Winter on a Mediterranean Island

Menorca: The Quirky Charm of Low Season Life

I arrived in Menorca just as all of the tourists were leaving. I didn’t realize that the majority of the shops and restaurants open my first week on the island would soon be closed for a long winter hibernation.

Life here is calm. In the past three months I’ve gotten to know Menorca and begun to feel a sense of home and community.

Almost immediately after finding an apartment the rain began. And it didn’t stop for fifteen days. Everyone told me this wasn’t normal.

I hardly believed them.

After spending the past year in supposedly rainy Galicia I was already having a hard time in what was seeming like even rainier Menorca. Luckily once the rains stopped in November they’ve only come back for a day or two and have never been quite as intense.

I love the wind. Growing up I loved those days where you could feel the wind picking up, the anticipation in the air of something coming. Since moving to Menorca I have begun to appreciate the wind in new ways.

Each direction the wind blows here has a different name in the local Menorquin language. Winds blowing from the North, called the Tramuntana, are said to drive people crazy.

While I didn’t always immediately notice the wind direction it is much easier to appreciate the changes in wind direction here.

Some winds, typically blowing in from the south, bring warmer air -a.k.a my laundry might finally dry.

Because I live on the west side of the island winds from the west bring waves and shake up the sand at the little inlet beaches in my cove.

Much like deeper appreciation for the winds I continue to grow a deeper respect for nature each day on the island.

Like I small ship out in the ocean Menorca feels whatever Mother Nature brings her way.

During those first rainy days of November I understood what a storm would mean to life on a small island.

Grocery store shelves, typically full of fruits, vegetables, and meat were bare. With the winds and waves so strong no boats could get to the island, meaning shipments were stuck waiting on the mainland.

While luckily this was no big problem for me, it did made me think twice about the infrastructure I typically take for granted.

Winter brings a change in pace here.

Without the tourists to cater to there is a noticeable change in speed and attitude. Life goes on but everyone gets a much needed break.

Most restaurants and shops close for the whole low season or at least take a month or two off.

Without as much to do as far as entertainment options I find myself going on more hike or trips paddle boarding on the water. The archeological sites are almost all still open and you can pretty much get any beach all to yourself.

If the trade off is a little bit of chill in the air and the chance of grey day I’ll take it!

The friends and connections I’ve made here all feel very genuine and I don’t know if I’m over analyzing but I think a lot of it has to do with the small town island setting.

I love that in some way everyone knows everyone but with only three months under my belt I feel like there are still so many people to meet and so much to explore.

Living here in winter, or surviving a winter here (as some like to dramatize it) gives you a different perspective and appreciation for Menorca and the Mediterranean.

For anyone looking for a slower pace of life and a mild winter I think this is the perfect spot to consider.

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