Menorca - Day 5: Xaranga del Xubec

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We visited Mahón (Maó), the capital of Menorca, for an explore and to take in the Museu de Menorca which is housed in an old Franciscan convent. Its collection includes many of the artefacts recovered from the various archaeological sites that are found across the island, and it had excellent galleries dedicated to Menorca's different periods of cultural development (and pre-history). I'd recommend a visit (it was free!), especially if you're interested in the sites themselves, which seem rather more primitive without seeing the artwork, tools, and utensils that were found when they were excavated. There was also an extensive exhibition of art exploring female form, which was surprisingly varied and an unexpected bonus.

Mahón (called Maó in the Menorquin language; a graffiti battle rages on over the spelling on street signs...) is more modern-feeling than Ciutadella, but still has poky alleys, some intriguing architecture, and characterful spaces, making for amusing street photography. It also has a covered market...

One of the highlights of the day was finding this amusing band busking in the fish market; the market has been updated so that half of it is made up of tapas bars, wine bars, and cervecerias, and this troupe had drawn quite a crowd. They were not superb musicians, but were great fun, and made for a circus-esque atmosphere; when people bought CDs they'd invite them in and perform around them in a celebratory manner.
We visited some favourite spots (including the balcony with the view), and also saw a pair of parrots (in good spirits, it seemed), which a shop on the harbour had out on the pavement to tempt in shoppers...

Other pictures from this day can be found on Flickr (right from here).
Menorca album