Lanzarote, February 2014

Good intentions were had to post during ourstay in Lanzarote.  Computer woes got in the way however and I will have to recount memories.  We have been back five days already, reuniting with family and re-settling at home.

I suppose we all have a vision of what we mean by re-settling, I just want to make sure you all know what we mean:

Okay , now is a good time to sink into beautiful memories:

We met many wonderful people and are looking forward to reuniting with them when we return next year.  This group is an international one including couples from Wales, Norway, Belgium. Germany, France, England and Holland.

Although Lanzarote is a small island, renting a car is a must in terms of convenience. The roads are beautiful, very steep at times and winding and although the traffic is fast, the roads are not busy and therefore manageable.  One drives on the right hand side which is a big plus, so the only real downside is getting used to those roundabouts and odd signage.  By next visit these will no longer be an issue for us.

Our daily routine included a morning run to the local store for fresh buns and fruit.  With help from our Welsh friends, we found the best places to purchase wine, groceries and baked goods from different towns in the area.  

They also guided us through various interesting spots on the island and listed the places we might consider when we return.

 This is Arietta, where we did our weekly grocery shopping.

There was a small restaurant on the ocean front that sold fresh calamari and baby squid.  They were a right treat, especially with a couple of large beers and a view of the ocean.

 Haria is located higher up in the mountains and next year we will have fleecies for the cooler mornings with the higher altitudes.

 One of the most famous individuals from this tiny island is an artist by the name of Cesar Manrique.  His home is now open to the public and well worth visiting.

 Every Saturday morning is an open market selling local products of food, clothing, crafts and arts.

 We found this is the best place for German baking, a nice week-end treat.

Teguise is further away from where we stayed and again, higher up and cooler.

 The Teguise Market is held every Sunday morning and is quite large compared to Haria.

 We arrived early in the morning to get a parking spot near the market and by mid-morning, the buses with tourists from the various cruise ships arrived and the place was hopping! It was quite the challenge trying to find our car, but we were lucky.

 El Golfo is nearer the northern part of the island and near the site of the famous triathlon races every May.  Athletes come here year round to train, we were lucky enough to see Team SKY.

 The landscape is lunar like and at times eerie.

 You cannot deny the beauty and the fantastic colours.

Where we stayed was and ideal location overlooking the ocean and all it has to offer.  A couple of times we were told of whale spottings which is apparently a regular occurrence around this time of year as the whales come to spawn.  The winds are always strong here but when there is a wind storm crowds thronged to view the crashing waves that easily reached heights of 60 feet.

 Our little bungle provided a comfortable safe haven from the winds as well as allowing us to experience and see everything from all angles.

Our only regret was that we did not stay longer!

Impulse Decisions

We were sitting at the kitchen table after dinner awaiting our son-in-law's arrival.  We were all looking forward to celebrating New Year's Eve at the cottage.  The grand kids were going to view their first firework display at the lake.  This was all well and fine, except the weather kept us in frigid record lows.

This was proving too much for Al who had just shoveled the show off the roof for the fourth time in December and the weather was calling for more snow.  Al started to look at warmer options and said  "Heidie, what do you think about this?  Should we go for it?"

I looked at pictures of a blue ocean and white  bungalow, and thought what is there not to like?  By the end of the evening, he had booked the bungalow for the month of February and by the end of two weeks he managed to book the flights, hotels and travel insurance, we were going to Lanzarote!!

We had heard about this island through an English couple living in Scotland, who we met while cycling in India.  David and Val spent a couple of weeks a year during the winter months each year.  Dave enjoyed the cycling and Val enjoyed the water.

Lanzarote is the easternmost of the Canary Islands and is about 125 km off the coast of Africa. Its climate is very pleasant in February with daytime highs of about 21C. Because of its volcanic past it has a rugged and dramatic coastline. It is a great place for hiking, cycling, swimming and on and on.  We, however, for the first time are enjoying leisurely walks each morning, a swim in the ocean late morning, and then lying in the shade on our patio in the afternoon with a light lunch of bread cheese and wine.
We did have thoughts of trekking or cycling, but perhaps next year.

Al still likes to get up early in the morning, does his exercise outside on the patio, takes his head lamp and goes for a walk through the town and then watches the sun rise around 8:30.

I on the other hand wake up with the sun and am greeted by a fresh cup of coffee in bed.  Don't get me wrong, I do my share of the chores....like cooking dinner.
We only have a stove top and microwave, so no oven proves no great difficulty for me.  I had plenty of practice cooking like this in Korea.

We frequently see cruise ships, sailing ships and fishing vessels passing by.














Here is the view of the street from our little bungalow.  There is little vegetation other than cacti, and no lawns.  Black lava stones are used to landscape and pave the roads.  The landscape is barren, at times looking like a lunar scape.






We have gone to a small town down the coast shopping and I will give you a peek of this in the next post.

Cheers, until next time!