DALT VILA - IBIZA´S OLD TOWN

DALT VILA

In few days Ibiza will celebrate de date of Our Lady of Snows, Saint Patroness of Ibiza and Formentera august 5th and Saint Ciriaco august 8th. These celebrations are known as "Festes de sa Terra" (land´s celebrations).

The ones who will go to this celebration may walk throughout the narrow and old streets of Dalt Vila. This nice old Town City surrounded by the most well conservated walls of the Mediterranean after (of course) Malta.

The "Portal de Ses Taules" (Top Picture) is the main entrance door to the city walls, and the way to get the nice "patio de armas" and Dalt Vila. This entrance is just a revival of the old years.

In Dalt Vila streets, the most of the narrow streets are linked by steps, also narrows and very pictoric ones. One has the sense to be lost.

Ibiza´s Castle at the top, from where are I can remember never has been finished. It´s seem that this time they´re getting seriously and in few years we will be able to see it finish.

The other entrance to "Dalt Vila" is known as "Portal Nou" (new door), it´s not so spectacular as the "Portal de ses taules" but throughout a tunnel where we must to walk we will be able to be "in" the walls and see how thick these walls are. We will arrive to a big group of steps and from there we can go on to the very top surrounded for a nice group of white houses.

ILLETES - FORMENTERA

I L L E T E S

It´s one of the Top three beaches on the Balearics. Also exists one "illetes" in Mallorca, but the Illetes in Formentera on difference with the one in Mallorca has no buildings around, the colour of the sea is just georgeous, and it has been declared Natural Park.
Some of the boats and yatchs that anchorage in front of the beach are just spectaculars. Some of them are the most luxurious on the world. A lot of celebrities are comming here for a nice relax day and for a bath in these waters.

Although is a very busy beach, there are also places where you can find a lot of privacy. There a lot of kilometres of golden dunes and sand.

All this area belongs to the north of Formentera island. Illetes name means little islands, and in fact there are little rock islands around.

In some places you can easily choose wether you want to have a bath on the east side or the west side. Illetes belongs to the west side, and the east is called "platja de Llevant" Llevant means East side in "Ibicenco". On breeze days you can choose if you want to bath between waves or you prefer calm waters.

On this beach you can practise any water sport also around the beaches of Formentera.

I hope from now on, Formentera will be much more on my blog.

MITJORN BEACH - LAS SALINAS BEACH

The Mitjorn beach (mitjorn is the name of a local South wind) is the real name of this famous beach more named as Ses Salines Beach. During the summer is the meeting point of the famous and the "beautiful" people and the most "on fashion" celebrities. It´s surrounded by pines and dunes. The waters of this beach as we can see in the pictures have a clean deep blue colour.

On this beach you can practice a lot of water sports, the beach has one and a half kilometer long and may be is the most tropical looking of the beaches in Ibiza due the colour waters. From this beach we can enjoy a wonderful view to the little islands placed between Ibiza and Formentera.

This is one of the few beaches (not cove at all) on the island. To arrive here we have to go throughout the natural Park of the Salinas.

Convent´s Church - Santo Domingo´s Church

Church of Santo Domingo

&

Saint Peter´s Parrish

This church was originally a convent. In 1.835 the last monks left the Convent. Nowadays the old Convent building belongs to the City´s Town Hall. Originally the Convent´s was the today´s Jesús Church, but due the dangerous berberisch pirate´s attacks the monks went in to the more safe old town inside of the defense city walls.

Some interesting pictures were found some years ago.

This Church is located in Dalt Vila the old part of Ibiza City declared in 1.999 by Unesco World Heritage.

This is the Chapel of Our lady of Roser. Somedays mass is celebrating in this Chapel instad the main altar of the Church.

CRISTO DEL CEMENTERIO - Cemetery´s Christ

The Christ of the Cemetery is the image with major popular fervor of the island. The name comes from the place where it was (that maybe coincides with the one that is nowadays), and that was the cemetery of the friars of the convent. This image dates back of at least the year 1.625 that is when they place this image in the choir of the church. In 1.730 a beam makes exploit nearby the polvorín of Saint Lucia. 15 dead people and big damage in the temple. Miraculously the image remains totally unharmed. At the end of the XVIIIth century the Archduke Luis Salvador is a witness of as any ship on having gone out or to enter of the port hoists the flag or greets with a cannon-shot to the image that was as today looking at the sea, though apparently it was in a chapel outdoors of the temple and in view of the crafts. In 1.864 a terrible and great epidemic destroyed the island of Ibiza decimating and very much the population of the island. The survivors come to pray in front of the image of the Christ to implore the protection. The epidemic for on the verge of the City, motive by what the devotion is so extended in this image.

The image was burned during the civil war in 1.936 and thrown the remains for the neighboring cliffs. In 1.938 was blessed the new image.

FLORS DE BALADRE / ROSEBAY´S FLOWERS

Flors de Baladre

Once we have finished the spring the flowers are normally dissapering. But the Rosebay flowers are starting now the rose colours to envolve our forests, and gardens. The Ibicencan musician group UC dedicated a lovely song to these nice flowers. Isidor Mari was written for the group the lyrics.

Flors de baladre en un torrent, per on no passa mai sa gent,
amb poca cosa en tenen prou,
per treure un altre color nou.

Flors de baladre en un torrent tenen el cor de sol i vent,
viuen només d'alò que cau: aigua de núvol i cel blau.

Flors de baladre en un torrent no es venen per deu ni per cent.

Creuen que tenen un gran riu, quan fa un ruixim de mig estiu,
i es deixen dur torrent avall com ses al·lotes cap a un ball.
I ses que queden, quan no plou, obrin els ulls per veure el sol,
i dos teulats que tenen set en es cocons fan un glopet.


Mind with these plants and flowers so they can be really dangerous if you eat them. The lyrics of the song above talks about the few cuantity of water they need to keep them happy. If you want to hear the song go to this blog onto Spanish version.

SANT VICENT DE SA CALA CHURCH

The Saint Vicent´s church is located at the northeast of the Island. I must admit that has been the very last church of the island that I have visited. This time I want to tell a little history (may be a leyend) about this little church. A blogger called Alfonso Naharro wrote it in one of the local newspapers.

The history talk about a pirate’s boat that arrived to Ibiza due a big storm. All died except one of the crew. A neighbourr went to help him but sending away for something to eat, may be to es canar or whatever... The neighbour was rich thanks to all the gold on board of the boat, and wanted thanks god for that, so he brought the treasure to home, and paid a piece of land where a church had to be built. He also requested to someone on the mainland to due a bell, that is the one today we can see on the church. This should happen at the beginning of the XIX ´s century. On those days the people from here had to go to the San Juan´s Church for the mass. The new church of San Vicente was start building in 1827 and meanwhile the church was built the Priest of San Juan had to go every Sunday to do the mass under a big tree. For advising the neighbourhood that service the bell of the Pirate´s boat was the one in use for that, and the assistants went each one with one stone to built the new church. The new church of Sant Vicente was finish in 1838 and on the new bell can read "snta Maria ora pro nobis". 

The old Lighthouse

Very few people heard about it. This is a very old lighthouse that for around eighty years doesn´t make any more work. There it is, abandoned, alone, and around it the Mediterranean with his fully blue power colour. When the Tagomago Island lighthouse was built, this one had no more work to do.

The place is one of the sides of the north hills of Ibiza known as "Es amunts", it´s situated at the northeast of the Island. All the technical devices of the top of this former lighthouse is now in use at the lighthouse placed at the Vilagarcía harbour in Galicia at the Punta Insua, very close of the Finisterre cape.

PUNTA GALERA

Punta Galera is a rocky beach. To get there is not so easy to find and so easy to reach. The rocks there are even confortable for a sunbath. Also is easy to get a bath in to the sea. Some people assure that this is the very first place on to Spain for nudists.

For some other people this is a very energyc place. Some people come here to practice Tai-chi and some other to practice yoga. Also is a place for meditation or just to enjoy the silence of this place.



Also this is the really ideal place for those who practice snorking or diving. Just mind the hills around. Sometimes come rocks down.

VARA DE REY

Vara de Rey is the Center of the City of Ibiza. But not many of the inhabitants of Ibiza know who was Vara de Rey. He was a hero of the Cuba´s war.
Joaquín Vara de Rey y Rubió was born in Ibiza en 1.840. He was a military and politician. He died in Santiago de Cuba in 1.898. He enfaced the troops of the General Henry Lawton with 6.899 men against the 550 of the Vara de rey´s troops.

The monument to Vara de Rey was opened by the King Alfonso XIII in april 1.904.

Also exists a monument to Vara de Rey in Madrid.

At Vara de Rey Square in Ibiza you can find the elegant Montesol Hotel which was the very first hotel on the island.

The most important trade and shops of Ibiza are around Vara de Rey Square. It´s placed just around 100 meters from the harbour and very closed to the reinaissances walls.

Valcar River

This River is only famous at the river mouth. There is where the Town of Santa Eulalia has the name of the "El Rio" the river. At the roman times this river was known as Valcar.

From differents "brolls" (places where the water born) the water is transporting to the River. Untill the sixties of the XXth Century this River had water all year around.

This is the only River in Spain out of the mainland. From the year 2006/7 The river have water all winter around. This thing was not happen from many decades ago.

Although Ibiza is famous for the beaches, Ibiza also has a magnificent cliffs especially at the north side of the Island.

This Cliffs are known as "Es amunts", just something like the "highlands" of Ibiza.

It´s quite amazing to see the local flora of the this sites.

Thanks to Joan Costa (he knows very well the island) I could come to this place, it belongs to Sant Mateu d´Eubarca, and this is the view to the Cala Eubarca.