A mountain, a lighthouse and a good lunch

Today we woke up to glorious sunshine, so decided to drive to the top of the tallest mountain on Menorca because we wanted to have some good views. Last time we went up it was cloudy. Monte Toro isn't a very tall mountain, only 361m, but you can see most of the island from the top. The drive up isn't too bad, I've done a lot worse, and when you get to the top there's a convent, church and a huge statue of Christ, completely dominated by radio masts, and not a wifi signal in sight!





There's amazing views over the island, including Fornells where we drove to later. Menorca is a beautiful island, very lush (probably because it's the wettest of the Balearics), and full of wildlife. We've seen Red Kites, Kestrels, and a little bird that looks like a black robin called a Stonechat





And because it was so clear we could see Mallorca really well. It was very windy, and I was beginning to question putting shorts and a t-shirt on. Luckily I had a fleece top, but the locals were all in thick coats and scarves, and thought we were mad. The church is set in a lovely quiet courtyard, with white walls and lots of plants.

So, we hung around looking at the views and taking photos for a bit, and then decided to drive to Cap de Cavalleria, a long peninsula along the side of Fornells bay with a lighthouse at the end. Last time we did this drive it was in December, and it was freezing. There's a photo of me in a fleece jacket, with a scarf and a wooly hat, shivering. Today it was windy but sunny and much warmer. We were still the only ones in shorts though!




Some great views of little harbours, big waves, and lots of sunshine. A lovely drive, and the roads weren't too scary either. In my experience, drives up mountains or to lighthouses often involve very sharp corners with sheer drops on one side, usually mine, and when I'm not driving I'm usually either hanging on to the door, or have my eyes shut.




By now it was nearly lunchtime so we drove to Fornells, a little fishing village, which we last visited in the pouring rain. This time it was glorious and even my fleece came off. We found a lovely cafe and had omelette, chips and salad, a couple of beers, and free wifi.



Sat here for ages, it was a real sun trap, and then had a walk around the harbour and bay. Then drove back towards Arenal d'en Castell where our apartment is, and decided to explore Na Macaret, which is just round the corner from us. Of course, it was closed, with the beachfront shops and houses boarded up against the winter tides, but we had a pleasant walk along the beach and a boardwalk, saw lots of little green fish:

And some lovely views of Addaia



Then back to the apartment where we discovered the TV had been fixed so we could watch the Apprentice, and a wifi router had been installed. Unfortunately it wasn't working, but it might be before we leave. Cooked a meal in tonight - steak, garlic mushrooms, green beans and jacket potato, washed down with some good cava. Intention is to have an early night to make sure we get up early so that we can get to Cuitadella tomorrow before everything shuts at 1pm. We'll see!