Winter In Ibiza - Just Winging It

First and foremost on our list of things to do was to re-rent the car for one last day. There were still a number of points around the island that we needed to visit, and accomplishing that would take wheels. After the paperwork had been updated we took off in the direction of Santa Gertrudis de Fruitera, a small village in the center of the island. It was there that we hoped to find Bar Con Costa which had been recommended to us by the bartender at our hotel. He described it as the best baguettes on the island, and seeing as we had been eating rather exquisitely the past couple days we figured a cheap sandwich lunch wouldn’t lighten the wallet much.

This day was the very first we had without sun, but even with the stratus clouds hovering overhead the weather was temperate. A sprinkling of rain fell while we drove down the winding back-roads in search of the town, but it had subsided by the time we arrived. We parked on the outskirts and walked the rest of the way in, but Santa Gurtrudis wasn’t made up of more than an old church in the main square surrounded by a few shops, restaurants and bars. We had our fingers crossed that the bar would be open because the man who told us about it warned that they were not open Tuesday’s, and even though it was Monday there was always the possibility.

Lucky enough Bar Con Costa was one of only two establishments open in the entire town. From the outside it looked cozy and inviting, and we could see a fire blazing in a fireplace just through the door. As we entered a few things became quite apparent. The first was that the interior in actuality was much larger than it appeared. There were dining areas that swept all the way though the back, up two flights of stairs, and they easily could have accommodated a hundred patrons or more. Secondly it was obvious our barman friend from Hotel Puchet had not been exaggerating when describing the specialties of the restaurant. Hanging over the bar were at least two dozen cured ham legs ready to be sliced in to baguette sandwiches.

We followed the server through the main hall up a few stairs where they had another large circular fireplace that was situated in the center of the room surrounded by tables. We took our seats against the wall looking out at the bar in an optimal place for Kathryn to warm herself without feeling any draft from the open entrance door. At the recommendation of our server we both ordered jamón ibérico baguettes which were brought out within minutes. I am at a bit of loss as how to describe the sandwiches which were simplistic yet extraordinary. A few superb slices of ham over cheese and tomato then drizzled with Spanish olive oil and toasted. I have said it before a couple of times, but always follow recommendations from locals. I have yet to eat a meal this good for such a reasonable price in Europe.

After lunch we still had half a day to kill, and so we pulled out our map and randomly chose to visit an area called Punta Grossa just north of Cala Sant Vincent. As we were winding along through the forest heading east we drove past a large butte that appeared to offer a spectacular view of both the island and the sea. There were no specific signs designating how we might be able to reach the summit, but we passed one road that was heading in that direction so we turned planning to follow it as far as it would take us. That happened to be over three quarters of the way up. The street just kept turning and winding and in almost no time we had reached the top. It was a great view, but the most intriguing part was a sign marked “ES CUIERAM 425-125 A.C./B.C.” and designated by the Consell Insular d’Eivissa i Formentera. We weren’t sure what it meant, and even though the sign said “closed on Monday’s” we decided to follow the arrow on foot. It took us to a path that ran along the side of some cliffs and eventually opened up to a labyrinth of closed off caves that had been dedicated to the Goddess Tanit dating back to the time of the Phoenicians. The carved out caves opened up a space of over 200m² and four different worship chambers. It was really interesting and a little eerie since we were all alone on the side of a cliff looking at a 2500 year old sanctuary that was covered with a number of candles and offerings left by recent visitors.

After coasting down from our impromptu archeological hike we got back on our way to Punta Grossa. The journey required a keen eye for posted signs as well as the guts to drive past a construction site where heavy machinery was being used - apparently - to tear down the side of a mountain. When we reached the vantage point we were afforded a 360° view of beaches, forest and the sea. We were perched on a 100m cliff looking down on mostly deserted land except for two extravagant mansions that were built on top of an adjacent cliff.

During our drive home we stopped in Sant Carles for a café at the only open bar in town. By the time we left it had started raining again so we decided to call it a day and return to the hotel for our daily siesta. Even though it was overcast and a little more subdued, our last full day on Ibiza couldn’t have been better. We were dreading having to leave, and returning to cold snowy Lille. One good point was that our flight home didn’t leave Ibiza until almost 10pm the next evening so we would have ample time Tuesday to explore the one city on the island we had yet to visit: Eivissa.

-Jordan and Kathryn