Marià Villangómez, Ibiza’s Poet
When searching for the unique combination of comfort and uniqueness in a boutique hotel, Ibiza holds hidden treasures for the savvy world traveler. Ibiza is an enormously unique and inviting island, and our hotels offer a sumptuous array of amenities to suit the surroundings. Ibiza is one of the most gorgeous places on the planet, and has a splendid reputation as one of the truly exciting getaways for guests searching for sun and relaxation. Our hotels are designed to offer a chance to replenish the body and mind, with a splendid combination of innovation and tradition. With world-class design and a few touches of local color, you are surrounded with beauty, both inside the hotel and outside.
Ibiza is famous for its all-night parties and reputation for creating revolutionary techno and electronic music that keeps the youth culture dancing. The allure of beach culture is profound here, acting as a magnet for tourists from all over the world, including movie stars and fashion designers. The magic of the place is not new, and not a trend, however, having sparked the imaginations of artistic minds for generations, and spawning one of the world’s greatest Catalan poets, Marià Villangómez Llobet. When he died in 1989, the island of Eivissa (the Catalan name for Ibiza), went into an official state of mourning for three days.
This great writer was born in Eivissa in 1913, born to a Castilian speaking family, and spent a great part of his life mastering Catalan. After being conscripted into the military, and then working as a schoolteacher, he began writing the poetry that would prove his literary genius to the world. Marià Villangómez wrote about the daily life in Eivissa, chronicling the poetry of life and work on the island with lyricism and subtle observation. He wrote one new book of poetry every two years until 1962, when he turned his literary attentions to translation. His versions of Shakespeare, Keats, and Dylan Thomas, among many others, are some of the finest Catalan versions of these masters in print, and Ibiza’s debt to him is enormous. Beyond the techno beats in the wee hours of the morning, there are the soft caresses of his tender poetry.
08.21.09Ibiza by Day
I thought I’d better brush up on my Spanish before heading out to Ibiza over the summer. But maybe it was all the images of crazy clubbing and the stunning beaches that made forget. We wanted to go to the San Antonio beach. We needed an easy way to get there and asked about Ibiza car rentals for help, and that was no problem. Now that we were mobile we could even go to the quieter destinations like Portinaxt. On Portinaxt we saw the lighthouse and sat looking out over the secluded sea scape as sea birds rise on the gentle thermals as the waves crash on the pristine beach. It was getting late so we headed back.
We both really like medieval remains and architecture so the old town of D’Alt Vila really grabbed us. This used to be a fortress city, evidenced by the draw bridge, plus there are cool Roman-era statues. We went toPacha for seafood. We went to Puig de Molins the next day. It’s an archaeological site dating back to the seventh century BC, with something like three thousand tombs of Punic origin and used by the Carthaginians and the Romans and is considered a World Heritage site byUnesco in 1999. It is located in the Via Punica . There’s also a museum of contemporary art in Ibiza with its wonderful collection of internationally recognized local artist that go back to 1959, including paintings and sculptures.
We ate the El Brasero in the fisherman’s quarter. We had great scenery and view of the illuminated Cathedral and tried the local seafood. It was a little hard to find at first, but we’re used to that in Ibiza, and the great menu is wonderfully presented at this long present Ibiza landmark restaurant.
06.12.09Hippy Market Ibiza
I was lucky enough to visit Ibiza in Spain and come upon the Hippy Market not far from the main hotels Ibiza has plenty of to handle such tourists as myself. I was a mere child when the hippies were spreading philosophies of free love, non-violence and flower power. So, now as an adult, stumbling upon this market influenced my creative spirit and filled me with tons of original and colorful arts and crafts ideas when I get back to the States.
Last Sunday, I got some startled reactions when I was doing a demo of macrame’ with hemp. Many people thought macrame’ had died out with the 70′s. I know if definitely had its heyday back in the 70′s. I remember making plant hangers, wall hangings, belts, vests, purses and I even added jewelry onto the macrame’. Now, it’s mostly hemp jewelry popularized by college students trying to earn spending money. That is no reason we can’t use it for grand things like we did back in the 70′s.
Actually, macrame’ has been around for a very long time and was once popular with sailors as both a form of self-expression and as a practical tool. Other crafts that were big in the 70′s and still enjoy popularity include candle making, leather crafts, tie-dyeing, ceramics, pottery making, weaving hand spun wool and beaded jewelry. You can see many hippy crafts on Esty My favorite place to get dye is on Dharma Trading. They also sell plain silk and cotton or hemp garments. Other accessories such as canvas bags or plain white cotton shirts and summer dresses ready for any kind of dyeing pattern I choose.
Of course there are also many books on making your own dyes from botanicals, and that is well worth exploring because when I was at the Hippy Market in Ibiza what was selling the most was anything organic and anything made with organic dyes. I now consider myself a happy hippy-crafter.
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