Saturday morning we arrived on the island of Ibiza in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship provided a shuttle to the town and from there we found the Tourist Info Office just as the city was opening up for the day. Right down the street was the local bus which took us up into the walled upper old town, Dalt Villa. It was only about 9:00 so everything was so quiet and peaceful as we walked the cobblestone streets to the top of the hill and the cathedral.
The Easter processions had been held the evening before at Santa Maria Cathedral and it was just being cleaned, still a beautiful interior. The cathedral is from 1235.
We started walking the Renaissance city walls dating from the 15th century, absolutely beautiful! The views were stunning.
We stopped at the Museu Puget along one of the winding streets and stepped inside. The museum is dedicated to the work by painters Puget Viñas and Puget Riguer. It houses 130 works of art depicting the every day life on the island from the mid twentieth century. I loved the brilliant colors! The oils are done by the father, Puget Viñas with women at the center of family life and Ibiza's customs and rituals. The son, Puget Rigers, worked in watercolors focusing on landscapes and people. A fantastic museum.
We just kept walking down the hill mostly wandering the little streets and alleys. There are no vehicles in many parts of the old town so it was peaceful; felt like stepping back in time.
We stopped for a little refreshments at an outdoor cafe, a local beer for me, coffee for PK.
We also walked in and around the Ibiza Castle from the 16th century having undergone numerous renovations in the 19th and 20th centuries.
A smaller yet very interesting museum was the Museum of Modern Art.
This is the entry to a small produce shop.
Dining on the steps of the city
Once we had walked down the hill and left the old city we found our way to the Museum of Archeology which contains a collection of artifacts from the 7th century and time of the Phoenicians. It was a Saturday afternoon and the museum was closing at 2:00 which gave us only 30 minutes to look at the museum and do a quick walk outside around the burial grounds cut into the hill sides.
We found a place for lunch downtown along the harbor before heading back to the ship. This was a fun little motorhome parked on the street, how I'd love to see Europe this way!
The afternoon was getting hot and more crowded so we returned to the ship to relax and take in the views. When we walked into our cabin I found this bouquet on our table with a note from the Purser's Office wishing me a speedy recovery from the fall I taken the day before. Nice touch, Holland America.
No comments:
Post a Comment