Yesterday I left the San Francisco pretty late around 10:30 I was so sore for what I have no idea? It was so loud and smoky in this place last night I was choking!! Today its a little nicer, still cloudy the people say its strange for this time of year. Normally its hot and windy, now its cold and rainy. I hate it!!! I want the warm sun, I feel horrible!
I got up to see how the weather was and felt like going right back to bed when I saw the clouds, but I didn't I made the espresso, egg with fruit and yogurt. Watched the news and then got dressed to try internet on the roof top. But no luck! Had to come here again.. I contacted two companies this morning for work hopefully someone will answer soon?!!!!
My friend messaged me this morning with kisses, and now he just called to see what the heck I was doing? Didn't say much just how are you and what are you doing? He said he had many things to do today I asked if he needed help? but he is super independent. Even thought hes handicapped he does everything and doesn't really like help. I guess that is ok, but I am the kind that likes to help others. Not just because he is handicapped! I just like doing things..
He said he would call me later so maybe he has a plan? He was illusive,so I left it at that.
I want to tell a little story here about this Island, I found out in reading the other day some information that I found super interesting. Not really knowing the true history of the Baleriacs I was searching for information. What I found out is that Ibiza and Fromentara years ago were lost in the Seas forgotten by the mainland.
Because all the attention and focus of Columbus was of the new world. It was in the 16th Century that the Islands in the Mediterranean were controlled by pirates. They had raided the Islands so many times that the people became stone slingers fought them with Large stones. The walls that are built about the Island are residue of this type of life. The stones were thier weapons, and they became accurate at slinging stones. The priates raided the the islands, devestating whole villages, robbed people and sold them on slave markets.
There was a time when Fromentera was completely depopulated, but the Island ihabitants were not intimidated.
The king decided to make the Islands impregnable, this is what I had thought was a Castle in the main part of town but what it was, was a fortress. With watch towers all over the Island. These I have seen and thought they wer torrets. But they actually are watch towers built to warn the villages of invasions of ships, priate ships.
They constructed the walls very thick, like a fortification wall. sloping with five corner bastons. This allowed them to shoot from every angle.
It is still standing to this day and survived many vicious attacks. I heard tha
t the stone slingers were so good that they could sink whole ships with there stones.
Ibiza had a good warning system with these towers, making smoke signals by day and fires by night.
I noticed that all the churches are strong stuctures, come to find out that in those times many people would find refuge in the churches because they too were fortified with thick walls basicially industructable. You can see on some of the churches towers with cannons on top, this was the form of protection from the pirates when the churches housed many people.
It is said the the whole of Ibiza defended it self from priates, and some have ancestory of famous buccaneers.
In the 19th century Ibiza buccaneers gave notice that the Mediterranean was unsafe and this was legal. The king wrote a letter of marque, in those days they did not have a navy.
This is how the priates kept the territorial waters free of enenies, they had real heroes and made gains for themselves.
The Ibicencans Schebeks were flexable small ships that brought home good booty, and prisoners. This is how pitues came to the new prosperty and the resettlement of Formentera was possible.
May 30th 1856 Superpowers decided to end the wild ADO... Spain was adverse to this, because it encroached there national defense too much.
Finally in 1908 they signed the letter, Cosars here achieved real fame on Ibiza, there is a huge obelisk in town that I noticed one day and didn't understand why they constructed this the reason was in honor of the Corsarios, it is in the Maritime station and its really a unique momument, built in the honor of the priates!
This is the reason most of the symbols here are with priate heads skull and cross bones. VIVA IBIZA!!!!
I am hoping that this week I can get this camera repaired in order to put some great snapshots of areas I have discussed and given some detail about so that people can get a feel for the Island.
The Ibencans are loving people, the real ones not inplants they are very kind and most are filled with life. Although the Island is small there is a plentiude of things to do and see, I also heard they have Organic farms. So this is on my schedule to find someome soon to take me to see this and purchase great fruits and veggetables organic.
BESSITIOS MI AMIGOS!
