Apologies to those coming out of winter hibernation, glorious weather so took a ride out to La Mola one of the largest and most impressive fortresses in Europe. The fortress was built in the 1800's as due to renewed threats of a possible British invasion, the Spanish began work on fortifying La Mola in 1847. Rivalry between the British and French, during the 19th century was evident in Menorca, which was a shipping route used by both the British and the French, between Toulon and Algeria, and Gibraltar and Malta. The fortress was also used as a military prison during the Spanish Civil War, and has been used for film productions including the Hornblower tv series.