Summer Fiestas

mariapiquet's picture

Location

Menorca
Spain
39° 52' 48.108" N, 4° 17' 26.196" E
ES
General info: 

If you happen to be in Menorca when one of the traditional Summer Fiestas is taking place, don´t miss the great athmosphere of this slightly crazy fiesta.

The Fiastas take place during the summer in different villages on different dates. Each village has their own flavor to the fiesta but generally the pattern is the same. First the local traditional riders ride along the city streets to show the horses. The parade culminates when the horses arrive to an arena two horses at a time. The arena is filled with young brave that are trying to touch the horses heart while the riders show off their horsemanship skills on the famous Menorcan horses.

This hectic action looks pretty dangerous especially considering the blood alcohol level of the crowd from drinking the local favorite, pomada. One could also imagine the horses are a bit stressed as the music is loud too.

This link shows the dates and places of the fiestas:
http://www.mymenorca.info/menorca-summer-fiestas/

Getting there: 

The fiestas are completely free.

Interesting places nearby

Cala Barca is a small but pretty bay on the edge of Mondrago Park in the south east of Mallorca. It's 35 metres long by 25 metres deep and has golden sand.

Alcudia Beach is a beautiful blue flag, fine white sand beach that stretches from the Port of Alcudia, along the 'golden mile' of hotel-backed coastline.

Calanque En-Vau is perhaps the most beautiful calanque in the French Riviera. This astonishing inlet is 400 meters deep and dominated by large limestone cliffs on both sides.

These weird looking constructions were a special type of defensive structure known as nuraghi developed on the island of Sardinia. No parallel structures exists anywhere else in the world.

The Gorges of Su Gorropu, also called Europe’s Grand Canyon are located in the mountains of the Supramonte, surrounded by thick forests and wonderful oleander.

The Bue Marino Grottos are considered some of the most beautiful grottos in all of Italy, with kilometers of galleries, rivers and subterranean lakes, stalactites and stalagmites, fossils and Neolithic graffiti.