Today we are in Ibiza, Spain, pronounced “I-bee-thuh,” like you have a lisp.
I have to admit to two mistakes: Yesterday, I almost brought our whole trip to a sudden end. We were crossing a busy street in Almeria, and I got to the other side and pulled my camera out of my jacket pocket to take a picture and with it came my city map, which floated right out into the middle of the intersection. All of a sudden, I see Ray running back to pick up the map! Unbeknownst to me, however, it wasn’t the map he was going after but my strap thing I bought to wear around my neck that holds my photo ID and my Holland America keycard—which I could not get back onto the ship without!!! So Ray was the hero of the day.
Second thing I was wrong about—or at least the cruise director was and I trusted him-- Ibiza is not just a party city; it has this wonderful castle, Castle di Alt Villa from 1554, that sits atop the hill inside a walled fortress that also has a beautiful 13th century cathedral and Gothic bell tower. The fortified town is perched dramatically above its natural harbour on a bed of limestone. Although it looks Medieval, Charles V built this fortification in the 16th century. Ibiza is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, which once shared history as an independent Moorish kingdom in the 13th century. However, unlike its neighbors, Ibiza also was an ancient Punic merchant base. The Phoenicians were here first then the Carthaginians—a collection of Carthaginian art found at various sites was evidence of the island’s Punic period from 600 BC to 200 AD.
Whitewashed, squared-off Ibizan homes are built very close together and look like they are spilling down the hillsides. We climbed up the narrow streets and through the main castle gate with its two headless Roman sculptures AND a drawbridge, no less, to get to the very top of the hill to see the cathedral and for the views—which included the bases of four ancient windmills. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Mary and may have originally been a Muslim mosque. The bells from the tower rang out several times while we were wandering about. You could close your eyes and imagine yourself back in Medieval times. The surrounding D’alt Vila (the whole village on top of the hill) is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The shops in Ibiza Town (Eivissa) were open, and we had fun strolling the streets and doing some window-shopping. Beautiful long, psychedelic patterned dresses that unfortunately were too expensive for me. Gorgeous white flimsy tunics and skirts were also among the most expensive things here. Guess I have expensive tastes, so no goodies for me.
Supposedly, Ibiza has the reputation as a quiet place to escape to, unlike what we were told on the ship. The population of 50,000 residents swells to more than double this during tourist season, which begins very soon.
By the way, I think Almeria has two extra residents since yesterday. Evidently 2 passengers from our ship in cabin 8021 didn’t make the all aboard time, so they were left behind. The office called for them over the intercom over and over, called their room, and delayed departure—whether for them or because of the winds I mentioned, I don’t know—but anyway, I guess they have to find their own way to one of our next ports to rejoin the cruise.
We had a restful afternoon then went to dinner in the Vista Dining Room then to tonight’s entertainment, a classical pianist, Jason Ridgway. All in all, a very good day.
Tomorrow is a big day—Barcelona. Looking forward to seeing Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia.
I have to admit to two mistakes: Yesterday, I almost brought our whole trip to a sudden end. We were crossing a busy street in Almeria, and I got to the other side and pulled my camera out of my jacket pocket to take a picture and with it came my city map, which floated right out into the middle of the intersection. All of a sudden, I see Ray running back to pick up the map! Unbeknownst to me, however, it wasn’t the map he was going after but my strap thing I bought to wear around my neck that holds my photo ID and my Holland America keycard—which I could not get back onto the ship without!!! So Ray was the hero of the day.
Second thing I was wrong about—or at least the cruise director was and I trusted him-- Ibiza is not just a party city; it has this wonderful castle, Castle di Alt Villa from 1554, that sits atop the hill inside a walled fortress that also has a beautiful 13th century cathedral and Gothic bell tower. The fortified town is perched dramatically above its natural harbour on a bed of limestone. Although it looks Medieval, Charles V built this fortification in the 16th century. Ibiza is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, which once shared history as an independent Moorish kingdom in the 13th century. However, unlike its neighbors, Ibiza also was an ancient Punic merchant base. The Phoenicians were here first then the Carthaginians—a collection of Carthaginian art found at various sites was evidence of the island’s Punic period from 600 BC to 200 AD.
Whitewashed, squared-off Ibizan homes are built very close together and look like they are spilling down the hillsides. We climbed up the narrow streets and through the main castle gate with its two headless Roman sculptures AND a drawbridge, no less, to get to the very top of the hill to see the cathedral and for the views—which included the bases of four ancient windmills. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Mary and may have originally been a Muslim mosque. The bells from the tower rang out several times while we were wandering about. You could close your eyes and imagine yourself back in Medieval times. The surrounding D’alt Vila (the whole village on top of the hill) is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The shops in Ibiza Town (Eivissa) were open, and we had fun strolling the streets and doing some window-shopping. Beautiful long, psychedelic patterned dresses that unfortunately were too expensive for me. Gorgeous white flimsy tunics and skirts were also among the most expensive things here. Guess I have expensive tastes, so no goodies for me.
Supposedly, Ibiza has the reputation as a quiet place to escape to, unlike what we were told on the ship. The population of 50,000 residents swells to more than double this during tourist season, which begins very soon.
By the way, I think Almeria has two extra residents since yesterday. Evidently 2 passengers from our ship in cabin 8021 didn’t make the all aboard time, so they were left behind. The office called for them over the intercom over and over, called their room, and delayed departure—whether for them or because of the winds I mentioned, I don’t know—but anyway, I guess they have to find their own way to one of our next ports to rejoin the cruise.
We had a restful afternoon then went to dinner in the Vista Dining Room then to tonight’s entertainment, a classical pianist, Jason Ridgway. All in all, a very good day.
Tomorrow is a big day—Barcelona. Looking forward to seeing Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia.
***pictures: Ibiza and its castle, me in front of Ibiza, stained glass in the Cathedral
