Excursiones
From Son Bou to the Salinas of Mongofre: Kiko´s new adventure
I'm ready to start the tour today. I am going to see some old salt marshes in a small area near to the Camí de Cavalls, in the port of Addaia, the north side of Menorca. Before leaving Club Kikoland I took a long walk along the shore of the beach of Son Bou. Is there any better way to start the day?
Have you seen the horseshoe of a horse?
We arrived at the urbanization of Addaia by car. The streetlights have two stripes of colors around them, one white and one red, pointing towards the direction of the Camí de Cavalls. Did you know that this path runs all the way around the whole island and that almost 700 years ago it used to be used to watch over the ships that approached the island? If you see a small wooden post with the picture of a horseshoe on it, you know you are on path of the Camí de Cavalls.
Do you know this edible plant?
Here it is full of trees and I am trying to walk in the shade because it is a very sunny day today. All this area belongs to the Natural Park of the Albufera of Es Grau. We have visited it on other occasions; remember that it is the most important wetland in Menorca and that there are many animals and plants that live here.
"Let's get some Salicornia twigs," Ana says, "I add it to mayonnaise which gives it a special taste because this plant grows near to the sea."
"Yes, I did try it once with mussels and it was delicious, “whenever we go out in the nature, we end up taking some edible plant twigs like the wild rosemary."
Long legs and pecking around in the mud
The view from up here is beautiful. You can see the entire lagoon. A sign shows us that there are bird nests in this area and that we should be very quiet. We talk quietly as we walk and approach a piece of land entering the water.
- "Look, in the stream over there you can see some very big fish. They look happy. They are smooth fish. Silence! "Jorge says
- "What is it?" I say as I look where he is pointing at. There are some ducks that are watching us, but as we approach them, they fly away out onto the water.
- "That´s a mallard," Ana says. "Look, there are two storks! They have very long and thin legs and are picking into the mud where they hope to find food. "
We started walking slowly towards them but without trying to frighten them. We have brought binoculars and, from here, we can see ducks, seagulls, small herons and other birds that are resting.
A devil's blue and green horse
Along the way, some cyclists pass going up towards the lighthouse of Favàritx. They say that the landscape up there is very beautiful and full of colors because in spring there are many flowers.
"Here even the dragonflies have flashy colors. Have you seen one? It's blue and green, "Jorge says when pointing towards some bushes.
"It's a devil's horse," Ana responds. "I've seen several. Dragonflies are very pretty animals and say there are more than 3,600 different species. "
Salt to make cheese
We can already see the salinas. They call it Salinas of Addaia or Mongofra. It was built 150 years ago, in 1845. You can still see the compartments where the salt water use to be collected and allowed to dry to extract the salt in an artisan way. They drained it well and sold it in sacks of 50 kg, especially to farms in Menorca where cheese was made. In 1990 they stopped working with it.
Horses approaching
Next to the salinas are some rocks that have caught our attention. The erosion of the wind and the water has given it capricious shapes. We sit down to rest and eat the fruit we brought along.
A group of horses and riders pass by. They greet us and continue riding whilst one of them explains us the story about the salinas
The islets of the bay
The bay of Addaia is 3.5 kms long. It is the narrowest bay and because it is shallow, boats cannot navigate here, but we have seen some people kayaking and enjoying a nice walk.
More than 200 years ago the British landed in this bay and built a tower at the entrance to defend it. It is a bay very well protected by two islets, Isla Grande and Isla Pequeña that make of it a good refuge for the boats.
A children's playground with sea views
Once we leave Addaia we see a sign that says: Playground. We thought it would be a good way to end the tour today, so we followed the sign to get there. This was a great idea! From here you can see the islets of the port of Addaia, Macaret and Cala Molí.
Jorge runs towards one of the swings of the park and from there on we can see some sailboats. I make some photographs which I would like to show to my friends at the Hotel Royal Son Bou Family Club. Have you kept memories of the excursions you have made? Which is the one you enjoyed the most? We had a great time today and learned a lot. Did you know what salinas are?
