In the footsteps of real hippies. Where to go and what to look out for if you are interested in the authentic "flower power" that made Ibiza famous worldwide and still attracts millions of souls today?

Nomadic or bohemian?

Travelling, whether by hitchhiking or in a painted Volkswagen minibus, was one of the hallmarks of hippies, as much as long hair, free love or the promotion of pacifism. Their countercultural movement - to the chagrin of American conservatives - began to spread from San Francisco across the US, and even to Europe and Japan, in the 1960s.

The so-called hippies, in addition to their nomadic (and LSD trips), also undertook much longer, spiritually-oriented journeys. In addition to the cosmopolitan province of Goa in India (which, given the poverty there, was not an ideal place for flower power communities with children), hippies also took a liking to Ibiza.

It is said that the free-spirited and peaceful nature of the Ibizans was one of the factors - along with the favourable climate, lush nature and low-cost living conditions - that made the flower power movement choose the island paradise as their retreat. Tourists had barely begun exploring Ibiza at the time, and the Balearics had one major plus in the eyes of hippies: they were pleasantly isolated from the outside world and some distance from the Vietnam War that was shaking American society at the time.

An escape from reality - war, consumerism and conformity.

In fact, this destination had proved itself for similar purposes in the past. Back in the 1940s, there was no transport link between Ibiza and Barcelona - and this inaccessibility of the island was appreciated by all those who wanted to hide from the Nazis in the Mediterranean. Although in the 1950s Ibiza was still inhabited mainly by fishermen and farmers, even then the island became the home (and muse) of many photographers, writers, poets and philosophers. Ibiza attracted anyone who wanted to move away from the consumerist world, get closer to wild nature, enjoy a little spiritual escapism and find a space where they could express themselves freely and experiment. This is exactly why Ibiza later also won the sympathy and loyalty of many hippies.

Where will you find the "flower power" of history?

It was the proponents of the slogan "make love, not war" who inspired the Urgell brothers, owners of the Pacha nightclub in Sitges, Spain, to build their next "branch" in Ibiza in the 1970s. Pacha Ibiza was the first club on the island, laying the foundations for the world-famous party scene - and it remains at the top to this day. From the start, Pacha Ibiza has offered a relaxed atmosphere, a safe space for LGBT+ people and an imaginary paradise for artists and bohemians. Unlike other local businesses that capitalise on the legacy of hippies somewhat on purpose, Pacha doesn't deny that it was on the island when it was just transforming into a hedonistic destination.

You can also visit the "mercadillos hippies" - street markets that originally arose spontaneously in an effort to sell handmade jewelry, artwork or fashion pieces. Today, on the other hand, they are held on Wednesdays (Punta Arabi, near the village of Es Canar) and Saturdays (in the town of San Carles) during the season with iron regularity. If you are not a fan of material souvenirs or 70s Adlib fashion, you can take away from the market an experience - cultural, sensory or gastronomic.

When authenticity mixes with commerce

Of course, there's no point in disguising the fact that the hippie roots, which refer to a "free" lifestyle, act as a magnet for tourists and co-create not only Ibiza's carefree image but also its commercial success. Yet it would be a shame to take elements of hippie culture as pure calculation - they have become indelibly embedded in the island's identity, even in forms that have nothing to do with business.

In the north of the island, where the hippies used to be concentrated (and where you can still meet some of the survivors or their daughters and sons), it's common to come across a dreadlocked man striding barefoot through the streets - and although he obviously owns almost no property, he looks perfectly happy.

The forest "Socrates" doesn't bother the locals

At Camping La Playa Ibiza, I regularly saw an Italian named Michele - but in my mind, I renamed him Socrates because he looked exactly like the famous Athenian philosopher. Although Michele is not one of the original hippies - he came to Ibiza from Italy as a regular expat and started out working in the health care industry - today no one would deny him a very alternative way of living "outside the system". He makes do with the bare minimum, living in a tent in the woods and selling herbs from his garden for a living. The local authorities know that the "Socrates look-alike" is behaving peacefully, so they leave him alone, even though he is living behind the camp, essentially illegally.

It is in the enormous sympathy shown by the residents for the modern-day "flower children" that I see proof that the legacy of the hippies in Ibiza lives on tangibly today - and that this is far from being a mere marketing ploy.