More of the Mediterranean: Menorca

The capital of Mahon boasts the world's second largest natural harbor (after Pearl Harbor) and is a nice place to spend a few hours wandering and checking out the shops -- and taking in the pungent smell of its famous cheese! If you are in the Mahon area take a trip to La Mola, the fortress built in 1850 at the southernmost tip of Spain to prevent the islands from attack by the French and British. The most interesting features are a huge gun, which has never been fired in anger but is fired ceremonially every year, and the underground galleries, a very long corridor of tiny identical rooms featuring an embrasure (arrow slit) in each. They are a little scary as from the mid-point; you can't see where you've come from or where the corridor ends!

The old capital of Menorca is Cuitadella, a pretty town full of tiny confusing streets and beautiful architecture. Each year near the end of June the town celebrates its Festes de Sant Joan, where trained horsemen ride through the crowds demonstrating jousting and other riding feats. If you pat one of the horses it is thought to be good luck (as is one of the horses riding through your house!), so prepare for much jostling! The festival comes with a fun fair in the main square with fairground rides and stalls selling candy. A must if you are at the festival (or in Menorca at all!) is the drink pomada -- a potent but delicious mix of gin and lemon.

The number one "must visit" place for fans of history and spectacular views is Monte Toro. This is the highest point of the island and a convent sits on top. The church here is from the 17th century and a huge statue of Christ adorns the outside.

The island has many sites of archaeological interest, and these are often centered around the mysterious taulas. Taulas are unique to Menorca and are T-shaped stone pillars. Much like Stonehenge in England little is known about how these taulas were erected during the Talaiotic period (between 1000 BC and 300 BC). As they are so huge, legend says they were tables made for giants. It is not known for a fact what these mystical monuments were used for but there are many theories on the subject. The two most popular being firstly that they were used as part of religion for ritual sacrifice, or secondly, that they were worshiped as stylistic images of bulls - the explanation for this being that many objects in the shape of bulls have been found at some of these historical sites. Regardless of the true purpose, it is interesting to stand beneath a taula and theorize for yourself.