The Best thing in Ibiza

by ezzat amier 

Ibiza has always conjured up images of wild parties, loud music, lots of alcohol, and the Vengaboys song for me. In fact, the only people I personally know who’ve been to this little island in the Mediterranean Sea, off the east coast of mainland Spain, are the kind who would drink and dance till they drop. It is probably a good time to confess that I consider myself too old to hit the clubs all night; yes, I’m twenty-four, but as they say, life is short! So when Spain Tourism decided to fly us to Ibiza, I found myself secretly craving an escape on the gorgeous countryside of Spain, for a cosy little wine bar and small-town intimacy with the locals. I couldn’t anticipate then, that Ibiza offers just that in the off season from October to March, when the weather becomes chilly, the parties slow down, and life on the island slips into rejuvenation mode.

1.    EXPLORING THE ROMAN RUINS
The one of Ibiza’s old town, Dalt Vila, which is now a charming residential area with cobbled streets and a mix of old and new houses, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

1.    VISITING A FISHING VILLAGE
on the banks of an old Phoenician settlement, self-sufficient with solar panels and fishing, like most of the coastal countryside of Spain.

1.    SPOTTING SUCH A FUNKY HOUSE
along the harbor. This house originally had a level below the elf-shaped windows,
but the sea level rose and flooded it; the owners then built the level above.

1.    WATCHING THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOON RISE
from Ibiza’s old city, over the Mediterranean Sea and the new part of the island.

1.    SEEKING SHADE UNDER AN OLIVE TREE
that is more than 500 years old! Besides tourism, olive oil is one of the main sources of income in Ibiza; olive plantations dot most of the island’s countryside.

1.    SOAKING UP THE SUN
at one of Ibiza’s powdery beaches, by the cobalt blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea.