August 04, 2015

AUGUST 5TH SAINT PATRON OF IBIZA AND FORMENTERA

FESTIVITIES OF IBIZA TOWN 
PROCESSION OF OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS
For the second consecutive year is celebrated in Ibiza the procession of its patron saint, Our Lady of the Snows. The tour begins in the new area of the city, specifically from the parish of Santa Cruz, to the Cathedral located at the top of the hill where is located the ancient city of Ibiza today is "World Heritage" since 1999.
Some parishes involved carrying banners of their parish to accompany the patron saint of Ibiza and Formentera through the streets of the city. The best is when passing through a part of the impressive walls of the city of Ibiza.
The entrance to one of the most beautiful places in Ibiza (Portal de ses Taules) is somewhat complicated and you have to lower the image .... 
To get to the courtyard of arms, which is a place inside the walls of Ibiza where a few decades ago was located the first hippy market of Ibiza. 
Surprisingly, the patron saint of Ibiza is the Marian advocation of "Snow", snow is a rare event in the island ... but the choice of the patron has a rather historical explanation. 
In 1235, an August 8th, was conquered Ibiza by troops of the Crown of Aragon for the King of Aragon James I the Conqueror, (pictured above the shield of the King of Aragon can be seen embedded on the wall, behind the image of the Virgin), then once conquered the island to the Arabs, it was established that was to be built a church dedicated to St. Mary, however, it was established that the Marian devotion would be chosen by the closest Marian festivity of August 8, the day which the island was conquered. So, Santa Maria de las Nieves (also known as Santa Maria Maggiore) was choosen as Patron of Ibiza, and the new church was dedicated to her, as his feast day is celebrated on August 5th. 
The image continues its way towards the cathedral, passing through the famous city walls, and the most emblematic places of the town, while passing by the famous "Plaza de Vila" folks will mixing with tourists who are surprised with the fest. 

At this point the procession must face the most hard part because now comes the steepest slopes that reach the cathedral. Gradually the lights dim smoothly and the streets will be more narrows as we climb.

July 26, 2015

URBAN ART IN SAN ANTONIO

URBAN ART IN SANT ANTONI DE PORTMANY
I must say that I'm not in favor of vulgar graffiti that I think normally disgrace walls and street furniture, but I must recognize that some ones are great art that we can enjoy meanwhile we walk around the town. Let´s have a look to some of them...

I must admit that I do not know who has been the idea, but I think it's great, you may not like all these murals there, but it gives it another go to some buildings and especially to their sidewalls.

One of these building with murals is the outside walls of the football field of the village, we must recognize that the two murals on their walls, give it another appearance to the building and by the way very original. Certainly one of the murals has nothing to do with another at the other side. One seems more cold due the black and white contrast meanwhile the other is full color, and a bit more "comic look"

Quite shocking this face of golden iguana with her watch, ring and chain which is eating grapes on a very lavish look. Certainly does not lack originality.
 
On a school wall, we can see a drawing on a very "science fiction" style. It´s composed of several drawings in a  somewhat futuristic way...

If we take a closer look we are provided with further details that we have not seen before far at distance. So a closer look to the body of the lady, reveal a field with a sky with a staircase where several people are climbing to try to reach the heart of this woman.

And though the goal has nothing to do with the mural, it seems that here is done on purpose to match with the drawing , it is obvious that the goal has nothing to do with the wall, or  with the small details of the bottom of the wall.

These drawings, draw attention in the streets where they are, and definitely not go unnoticed thanks to the color of some of them, Although others are more monochromatic style. But certainly not those, located above nor below these lines.

On a side of a building we can see a large squid in a fishbowl, where it seems there is not enough space to fit comfortably.

At a closer look, we notice the details of their tentacles and the kind of colorful that calling us much attention.

Another one is a silhouette, like this one located in a parking, among the parked cars the mythological horse "Pegasus" starts flying with its powerful wings ....
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Or as this one in another side of another building depicting a large water drop shared by different levels,  in each level, the different stories are developing.

The interpretation in some of these drawings is completely free, and may vary from a person to person but obviously here we can see from some soldiers running into battle in a level, and a number of factories in a complex in other, or a couple watching the news in a large room, or people purchasing, it is curious as shopping carts are empty.
In the image below we see a piece of mural, the same mural  which we began this post and is a detail of details, so closer we get more details we can see ....
Great idea of these murals and its impact on the village.

May 25, 2015

CATHEDRAL´s MUSEUM

MUSEUM OF THE CATEDRAL
This museum is very unknown, even to the people who visit the cathedral and it is not expensive. It worth to pay a visit , and we will surprise for the collection of valuable paintings that we can see here, some of them are made by anonymous authors. Also there is a valuable collection of authentic jewels, as custodies and Ibicencan jewelry. All in a unique setting as it is located in the old chapter of the cathedral and its old sacristy. In the picture above we can see the painting of the Pope San Gregorio Magno that is part of a larger altarpiece and is of anonymous author of the sixteenth century.
This museum is open to the public since 1965 when it opened, but has a major refurbishment of 2006. Among his paintings there is this one, from the eighteenth century (the first image of this post on the title) depicting the Annunciation and it is anonymous. Above these lines we see the picture called "Holy Generation" by Mateo Lopez, on the sixteenth century
 
Santa Tecla was a Saint with many followers in the former Ibiza, and this is why it is dedicated to her, the most important bastion of the walls of Ibiza, the Saint Tecla´s bastion. Here it is also a picture dedicated to her, that belongs to 1399 and painted on a board and gold by Francesc Comes
 
One of the most important works of this museum are the two tables that not long ago were in a side chapel of the cathedral, which were recently moved to the museum. They are both works by Valenti Montoliu and were made in Morella (Castellón) although the exact date is not known but would be made around 1450, both, on tempera and gold on wood.
The old sacristy and the chapter hall, are the spaces that have created this museum. They both have all kinds of religious paintings and art and different liturgical objects.
A wooden sculpture depicting Ntra. Sra. Del Rosario (Our Lady of the Rosary) is one of the most important works of this museum. Also on display until recently in the same cathedral, was moved to the museum because of its great artistic value. Its author is anonymous and is believed to carving was made somewhat later of the 1500 A. D.
But the great jewel of this cathedral is this custody in tower shape, made of gold-plated silver with enamel, with 82 centimeters high, the value of this custody is that is the oldest in Spain, dating back to the fourteenth century and was made by Francesc Marti in 1399.

April 10, 2015

ES FIGUERAL BEACH


PLAYA DE ES FIGUERAL

After a period of "rest", I resume the activity of this blog of Ibiza with one of the most popular beaches on the East side of the island. This is the beach of Es Figueral, and I suppose that the name must reference perhaps, to a large number of fig trees that would be here in this area in the old days.

So the ancient fig trees may have been replaced by the big number of hotels that nowadays have been builded in this area, some huge ones, that are in the vicinity of the beach. It can guess from the pictures, that the beach is of fine sand, ideal for families and for the general public. Here also you can enjoy all amenities like restaurants, bars, sunbeds, lifeguards, showers, pedal boats, windsurfing etc. .....

In the background we can see the island of Tagomago, always present in the northeastern part of the island. These images were taken on this spring season, where still the small population of tourism allows us to enjoy the beaches without the huge number of tourists who will bask in them, within the next weeks.
 
Although this beach has massive attendance during the summer due to the numerous hotels congregated here, also has a wild side, in fact before construction was a isolated and nudist beach, and there are still wild sides that remind us those old days. In one side of the cove there is a kind of natural monolith that some have called as the "finger of God" in likeness of the one in Gran Canaria island (destroyed some years ago by a tropical storm), this one here, is still standing.

In the wild side of the beach, there is a pebble beach, much quieter than the sand side, but limited by a vertical wall that makes shadows on this beach quite early just after midday, so time to enjoy the sun here is quite limited.

It also has some small islets in this area, which reminds us of the nearby beach of aigues blanques.

In short, it's a beach to enjoy, that yes, like all those in the east of the island ideal to enjoy at first thing in the morning as it is when is better to swim and sunbathing. In the afternoon can be partially affected by shadows.
From this beach we can also discern in the distance the beach of "Sa Cala" Sant Vicent, and right next door of it, we can even make out the remains of an old lighthouse, which was replaced by a new one built on the islet of Tagomago.
We must not forget that even in this area will not enjoy sunsets (we are in the East side of the island), it can enjoy some beautiful sunrises, some as wonderful as the famous sunsets on the West side of the island.

March 02, 2015

ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE CANA COSTA (FORMENTERA)

MEGALITHIC FUNERARY MONUMENT OF CA NA COSTA IN FORMENTERA
Quite curious the history of Formentera concerning at their population. For much of its history was uninhabited, but interestingly this monument that really would be a megalithic tomb, dated between 1,900 and 1,600. B.C., which shows that at that time Formentera was already inhabited. Aside Formentera would join the islands of Menorca, Sardinia and Malta which have a large number of megalithic monuments as well as Mallorca with smaller numbers of them, while the enigma remains in the absence of such monuments in the nearby Ibiza that could indicate that Formentera on those ancient times, had greater population than Ibiza itself.
It may not be easy to find this monument, but it doesn't really matter for people with no interest in historic stones, but definitely should matter to others with interest into megalithic. But you can find the monument on halfway to the salinas de Formentera and the little town of Es Pujols. By the way we can see in the explanatory poster, that this monument is known by the inhabitants of Formentera as "es rellotge" (means the clock in ibicenco language).
It looks like a dolmen, disposed in  geometric shape. Despite its long history was discovered in the year 1974, where changed the history of Formentera, so, it was ignored then that Formentera was inhabited in the Punic period, and this showed that long before, civilization had existed. It is curious that in later chapters Formentera remained uninhabited several times, for example when Muslims were expelled for the continuing attacks on the island and shrank its population drastically, even dissapeared.
The place is located surrounded of great natural beauty, and you can see the salt ponds and the "estany Pudent" (a great lake of salt waters). Your visit will not last more than twenty minutes, depending on the interest that could awake in each visitor the history of these stones, which incidentally confirms my idea that Formentera and Minorca are very similar, and among its similarity with the landscape can be add that both islands have megalithic monuments.