Saturday, 15 November 2025
Ibiza, Spain 

Ibiza is the second Belearic island we are visiting on this cruise. Will and I were here in Spring 2024--just a year and a half ago--and boy have things changed down at the cruiseport. The port has always been modern and efficient, but today it has been supersized and upgraded for the hordes of tourists who visit during the summer. It also means that getting from the ship to the terminal requires much more walking than it used to. All thanks to over-tourism! I'm sorry I don't have photos but I was holding on for dear life on the long and very windy walk from the ship to the taxi stand.

The Encore docks at 11:30am today. After a light lunch we join our friends Anita and Deb for a shared taxi ride to old town Eivissa (Ibiza city's local name). As these photos from our approach to the island show, it's a very steep uphill trek to the center of the old town.

The taxi takes us up through the gate of the walled city and drops us about half-way to the top. The four of us start walking the steep and winding steps, admiring the traditional architecture and the spectacular views around every curve and corner.

Will in photo left, and Deb from Milwaukee (left), Anita from Tucson (right)

in photo right, pause to pose in the Alt Ville, Eivissa's Walled Old Town

Anita and Deb (out of frame) Continue Their Walk to the Top of the Village

Will and I decide to retreat at this point to find our way down to the modern city. Our uphill taxi driver told us we could find another taxi at the spot at which he left us. But there are few taxis in sight and none without passengers. We ask a local shop keeper if she could call a taxi for us, but she tells us that the taxi company will require that we answer their call on my own phone--which, of course, did not have service at this location. She also suggests a local bus that comes every 20 minutes. But after we wait several 20-minutes, we decide that to continue walking is the only option.

It's an arduous and slow hike, but we manage to work our way back down through the same gateway and on to the flat streets of the modern town. We meet several of our fellow passengers bravely walking all the way up to the highest area. They point us in the right direction and offer encouraging cheers. Once we are down from the heights it is easy to find a taxi that takes us back to the port. In my younger days I made it all the way up to and back from the Alt Ville, and I have seen all its highlights. But I am sorry that Will didn't get to have that experience today.

Tonight we are ready for our pre-dinner martinis in the Club Bar and Champagne in the Restaurant. We have been having dinner every night with Anita and Deb, but we can't seem to locate them this evening. However, we do locate our favorite (and most handsome) server who provides almost everything we need.