blog d'europe: leather

every wednesday there's a market in es caná, ibiza. it's called the "hippy market", and has been here for decades. i can't think of a way to describe how immense it is, and it would be a total lie if i said sarah and i didn't get lost on several occasions...

es caná is on the east coast of the island, which is alot more rocky, with burnt orange cliffs dropping into the sea. the actual market is surrounded by pine trees that cast welcome shadows on the many hot people below, rummaging through market stalls and weaving their way through narrow "pathways" (tiny gaps between stalls).

there were alot of handmade things at the market - lots of unique pieces that i've never seen in other markets across europe. it was refreshing, and meant that we stayed for hours - trying on hundreds of hand-worked silver & stone rings, necklaces, bracelets, anklets, etc. we found an incredible stall selling all kinds of genuine leather items, the coolest of which were leather boots with multi-coloured, woven cloth worked into the sides. looooved these, but somehow didn't think my already-at-20kg-suitcase would share the same love...

there were lots of buskers/entertainers spotted all through the market. there was a group of spaniards playing on traditional spanish guitars that we sat down and listened to while sipping on a freshly squeezed orange, melon, pineapple & watermelon fruit juice. it felt like heaven on our parched, water-deprived throats!

such a great market, and i'm sure there are many things that we didn't even get to lay our eyes on.... one visit simply wasn't enough to see everything. picked up a little silver ring with a deep blue stone set into it...a nice memory of ibiza and its hippy market.

que te cuides,

love

a ridiculously early flight out of paris had me staying over at a friend's teensy-tiny apartment the night before (thanks neesh!), as she's a good lot closer to the airport than me. nonetheless, i was up at 5am to get myself to the airport in time. several easjet queues later (checking-in online to save time queuing is a bold-faced lie) and finding out that i am actually the queen of packing (only 10kg, win!) - i was en route to venice.

this magical italian lagoon island is exactly how lonely planet describes it; never-never land. spiderweb-like, winding turquoise canals. elegant gondolas in black, red and gold. artistically crumbling buildings lining narrow alleyways. italian flags, hung from window sills (surprisingly not cringe-worthy wog patriotism...) & rippling in the soft, warm breeze. gelaterias boasting a never-ending selection of delicious flavours. the smell of wood-oven pizzas wafting out of shops...

i came to venice to catch up with friends from back home in australia. it's been a good five months since i've seen them, so it was such a great opportunity to kick back with them... in italy, of all places. the epitome of 'the hard life' - with lots of 2.20€ gelati pit-stops (my favourite flayva combo: fragola & stracciatella), cheeky slices (aka pizza) & delicious pasta... it's safe to say that we ate well while here.

it is widely-known that no matter how good your map-reading skills are, you will inevitably get lost in this labyrinthine city. there's no cars, motorbikes, bikes, trains or buses here (well, there's water buses along the grand canal...€€), so to get from A to B becomes a matter of just winding your way through the alleyways - following spraypainted arrows & sharpie'd directions. everyday was a new adventure.

sad news: being the clever person i am, i've somehow managed to wipe half of my photos from venice. more than slightly devastated, i'm in the middle of raking the internet for ways to recover some 400 odd photos. suggestions are warmly welcomed! fingers crossed i manage to bring them safely back home - but in the meantime, here's a random bunch of snaps (aka photo overload - all the photos were gorgeous, i couldn't choose!) from our first couple of days in 'the floating city'...

ciao!

S.