Report from Menorca [Archive] - Notes from Spain and Spanish Forum

Alan

11th July 2006, 01:27 AM

Hi folks. i'm sitting on my balcony after an evening of altogether too much wine. My girlfriend has gone to bed and i've been left here to ponder the world. I've come to the conclusion that it's not such a bad place :)

We arrived on Saturday night. the bus that was meant to take us to our 'allocation on arrival' hotel was too full to carry us. Lucky for us - there were four stops before we arrived at our hotel. A minibus was hired to take 6 of us to our hotel on the west of Menorca, near Ciutadella, the old capital. I didn't cath the woman's name, but she took us from east to west of the isla in a surprisingly short time. she was very stressed looking and I gave her a 3€ tip.

We arrived in time for dinner, which closed at 10. What a greeting, I thought. as I helped myself to some paella de vermicelli (!!). But it was very nice. I was surprised by the clientelle in the hotel restaurant, mostly Spanish or Italian. This is not what I'm used to when I think of a package holiday! I assured myself that this was to do with the time of day. The Spanish eat later and the English had their dinner at 5pm...

The next morning I found that this was not so. In fact there was barely an English speaker to be found, save the receptionists. I was delighted to find that most of the residents were Spanish. Great, Then they won't accept any crap :) We pretty much spent the day lazing around - fair enough given the story I can't be bothered to type out on my mobile phone.

So today, we got up and had breakfast. We then went to swim a la playa, a small cala full of, but not overcrowded with, holidaymakers. I wanted to leave, but was persuaded to stay by my girlfriend, and i'm now quite burnt. My usual strategy is to hide from the sun.

At about 4.30 we decided to get some lunch - dinner is served until about 10.30pm. We went to a restaurante overlooking the cala called the Miramar. We went in looking forward to some nice fishy dishes and ended up ordering lasaña and espaguetis. My lasaña was cold and I was concerned about my girlfriend's spaghetti. It was full of prawns and other random seafood. I called the waiter.

''sta fria' I said.
'¿fria?'
'si, fria.'

I allowed him to take it away while my girlfriend chewed on her prawny spaghetti. I waited. Nada. I waited some more, and still nada. My girlfriend finished her meal before I had really started mine. And NOW he decided to return with my reheated lasaña. How tempting.

'No lo quiero' I said.

I was greeted by Menorquín rambling. I assumed he was just confirming that no, I did not want the reheated lasagne. And I'm pretty sure he told us to **************** off.

Lovely, I thought. Our first venture outside the hotel for a meal and we've been told where to go. In my typical Scottish manner, I shouted after the fleeing waiter that I would pay for the spaghetti, but I was greeted with a Parisian shrug. Fine, crap food, but at least I got a free beer from you :)

I was not impressed with the food, but he could have been nicer about it. At least, I thought. we'll not be taken for mugs :)

in whole though, I have found the people here (both the staff and holidaymakers) to be very friendly and helpful. But if you don't speak Spanish it is difficult to get what you want.

It's more of a rambling than a post, but I hope it's useful/enjoyable. I'll try to post tomorrow if I can persuade the reception staff to allow me to charge my phone!

al

Ben

11th July 2006, 08:14 AM

Thanks Alan, I hope the food situation improves, but apart from that it sounds like you have ended up in the right place! Some time you'll have to tell us how you post from your mobile too, I'm intrigued. I hope you are taking lots of pics to show us later too!

Ben

Brian

11th July 2006, 12:14 PM

Good for you, Alan, that you didn't take being taken! Sounds like being in Spain is a perfect fit for you. Enjoy your holiday.

Alan

11th July 2006, 02:22 PM

please excuse the lack of capital letters and punctuation. i'm typing from my phone. well, it's more of a computer than a phone :) it runs windows. I have net access at all times, but I'm probably paying a fortune for it.

we're going to take a trip into ciutadella tomorrow. i'll take some photos there and there is a pay-as-you-go computer in the reception. i'll try to get some photos up soon.

we'll have a car on friday and through the weekend. we'll take a trip over to maó and to a beach which is known for its clay. think of lucia y el sexo :)

one thing you can't fail to notice is the number of birds. they're all over the place from the wee sparrow ones which share the pool, and the cala had a family of ducks.

it really is a lovely place.

Marina

11th July 2006, 04:28 PM

Seems like you are ejoying the holidays, also I'm very "proud" that you complained in the restaurant. I think quality of food and service can really improve if people complain when things are not right.

I'd love to see some pics when you are back!!!

Alan

14th July 2006, 07:22 AM

It's proving more difficult to get my photos online than I thought. It may have to wait until I get back. There is a pay as you go computer in the hotel but it doesn't have a USB port. The hotel staff don't seem to understand what it is and insist that is has one. I wonder how long it takes for them to find the power switch on the office computers. My mobile phone doesn't plug into the wall - I need a USB port. I tried to explain this to the receptionist and she pointed to the computer in the lobby. Yes, I was expected to wait for hours while it charged.

I find it very funny that technology is just not as prevalent here. When the receptionist finally understood why I wanted her to take it she was very embarrassed and helpful.

I'm watching the TV. Hundreds of young men are being chased down the street by about a dozen bulls. There is a clock on the corner of the screen, presumably waiting to report the time of the first fatality. There seem to be four injuries - three of them from horns and one from falling down a set of stairs.

We were told in Scotland that the bus service was terrible here. Compared to what, I wonder. Seems pretty good to me, and if we're going by Scottish standards they're positively luxurious. The seats in Scotland are so close together, designed by a pissed off midget determined to get revenge on the world. They are programmed such that the heating system breaks in the winter but they always manage to fix it in time for the summer when it is no longer required. And you get no change.

Here the buses arrive every half hour to an hour (not bad when you remember the population of the island). When you step on, they are like fridges which is very welcome. Yesterday it was 35 degrees.

10 mins on the bus took us into Ciutadella, the old capital. It's a lovely town and if you can possibly visit, you should. Of course, it's very touristy but that's to be expected from an island on which everyone depends directly or indirectly on tourism. We had a lovely lunch of calamares, patatas bravas, pimientos al padrón and cuttlefish. I have a photo of it and I'll post it when I can.

We wanted to visit some of the touristy stuff but the siesta hours of 13h to 17h are so well respected that during those hours, it is impossible to do any shopping and only possible to eat crisps. We didn't get to see anything and the tourist office shut too.

Through the old streets you are reminded of Italy; Small closes that you could reach across and hand a pot of coffee to your neighbour and probably smell what they're making for dinner.

Ciutadella port is very picturesque. The waters are full of fish - a waiter very keen on practising his English informs me that they are mullet. We got a couple of very expensive 'you're paying for the view' drinks and the waiter supplied us with bread. As word got round the port that there was a Scots tourist giving away bread, larger and larger fish arrived. Again, I have some pictures.

The staff of the retaurant were out to have their lunch and talking about whatever girl they had seen passing (¡guapa, guapa, guapa!). We talked about the decline of tourism in Menorca, the similarity of the Scots and the Irish to Asturians, and a mutual hatred of the French (the final 's' of 'los franceses' was hissed) . I actually don't hate the French but it felt good to walllow in the latest World Cup exit. The chef told me how Ciutadella basically shuts in the winter and that he goes fishing then. I don't know if I could take 6-8 months of fishing . . .

Anyway, I'm going to get ready to go to Fornells. ¡ciao!

Edith

14th July 2006, 09:18 AM

Great travelogue Alan! Please keep us posted! I have never been to Menorca, sounds like a nice place.

We were told in Scotland that the bus service was terrible here. Compared to what, I wonder. Seems pretty good to me, and if we're going by Scottish standards they're positively luxurious. The seats in Scotland are so close together, designed by a pissed off midget determined to get revenge on the world. They are programmed such that the heating system breaks in the winter but they always manage to fix it in time for the summer when it is no longer required. And you get no change.

Are you sure you aren't talking about Holland? ;D

Brian

14th July 2006, 12:46 PM

It's proving more difficult to get my photos online than I thought. It may have to wait until I get back. There is a pay as you go computer in the hotel but it doesn't have a USB port.

USB Ports are wonderful, but commonly missing on public kiosks for security reasons.

We talked about ... the similarity of the Scots and the Irish to Asturians,

Interestingly, many Northern Spaniards (Especially Galicians) are from Celtic descent. It makes sense.

The chef told me how Ciutadella basically shuts in the winter and that he goes fishing then. I don't know if I could take 6-8 months of fishing . . .

Careful, Españolero might object to that barbarism. ;D

Edith

14th July 2006, 01:03 PM

USB Ports are wonderful, but commonly missing on public kiosks for security reasons.

By 'public kiosks' you mean cybercafés etc.?

Interestingly, many Northern Spaniards (Especially Galicians) are from Celtic descent. It makes sense.

Yes, they also use bagpipes (gaitas).

Marina

14th July 2006, 01:35 PM

We wanted to visit some of the touristy stuff but the siesta hours of 13h to 17h are so well respected that during those hours, it is impossible to do any shopping and only possible to eat crisps. We didn't get to see anything and the tourist office shut too.

They were not respecting siesta hours:D. That is the shopping time table all around Spain (except in big superstores and chain shops) it is called "horario comercial" comercial timetable and it is usually from 10-13:30 and then from 5-20:30. In their lunch break people usually go home have full lunch (remember that food is very important in Spain;)), and ok maybe they have a short nap but that is not the main reason for the comercial timetable. The good thing about it is that one can go shopping after work as shops will still be opened till 20:30 h.

ValenciaSon

15th July 2006, 03:36 PM

By 'public kiosks' you mean cybercafés etc.?

Yes, they also use bagpipes (gaitas).

Wasn't there a time in history in which Spain and Ireland experienced a lot of cross-migration?

Brian

15th July 2006, 04:10 PM

Wasn't there a time in history in which Spain and Ireland experienced a lot of cross-migration?

Yes. The Celts, a nomadic people group, are believed to have originated in Greece. They spread westward into France and NW Spain, eventually into the British Isles.

Even today, you see pockets of Celtic culture in parts of France (Especially Brittany), and also in Spain (Galicia and Asturias mostly). Check out the picture at this link:

http://seabed.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/wallpaper2.tmpl?issue_id=20060301&week=3&priority=1

Does that sort of thing look familiar to our British friends?

Brian

15th July 2006, 04:16 PM

Sorry to keep hijacking your thread, Alan, but I wanted to link this picture in to show the distribution of Celts through Western Europe.

http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0603/feature3/images/mp_full.3.jpg

ValenciaSon

15th July 2006, 06:28 PM

El Listo, you might have to become the Islands Correspondent for Notes From Spain. ;) I really enjoy your entries. I hope you enjoy the remainder of your stay.

Alan

15th July 2006, 06:30 PM

They were not respecting siesta hours:D. That is the shopping time table all around Spain (except in big superstores and chain shops) it is called "horario comercial" comercial timetable and it is usually from 10-13:30 and then from 5-20:30. In their lunch break people usually go home have full lunch (remember that food is very important in Spain;)), and ok maybe they have a short nap but that is not the main reason for the comercial timetable. The good thing about it is that one can go shopping after work as shops will still be opened till 20:30 h.

Ah, I´m just calling it that because the hotel staff seem to be. I know it´s normal for that to happen everywhere except tourist resorts. In Fornells, we went for lunch and the restaurants were very busy. I´d love to show some pictures but it seems there is no way for me to get my pictures onto the computer!! It´s very annoying.

Anyway, it was a wee restaurant right on the waterfront, called "El Pescador". The waiters were very forthcoming and friendly, very interested in making you feel welcome and obviously receiving a big tip. Well they got the big tip and deserved it.

The first waiter came: "Holahelloquetalhouareyou?" he said and gave us the menus. After much consideration, we decided on the arroz negra con sepas y gambas.

"¿Y para entrar?"

We hadn´t thought about a starter. It was only lunch after all, but I didn´t realise just how seriously they take lunch. Often, I miss it altogether. I haven´t had any lunch today.

"Ehhh, uhhh, los . . . " and forgot the word for mussels. ". . . mussels!".
". . . mariniera". He understood.

It was the best lunch I´ve had in a long time, and definitely beats beans on toast. It was also very reasonable (and probably expensive by Spanish standards) at €50 including drinks. I can spent that in the shabbiest of restaurants back in Scotland.

Last night we went to Mahon (or Maò depending on who you ask). While walking in Ciutadella I spotted a poster about a Celtic music concert. It had been organised by the Centre of Asturias and was held in the Claustre del Carme. I jumped at the chance of buying tickets, because I am a big fan of Asturian music. After finding the small ticket shop, we paid and the assistant handed us the tickets. Number 1 and 2. Great.

So, naturally, we were quite concerned that we were the only two people in the crowd. I thought about not going, but the Scot in me realised that I paid 15€ for the tickets and I was bloody well going to go. We drove into Mahon.

It´s bloody difficult to park in Mahon. We could not find a parking space anywhere on the street and ended up parking in a car park. It closed at 12. I tried to negotiate with the parking rep on an extra few minutes, but he said no, he had to go home at 12. If I wasn´t back, he´d close the doors. And I´d have to pay for the convenience.

Anyway, the concert was great. Asturians are very friendly people. They drink cider and the music has the same rhythm as Scottish or Irish folk. They play the backpipe (gaíta) and we even share some folk tunes. It´s very interesting. We arrived to find that we had missed a warm up act, but there were some dancers outside. It was good to watch for a couple of minutes, but dancing has never interested me.

So we went in and bought a couple of bottles of cider and explained that we were from Scotland etc etc. This excited them very much and they offered to pour us a drink. You should see this (and soon will). The glass is held almost on its side as low as possible and the bottle very high. Most of it ends on the floor. Quite unacceptable to a Scot, but they wouldn´t let us drink it any other way.

Today we went back into Mahon and wandered around. The market was not up to usual standards, but it was okay, I suppose. Within an hour of the market finishing, the streets were spotless.

We decided to climb upto a church in Es Mercadal. It took about 10 minutes to get up and we could see the entire Menorcan coast from the top of the hill.

So that´s it for now. Speak to you soon!

¡Hasta Luego!

Edith

15th July 2006, 06:38 PM

Wasn't there a time in history in which Spain and Ireland experienced a lot of cross-migration?

Apparently yes, and then there is the legend of the so-called Black Irish:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Irish

http://www.darkfiber.com/blackirish/

Not everyone seems to agree on the supposedly Spanish origin of the Black Irish, so more research is needed I guess.

ValenciaSon

15th July 2006, 06:44 PM

Hi Alan,

Great entry! I look forward to seeing your pics. The asturian festival seems like a great place.

BTW, mussels in spanish is clochinas.

Edith

15th July 2006, 09:30 PM

Just got this interesting bit of info from someone on another forum:

DNA shows Scots and Irish should look to Spain for their ancestry

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1064152004/

Brian

15th July 2006, 09:45 PM

Just got this interesting bit of info from someone on another forum:

DNA shows Scots and Irish should look to Spain for their ancestry

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1064152004/

Not surprising in the least. My other hobby is genealogy, and a couple of years ago I took part in a worldwide DNA sampling for people with the same surname as I.

The interesting thing about DNA is that a father passes an exact replica of his Y Chromosome to a son. Every 8-10 generations, a slight mutation might occur, but typically, you can use DNA testing for such genealogical uses to determine if 2 people who claim to share the same distant ancestor truly are related. It can help to establish migration patterns, also.

Amazingly, when I compared my DNA results with others who'd taken the same test, there were several in Portugal and Spain with the exact same DNA result as I.

Edith

15th July 2006, 09:55 PM

Not surprising in the least. My other hobby is genealogy, and a couple of years ago I took part in a worldwide DNA sampling for people with the same surname as I.

The interesting thing about DNA is that a father passes an exact replica of his Y Chromosome to a son. Every 8-10 generations, a slight mutation might occur, but typically, you can use DNA testing for such genealogical uses to determine if 2 people who claim to share the same distant ancestor truly are related. It can help to establish migration patterns, also.

Amazingly, when I compared my DNA results with others who'd taken the same test, there were several in Portugal and Spain with the exact same DNA result as I.

That's interesting Brian! Human genetics are fascinating!

Edith

15th July 2006, 10:06 PM

So that´s it for now. Speak to you soon!

Alan, sorry, the Celtic thing was just an interesting intermezzo... don't let this keep you from telling us about your adventures in Menorca! ;)

Alan

16th July 2006, 12:40 AM

No no, not at all. Just because I haven't commented on it doesn't mean I haven't found the points you guys are making interesting. It's just too tedious for me to follow the links without a proper computer. I look back to see the comments you leave and I'm always pleased to see if I've sparked up a conversation even if it's not what the main point of my post was.

I'm not at all surprised to hear about the Spain link. The Celts dominated most of Europe at one point and were pushed back into the extremities they're in now.

The part of Menorca where we're staying is called Cala Blanca. It's one of these new and artificial towns full of centro comerciales and restaurantes chinos. Do Spanish people eat Chinese food? The first proper bar I found is located just outside the hotel. I found it to be totally empty but decided to wander in anyway. My girlfriend was reading so I was alone. I had a beer.

The guy who owns the bar had moved from Italy. He is the second depatriated Italian I have met and both share the same disdain for their country.

'Italians always have 500 questions over one cup of coffee' he told me, in perfect English. He spoke with an accent. An English regional accent. 'The way of life here is much more relaxed.'. He's right. His pub was deserted.

I asked him how he possibly made any money. The question didn't seem to bother him. He reckoned that he had plenty of customers who returned regularly (when I passed again at 10.30, only two tables were full). Apparently this has been a very bad year for everyone in the business here.

I'll continue tomorrow . . .

greytop

16th July 2006, 07:25 AM

Hi Alan,

BTW, mussels in spanish is clochinas.

They seem to use "mejillones" round here for mussels (Eastern Spain)

Alan

16th July 2006, 07:49 AM

They seem to use "mejillones" round here for mussels (Eastern Spain)

Yeah, seems to be here too. And rasorclams are known as 'mejillones especiales'.

ValenciaSon

16th July 2006, 01:10 PM

I thought mejillones were a larger mollusk than clochinas. Perhaps someone with some specific knowledge on this can shed some light. Maybe in error but I grew up calling mussels clochinas.

Brian

16th July 2006, 01:40 PM

greytop

16th July 2006, 02:44 PM

I thought mejillones were a larger mollusk than clochinas. Perhaps someone with some specific knowledge on this can shed some light. Maybe in error but I grew up calling mussels clochinas. My bible for seafood (The Tio Pepe Guide to the Seafood of Spain and Portugal, Alan Davidson, Sanatana Books) has an entry for COQUINA or Tallarina - Eng. wedgeshell. Pictures and more info:

http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wcp/pdf/Coquinaclam.pdf

http://www.seashells.org/seashells/coquina.htm

Marina

16th July 2006, 05:56 PM

Mejillones is the general word for mussels as Brian has showed "Coquinas" are much smaller shells that you find in the Valencia area.

I'd also like to explain to Alan that the way they served the Sidra at the concert is the common way to serve "Sidra Natural" (the one that has no bubbles) in Asturias area, and the idea is to get air naturally in, so they only serve a bit each time "culin" so you drink it ll in a go before it looses the gas. Great if you can post the pics when you're back! iIt is really pretty to see how they do it, sometimes they don't even look at the glass.

ValenciaSon

16th July 2006, 07:04 PM

richardksa

16th July 2006, 07:07 PM

From the web site of the Real Acadamia:

La palabra clochina no está en el Diccionario.

Brian

16th July 2006, 08:31 PM

Check out this website: http://www.clochinadevalencia.com/index.htm

Los mejillones son moluscos Bivalvos, denominados también Lamelibranquios, son muy importantes para la ecología marina y para la alimentación humana. Dentro del grupo de los bivalvos, en lo que concierne a la sistemática del género son Mytilus. El Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk, lo que en la Comunidad Valenciana denominamos “clóchina”, es una especie autóctona del Mediterráneo, aunque se encuentra también en las costas atlánticas y hasta la parte occidental del canal de la Mancha.

El mejillón (Mytilus),es el molusco más representativo en el mercado español de los bivalvos. El color negro azulado de sus valvas y la coloración anaranjada de su carne, más oscura en las hembras que en los machos, lo hacen inconfundible frente a otros bivalvos habituales de nuestro mercado. Los mejillones son moluscos que viven formando comunidades más o menos numerosas, fijados a las rocas a las que se adhieren por medio de su pie. Se encuentran en la zona de mareas o por debajo de esta, pero siempre en sitios de poca profundidad.

La Clóchina de Valencia es un alimento equilibrado, sano y dietético, siendo una fuente proteica de excelente calidad, rico en vitaminas y sales minerales, y con un bajo contenido en grasas. La clóchina es un alimento completo e ideal para todo tipo de dietas, apto para regímenes bajos en calorías, con una aportación idónea para los jóvenes y en general para todas aquellas personas que desean una vida sana. Además de su excelente valor nutricional la Clóchina de Valencia es conocida por su excelente calidad organoléptica.

Ben

16th July 2006, 09:22 PM

Do Spanish people eat Chinese food?

Yes, but not as much as they used to. In fact most of the Chinese restaurants in Madrid are now renaming themselves 'Asiatic Restaurants', which is the new trendy name for what is basically the same food. To be honest these places are not a patch on the kind of food you can get in the UK - when in Spain, eat Spanish!!!

Edith

16th July 2006, 10:09 PM

when in Spain, eat Spanish!!!

I wholeheartedly agree! :)

ValenciaSon

16th July 2006, 10:48 PM

I wonder if there is any chinese restaurant in Spain that combines asiatic and iberian cooking. In New York there is a number of chinese-cuban restaurants. The owners are chinese who migrated to Cuba and later to the US. Their menus at first glance appear unremarkably chinese however, when looking further you find cuban dishes and/or when sampling you find the chinese dishes have a definite cuban influence. It is quite tasty. I've heard that in Rome, Italy, there is a chinese neighborhood with restaurants which has hybridized both italian and chinese cuisines with excellent results.

timg

17th July 2006, 08:37 AM

Yeah, seems to be here too. And rasorclams are known as 'mejillones especiales'.
I've heard them referred to as simply navajas.

Alan

17th July 2006, 10:06 AM

Yesterday, we had the car for the last day and decided to go to one of the calas on the south of the island. After a chat with a couple of the staff here, they recommended to either go to Cala´n Turquet, Macarella or Son Saura. With a random choice (i.e. the first one that appeared on a signpost), we went to Cala´n Turquet. We were looking for a quiet wee spot where we could relax for a bit without the numbers who frequent the beaches around here, but we were warned that since it was Sunday, lots of people would be there. There´s nothing else to do: everything is shut! Coming from Scotland, this is not normal at all and most shops operate a normal working day on Scotland. Maybe they´ll shut an hour early. But we couldn´t go today - the car was only hired for three days.

We drove down C. Sant Joan towards the south and the dual carriageway (Menorca has some of the best roads I´ve seen in Spain) faded away gradually to a dirt track. Parallel walls enclosed the car on the windy road. We passed a papier mâché memorial to someone who had met these walls in less fortunate circumstances - I slowed down. Then the road got worse. The waiter told me that there were no hotels, buildings, nada down here and he was right. The car shouldn´t have been here! We pulled into the car park and the attendant pointed to a space where I was supposed to throw the car. I have been amazed at the small spaces the Menorquíns can push fit their cars into and she looked at me as if I had something wrong with me when I needed to do a 5 pointed manoeuvre to get the car there.

We walked for 10 minutes to get to this beach and yeah, it was nice enough. And there were many people there. It was a nature reserve and the only difference that I could see between this and the cala right next to our hotel was the lack of buildings around it. But even here, there aren´t that many buildings. Befoer I came, I was told of a law that Menorca had to preserve its looks: buildings may not be built over 4 storeys. I have found buildings over 4 storeys but none of the high buildings you find in Mallorca or around the mainland coast. We lay around for a few hours and went swimming. It was lovely.

We climbed back up to the car, by this point gasping for water. We had brought some with us which was now completely warm. Warm Coca-cola isn´t nearly as bad as it sounds by the way. But it´s not what I wanted at that point in time. We found a small shop and got some water. 2€ for a 1.5l bottle. Now, I know that´s not cheap but in Scotland, you would be absolutely ripped off for that. The local theme park sells a 50cl bottle of Coke for a massive 1.50 (I can´t find the pound sign)! We shook the deep red dust from our shoes and got back into the car. And still made a mess. The air conditioning was welcome after temperatures in the high thirties. Scots are not used to that.

After coming back to our hotel we had another few hours of use of our car and thought about other places we would like to see. The tour guide made a big fuss about Cala´n Forcat, Cala´n Blanes and Cala´n Bosc. We had visited Cala´n Bosc previously (I can´t remember if I mentioned it) so we went to Cala´n Blanes. Wow, am I glad we didn´t end up staying in these places. Don´t get me wrong, there is plenty to do, but the whole place is designed to funnel the British tourists into the same places. These are not towns, they´re urbanizaciónes. It´s very intelligent actually. These centro comerciales and restaurantes ingleses are built to keep the British tourists from ruining the rest of the island. There is a whole class of tourist quite happy to go to one of these resorts and stay there. As long as the beer is cheap, they´re happy. I bought the local rag, a can of juice and we went for a wander.

Cala´n Blanes has a Morrissons. And I think it has an Asda too. Are these people so scared of the local culture that they need to shop at the places they know at home? We passed many British pubs (Churchills, Jimmy Hills) and Irish ones - each with ceád míle fáilte on the door. Irish pubs don´t actually write that on the door but at least they got the spelling right. I took some Irish friends out in Glasgow before and they fell about laughing at a pub there called "Failté". It´s not even how you spell it in Scots Gaelic (fàilte).

I am interested in Formula 1 and I wanted to see some of the race, but I was well aware that I had missed the most of it. I saw a sign and climbed up a circular ramp of shops - it must have been a car park in a former life - to another British pub at the top. My girlfriend refused to go in. I went in to see who was winning and coincidentally, Schumacher crossed the finishing line right then.

Cala´n Blanes has two Burger Kings. Ciutadella and Mahon, Menorca´s two biggest towns, both have one each. Does that tell you something?

So, we´ve managed to see Cala Blanca (because we´re staying here), Ciutadella, Mahon, Es Mercadal, Fornells, Cala´n Bosc, Cala´n Blanes and Cala´n Turquet. Not bad for a few days I think.

Alan

17th July 2006, 03:48 PM

Brian

17th July 2006, 11:04 PM

when in Spain, eat Spanish!!!

I am certain that the Spanish would take exception to our cannibalism of their countrymen. ;D

rob

19th July 2006, 11:15 PM

gary

20th July 2006, 09:33 AM

Quiet day today. Sitting at the pool in the hotel. I don´t think there´s much to tell you except that I learned a new phrase: "´cha calor!". It´s not easy to understand when you hear it at first!

I also got to speak with a Mancunian family in Castellano . . .

Quite an achievement. There are great parts of the north of England where English is a second language - even to the indiginous population!!!

gary

20th July 2006, 10:08 AM

As long as the beer is cheap, they´re happy.

This has never ceased to amaze me. Some years ago I went on a trip on a coach - my mate runs the company and we got a good deal as we were out of our entertainment business retirement providing the 'talent' in the hotel in the days. The clientelle are invariably pensioners. Every day the main topic of conversation consisted of the following

the best exchange rate (they walked miles to make an extra few cents - no one had a bank card)
the pub where the cheapest beer was that did the best all day full English for lunch
the tabac with the cheapest fags
where you could get the cheapest spirits from
the fact that the wine that was provided with dinner tasted like vinagre (it was simply dry but very drinkable)
complaining about the price of the Sun / Mirror / StarI know they are a generation that won at least one war, I have massive respect for them - my uncle has always refused to go abroad as he says he saw enough of the world between 1939 and 1945 to last him a lifetime - then he winks asd says " and they paid ME!"

I am saddened that they are a generation that have such a suspicion of everything around them when they are in another country and can only be comfortable surrounded by trappings of home. Even my mum when we took her to Lanzarote insisted on spending three times the money on UK branded stuff and wouldnt eat out because £12 was too expensive for a steak ( it was 1200 pesetas - a fiver - but we couldnt convince her.

If anyone is considering coach transport to go on holiday my advice is to avoid the 19 hours overnight in the coach unless you weigh less than ten stone, are under 5 foot tall and have a 24 inch inside leg - ie quite comfortable for kids. I once thought it would be nice to stick the kids - 14 and 11 at the time on a coach and for me anf Gill to fly and pick them up at the other end....then I woke up!!

Edith

20th July 2006, 11:27 AM

richardksa

20th July 2006, 11:36 AM

If anyone is considering coach transport to go on holiday my advice is to avoid the 19 hours overnight in the coach unless you weigh less than ten stone, are under 5 foot tall and have a 24 inch inside leg - ie quite comfortable for kids. I once thought it would be nice to stick the kids - 14 and 11 at the time on a coach and for me anf Gill to fly and pick them up at the other end....then I woke up!!

I used to think the same, then needing a cheap break I took a coach trip to north Italy. (And was dreading it!) I was wrong. Within the first couple of hours we were like one happy family: Life stories swapped, jokes cracked a determination that, while we were stuck in this contraption for the next 24 hours, we were going to make the best of it.

There were a few that kept trying to work out the cost of everything in pounds, but my attitude was that if you wanted a coffee and it cost x euros, that was what you paid and stopped quibbling. Most people were like me.

But I will always remember the Yorkshireman who insisted the that Italian and Spanish were really the same language just pronounced differently and insisted in addressing all waiters in tourist Spanish. They just shrugged their shoulders and took their tips.

gary

20th July 2006, 11:39 AM

[quote=gary]the tabac with the cheapest fags

where you could get the cheapest spirits from
the fact that the wine that was provided with dinner tasted like vinagre (it was simply dry but very drinkable)
quote]Are you sure these expats weren't Dutch? :D Somos una nación de tacaños.

err, the dutch speaking their own language sound very much like the english from the Yorkshire coast, so no - apart from the fact I dont speak dutch - we are only a separate people because of the north sea...

They definitely Were not belgians because they were not in bed by 10pm!!

Edith

20th July 2006, 12:14 PM

[quote=Edith]

err, the dutch speaking their own language sound very much like the english from the Yorkshire coast!!

Really! That's interesting! I remember watching 'All Creatures Great And Small' about James Herriot's adventures in Yorkshire. The local dialect has a nice sound to it. Oh and by the way, I loved the series.

Frisian (a minority language from the north of Holland) is said to be even more like English in some respects.

Anyway, to get back on topic, Dutch people are always hunting for bargains, wherever they happen to be. In parts of the Middle East, local hawkers and vendors will call after you, 'Kijken, kijken, niet kopen! (Pidgin Dutch for 'looking, just looking, not buying anything!') ;D In Spain, the Dutch have their own expat communities, although they are considerably smaller than their British counterparts. And I have been told Mallorca is run by the Germans. :D

Brian

20th July 2006, 12:59 PM

I am saddened that they are a generation that have such a suspicion of everything around them when they are in another country and can only be comfortable surrounded by trappings of home.

My grandfathers were all the same way. They all went overseas for WW2 and came back with no desire ever to travel more than 100 miles from home again. It was just a different generation.

That American generation was also forged in thriftiness by the Great Depression in the 1930s. Never trusting banks, my great-grandmother would squirrel away large amounts of cash under the sofa cushion, behind a picture, in a slit in the wallpaper. When she died, they had a heck of a time finding all her money. I bet there's still stashes of it in that house!

Alan

20th July 2006, 01:50 PM

I'm off to Cala Blanca for the 3rd year in a row on Friday. It seems like a quaint little place, very quiet and very boring unless you start moving around the place.

Have you found any gems in Ciutadella, I've been there before but I've seen the market and the harbour and don't seem to have found much else there. Also, I have no idea how to pronounce the name because everytime I tried the bus drivers gave me a confused look and didn't seem to understand.

I know they speak Menorquín and I assume they all speak Spanish too but I wondered if the Menorcans were a little like the Catalonians in that they are very proud of their language to the point where some will refuse to talk to you if you speka to them in Spanish.

Anyway, ramble over

If it´s your third year here, I´d bet you know the place better than me. Ciutadella, as far as I can tell, is pronounced as in Spanish with a soft C (i.e. not a ´th` sound). Syootadeya. I´ve also heard the t being omitted, i.e. Syooadeya. I´ve been complimented for my Spanish pronunciation - something I can attribute to my being Scottish - because I pronounce the vowels very clearly. An ´a´ is an ´ah´ sound to me, and not ´aee´ as in many English dialects. I didn´t notice where you are from and it doesn´t seem to be on the page now. But the main language is Catalan (or more correctly Menorquín) and it is clear that Castellano is secondary. However, Castellano is much more easily understood by Menorcans than English and I would still use it. I´ve found myself well accepted by using it. It also helps if you can announce that you can´t speak Menorquín or Catalan, but you´re happy to speak Castellano.

The ´population´ here seems to be largely migratory. The island seems to shut in the winter due to its heavy dependency on tourism and because of this many of the people working here in the summer are not Menorcan. I´ve spoken to staff from all over Europe (Italy, England, France, Germany, Barcelona, Asturias :P), and for them, Castellano or English are the preferred languages.

As for gems, not really. It´s a small town and nothing is hiding. The restaurants on the seafront are overpriced, but okay if you like the view. There are also a few restaurants on the touristy pedestrianised street heading up from the municipal buildings which are nice. Café Es Pou is particularly good (and cheap). We haven´t spent a lot of time in Ciutadella because our hotel food is so good and because we´ve been going around the rest of the island.

Where will you be staying?

Alan

Alan

20th July 2006, 01:53 PM

But I will always remember the Yorkshireman who insisted the that Italian and Spanish were really the same language just pronounced differently and insisted in addressing all waiters in tourist Spanish. They just shrugged their shoulders and took their tips.

Well, they kinda are. But with that logic, so are Dutch and German or Scottish and Irish Gaelic. They´re very closely related and you can see how the words have morphed. If you can speak Spanish, then all you need to do is apply a few rules and you won´t be far off.

Alan

23rd July 2006, 12:08 PM

Well, I'm very sad to have returned to Scotland. I'll post my photos on http://www.notesfromspain.com/forums/showthread.php?t=533

Alan

richardksa

23rd July 2006, 01:06 PM

We will look forward to that. In the meantime, to give you one more reason to wish you were back in Spain, see this:
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1068392006
The county's going mad.

greytop

23rd July 2006, 02:21 PM

So what is the Health & Safety view of facing enemy bullets?

Alan

23rd July 2006, 03:06 PM

We will look forward to that. In the meantime, to give you one more reason to wish you were back in Spain, see this:
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1068392006
The county's going mad.

Yeah, thanks for that :)

I actually play the pipes (not the Highland Bagpipe, but smaller pipes, imaginatively called the Scottish Small Pipes) so that piece of news particularly annoys me.

deecree

24th July 2006, 04:16 AM