And nearly last, but not Least, Spelunking

Yes, Spelunking. At least I think that´s what it´s called. But first, as always, at least one event has to intervene. Such as, after we woke from the siesta, it was time to go to the beach. This time it was at the beach where we´d been searching the night before. A nice sheltered cove with very calm water, and again it was delightful. I´ll probably never swim in the Pacific again. At least that´s the thought until the opportunity arises. Then, head for the surf.

The next day, Tuesday, was the boat trip. Pepe mentioned a cueva (cave) that we could enter. I anticipated pulling up on the beach and looking into the mouth of a small depression in the cliff. Wrong! Our first stop was one large enough for the boat to pull into. And deep enough that we came out a different entrance. The boat wasn´t huge, an outboard that held three adults and three kyds, but still. A bit further on, we reached our ultimate destination. Another cueva, and we pulled up and tied the boat securely to a rock, and dropped anchor. Then flashlights were passed around. Are you getting the idea?

Turns out this was a true cueva, with stalactites and stalagmites and everything else you expect to find in a limestone cavern (not being a geologist, I just assume it was limestone). Quite the sight, I really must say. We were in it for a good hour or more. I´ve been on cave tours in the past, but always on guided ones. Defined pathways, rope barriers, built in lighting, you get the picture. Not here. This was truly "Up close and personal". If the lights went out, we´d have known what true dark really was. My light had a wind-up charger, and I wound it up a lot. There were some places that we had to go through on all fours. We also climbed up/down some pretty steep inclines. My head and the ceiling collided a time or two. Some of the material looked as if it was soaking wet, but it was dry, just nearly as smooth as glass. There were several water pools, though. In several places there was a distinct change in color, with all the rock below a given point a reddish-orange color, and above, more a grey-white. I´ve posted several of the photos on the blog under the heading "Photos from Menorca". Quite a nice excursion, if I do say so myself. Did I mention that at the innermost point, Tomeo, the boat owner, said we´d go out a different way. Uh-Oh. Then I noticed a string along the way. Fine, until I realized I didn´t know if the string led further in, or to the exit. Fortunately, it was the exit. As an afterthought, there was no string on the way in. I guess Tomeo has been there more than once.

From there, it was into a quiet bay for a little swimming, then into the village of Fornells for a lunch. Since the primary purpose of this trip was to get to know Scandinavia, I ordered salmon. And a good one it was. We wandered around Fornells for a while, and Pepe insisted on making my return trip luggage heavier than when I started by getting me a Menorcan T shirt. Thank you, compadre. For our evening snack, we went to a friend of Pepe and Magdalena´s. They had a pool, so Pepe and the kyds dove in. I elected to sit this one out. The snack was delicious, and much more than a snack. I´m becoming a bit rolly-polly, I think

Wednesday rolled around, and we headed off on another adventure. This time it was to the rock quarry. Not the one we investigated the night of the lost Englishman, but an actual working sandstone quarry. You may not think that´s too exciting, but then, you´re not me. In fact, there were two quarries. One had been abandoned, and the bottom filled in with earth. Then trees were planted. Quite an abundant forest. It has it´s own little micro-climate, below the surrounding terrain by perhaps 20 or 30 metres, and sheltered from the wind. Among others, there were fig and olive trees.

Then in the newer quarry, in areas not currently being worked, we were able to see some of the machinery used to cut the sandstone, and understand a bit about the process. Until about 30 or so years ago, all the stone was cut by pure manual labor, picks and pry bars and such. Just like the Egyptians used to get the material for the pyramids. Some pretty interesting photos of the quarry, at least to me.

Then, after a short (1.5 hours is short???) siesta, Pepe asked me if I wanted to take a bath. I sniffed, somewhat self-consciously. Then I realized he meant did I want to go to the beach for a swim. Can you guess the answer? Remember the sheltered cove with the calm water? Not Wednesday! The wind was from the south, and the cove is on the south shore of Menorca. Some surf! We had a really great time, diving into and trying to ride the waves. And again, the water was delightful.

But the day wasn´t over. At 8:30 PM, we attended an equestrian show near Ferreries, where Pepe lives. First, demonstrations of the training the Menorcan horses go through to prepare them for the jaleos. Then demonstrations of several training techniques followed by some very intricate riding demonstrations. Renee, I think you´d have loved it. Since it was night, my usual abuse of the camera didn´t produce too much of merit, but I did get some photos that may be worth while..

So now it´s Thursday. This AM we headed for an ancient ruin near Ciutadella on the western end of the island. It was initially settled in about the 13Th century BC, and abandoned sometime around the Roman conquest of the island, in around the 2Nd century BC. Not too much is known about the life of the inhabitants, nor are any of the structures intact. But it really stirs up the imagination. And made me marvel at the intense amount of labor that went into building it. Lots and lots of rocks were cut and then moved from somewhere.to this location. It never ceases to amaze me at the amount of work early humans did to provide shelter and protection.

On the topic or rocks, the entire island is subdivided by rock walls. And if you really look at them, you marvel at how well the rocks fit in place. By no means haphazard piling of rocks to make a barrier. No mortar used, either. They stay in place because they fit.

It´s now Thursday afternoon, and I´m using my siesta time to create this. Probably the second to last edition of my travelogue. I may get another episode in before I leave, but Friday is the only day left for anything to happen. I leave here on Saturday AM around 10, and arrive in LA on Saturday evening at around 7 PM. Only 9 hours, right??? Hope my luggage keeps up with me on the two changes I have to make. Of course, it´s not nearly as bad to loose your luggage on the away home as it is to loose it on the way out, as happened in Copenhagen.

In case this is the last edition, I really want to say thanks to Pepe and Magdalena on the tail end of my trip, and to Pamela, Rolf, Rudi and Traude at the beginning. It was really wonderful, and makes the trip so much more informative and enjoyable, to spend time with someone who lives in and knows the area. I had a great time in Scandinavia, but it would have been so much better if someone local had been as kind and generous as these folks have been. Thanks again.