On Day 4 we drove up to Es Grau stopping on the way to visit the Natural Reserve of S’Albufera D’Es Grau.  Aiguamolls de L’Emporda it is not but it was still a pleasant walk past various wetlands and if there were not many birds around it was probably our fault for arriving in the middle of the day.  They could do better with information about the plants and birds but money has been cut from the funding of these places and it is a blessing that they exist at all

 I learnt that the Menorcan gates that you find all along the Cami are made from olive wood and every year there are fewer people who are skilled at making them

Es Grau is a pretty town on the edge of a wide curving beach

 Much of it is covered in the seaweed that is all around this coast

 It may be a nuisance to the bathers and sunbathers but it is an important part of the ecology of the area. Some people call for it to be removed for the summer but this would seriously disturb the small organisms that live on the edge of the sea.  The weed forms itself into hairy balls that are sometimes as large as tennis balls

Birds singing in the bushes accompanied us on our way

Gorse in flower smelling of coconut reminded me once again of Cornwall

Spring blossoms that I never knew the names for

Wonderful smell of herbs

Perfect walking on wide undulating pathes

Dunes and sea-blanched drift wood

On an almost deserted beach  I had an evening swim before doing some peaceful yoga stretches to calm my aching legs. We have now been walking every day for four days

 Every so often the path winds away from the sea but it is never far from view

There is something so satisfying about a triangle of blue. Reminders always of Cornwall – this time of Penberth, yesterday of Kemyel Crease, another day of the path from Carn Dhu to Mousehold.
Why does the mind so want to find familiar patterns in new places I wonder?

If you are looking for more information about Menorca this site is interesting

In the evening we returned to a pizza restaurant in Ciutadella and had exactly the same as we had two nights before. Not because we are boring but because it was so delicious and the waiter was friendly and the tables were looking out over these beautiful buildings. Dinner followed by a gin and lemon – the pomada that is traditional in Menorca. The gin is made locally on the island