The day was free until evening, we went down on to the beach very early and went for long swims around the rocks and towards the next cove. We just relaxed until about 3pm when we decided we needed to eat. After eating we got ready to go out to the festival.
Ibiza Town is the capital of the island and Saturday 8th August saw the festival of its patron Saint. We attended the event arriving at the harbour as it was getting dark. Around the harbour and port were shops, jewellery stalls, musical events, street theatre etc., it was all very lively and interesting. We headed towards the old town or Dalt Vila. We climbed right up to the top walking up through the city walls called the Murallas de Ibiza and navigating the narrow, windy, cobbled streets. It was fascinating to see the tiny houses, shrines built into the streets, designer shops with room for half a dozen items, the market stalls as well as the dozens of cafes, restaurants, and bars making a very vibrant atmosphere. It was a slight shock to see KFC there – a bit sad really!
The city walls were built in the 16th Century as a defence against attacks by the Turkish smugglers. They are well preserved, and have been classed as a world Heritage Site. There are many tiny, hidden entrances that only local people would know and could use in case of attack but the main entrance is called the Portal de Ses Taules.
Looking out over the whole island at the top of the city is the Castle and Cathedral de Santa Maria with impressive gothic architecture it was built sometime between the 14th-16th century. The castle wall still has four cannons trained out over the port. It is all illuminated at night it very pretty to see.
After the cathedral visit and taking many dozens of spectacularly poor photographs of the wonderful views we returned to the port to watch the firework display. There must have been thousands of people including many young children and babies there – it was a very festive atmosphere, not something we are really used to here in the UK.
Real information about Ibiza is hard to find on the web, maybe there is far more in Spanish, but here are a few write-ups that give useful information.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/spain/menorca/718886/Ibiza-Feeling-groovy.html
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/holidays-in-ibiza-534083.html
http://ibiza.costasur.com/en/misterioso-ibiza.html
No comments:
Post a Comment