Me and Mand in Ibiza

Driving past billboard adverts for Pacha and Space was as close as we got to clubbing in Ibiza last week. Not that it’s beneath us or anything like that, far from it, the fact is that we wouldn’t have been up to it even if we wanted too. The Island of Ibiza is world famous for that whole scene and I don’t think it’s for the feint hearted. In other words, Mandy would have been okay but it’s not for Muppets like me.

So instead we took it easy for a week, hired a car and explored the various parts of what is essentially a beautiful Island. The heat put us off visiting the two main towns of San Antonio and Ibiza town, instead we opted for discovering beaches and the many little coves dotted around the coast. There is wildlife everywhere, that, clear blue seas, rugged coastlines and white beaches. I’d heard all this on a couple of occasions last year but of course it didn’t hit me until we arrived.

The quieter beaches weren’t far away from our resort of Es Cana, and in fact the beach there was as good as any and proved to be the best place for families to watch the World Cup with sand between the toes. And to think that I was worried about not seeing the matches before we went.

Going away like we did is something I’d definitely do again during a football competition, the location definitely took the edge of England’s lacklustre performances and in a way made me feel like a part of the travelling contingent. Watching the games where families from all over the country, kids in Rooney shirts, parents in Terry’s and grandmas in sequined England bikinis. All, like myself, equipped with the highest punditry qualifications courtesy of countless international competitions. Nothing finer after a match than to sit back with jugs of Sangria and discuss the minute details of the 4-5-1, knowing full well that whoever you’re talking to will never realise that you are in fact, full of shit.

It was in quite a smart beach bar during these matches that we got to know Andrew and Susan, a down to earth and self made couple from Halifax who had their own place in Es Cana. Their company, insight and humour turned out to be one of the highlights of our week, with evenings spent discussing anything from Surprise Surprise to the war in Iraq. It’s always great to meet people indifferent to the trivial concerns of daily living, and who instead focus on the wider and more important picture of how life should be.

I’ve found myself inspired to look at my life in a more positive manner since meeting them and discovering Ibiza. Cheers guys!

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