Last days in Ibiza

Heading into Sant Antoni, we had our usual list of jobs to do whilst in port, but also, this time there was an important football match to watch. Euro semi final between England and Denmark.  We also wanted to go to Ibiza Town before leaving Ibiza so we had to crack on and make the most of our time!

It's amazing what you can do if you set your mind to it.  Once Offbeat was sorted and paperwork completed at the office, we headed into town for something to eat.  Wow, what a difference a week makes as the tourists had arrived. Whilst not overly busy, it had a buzz about it that was missing the previous week.

We found a lovely little bar in the back streets where they spoke no English but where the service, food and price was excellent. With our best Spanish we had a conversation with them and to Mark's delight, they were showing the football later.  We'd be back! And we did and to our delight, England won although the locals were rather indifferent to it, despite bagging the best seats in the house.

Next day we headed to Ibiza Town on the local bus. I love catching public transport as you get a real insight into every day life.   The insight that day was that the driver was a man on a mission.  If you didn't put your hand out he didn't stop and if he did stop, you were told to hurry up. Going through the mountains was quite an adventure!

Arriving in Ibiza Town in one piece, we headed for the old town which is set on a steep hill overlooking the harbour. It was quite overcast when we set off, which is ideal for sightseeing but as the afternoon wore on, the cloud dispersed and the sun came out.

Set at the peak of the hill, we climbed the numerous steps to reach the peak. From here, we visited the castle and the Cathedral, where there are spectacular views of Ibiza and in the distance, Formentera.  We meandered back down through the cobble streets, just listening to the sounds of familiesgetting on with their lives. What I loved most about the old town was the architecture, the quirky old buildings that have been lovingly renovated and the archways that entice you in to explore beyond.  We spent a few hours just wandering the streets, soaking up life in the old town and sampling the local fare.

The bus journey back to Sant Antoni was much less eventful. With one last place to visit, we headed to the church square and to a little ice cream shop that makes the most delicious fig and almond ice cream. Sitting in the church square, we savoured every mouthful, knowing that it will be a while before enjoyed this ice cream again.

Next day we headed down to Formentera. Mark's friend Ariel from Estepona was there for the Summer and we'd promised to visit before we left. It took us about 6 hours, with some sailing and some motoring as the wind was once again variable.  

Arriving at Cala Saona about 20:30, we were surprised by the number of boats still in the anchorage. However, this was nothing compared to the number of boats that turned up the next day.  It was like the Southampton boat show, with boats of all shapes and sizes vying to get the best anchorage spot closest to the beach.  I still haven't worked out why, as very rarely do people venture onto the beach.

We spent some time with Ariel, but as he was working he couldn't join us for supper so with favourable winds forecast that evening to blow us overto Mallorca, we set sail at 20:45, hoping that if we timed it right, we could at last catch the sunset over Isla Vedra.

We were not disappointed!