Menorca: Making Memories Memorable]

The winds of Menorca magnetize. Legend has it that they charm people and that is why they keep coming back. Menorca was named by Romans and means ‘minor’. The pure and untouched interior of the island makes it a place worth visiting. With a population of approximately 88,000, the beauty and fantasies were obscured for a long time by Majorca.
The island has hosted and witnessed many historic and military events. Named Georgetown by the English who built it in square-block military style during the Spanish invasion, it was renamed Real Villa de San Carlos (Villacarlos) in 1782. Now because of its proximity to the demolished Fort San Felip, it is known as Es Castell (The Castle).  A number of megalithic monuments can be found on the island. Menorca shared its history with the other Balearic Islands until 1708. During English reign and after the War of the Spanish Succession, it was only after the seven years wars that England was able to recapture it from the French. After the Treaty of Paris (1763) Menorca was restored to Britain, but the French and Spanish seized it back in 1782. You can find the English touch and British flavour still present on the island. The British culture is also evident in the architecture of Menorca. The common and local architecture structure like sash windows are very much British.
British-built buildings - the old customs house and Golden Farm, where Admiral Nelson once stayed, Xoriguer Gin Distillery where you can watch the bubbling of the mammoth copper stills in the making of the popular spirit, blending it with juniper berries and resulting in the distinctive and fragrant Menorca gin. The park and lovely gardens of Es Freginal could make you wish to stay forever.
The layout and architecture is steeped in Mahon town. The central square, previously known as the parade ground, portrays the elegant facades of the clock tower of the 18th century town hall and military barracks (now a Military Museum and open to the public). The cave - Cala Corb (corpse) adjacent to square is said to be a place where the bodies of the escapees from the quarantine islands in the harbour were washed up.
A roundabout at the entrance to Es Castell leads to the prehistoric village of Trepuco. A massive conical structure of stones called Trepuco and a huge upright stone slab- Taula - to support another large slab lying horizontally across it are pleasure to watch.
Mystery rules this Balearic Island and you keep wondering how the remains are here and what purpose they would have served there? Menorca is situated in the middle of the western Mediterranean and because of several invasions from different countries, was a staging point for the different cultures since prehistoric times. Menorca has a mix of colonial and local architecture.
The remains of a fortified village dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries and the caves grab the imagination of visitors.  The serenity and grace of Ciutadella with it’s winding streets, old buildings and churches are wonderful to watch.
The island of Menorca is an ideal getaway for people.  The silver sand shores, great culture and landmarks coupled with green scenery in the countryside make a great holiday.