If one came to these islands for the birds they would be sorely disappointed. Apparently, the name may be derived from the Latin term Canariae Insulae - Island of the Dogs. And it may not have actually been dogs, but sea lions. Far better to come here for the sun, temperate climates, low rain fall, volcanic sights, abundance of sea food, and Spanish colonial charm. The weather here has been incredibly nice; not too hot and a little breezy, so comfortable for long walks or just lounging on the ship's deck. There was a haze for part of the time that we attributed to sea mist but, as it turns out, it is early dust from the Sahara Desert winds and sand storms. Nonetheless, a great time of the year and our first ports of call on this trip with a warm welcome from IKEA.
Arrecife was our first stop in the islands and is located on the island of Lanzarote that has a pretty arid look and feel to it. Old volcanic peaks dotted the horizon and, with the tide way out, the dark rocky reefs that give the city its name were quite visible. Because it was Sunday there were not many amenities open aside from eateries and, not wanting to fork out tons of money on excursions, we decided upon a long walk beginning on the malecón. The malecón in Arrecife is one of the best I had ever strolled upon - it was well-constructed and maintained, wide (accommodating a bike path), and stretched almost entirely from the port to the airport.
Along the malecón were art installations, parks, and other attractions, and it wound its way around beaches and inlets. There were lots of runners, walkers, and cyclists along the route - so many people were out enjoying the lovely sunny day. Along our route was an old fortification with a couple original canons; the walkway to the structure and much of the fort was constructed of lava rock. After walking out about 4 km we circled back through part of the city centre core walking through some cute narrow streets and pedestrian malls. Just about all the buildings were white, some with blue trim that were reminiscent of the Greek Isles. There were some unique facades amongst the architecture but there were few colonial structures and, surprisingly, few churches.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was our second port of call and is the largest of the islands’ cities with a major port. The middle part of the city is an isthmus, so the port is on the east side while on the west side there is a very long public beach. And parallel to the beach is a huge malecón that runs approximately 3 km along, which are all kinds of restaurants and bars. It was another public holiday here, so only the eateries were open while most of the other businesses were closed. And because it was quite nice, probably about 22 - 23C, there were many walkers and cyclists out as well as many people headed onto the beach.
Similar to Arrecife, there were surprisingly few older colonial structures around and many of the newer buildings lacked the character that we saw in Madrid and Barcelona. Why this was particularly interesting is that the islands were settled in the 1400s during the time of Columbus. In fact, Columbus did pass through this area on his way to the new world. Around the city, there were several old volcanic peaks and with the tied out, you could see the lava rock as a foundation of the sea bed here. If a person just wanted to hang out in a quiet and temperate place, this area would be ideal since the weather is great for outdoors activities and, at least at this time of the year, the temperature is quite comfortable.
Tenerife was our last stop in the Canary Islands and, it sounds sad, but there was just no energy to leave the ship 🙈 Most everyone else got off and we took up prime real estate at poolside. And it was a beautiful day to lounge on board as the temperature was about 22 - 23C with lovely sea clouds providing a bit of cover. The topography of this island looks amazing and you can certainly see the remnants of volcanic activity that shaped it. Apparently the main peak, Mount Teide, is the highest elevation in Spain and third tallest volcano in the world when measured from its base. We could not see it through the mist and clouds today, so I shall simply have to return...not a hardship given its location and weather, although there is a dreadful lack of canaries.
Comments