who wants a fitness target for next year I would urge you to sign up for 2024, you won’t regret it. And don’t be put off by Monte Toro; it is a real feeling of achievement at the top if you make it, if not, there are plenty who enjoy a sneaky cortado in Mercadal at the bottom and rejoin the bunch for the ride back to Mahon. Details of previous events can be found here... www.menorcacicloturista. com, and on the Instagram and facebook pages. 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

By David Nix

LOCAL NEWS

WINTER 2023

HESTIA MENORCA BASKETBALL

By Steve Morgan

You may recall that in the July edition of Roqueta, I wrote an article advising you that the Hestia Menorca basketball team had been promoted to the LEB Oro (Gold) league. So, I guess you are wondering just how they are getting on. Well, after a faltering start and losing the first home game of the year by quite some margin 66 – 83 they then lost the first away game by a slightly smaller margin of 70-66. To be fair, at one point, towards the end of that match, the gap had closed to just 2 points, but a couple of silly misses meant a win was beyond their reach. 21st October saw the 2nd home game against Amics Castelló and the experience of the previous two games had certainly left their mark! By the end of the 2nd quarter Menorca had a very comfortable 17-point lead but during the 3rd quarter Castelló fought back and the 3rd quarter closed 59-55. The 4th quarter was an ‘edge of the seat’ game with the visitors drawing level at 63 – 63 but just for a few seconds. However, a few superb shots and a strong defence made sure Menorca won 85 -65! In the after-match interview, the Castelló coach did say that he doubted if there were any other teams in the LEB Gold league with such a strong (and vocal) support, he said it was like Menorca having 6 players on the court as opposed to the maximum 5! 2,200 people attended on the day (it sounded more like 4,000) and I think that figure will increase as the season progresses. The away match on Sunday 29th didn’t have a great start. The flight from Menorca on the Saturday was cancelled and with no other direct flights available the team asked for the match to be postponed. Neither the LEB (the governing body) or the opponents, Clavijo, accepted this and if Menorca failed to play the game, it would be counted as a loss! There was no other option but to take a later flight to Madrid then hire some cars to make the 4-hour journey. Also due to a lack of available seats on the plane only 12 of the normal 20 people could travel. The game started on time but how much the travelling took out of the team we will never know. Considering it was an away game Menorca were hot on their heels most of the game but in the end lost 64-55. I’m sure the fans will make their feelings known when Clavijo come to us! The next home game was just 3 days later and with barely just enough time to recover from the extended travel, they now had to face Coruña, the leaders of the Gold league. It was a close and hard-fought game with Menorca unrelenting in their pursuit of Coruña and by the end of the 3rd quarter the score was tied at 43 each. With just 1 minute to go, Menorca were leading 52 – 51 and a strong defence helped them keep the lead and the game finished with a win for Menorca 56 – 51! OK, cards on the table, do I think the team will win the league? Well, no but with the amount of support they have I’m sure the opposition teams will know that a win in Menorca will be something that is quite hard to achieve. If you have never seen a basketball game, I would urge you to come along. Follow the team on Facebook to find out their next home game. I promise you; you won’t be disappointed! Una Illa un equip!

MENS FOOTBALL IN MENORCA For the first time since 2017, Menorca has two teams in the national football divisions, with CE Alaior and CE Mercadal competing in the RFEF Tercera. Following the recent re-structure, the RFEF Tercera (previously the third division) is now the fifth tier of Spanish football. Newly promoted Alaior, Menorcan champions last season successfully navigated the tricky promotion play-offs to go up. Mercadal earned their way back to the division as invincible champions of Menorca back in 2022, after their relegation in 2019 had left Menorca without a representative in national competition for the first time ever. Beneath Tercera - which is formed of 18 groups, with the Menorcan clubs being grouped with other clubs from the Balearics - is the Regional Preferente Menorca.

Below them, there are now 11 clubs competing in Regional Preferente Menorca, with Penya Ciutadella making a return for 2023/24 following a season on the sidelines. Fixtures on the island in December: RFEF Tercera Division: 3rd December - Mercadal v Alcudia A, 17th Dec – Alaior v Constancia, 6th Jan - Mercadal v Platges de Calvia, 13th January Alaior v Mallorca B, 21st January Mercadal v CD Ibiza Islas Pitiusas, 28 January Alaior v CD Ibiza Islas Pitiusas *Please be aware that fixtures can be played on either Saturday or Sunday each weekend, with exact days/times usually announced 10 days in advance. For all the latest, visit www.menorcafootball.com or follow @MenorcaFootball on Twitter.

Whether Mercadal or Alaior can push on further from Tercera remains to be seen. As we went to press CE Mercadel were in 10th position having won 3 drawn 3 and lost 3 while CE Alaior were in 15th having won 2, drawn 2 and lost 5. Games in Tercera are generally well organised, with teams playing home and away in alternate weeks. Away games of course means trips overseas for Mercadal and Alaior, with the exception of the highly-anticipated “Menorcan derby”, the first time two Menorcan teams have faced each other in the division since Penya Ciutadella’s relegation in 2017. Mercadal were at home for the first, on November 5, which ended 1-1. The return is at Los Pinos on March 24. The way the fixtures have worked out means for the majority of the time, there is one game of Tercera on the island each week - with Mercadal seemingly at home when Alaior are away, and vice-versa. ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

LOCAL NEWS

WINTER 2023

THE DANGERS OF CHRISTMAS FOR DOGS AND CATS

by ROQUETA’s VET Caroline Langlois

Phone or WhatsApp: +34 685753292 Email: vetmenorca@gmail.com C/Santa Victoria 30, 07701 Mahon Here we are, first days of December have arrived, and Christmas spirit moves into our homes: decorations, Christmas trees, gift shopping, meals planning... enough to put a smile on our faces. But while our homes are being lit up and our furry friends are playing with the tree, it’s important to remember that not everything is without danger for our four-legged friends: it doesn’t take long for something silly to happen! You need to be vigilant! For a worry-free festive season, find out our advice on how to protect your dogs and cats. Which Christmas foods are dangerous for them? Chocolate: It contains theobromine, a deadly poison for your dog. Beware of those who are on the lookout for food left unattended, as it only takes 100 mg of theobromine, i.e. 100 g of dark chocolate, to kill a 10 kg dog. Cats rarely like chocolate, but for those who eat everything, watch out!

Also beware of candles, which can fall, burn your pet and even set the house on fire. Never leave your pet unsupervised in a room with Christmas decorations and candles! Gift packaging: wrapping paper, ribbons or scotch tape, or even plastic bags can represent a risk for your pet. Strings are an invitation to play for them, but if ingested, they can lead to very serious complications. We’re used to rolling up gift wrap into a ball and throwing it away, which is considered to be a toy for our pets. The danger lies in the risk of ingestion if the ball is small, and in the toxicity of certain packaging papers. So be sure to pick up any rubbish! Toxic Christmas plants

Grapes: which so attractively decorate cheese platters and are eaten with the striking of the clock at midnight on December 31st in Spain are a danger that is often ignored. Even if the mechanism is not yet known, a bunch of grapes can be enough to kill a 10 kg dog. However, there have been no cases of cat poisoning associated with grape ingestion. Garlic, onions and shallots: they are toxic for blood cells. Inappropriate or too fatty food: in other words, foods that are not made for them! At the very least, they will suffer from gastric problems if they eat unusual foods, as the change in diet will cause a change in transit. Christmas decorations are generally dangerous Christmas decorations: tinsels, electric garlands and baubles are all potential new toys for your dog and cat, and novelty can be tempting! Swallowing some of these objects can cause digestive obstruction, so keep a close eye on them, fix the tree properly and place “high-risk” decorations on the highest branches! Electric tinsel can burn or electrocute your pet... Ideally, the tree should be placed as close as possible to a socket so that the electrical cords are as short as possible and extension leads are avoided. Baubles are often fragile and can break once dropped. The fragments are sharp and can injure your pets if they step on them or if they try to eat them, so make sure you secure them properly and if possible use sturdier or plastic balls! Artificial snow, on the other hand, is made from an inert plastic material, so is not, in principle, very dangerous. However, the solvents in the solution contained in the spray shouldn’t be ingested during application (before drying). Be sure to dispose of the used can out of your dog’s reach.

Mistletoe: it contains a toxic substance dangerous to the nervous and cardiac systems. Symptoms to watch out for: loss of balance, hypersensitivity, excessive salivation, vomiting, diarrhoea, low blood pressure, increased urine output. This intoxication is potentially fatal, and veterinary advice is urgently required.

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

WINTER 2023

Holly: one or two berries are not necessarily very harmful to the animal (although you do need to be very careful), but ingesting even a small quantity can be very dangerous or even fatal. Symptoms to look out for: vomiting, diarrhoea, excessive salivation and a depressed animal. This intoxication is potentially fatal, and veterinary advice should be sought as a matter of urgency.

MENORCA CHARITY PLAYERS

Winter/Christmas cherry: the entire plant is toxic. If ingested: diarrhoea and vomiting. If in contact: irritation, oedema, conjunctivitis, watering of eyes. Careful rinsing of infected areas is recommended, as well as a consultation with a vet in the event of ingestion. Poinsettia: its leaves contain a highly irritating white latex. The toxic doses of poinsettia are not known, but the molecules it contains are highly toxic, making it one of the most irritating latex plants. If ingested: excessive salivation, stomatitis (irritation of the oral cavity), vomiting and diarrhoea. If in contact: intense irritation of the area concerned. Latex sprayed into the eyes rapidly causes eye irritation, which may lead to excessive tear production, conjunctivitis and/or corneal ulceration. Party stress Christmas is an unusual event, one that brings with it major changes of habit. Your dog, and especially your cat, will see their habits turned upside down and their house invaded! A very young dog or cat, but especially an older animal, can become disorientated and lose its bearings. Leave your fearful or timid dog or cat alone in a quiet room. He won’t feel punished, but rather reassured not to be among so many people. Your vet also has a range of natural products with no side-effects that can help combat stress. The festive season is a special time that can be shared with your pet. You just need to take a few precautions to ensure that everything goes smoothly. Think about it, and happy holidays!

TREBALUGER EQUINE RESCUE CENTRE I would like to thank all of the visitors and volunteers this summer, It’s been lovely to show people the hard work we do and for supporting us through donations and purchases from our small shop. We have had visitors from all over the world and have made new friends. There have been dedicated volunteers who spent their holidays helping to care for the animals we have and in the heat it was much needed!

“So long, Farewell…”, to quote from The Sound of Music. As you probably know, the Menorca Charity Players has been disbanded this year so we have been distributing the last of our funds. We have donated to a diverse variety of organisations here on the island, with each of the organisations below receiving 250€ from us in the last few months. • ALBA • The Alzheimer’s Association • Defensa Animales • The Menorca Junior Rugby Squad • Ukrainian Refugees Our ‘physical assets’ have been distributed to different places (charities, other organisations and, sadly, some to the tip!) and the small amount of money remaining after our outstanding expenses will be shared between Age Concern Menorca and the Anglican Church in Menorca, both of which have given us an incredible amount of support over the years. So... Goodbye to all members past, present and those, sadly, no longer with us, who have made the Menorca Charity Players possible over the years, enabling the MCP to raise the much needed money to donate to local charities and organisations. Also farewell to our audiences who have generously supported our productions. We certainly did well! Thank you all!

I hope to see you all again next year. The winter now draws in with dark nights but we still have to be there feeding, mucking out and spending time with them all. We still need volunteers and help if anyone can spare 2 hrs a week, you will be very welcome and we have lots of coffee! We are open everyday for visitors 09.30-12.30 hrs all winter. We are now getting ready for Christmas with market stalls at the Es Castell Christmas fair and Jardi de ses Bruixas market weekend . We have a lot of gift ideas and of course 2024 calendars for sale. If you are stuck for ideas for Christmas presents why not buy a bag of food for the animals at the rescue center, we can then send you a digital gift card to print. I hope everyone has a great winter and look forward to keeping you updated on the work we are doing next year. ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

LOCAL NEWS

WINTER 2023

AGE CONCERN MENORCA VOLUNTEERING AT AGE CONCERN – A VOLUNTEER´S PERSPECTIVE FROM TRACEY When I started volunteering at Mahon’s Age Concern – ‘AC’ as it’s known - we had recently moved to ‘Paradise Island’ during the pandemic and just a few months prior to ‘Brexit’. I wanted to get involved in the local way of life, mingle with locals, and try and pick up some of the language. I was surprised how rewarding volunteering was. All the volunteers are giving up their time for the benefit of others and receiving no payment, but reward comes in many different forms and you make a lot of new friends as a volunteer. You meet interesting people from lots of different cultures. The AC store becomes a meeting point and a hive of activity. Donations of property arrive every day and the volunteer team have a massive task to sort, launder and distribute either for sale or to be recycled. Lee, the shop manager, does an amazing job and one of his roles is collecting donated furniture. He also has volunteers who help using our AC van. Many different people come to the store looking for useful items of furniture, baby equipment, general household items, clothing, and books. Some people use the store like a library. For 20 centimos per book or a euro for 6 books you understand why. There are masses of good books on sale.

Taken outside our shop we have Tony, (Vice President), Milan, Tracey and Jenny, (Shop Volunteers) and Elaine from Support in Spain.

You get to realise how kind people are in general. Not just because of items they are donating but the quality of goods that are being handed over when those who donate could make a buck or two from selling elsewhere. The store is open every morning Mon – Sat. 9.45am till 1.15pm. While volunteering you get the feeling of community spirit and friendship. Everyone who walks in the door is greeted with a friendly ‘hola’ or ‘buenas dias’. Medical equipment such as zimmer frames and wheelchairs are also loaned out from the store at very reasonable, returnable deposits. Lifeline offers a helpline to the folk in need and if anyone needs translation help at hospitals this is available too. Age Concern also organise two monthly luncheons, at present one at Bar Pons in Cala en Porter and the other at Can Avelino 23, Mahon, always with a raffle so that is a nice social thing to do. Everyone is welcome. You don’t have to be a member but if you are there is a discount! Why not bring an elderly neighbour along to one of the lunches during the winter months and make their day? It makes you feel good to do something amazing for other people. During the autumn of our lives (taken from Paul Strudwick’s October issue) while we still have strength in our bodies and sound minds (hopefully) do something amazing and find out for yourself just how rewarding giving up a few hours of your time volunteering at Age Concern can be.

The volunteers who shift the stuff! Ratan and Alex.

KEY INFORMATION: Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday, 09.45 – 13.15. (Closed Afternoons) For the latest information and current offers follow us on facebook or visit our website. General Email: Visit Our Website: Follow Us On Facebook: Social Secretary: Membership Lifeline:

SOCIAL EVENTS We are having a Christmas Lunch in December at Bar Pons on the first Thursday of December to replace the usual fish and chips but currently there is a waiting list for places! You can check with Sandy if you would still like to attend. Our second monthly lunch, held on the third Thursday is at Ca´n Avelino 23. In January, we are taking a break as restaurants are usually closed for staff holidays, and our next lunch dates will be in February on the first and third Thursday of the month. Please contact Sandy or Chris below Bar Pons, Telephone Sandy on 650 729 430 Ca’n Avelino Telephone Chris on 669 949 370

Menorca@Ageconcern.org.es Www.ageconcernmenorca.com Age Concern Menorca 2015 Menorca@Ageconcern.org.es Sandy: 699 901 777 or 650 729 439 Chris: 669 949 370 Secretary:menorca@Ageconcern.org.es 620 017 437 Lifelineminac@Gmail.com 676 904 487

Medical & Mobility Equipment Loan By Appointment Only: Acmenorcamedequip@Gmail.com 629 016 307 Shop: Menorca@Ageconcern.org.es 971 156 110 Shop Manager:

Menorca@Ageconcern.org.es 636 347 286

A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

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

WINTER 2023

The Menorca Gospel Choir began its activity in the fall of 2017 and was registered under the name Cor de Gospel Menorca as an Association of the Balearic Islands in October 2018. The Choir is directed by maestro Tilman Mijares with 45 singers and 5 musicians under his direction. Tilman also plays the keyboard and is accompanied by a drummer, a bass and a guitar. The group is made up of singers of various nationalities, including Italian, French, English and of course, Spanish. The singers range in age from 20 years to 75. The choir is a non-profit organisation, which aims to promote musical culture, with a preferential attention to African American gospel and choral music, as a medium by which to transmit a message of understanding, tolerance, solidarity and respect for human rights. The Menorca Gospel Choir is a space for personal growth and vocal and musical learning for its members. They put their voices at the service of any good cause especially those in the areas of social work, education and health. The choir performs many times a year at different events on the island and they have also travelled to take part in events in Barcelona. Performances in 2022 included the Musical Gala for the benefit of AECC at the Calós Theater in Ciutadella and participation at the International Gospel Festival, One Heart, in Barcelona. In 2023 they performed in a Choral exchange with Vadegospel de Barcelona and participated in the international event “Choirs for Peace”. In September they put on a Concert at Orfeó Maonès and in October performed in the Theater des Born to celebrate 30 years of the Menorca Biosphere Reserve. More recently they sang at the Solidarity Dinner by the Spanish Association against Cancer – at Club Nautic, Ciutadella. If you would like to see them perform they will be singing at the Christmas concert at the Ferreries Auditorium on December 17th.

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

LOCAL NEWS

WINTER 2023

SPIRITUAL WELLBEING

By Rev Paul Strudwick

if they survive, are left with physical and emotional damage and trauma. The term ‘collateral damage’ was first coined in 1961, but really came to the fore during the Gulf War in 1991. It originated as a term to distinguish the death, injury and damage inflicted accidentally during military operations. However, it seems to have degenerated into a euphemism that trivialises or even dehumanises those who are not primarily involved in military conflict. And many of those are, indeed, children. We know this. But we often choose to look the other way, often because of what has been termed ‘compassion fatigue’, when we see so much devastation and need in our world that it becomes overwhelming. It would be easy to descend into despair. But despair is a temptation: a temptation to be resisted.

Winter brings us into a season that may be characterised by two factors. We descend into increasing darkness, but then we emerge from it. And we enter a time when we celebrate the gift of childhood, whether or not we do so willingly, or consciously, all based upon the birth of one child. To be a child in the 2020s is vastly different from being a child in the mid twentieth century. There is a line from Laurie Lee’s Cider With Rosie, that I have quoted before in these pages: ‘I belonged to that generation which saw, by chance, the end of a thousand years’ life’. He was writing in 1959 about life in the 1920s, as the industrial revolution belatedly made its presence felt in his Cotswold village and the surrounding countryside. In the hundred years since then, childhood has undergone numerous changes. At one level we indulge (many would say, overindulge) our children nowadays, and we are zealously protective of them. And yet: what is the net effect of that sort of ‘protection?’ I have watched the children of a family who came to Menorca within the last ten years as they played, without any real restriction, in the fields and hills around their home near to the Favaritx road. Very few children of their generation have had that sort of liberty to roam freely in the environment around them. And something is lost as a result of the kind of care that stifles play. There are, of course, many places in the world where the value attached to children is honoured more in the breach than the observance of care. Khaled Juma, a Palestinian poet wrote ‘On The Rascal Children of Gaza’ in 2014. Oh rascal children of Gaza, You who constantly disturbed me with your screams under my window, You who filled every morning with rush and chaos, You who broke my vase and stole the lonely flower on my balcony, Come back and scream as you want. Break all the vases. Steal all the flowers. Come back. Just come back. It is a poignant reminder that while many western children are closeted without the freedom to roam in their environs by a protective culture, many more children cannot have that freedom for a very different reason, because they are trapped in a world where adults play violent games in which death prowls relentlessly through cities, towns and villages, indiscriminately claiming lives without regard for race, religion, gender, class, and especially age. In 1919, Eglantyne Jebb founded Save The Children in London, with the belief that ‘every child deserves a future’. She saw pictures of children starving because of Allied blockades and protested against them. Many people turned a blind eye, not wanting to acknowledge that governments acting in their name could allow lack of humanitarian concern to prevail. Because of her protest, she was arrested and fined, and went before a judge to plead her case. The judge was so impressed by her fiery determination to help children, that he paid her fine himself and joined her cause. In the wake of the first world war, Eglantyne Jebb wrote: ‘All wars, whether just, or unjust, disastrous or victorious are waged against the child’. In the world we inhabit that is still true, with increasingly destructive arms. The now-prevalent waging of war against civilians inevitably destroys the lives of children who, even

In the nineteenth century, the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, complained of the rich that they had no idea what ordinary lives were like. He said that many do not know because they do not care to know. He challenged those whom he saw as being guilty of pleading voluntary ignorance as an excuse for hardness of heart. In today’s world we have no excuse for not knowing, other than an even worse kind of voluntary ignorance to justify indifference to suffering. We have plenty of opportunity to direct our attention, to see, rather than to look blindly, to hear, rather than to listen with deaf ears, and a responsibility to act upon what gains our attention. Well, winter is upon us, and we are moving into darkness, but winter is not really a season of darkness. It is a season when darkness approaches, but then recedes. The Christian focus of Christmas is on the child whose birth is celebrated (the clue is in the name!), who grew up to show how human lives can be beacons of light in dark places. We live in testing times when we search for wisdom, as well as for imaginative, compassionate, energetic, ethical leadership that really is needed for global and societal challenges that are interconnected, unprecedented and unavoidable. Christmas reminds us that days can become brighter, and that while we cannot alter the trajectory of the earth as it rotates and circles the sun, we can take a lead from the example of the child whose birth is celebrated at Christmas. For example, that child models how to direct love, in all senses of the term, into the world: ‘Love came down at Christmas’ we sing in a carol. Thomas Aquinas, the thirteenth century friar, priest, scholar, influential philosopher and theologian, once wrote that love is work, work that involves a choice to will the good of the other. In other words, love is more about decision than emotion. In terms of paying attention, Jesus is the model of someone who listened, intently, especially to those to whom no one else would listen: children, the ‘unclean’, women, those who were ill, foreigners, even Roman occupiers. As a result, he often elicited a change of heart, or a change of circumstances, and that is something within our grasp today, if only we will listen. Let’s look beyond the darker aspects of winter, remember that it is a time of transition towards light, and in our own way do all that we can to lighten the darker areas of life around us, especially where children are concerned.

CHURCH NEWS 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. The church web site will continue to be the place to seek up-to-date news and information about online worship: anglicanchurchmenorca.com. Services of Lessons and Carols will be held in Ciutadella at noon on Saturday 16 December (check web site for location) and at 18:00 on Sunday 17 December (at which the chaplain will probably once again attempt to persuade the congregation that ‘While Shepherds Watch’ really can be sung to the tune of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!). There will be early evening and ‘midnight’ services on Christmas Eve, and an 11:00 service on Christmas Day - please see the church web site for details.

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

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

WINTER 2023 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

WINTER 2023

12 December: Royal ballet performance of The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, 8.15pm at Cine Es Moix Negre, Ciutadella. 15 December – 5 January: Exhibition of Nativity scenes in Sala d’Exposicions Sant Antoni, c/ s’Arraval 32, Mahón. 15 December Opening of the Nativity Scene of Ferreries 8:30pm at Sala de Exposiciones c/ Beat Joan Huguet, 48 23 December Vermut and Menorquin singers 13:30pm in Las Casa Gastronomica, Ferreries and at 5pm Fandango All Stars perform in the Ferreries Auditorium. 24 December – 5 January: Nativity scenes in Ciutadella: Cathedral, Town hall, Santa Clara, Sant Miquel, Sant Francesc and the Seminari. 26 December – Swim across the Port of Mahon 12 noon ‘Travesía del puerto nadando’, E muelle de la Autoridad Portuaria. 28 December: Christmas story telling (in Catalan), 6pm at the Museo de Menorca in Mahón. Places to be booked from 22 December by phoning 971350955, or on the website https://www.museudemenorca.com/ca/ activitats/contacontes-de-nadal/44

CHRISTMAS MARKETS Mahón: 6 –10 December from 10am to 8.30pm in Ses Moreres and Plaça Constitució. Ciutadella: 7–10 December, in Plaça Catedral. Open on 7 December from 5 to 10pm, 8 and 9 December from 10am to 10pm, and 10 December from 10am to 8pm. Ferreries 8, 9 y 10 December – Christmas fair in Plaza Francesc d’Albranca Hotel Ses Bruixes: 15 – 17 December. Open 15 December from 5 to 8 pm, and on 16 and 17 December from 10am to 8pm in Carrer San Fernando, Mahón.

CHRISTMAS EVENTS 6 December: The Christmas lights are switched on by the Christmas elves Llumets as they climb down the bell tower of Santa Maria church, 6pm, in Plaça Constitució, Mahón. 7 December Switching on the Christmas lights in Ferreries with the Show Frozen and Olaf de Disney in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento

Alaior 22 December – 4 January El Mercado de Navidad en Alaior, Plaça des Ramal. The skating rink, an important Christmas attraction, will be located in the municipal sports center of Alaior as well as the Nativity scene that can be visited in the Patio de sa Luna, Cloister of the Convent of San Diego. 16 and 17th December Es Castell Mercado de Navidad 10:00 h. a 14:00 h

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

WHAT’S ON

WINTER 2023

REYES MAGOS PROCESSION. 5 January: The traditional procession celebrating the arrival of the three Wise Men takes place on the eve of the day of Reyes (6 January). The main events are in Ciutadella, and in Mahón. Mahón: The Reyes Magos arrive at 6pm by boat in the port of Mahón (by the Port Authorities building). The procession then makes its way up to the town hall. Ciutadella: The procession of the Reyes Magos sets off at 7pm from the horse roundabout, down the Camí de Maó, round to the Plaça Born and up through Ses Voltes Ferreries - The procession of the Reyes Magos sets off at 7pm

SANT ANTONI CELEBRATIONS: PATRON SAINT OF MENORCA ON 17TH JANUARY. 13-17 January: Sant Antoni market held in Avda Constitució (by the windmill), in Ciutadella. Open on 13, 14 and 15 January from 10am to 10pm and on 17 January from 10am to 8pm. 17 January: Day of Menorca, with the celebration ‘Tres Tocs’ taking place in Plaça Palmeres, Ciutadella at 12 noon.

CARNIVAL: This is celebrated in all the towns across the island. The main events are: Saturday 10 February: carnival floats in the evening in Mahón. Sunday 11 February: carnival floats in the afternoon in Ciutadella.

TEATRE DES BORN https://www.teatredesborn.com/ Tickets can be obtained online or from the ticket office in the theatre (open Tuesdays 11.30am to 1pm and Thursdays 7 to 8.30pm, as well as one hour before the start of the show). 2 December. Drama La Triada, 8.30pm. 4 December: Music show Alternatilla Jazz, 8.30pm. 5 December: Monologue by Pere Arquillué, 8pm. 8 December. Dance show by Art en Moviment, 8pm. 10 December: Drama La mala dicció, 7.30pm. 17 December: Dance show Hem de parlar, 7.30pm. 22 December: Concert The Other Side: A Pink Floyd Live Experience, 8.30pm. 30 December: New Year’s Eve concert performed by the OCIM, 8pm. 4 January: Children’s concert Dàmaris Gelabert & The Grow up singing band, 12 noon and 5pm.

TEATRE PRINCIPAL

WANTED

This is the oldest opera house in Spain, dating from 1829, with a wide programme of shows and concerts. Address: Carrer d’en Deià 40, Mahón Tickets available online or from the box office. Box office open mornings Tuesday to Saturday 11.30am to 1.30pm. Afternoons: Thursday and Friday 6.30 to 8.30pm. www.teatremao.com

Long term villa/apartment rental from April 2024, Mahon side of the Island preferably. For further information please contact Angie: angie@roquetamagazine.net

2 December: Un Conte de Nadal, Dickens’ tale in Catalan, 6pm.

Private garden maintenance services and pool cleaning. Help looking after animals in your own home on the island. Oven cleaning service especially to UK non resident families. Contact pemigogardens@aol.com Tel: +44 7770233986 or +34 604907638.

15 December: Christmas concert performed by the Menorca Conservatoire, 7pm. 28 December: Schubertiada en el Principal, concert of classical music, 8pm. 3 January: Children’s music show, La Gira dels 25, with Dàmaris Gelabert & The Grow Up singing band, at 4.15pm, also 6.30pm.

WE OFFER

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

WINTER 2023

LIVE MUSIC: ‘Una Nit amb Sinatra’, music show 1 December: 8pm, in Sala Multifuncional Es Mercadal. 2 December: 8pm in Orfeón Mahonés, Mahón. 3 December: 7.30pm in Casino 17 de Gener, Ciutadella Thalassa Maritime Heritage Centre – Es Castell 16 December Glosa amb Soca de Mots Improvised music and poetry 6pm Free entrance 14 January – Eva Pons Trio 6pm Free Entrance Classical music in Convent Sant Diego, Alaior. Concerts start at 7.30pm. Admission is free. 10 December: Xavi Tortosa (piano). 17 December. Kambrass (wind quintet) 8 December 7pm Christmas concert Academia de Música Adagio. Place: Ferreries Auditorium. Tickets: €5 Seniors/ €8 General. Organized by: Ajuntament de Ferreries. 17th December Menorca Gospel Choir Concert, Ferreries Auditorium.

SALA ALBERT CAMUS Carrer de Sant Lluis 58, Sant Lluis www.salaalbertcamus.org 2 December: Flamenco Fusion show Son Lerele, 8pm. 9 December: Drama Hasta que la muerte nos separe, 8pm. 13 December: Conference on managing modern technology within the family, 7.30pm. 17 December: Film Gremlins, 5pm.

OCIMAX CINEMA MAHÓN: https://www.aficine.com/cine/ocimaxmahon/ Cineclub films sometimes shown in the original language; check website for more details.

FILM AND CINEMA Historical Film Series: screening of classic films at 8.30pm on the last Wednesday of the month at the Teatre des Born in Ciutadella. Entrance free. Dates: 27 December, 31 January, 28 February, 27 March, 24 April and 29 May.

FILM NOIR SEASON: At the Ocimax cinema, Mahón at 8.30pm. 11 December: Al caer la noche 15 January: Carga Maldita 5 February: El infierno del odio. 18 March: Me convirtieron en un criminal 6 May: Catorce horas 3 June: The racquet.

CINEMES MOIX NEGRE CIUTADELLA http://www.cinesmoixnegre.org/ Films shown in the original language occasionally on Wednesdays at 8.30pm. Cineclub films screened every Tuesday and Thursday at 8.30pm. 12 December: Royal ballet performance of The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, 8.15pm at Cine Es Moix Negre, Ciutadella. 28 December: Concerto per Milano performed in Piazza del Duomo, Milan by the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, 8.15pm at Cine Es Moix Negre, Ciutadella.

FERRERIES FIERA DE PAN – 16-17 March. An event to promote the locally produced Bread, and accompanying meat and cheese products with workshops, cooking demonstrations, music and tapas ROQ U E TA M AGA ZI N E . N E T

WHAT’S ON

WINTER 2023

MARKETS FARMERS’ MARKETS Ciutadella: Saturdays 9am to 1pm 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). Es Mercadal: Mercat de Tardor Thursdays in Carrer Nou, 10am to 1pm. Ferreries: Saturdays, 9am to 1pm in Plaza España (main square). Including Sat 2 December 9 am Agroalimentario 0Km plus 12noon Sidra Music Festiva Fornells: Mercat de Tardor on 3, 17 and 31 December, 9am to 12 noon, in Carrer Major.

STREET MARKETS Mahón: Tuesday and Saturday 9am to 1pm in the Plaça Esplanada. Alayor: Thursday morning in town centre. Sant Lluis: Mondays and Wednesdays, 10am to 1pm in Pla de sa Creu. Es Castell: Mondays and Wednesdays, 9am to 1pm in Plaza Esplanada. Ferreries: Fridays 9am to 1pm in Plaça Espanya.

SAVE THE DATE 10th edition of Brou Days On December 13, 20, 27, 2023 and January 3, 10, 24, and 31, 2024 “Brou”, is a Menorcan stew and it can be enjoyed at a variety of local restaurants for 2 months in the winter as a warming lunch. The Brou Menorquí is typically served as two dishes, a first dish of soup (brou) adding noodles, and a second dish with potatoes, chickpeas and meat. List of restaurants will be published on www.gastronomiamenorca.es 9 March, Art Class Exhibition, Casino Bar San Climente, 11.00am to 3.00pm

MENORCAN HORSE SHOW 3 - 5 May in the Recinte Firal, Es Mercadal. All about the Menorcan breed and its morphology. www.caballomenorquin.com

HATS AND HORSES 1 June: The seventh edition of Hats and Horses will take place at the Mahón Hippodrome, 11am to 7pm. See website for details www.hatsandhorses.com

ARCHAEOLOGY: GUIDED VISITS These tours are in Catalan and are free of charge: you just need to sign up for them. 3 December: Torrellisar Vell and So na Caçana. Details of times and meeting places are given when you sign up for them on the website (www.gobmenorca. com/inscripcio-excursio) or by phoning 971 35 07 62 14 December: Tasting history: a talk about Menorca’s earliest beer, 7pm in Can Saura, Carrer del Santíssim 2, Ciutadella. Free of charge, but places must be booked on museu@aiciutadella.org 17 December: Visit Sant Vicenç d’Alcaidús, group of prehistoric circular dwellings. 11 am. Free of charge, but places must be booked on www. menorcatalayotica.info/agenda/agenda or by phoning 971 350 955 The Prehistoric Sites of Talayotic Menorca: this is the latest addition to the list of UNESCO World Heritages sites. The winter months are the perfect time to explore Talayotic Menorca as the sites are all open to the public free of charge. Check out the website (in English, Spanish and Catalan) for a description of all the monuments: www.menorcatalayotica.info 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

WINTER 2023

MENORCA LINDY FESTIVAL

JAZZ FESTIVAL

1 - 5 May: Menorca Lindy Exchange, in Ciutadella. https://www.menorcalindyexchange.com/.

The Menorca Jazz festival is expected to take place in the spring of 2024 https://www.menorcajazzfestival.com/

DISCOVER ALAIOR IN THE WINTER MONTHS Explore the town of Alaior including Sta Eulalia church and the Civil War air raid tunnels, ending up with a tasting of local food. The association Rutas Turistica Alaior is running guided tours in English all winter. Check the website for more details, or phone Marti (he speaks English) on 696 13 89 54. https://www.rutaturisticaalaior.com/

SPORTS EVENTS Walk for health: Every Wednesday, setting off from the obelisk in Plaça Born, Ciutadella. 9.30 to 11.30am. Organised by Asociación Española contra el cancer.

GETTING AROUND THE ISLAND

ARTS AND CRAFTS OF CIUTADELLA The town hall is running guided tours in English, Spanish and Catalan on the arts and crafts of Ciutadella, throughout December. Dates: 5 December, 13 December, 15 December and 20 December at 10.30am. These tours are free, but places need to be booked in advance by emailing enjoyciutadella@gmail.com, specifying the language required.

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.

EXHIBITIONS LÔAC: Contemporary art gallery located at Calle Santiago Pons Quintana 56, Alaior. Open Tuesdays to Fridays 5 to 8pm, and Saturdays and Sundays 10am to 1.30pm and 5 to 8pm. Admission 5€. Conciliar. La Aguja de la Giganta, by Nuria Román in Capella de Gràcia Exhibition hall (Carrer des Coll des Palmer 2, Alaior). Open Tuesdays to Sundays 6.30 to 8.30pm. Admission free. Until 20 January.

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.

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

MADE IN MENORCA

WINTER 2023

MEN IN RCA MADE

By Alison Gurney

A FAMILY TREASURE TO REMEMBER ‘Paper People With A Little Piece Of Soul’ This was the headline for an article in the first of Roqueta magazine’s return to print. It featured the work of the papier-mâché artist Gloria Esbert. She works from her studio in San Luis to make miniature models of people inspired by those around her and as commissions. Our friend Carey, who has been holidaying in Menorca for over 30 years, read the article and fell in love with the pictures of the little people. She was holidaying with us this year for the first time on her own, following the sudden death of her husband Ian in January. This was a visit where we would be doing different things. So we decided to go to find Gloria’s studio and see her little people in real life. Her work is enchanting. Carey decided that it would be a lovely idea to commission a model of her with Ian. She chose a photo of them sitting on the rainbow bench in Es Castell outside the church. She exchanged photos and ideas with Gloria having decided to have themselves dressed in summer clothes . On her return with her daughter and family in August it was time to collect her model. It was a brilliant moment when Gloria revealed the finished piece to Carey and her daughter, Alexis. Alexis had no idea why we were visiting a random house in San Luis! The finished art work is a great reminder of all the time they spent together in Menorca over the years and has already become became a precious family treasure. Wrapped very carefully, it travelled safely to Northumberland.

Carey and Ian sitting on the rainbow bench in Es Castell

Carey and her daughter, Alexis with papier-mâché artist Gloria

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

WINTER 2023

PIG TALES

By Rachael Adams

HOW TO GET A PIG INTO A CAR - PATIENCE, PERSEVERANCE, AND BISCUITS

once she got there. No amount of pushing gets me anywhere. on She can reverse and spin surprisingly fast. Full of hell, there’s S nnothing worse than an overheating pot belly: she vents her aanger in bloodcurdling screams so that everybody knows yyou’re torturing her. She also has horizontally-oriented minittusks that she can slash your femoral artery with in one fell sswipe of the head. Brute force just doesn’t work. So back to horse thinking: all negotiations are a trade-off S between keeping her calm, but not giving her too much time to think about things either. The opposite door had to be open so she could see light and know she wasn’t being forced into a bottomless tunnel of death and doom. She needed lots of persuasion via Mc Vitie’s Digestives once inside. She needed firm knee-nudges up the rear end but plenty of space at the front end so she didn’t feel cornered. Block the back, open the front. And just like a horse; if she baulked th the first time, a wee breather, a big swooping circle, lots of momentum and FORWARD! - No? Okay then, wee breather and again. But I’m never going to give up. Quiet, quiet, no fuss and firm. WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE. 45 minutes later…it worked! I got her to the vet, she had her €450e eye operation and came home sporting dissolvable stitches.

I’m dripping with sweat. It’s nearly dark. We’re miles from home. We’ve been in Son Saura car park wrestling to get Dot into the car for 45 minutes now. She’s having none of it. I’m bent double trying to simultaneously push her towards her ramp and block her from turning sideways. My friend is videoing. Her two damn dogs are yapping their heads off. “NO – NO – NO – NO - NO— it’s too noisy!” - I grimace to myself. “Everything is wrong!”. Dot let’s out a sudden bark and I back off immediately. That’s what she does when she’s dangerously stressed. She needs a rest and so do I. My ears are ringing from all the squealing and my head is spinning… When I got piggle 11 years ago, she travelled home unceremoniously wrapped in a towel. I cradled her from Binidalí to Ciudadella while my friend drove. She screamed full throttle when I first picked her up - but the man explained she’d soon settle down if I rubbed her belly. I realised then that moving her wouldn’t be so simple once she got bigger: she needed to train her to load into my van. Her training was long and tiring but I wanted to take her for adventurous walks and I might need to take her to the vet one day. I quickly (and gleefully) learnt to cast all concern for legalities aside and to imagine I was dealing with a horse. Or at least something heavy and temperamental that could injure me. Also, it turned out, something extremely clever and strong willed. Pig-headed they say. Dot roamed the garden gorging on palm dates and wild olives, so it was impossible to keep her weight down. When she was about 1-year-old the roll of fat that pot-bellies get above their eyes got very fat indeed. It squashes their eyelids down so that they can’t see. It’s called “mechanical blindness” – piggy obviously needed an eye lift. Alas, getting Dot to go up her ramp into mam’s Clio was a battle of wits: I just had to keep insisting that she needed her piggy outing and that she’d love it

And so, for the first few years of her life she travelled in the rear footwell - just like Bruno her dad. Pigs are quite narrow creatures, their legs are close together, so being sandwiched behind the seat gave her something to lean against. Of course, sometimes she’d still be difficult but she just learnt that it was pointless making such a ruckus as I turned out to be more pig-headed than her. This morning we’re heading to Es Pinaret to see the donkeys and other pigs and her new vehicle of choice is a vintage VW camper. I prop her ramp up in advance so all I have to do is herd her towards it at speed. There’s a Fig Roll waiting at the top. “Come pig, off we go!”. She complains, letting out a long loud groan all the way to the van so I know what she thinks! Yet she waddles straight up her anti-slip carpet, turns around, stuffs the biscuit in her mouth and gets a kiss for the journey. us Now that she travels in her spacious van, she needs something else too brace her narrow foothold on - so shee stuffs her bum in the corner behind myy seat. I can stroke her bristles en routee for reassurance this way too. Like a horse in a trailer, she’ll never sit down.. Upon arrival she zooms down her ramp and is off to find her pals at a very fast shuffle. I grab her water bowl and scoot after her quick before somebody else reports a lone warthog running amok. I’m so, SO proud of her. Hopefully she’ll get back in after. Caramel Wafer anyone? For some videos of Dot in action see her Instagram account #dottytrotters

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

READERS CORNER

WINTER 2023

OUT AND ABOUT WITH JOHN After what seemed a lifetime, I eventually got the ITV (MOT) on my Triumph Tiger motor bike. Even though it was booked in for the test months ago, and everyone (i.e. the man down the bar) said it was OK to ride due to the massive backlog caused by strikes, I was quite reluctant to risk it. I was not really sure if the insurance was going to be redeemable should you have an accident. I have had quite a lot of dealings with insurance companies with many cars, boats and other household items. Lets just say if they can avoid paying out, they will. Now with ITV sticker in hand (or on top box) where shall I wander? Up hill, down dale? The numerous adventure motorcycle Youtube channels I follow give me lots of ideas. One of my favourites, Itchyboots, is testing a new bike in India, whilst having a break from Africa’s West coast. Perhaps Long Way Round, Down, or Up, will inspire me. Good telly, but the final run on Electric Harleys left me cold, especially in Ushuaia, brrr. The multiple trips by UK and Spanish riders to beautiful Morocco, look fantastic; the colour, the culture and the food, and all not that far away. I could take the ferry to Valencia, ride to Almeria then another ferry to Morocco. Very doable, but a little niggle with my starter motor put some doubt in my mind. At this point, the thought did occur to me that I had lived on Menorca for too long. Was I getting a mild case of agoraphobia? Benny G, from Bambu, didn’t help by going on one of his many, well documented trips. This time to Costa Rica. The photos whatsapped back to me looked fantastic. But with Liz’s impending hip operation around the corner now wasn’t the right time to literally ride off into the sunset. So where shall I go? The boys from the Son Park padel group, which I sometimes join (and that’s another story), also include a small group of

bikers. Perfect. We meet up for a coffee and go for a nice bimble around the island on the now deserted roads. We exchange stories of adventures past; Moto GP’s, sleeping in tents, rain so hard it makes the dye run out of your gloves. All in the safe environment of the café bar atop Monte Toro. On leaving, one of our members bikes decided to alarm everyone, literally;the alarm would not switch off. Maybe the Moroccan Sahara would have been a little bit too much. The pleasure I get from riding my motor bike is not the distance or the speed, no, it’s the camaraderie of other bikers and the feeling of complete freedom. You don’t need to be in a jungle in Asia or a desert in Africa. The swooping bend down to the gorgeous vista of the sea at Santo Tomas is just as rewarding and makes me love biking even more. When I have fitted my new starter motor and Liz is back up and running, I will catch that ferry to Alcudia and ride down to Palma. After a night there and a nice meal with a beer or two I will then get the ferry over to Valencia. The roads around Valencia are superb, so I will enjoy a couple of days touring and then ride up to Barcelona where we can get the overnight ferry back to Mao. It has all the makings of a little adventure. If you feel so inclined there will be lots of room for new members of our group. Pist’N Broke Menorca motorcycle club has a nice ring to it, and we even have a badge. Hopefully, when the time comes for me to write for our Spring issue, I will have started the restoration of my classic Moto Morini 3½. I also hope to bring you details of Simon’s classic Mini Cooper (that belonged to his grandfather). These and similar stories are hopefully going to shoehorn into an always overflowing Roqueta.

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