Living on a small island: paradise or glass cage?
El Hierro, Formentera, La Gomera: extreme weather, loneliness and the cost of living. First-hand accounts of the reality of Spain's micro-islands.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
El Hierro, La Gomera, Formentera: the dark side of island life
The idea of moving to a small island sounds idyllic: unspoilt beaches, peace and quiet, nature. But those who have tried it paint a more complicated picture, where the microclimate, loneliness and money shape everyday life.
On El Hierro, your clothes have to cover everything from 4 to 40 degrees Celsius. On a single 35-kilometre route you go from beach sunshine in Tamaduste to fog in Valverde and the pine forests. A climatic paradise, but one that demands being ready for anything within minutes.
Formentera is the other extreme: for those who cannot afford to live there, the only option is a daily ferry commute from Ibiza. One workmate used to do it every day. "It's not for everyone," they sum up. "It's for people who hate other people or were born there."
La Gomera, meanwhile, splits into two realities: with money, it's a charm; without it, a torment. And La Graciosa, with a single village whose streets are unpaved, is for those seeking absolute isolation, though the lack of infrastructure puts many people off.
The feeling of being trapped comes up again and again. People describe the islands as "prisons with the doors open." Germans with a big villa head back home in winter because of the claustrophobia. Those who stayed, many since the 70s and 80s, admit the island gets to them.
In short, living on a micro-island is not for everyone. Paradise comes at a price, and not only a financial one.
The idea of moving to a small island sounds idyllic: unspoilt beaches, peace and quiet, nature. But those who have tried it paint a more complicated picture, where the microclimate, loneliness and money shape everyday life.
On El Hierro, your clothes have to cover everything from 4 to 40 degrees Celsius. On a single 35-kilometre route you go from beach sunshine in Tamaduste to fog in Valverde and the pine forests. A climatic paradise, but one that demands being ready for anything within minutes.
Formentera is the other extreme: for those who cannot afford to live there, the only option is a daily ferry commute from Ibiza. One workmate used to do it every day. "It's not for everyone," they sum up. "It's for people who hate other people or were born there."
La Gomera, meanwhile, splits into two realities: with money, it's a charm; without it, a torment. And La Graciosa, with a single village whose streets are unpaved, is for those seeking absolute isolation, though the lack of infrastructure puts many people off.
The feeling of being trapped comes up again and again. People describe the islands as "prisons with the doors open." Germans with a big villa head back home in winter because of the claustrophobia. Those who stayed, many since the 70s and 80s, admit the island gets to them.
In short, living on a micro-island is not for everyone. Paradise comes at a price, and not only a financial one.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (25 replies).
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