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ANECDOTES & PECULIARITIES from IBIZA and some names for IBIZA island |
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Anecdotes
& peculiarities
from
Ibiza
Ibiza
has over the last four decades developed from
an
isolated virgin Spanish island,
into an
Idyllic Multi Cultural
Meeting Point
for people from all over the world.
  
The
Isle of Bes (etymology)
is famous for its
hospitality, and visitors from all times have finished by falling
in love of the island.
Truly in this land of charm and
glamour, many rejected
adventurers and seekers
of spiritual
experiences always looking for
new sensations
have finished poorly.
But the noble
people that does not surrender itself in front of difficulties
and work in and for life, has prospered and done well.
We can find good and bad as it is in any part of this world: but
Ibiza
is different.
Some names for
Ibiza:
Apart from the name
already mentioned: Ebysos, Ibosim,
Ebusus, Aivis, Yebisah, Eivissa, Ibiza, were the respective
names used by the Greek-
Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Iberians, Arabs, Catalans,
and Castilians.
Pitiusas Islands: is the name given to a total of 60 islands
situated at the southern part of the
Balearic archipelago, the Greek meaning of it is “Pines
islands”.
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IBIZA - The WHITE ISLAND |
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white island: As we go around the island we notice
immediately the
white color of the typical houses. An old tradition speaks
about the custom of the
Ibizan people of
lime washing house at
least twice a year.
There is a certain religious meaning, because curiously they do it just
before the holy week
(Easter) and just before
the Saints day of
each village of the island.
A friend of Cala San Vicente,
Mari 86 years old, told
me once: “This tradition is coming
from the first civilizations we had here, Phoenician and Carthaginian”,
as he was speaking he led me to a patio outside the house and pointed
with his hand at three holes
dug in the rock, not to wide and with a rectangular shape: “Look
here on the floor, Guillermo, my grand father used to say that this is
from a Moorish family who lived here before ours”.
I was amazed realizing that it could be between
700 and
1235 AC
when that house was built.
While speaking I gave a glance at the kitchen where
Maria, the wife of
Mister Mari, was cooking
something. In a big frying pan she was preparing
sugar almonds.
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IBIZA - LOVE ISLAND |
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The
island of love : This name was in used specially in between
the 70´s and 90´s because many young couples were coming to
Ibiza
on their honey moon.
Some still do it. As a tour guide
I took quite many on tours round the island.
In one occasion, a very rainy day, we could hardly enjoy our beautiful
countryside, something unusual in
Ibiza;
by the end of the excursion I asked to one of this couple: “Hello
have you enjoyed my explanation?”- “Well,
they said “we had
difficulties to concentrate in history, but we really enjoyed the
beautiful coast and countryside!”-
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IBIZA - HIPPY ISLAND |
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The hippy island: Many people discovered
Ibiza
attracted by the idea of seeing the hippies who used to live here from
the late sixties till nowadays.
Hippy communities were created
around San Carlos Village, Santa
Gertrude and later Formentera
island (San Francisco Javier).
Visitors can still see at some places frequented by
hippies and
artists:
Oil paintings, pictures and
pieces of
hippy collections.
Actually there are hippy markets
with handicraft
objects for the joy and surprise of all tourists.
Las Dalias is at the moment a place to see; a
hippy meeting point, and
an international cultural center.
At a time when hippies were rejected by the society, the people from
Ibiza
offered them the possibility to stay and do some work at their measure.
The idea worked very well and many stayed, enjoying the climate and
clear waters of coves and beaches.
By that time when the pioneers of the
hippy movement came to the island,
Adlib fashion was
created. Today the boutiques
fashion from
Ibiza
can be seen in Paris, London, Madrid Rome..……. Actually the Council from
Ibiza
promotes Adlib fashion.
Personally I know some of the
real hippies
who came first, the ones who dedicated themselves to business, have done
well in life and prospered, the ones who were on drugs finished poorly.
Some others are leading social trusts working in Africa and other parts
of the world.
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IBIZA - ISLAND of MUSIC |
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*The
island of music: During four decades, night life,
fiestas and
parties and
music from
Ibiza
have been attracting a multitude of people from all over the world.
I remember when I came first here:
Hanoi, Piano bar, Kings bar at San Antonio West End,
Nito, Playboy,
Pachá later some of the pubs
and music bars at la
Marina Port in
Ibiza,
were places with a very good
vanguard music.
Beach parties are not
new because at the end of the sixties many
fiestas were celebrated
quite close to San Antonio.
Ibiza became a place of
inspiration and creativity.
The music from Las Dalias:
A place where artists
and inspired hippies
of different styles and
cultures have performed
and is become the cradle of Ibizan
new artists,
still unknown in the
artistic world,
but with proper style
and quality.
Chill out music at
sunset time at
Punta Pedrera
in San Antonio, is getting known all over the world via MTV London:
Café Del Mar, Mambos,
and all along that promenade have fantastic settings to enjoy and
experience new music.
Pachá disco is pioneer in creating new branches around the
world. Awards for best world DJs are given here.
Mega discos are only the climax
of what started a long time ago in
Ibiza.
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IBIZA - ISLAND of the SUN |
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*The island of the sun: The
light of
Ibiza,
Formentera and the minor
islands of the archipelago, is
unique.
As the atmosphere is free of
pollution, the sun reflects on the white houses all over
the island and becomes the joy of the numerous harmless local
lizards (Podarcys
Pitiusos), endemics types with different colors.
Visitors must get protection at certain hours.
At night it gets cooler with the dew and the breeze from the sea.
Artists from all over
the world come to the island captivated by the
wild countryside: the
clear blue of the
sky, the
green pine forests, the
red soil full of iron,
the white cubic constructions,
the greens and
blues of the
sea round
the island, crystal waters
allowing you to see a clear sand where the largest amount of
posidonia prairies in
the Mediterranean is growing constantly.
All what we see can get its intense
color, even the people who live here and would make a
special attraction for
artist painters,
writers and poets.
Many people come here to live an
ecological life style and get involved in
biodiversity actions,
but I learned that style from
Violin my ibizan hound, who constantly used to make deep
holes in my garden to get in contact with the fresh soil from
underneath.
I noticed that all this used to happen in summer, at the hottest times.
That type of dogs came from Ancient
Egypt, 4000 years ago, brought here by the first
Phoenicians who came to
this island.
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IBIZA - MAGIC ISLAND |
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The Magic Island: People who seek for
truths and
new ways, many back in
life of many things, found themselves in
Ibiza,
if you hear them they would say: “This
Island is an unexploited mine of inspiration, every body can find a
reason to live here”.
No doubt the spirit
of Ibiza is
sui generis.
At a time when nations are divided and people live selfishly, the people
from Ibiza
live in harmony in spite
of the mixture of cultures and people.
Even in the past between Romans
and Carthaginians,
something special happened to them, they made an agreement to live
peacefully in
Ibiza
while Punic wars were on
in the Mediterranean coasts.
A Punic- Roman pottery exposition
at the museum is a clear prove of it.
Ibiza is an example of peace
in the world today.
No doubt many came to this island seeking for
super experience and
found a supernatural force
that led them to find a purpose in
life.
The entire world is suffering a
severe crisis,
Ibiza invites every body to come and know this
insignificant island in the
midst of our Cosmos, but with a
type of people with an everlasting
projection. By
IBIZA GUIDE:
Guillermo Vargas
Member
of the A.P.I.T.I.F
- Association of
OFFICIAL TOURIST GUIDES for Ibiza and Formentera
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navigate |
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Contact details A.P.I.T.I.F. |
address:
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Edif. Royal Plaza - Local
10
c/ Galicia,
9-11
E - 07811
Eivissa - Ibiza
Balearic Islands. Spain |
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phone: |
+34 971302 008 |
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fax: |
+34 971 302 605 |
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mobile: |
+34 687 889 793 |
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email: |
guiasdeibiza@hotmail.com
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website: |
www.guiasibiza.com |
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