Formentera 1

The tourist office helpfully publishes altitude profile charts of the main bike routes on the island. From this I gathered that I would be challenged by the hills so I settled on a moped instead of a bike. All the shops looked similar so I went for one run by a middle-aged man on a less frequented street on the reasoning that he needed the business more than the shops on the main street.

A moped is of course more exposed than a car. On the other hand Formentera is a small island, no more than 18 km long and about 2 km wide at the narrowest part. I was more concerned about bumps and potholes than car drivers. I would have to be more alert.

I had the moped for 2 days so I decided to explore the eastern half today and the other half tomorrow. I headed out for Far de la Mola, at the tip. The road ascended to the town of El Pilar de la Mola, and then led out to the mostly bare headland. Lighthouses these days are automated remote controlled affairs so nobody lives there.

Just the sheer cliffs and the Mediterranean beyond.

On the way back I stopped at El Mirador (The Lookout) which has a commanding view of the east coast.

You can also see the neck of land that the island narrows to. I bought a bottle of mineral water at the restaurant there because I had taken pictures. A tour bus full of older Spanish tourists arrived and I made my escape while they were snapping away.

Back down at sea level I took the short side road to the beach of Es Caló. This was the first time seeing the water up close and I was amazed by the clarity of the pale turquoise water.

The last time I saw water like that was on the north coast of Cuba. No wonder that Formentera tourist brochures talk about Caribbean-like waters.

I took the turn-off for the southern beach of Platja de Migjorn. There is a large hotel here using the long stretch of sand. But as the season was winding down sections of the hotel were closed down.

That beautiful water again.

It was time for lunch and I found a place in Sant Ferran de Ses Roques serving a menu del dia.

In the evening I decided to travel to La Savina for dinner. But first I captured these sunset colours behind the beachfront at Es Pujols.

On the way to La Savina, I passed these salt pans, now out of use. Several cyclists had also stopped to take pictures of the flaming sunset.

Café del Lago, the restaurant I picked, was an upmarket joint. It had a view of Estany d'es Peix, a small lake. The salad with goat cheese was quite good. I noted that the balsamic vinegar came in a spray bottle. The main of lubina (bass) could have been better if they had not overwhelmed it with capers. Service could have been faster. The Italians had even brought their characteristics to Formentera.

It was cold mopeding back to Es Pujols but it was only a few kilometers. I made it back in time for the complementary drink given by my hotel.