C is for 'Cool Club'

Our Summer visit to Menorca was a last minute holiday decision and a very good one.

We chose to visit Spain with its proximity in flight time (two and a half hours direct flight from the UK) and recommendation for its beaches. Both important factors when travelling with children.

The port of Mahon was our base for ten days. We walked everyday and had Radio Taxi Menorca as the organised transport from our place of stay to other parts of the island.

A most applauded and note worthy lifestyle feature of Menorcan life is green plastic free living. Eating local produce, protecting land and sea, the island is 'on it' with tackling the threat of unregulated fishing, tourism, and pollution.

We visited the island just after Europe’s deadliest summer on record in July 2023 where more than 60,000 people had died in Europe from heat-related causes across Spain and neighbouring Greece and Italy. The island the week before had to deal with stifling humidity with temperatures across Europe rising to 40 degrees Celsius. We had 'lucked out' with our holiday dates where the temperature stayed between 29 and 32 degrees. The overbearing heat from the weeks prior may have wiped out the usual summer insect infestation as we encountered mosquito bites only during the last few days of our visit.

The history and architecture of Menorca felt preserved for the peoples heritage rather than built to house many visitors and tourists, making Menorca such a pleasurable destination for local culture and traditions.

Though an expensive time to visit, one of the highlights during peak holiday season is attending the islands cultural events.

We were lucky to attend the Fiestas De Sant Llorenc de Alaior held annually on the second week of August. The Fiesta have been celebrated since just after 1301. The horse is the central figure. The 'cualcada de caixers' (group of horses and riders) are in traditional clothing, led by the 'fabioler' with his flute and drum as they parade through the streets. The star attraction is the 'jaleo' horse parade. The whole community comes together like nowhere I've seen. Though seemingly meticulously organised there is a sense of exhilaration and excitement for what is to happen next. Adults and children approach the cavalcade where tradition is to touch the belly of the bucking horse to bring good luck. There are no safety barriers or distance between crowds and the highly skilled horsemen and women. Everyone looks out for each other passing by. The music is live and loud and crowds sizeable. The fiesta felt on a par to many of other famous Spanish cultural events noted popular in main stream media.

The main request by the children was to visit as many beaches as possible. They loved both sides of the island; weather conditions during our stay favoured more visits to the south side. The understated, warm water and fewer mobile phones used by beachgoers of San Antonio was our preference. We passed some wonderful families in Binibeca though unfortunately didn't get a chance to speak too with the busy state of the beach.

We decided to take the children for an evening out in Cova D'en Xoroi where I wanted my eldest son to experience music and entertainment in natural surroundings. The space is essentially a entertainment space in natural caves in Cala en Porter and the views and sunsets are breath taking. It was a nice evening out though spoilt with people in our seating area deciding to rummage through my handbag.

Snorkelling sites in Menorca are phenomenal; we visiting the coves of Es Mercedal, organised by Nautica Bia Bosch. We learnt where best to anchor so protected seagrass on seabed's such as the 'Posidonia oceanica'**, would not be damaged by boat anchors.

Schools of fish were in abundance - albeit small in size. We saw a few groupers and even an octopus expertly coaxed out of its hiding place by our guide. The most fascinating and unfortunately for us dangerous, were the many tiny purple-bodied velella, pelagia noctiluca and white Cotylorhiza Tuberculata (fried egg jellyfish)***.

On the last day of our trip my son was unfortunately stung by a jellyfish during an unassuming sand castle build on the shores of Binibeca. The jellyfish itself was technically 'dead'; floating parts of jellyfish dotted along the rocks. Unfortunately damp jellyfish tentacles even in part still contain nematocyst cells filled with toxins thus stinging my ten year old across his wrist and lasting for nearly 24 hours. We were lucky; this jellyfish was small; but it raises a need for marine study prior to beach holidays across the Mediterranean.

Jellyfish have been reported over the last five years as overpopulating the beach shores in Menorca ; making it difficult and more dangerous for swimming in costal areas in the north and south sides of the island.

Business Insider reported in 2019**** the jellyfish phenomena in Menorca links back to illegal overfishing; in this case Menorca's many large fish (mainly blue fin tuna) are caught due to unregulated fishing boats. If nitrate pollution and poorly filtered wastewater also factors, this environment provides nutrients for plankton, giving jellyfish more to eat and thus jellyfish breed in abundance. Sea preservation becomes as important as land preservation.

With the rising climate changes, Menorca is a positive example of educational tourism with the community sharing local knowledge and responsibilities for global land and sea preservation. We had incredible experiences here and the islands warm hospitality is one we hope to experience repeatedly.

Links to articles:

** https://www.nature.com/articles/srep12505

*** https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/how-an-explosion-of-jellyfish-is-wreaking-havoc/

**** https://www.businessinsider.com/menorca-hidden-eco-paradise-being-destroyed-mediterranean-overfishing-pollution-2018-12?r=US&IR=T