Day No. 180 - Ibiza - Wind, Waves and Nature

Today's post begins with a short review of yesterday evening. - At around 17:00, we decide to drive from the beach to the top of the cliff to find a spot for the night. But as luck would have it, our wind-protected corner from last night is already occupied by another van.

We look around a bit, but all the pitches are either too public or too windy. The weather forecast predicts much stronger gusts for the coming night and day. So we decide to head back towards Benirrás beach. We want to find a cozy spot sheltered from the wind in the riverbed, which we already know.

When we arrive at Calá Benirrás, we can already hear the drums from afar. It is ½ hour before sunset. A number of drummers have gathered today. A wild mix of Rastafarians and hippies. The atmosphere is exuberant, cheerful and, above all, chilled. Lots of cool people. Today, too, we are enveloped in the nice cannabis cloud.

We join the dancers for the time being. - But the minutes shortly after sunset we sit on the beach and enjoy. A wonderful end to our weekend. We later learn that the drummers gather here every Sunday sunset at this time of year. Probably more often in summer. - Coincidence? No, it happens when it's due. - What will today bring?

Today brings one thing above all: wind, wind and more wind. - Are we going to let that scare us? No, first we drive down to the beach at Benirrás. - Swimming? - When I get out of the car, it's immediately clear that it's not going to happen. Instead, I have half the beach between my teeth.

Then we'd rather have our muesli on board. With a view of the sea and the stormy waves, this also has its charm. What to do with the day? So we decide to explore the island a little.

Our first destination is Sant Miquel de Balansat - Instead of following the route marked for cars, we follow a small road that turns right here - 39°05'16.7″N 1°27'28.3″E - about 500 m after Benirràs beach. Ibiza Yoga is also located here, https://www.ibizayoga.com/, whose facilities are nestled on the hillside in a very natural setting.

The road winds along the mountain and offers a wonderful view of the bay of Benirràs. Up here, just 1.5 kilometers from the yoga center, is a spectacular Bauhaus villa with a large window front. With minimal windows, someone has invested a lot of money in the view. But the view is really impressive. After another kilometer, we see the signs for the "Cova de Can Marçà" cave. - We make a spontaneous stop: the 100,000-year-old stalactite cave, which was also used as a smugglers' hideout for a time, is said to be very beautiful. But the last guided tour has just started. We therefore decided not to visit today. Admission for adults costs eleven euros. Perhaps we'll be able to visit again at another time.

We continue past the port of San Miguel. From here it is about 4 km to the town. At this time of year, the island is very green. We see pine trees, olive groves, wild herbs and, above all, walls. These natural stone walls divide the island into many small areas. There is always a finca in between. We particularly like the rounded corners and the combination of white plaster and old natural stone walls.

In Sant Miguel, we drive up the road to the church Eglesia de Sant Miguel. However, due to the whistling wind, we only stop briefly and then continue on. Our next destination is Santa Agnés de Corona, a small, dreamy village. Just as you would imagine Ibiza to be. On the way, we see a number of almond trees. The flowering season is coming to an end. - The white and pink flowers give this area a charm all of its own. We have already seen quite a few almond trees on our tour, but here you could be forgiven for thinking it was snowing at times. The cacti are also in their full glory. The landscape is colorful. Especially the contrast of the various shades of green in combination with the partly rust-red earth. - What did I learn about this at school?

"Red and green are complementary colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel - the contrast is extreme and vivid, as the colors reinforce each other's effect." - Was that right? - So there are things I have memorized after all. 

We stop again in Santa Agnés. Although the wind is whistling here too, we decide to pay a visit to the small church. From the outside, the church hardly looks bigger than a chapel. But its simplicity is what wins us over. As we enter the nave, we realize that it is larger than it appears at first glance. There are six side chapels - Torgit and I are particularly taken with the confessional. This church fits in with the village, which also appears simple and rural. But this is exactly what fits into the landscape. Simple, plain and beautiful!

We continue in the direction of Las Puertas del Cielo. The road becomes even narrower. The fincas by the roadside are beautiful. In front of one we discover a huge cactus tree. There is a restaurant on the cliffs here, which was recommended to us. But the wind is whistling over the hill. The view of the sea from here is gigantic. Today it is probably rather dangerous under the pine trees. The trees are cracking in the wind. Torgit only takes a few steps and quickly feels her way back to the car. I follow her shortly afterwards.

Next, we approach Sant Antoni de Portmany. In the bay of Cala des Moro, we stop by the sea and have a snack. The waves crash over the cliff. A few meters further on is the Café del Mar. It is now closed in "winter". - But every year it opens on Good Friday and usually closes for the season in the first week of November. - In the mid-80s, on my first Ibiza vacation, Sant Antoni already had just under 13,000 inhabitants and was quite touristy. In the meantime, the number has probably more than doubled. There were already British tourists back then. - But when I was seventeen or eighteen, I still thought they were cool. - In 2006 there were already high-rise buildings, the Café del Mare was cooler than ever. We listened to Volume 13, which had just been released. - It's still considered a trendy place today. - The sunset is certainly as spectacular as it was back then, when fire-breathing, pretty-looking girls danced to the famous lounge music. Today, however, only the wind whistles here and the cliff is washed over by the high waves. 

We make our way to Ibiza Town. The siesta will soon be over, maybe we'll discover a little life in the old town? - No way, the difference to summer is already clear at the harbor, the Port d'Eivissa. Where luxury yachts are moored in the warmer months, there are only normal boats. The Plaça de la Constitució at the foot of the old town looks just as deserted as the surrounding alleyways. Everything looks boarded up. - The only thing missing is an old shrub being whirled through the alleyways by the wind. Silence reigns where visitors to the city stroll in summer and tapas are served in and in front of the restaurants. - Even my favorite accommodation, Apartamentos Mariano, is barricaded. You can only guess that the boutiques and bars that are so cool in the summer are hidden behind the boutiques. Dalt Vila, loosely translated as the upper town, Ibiza's fortified old town has a completely different effect than in summer. Here, too, the alleyways are deserted. I find it exciting because I can now see many details that I would have missed in the hustle and bustle in summer.

In Calle Conquista, for example, we find a wall with various handprints, including those of Uschi Glas, Jean Pütz, Udo Lindenberg, Gunther Strack and a few others. - 38°54'26.7″N 1°26'04.2″E - I'm sure these were already here on my last visit, but I simply overlooked them. Yes, it's a bit cold today, yes it's extremely windy. But I'm really enjoying exploring the other, quiet Ibiza.

We gathered a lot of impressions today. We also discovered some cool new street art. We were particularly taken with a huge wall tattoo in Ibiza Town - 38°54'38.2″N 1°25'48.5″E. It shows the face of a boy emerging from the chest of a hybrid creature of swan, gray goose and fish. This mural was created in 2018, at the start of the BLOOP Festival, as a symbol of hope for those who need it most. In this case, a Syrian child who was injured in attacks. - It was painted by Venezuelan artist Alfalfa, who had already created a similarly spectacular piece of graffiti in Tarifa.

A little later, we head north again. - Our riverbed gives us shelter from the gusts that night too. - A good, no, a perfect day.