Day off and a Trip to Mahon

We had today (Wednesday) and yesterday off from excavating and free to do whatever.  A group of us decided to go to Mahon (the capital of Menorca and the largest city).  It was only a cheap bus ride away so it was no problem at all.  The island of Menorca is known for two things.  Mayonnaise and Gin were both invented on the island so naturally we had to check out the gin distillery.  It was a very cool place and we were able to see them making everything, but the best part was the free samples.  The man working there kept giving us all sorts of samples and then major discounts on anything we purchased.  I never realized how many different types of gin they made.  There was chocolate, coffee, cinnamon, peppermint, and many other flavors.  The best was the gin and lemonade combo.

Picture of the sample station (there were three of them):

Anyway after we tasted a bunch of gin, we went to the Menorcan Museum.  It was very interesting because it has a lot of artifacts from the time period in which we are excavating.  In fact at the end of every season, all the artifacts found at our site go to this museum to be housed (only a few go on display).  I would show pictures, but unfortunately they didn't allow cameras inside.

We did a lot of walking around.  The city is beautiful.  Its very similar to Ciutadell where we are staying, but a bit larger.  Here are some pictures:

Today we did a lot of walking around Ciutadella (where our residency is) and went to the museum there.  Again they didn't allow cameras, so alas no pictures.  But I do have a few more from the city so here they are.

Back to excavating tomorrow!

Adam