Thursday, June 19, 2008 Lost in Old City By Jinggoy Salvador
ARRIVING in Ibiza is never a problem. With its reputation of playing the grand host to the wildest and/or craziest party in the globe, then inbound visitors can literally zip in and out of the grooviest Balearic islet in Europe.
In my case, we took the red eye flight. After a week of discovering, relaxing, dining and immersing in the Pais Vasco culture, it was time to shake get into the club culture. Co-conspirator and unsung hero of Spain's tourist spots, Chef Mikel A, and I spent a day in Barcelona before heading off to the airport.
Recharged and energized, I was ready to beat my brains into insanity with the stuff I only heard and read of. I was literally jittery when the plane touched down and the first light of the Eivissa sun greeted me with its gentle buss on my cheek.
After kissing the land I was about to tread, party and go loco on, we dropped our luggage and head off to port to meet the locals that Mikel has worked with for a decade and they were still there.
Cerveza was my island welcome drink, nibbled on lunch and I was off to see history-the tour of the Dalt Vila.
I would highly recommend everyone to make the obligatory island tour the first entry in your itinerary before doing what you really came here for -- party! Because for the rest of your trip, your body clock will function on the opposite, your day will become night and night will be your day. Sleep in totally unheard of in this part of the planet.
So, I did see the fortress and the oldest part of the city. Dalt Vila, which literally means "the Upper town" rests atop of the hill by the sea. Founded not too long ago, about 654 BC to be exact, by the Phoenicians, this area was a thriving commercial center during the Punic era. D'Alt Vila is unquestionably the most iconic part of the city and was declared a world heritage site by Unesco.
This is a walking tour and sensible shoes are a must since it's an exploration of narrow, winding, steep cobbled streets. But the magnificent views from the breaks in the high ramparts, the vast terraces at each level and the refreshing sight of the azure sea from the embattlements will serve as the foot massage that makes you forget of how tired your feet are. A leisurely pace is the way to go so as not to miss the fascinating details of the walled city.
This is the thrill of the tour is to get lost into the veritable maze and discover the hidden corners and romantic get-away of a place whose charm derives from its centuries of history.
You will get to peak through sturdy wooden doors that will reveal spacious stone courtyards, private chapels and graceful staircases. On the walk up to the cathedral you find gift shops and art galleries, these are treasure troves of the unusual and unique made by the talented local crafts people.
Within its amazing walls are the 14th century cathedral of Santa Maria d'Eivissa at the "modern" part of the enclosure and the Punic necropolis of Puig des Molins, the city's burial ground throughout the whole of Antiquity and today, an important archaeological site.
And when you reach the very top, you will be in awe of the eye-catching monuments and structures, the former Court Room, where justice was administered from the time of the Catalan conquest, the University chamber and the Chapel of El Salvador, which today house the interesting Ibiza Archaeology Museum, the Town Hall, Can Botino and the Convent de les Monjes Tancades or the Monastery of the Cloistered Nuns.
You work your way down and get to discover more. By day, the place is almost like the most tranquil spot in Ibiza. But this notion will be proven wrong when the sun sets and the moonshines.
The quiet streets will be bustling with energy, doors and windows will open, and the cobbled streets will be lined with tables. Bars and first class restaurants come alive in Dalt Vila and you experience the unimaginable -- "Candlelight dinners in a Medieval castle under the Mediterranean stars."
