El Toro and Northeast Menorca

When you tell people you are renting a car overseas they tell you to be careful with driving on the right hand side of the road. Well let me tell you that's not the hard adaptation. When you are on the road, you get your cues from the other traffic. The hardest part is the different controls and feel. The handling was ok, but the diesel engine had insufficient torque at low revs which mean that I couldn't use a gear at a lower speed even with the trick of feathering the clutch; I had to shift down.

But the worst thing was that software engineers have now been allowed to design car controls. For example you nudge the wiper lever up for faster and down for slower. In other words, plus and minus buttons. What's wrong with that, you ask? Well firstly the scheme is not obvious by trying the lever, even with logos on it, and secondly you can't tell what speed you are at by the attitude of the lever, you have to watch the wipers for a while. All this to save a multi-position switch. The sound system controls were a disaster. I wasted 15 minutes before I figured out how to connect my MP3 player to the auxiliary input. Alright, enough ranting. BTW it's the nearest car in the photo, an Opel Corsa diesel hatchback.

My first destination was the summit in the centre of the island, El Toro, which is just outside El Mercadal. Yes, it means the bull, but it seems that the sound of its name predates the arrival of the Europeans. At the top of the hill is a fort, and a church. There is also this statue of Christ which is a bit reminiscent of Cristo Redentor on Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro. Well I suppose it's natural for him to have outstretched arms. There is no chance that you will find a statue where he has his hands in his pockets or behind his back.

There were great views to the north of Menorca, in particular Cap de Cavalleria and Fornells. Ciutadella and Maó were obscured by intervening land. I was lucky that the weather was relatively good. There was a tornado crossing the Mediterranean which had wrought havoc in Valencia, toppling a ferris wheel, among other damage. Those unlucky people had forest fires earlier in the year and now they had floods.

Es Mercadal is in the valley below and you can see highway ME1, the spine of the island's road system, running past it.

I went back to the pasteleria that was closed yesterday. (Actually I left just as the shop assistant was reopening it after siesta, at 1700. Too late, I had a gelato already.) I ordered a coffee and an ensaïmada. According to the menu, the shop was founded in 1884. The young shop assistant, perhaps the daughter of the proprietress, replied in English, even though I had placed my order in Spanish, perhaps for the practice, as the tourism industry requires knowledge of at least basic phrases.

From there I drove up to Cap de Cavalleria, which sticks out like a spike from Menorca. There is a lighthouse there of course, which was put in place after a few ships had come to grief on Menorcan rocks. Driving to these extreme points is an adventure in itself since the access roads are narrow and flanked by stone walls which means you have to drive slowly and be alert to opposing traffic. When you encounter one you have to pull over where the road is wider so that both can pass. Everybody is courteous and there is usually a wave of thanks by both parties.

The coastal views are dramatic, of course.

On the way out I came across a doe and her kid. They were not afraid of the people around so I think visitors have been indulging it. It was heading for me when I took this photo, after failing to get anything from the others. (I didn't have anything for it either.)

Then I backtracked a little to the Platge de Cavalleria. A short climb takes you to a vantage point where you can see the aforementioned beach. Pretty but not so good for swimming.

But the beach on the other side of the view, Platge de Ferragut, was suitable and had orange sand.

Time for lunch. I went to Fornells, as planned. It's a fishing village that has become a holiday resort, but still hasn't been turned into a tasteless town. All the guides say to try the caldereta llagosta (lobster stew), but at 50-70€ per person, minimum two, this was out of my range. I settled on the menu del dia at the Bar S'Algaret with mejilliones de roca a la plancha (grilled mussels) followed by lenguado a la plancha (grilled sole), accompanied by a glass of dry white and finished with a café cortado (short black). All for a very reasonable 16€.

It started pouring while I was lunching, then stopped so I took the chance to take some pictures from the breakwater. On the way a couple was looking at something in the water. Pulpo, said the man. Ah yes octopus, I replied, guessing that they were British. We could see something white scuttling away at the bottom of the water. Not sure how long he'll last there, they'll fish him up and serve him, I said. Unless he starts predicting football matches.

North of the town is the Torre de Fornells which is at the end of the land. From there you can see the cove that Fornells is situated in. It looked like a bit of Scotland. I think the gloomy weather contributed to the impression.

Then on to the last spectacle for the day, Cap de Favàritx. This is a finger of rock that extends northeast from Menorca. The weather there is so horrid that even succulents are absent from the last stretch of rock.

And of course a lighthouse, candy striped this time.

Quite a full day wasn't it?