Canary Islands pt 1: Lanzarote

2/20/2013

leaping over the sun

It was sunny. And windy. And warm. It was a well-needed mid-ski-racing-season winterless-winter break.

Landing on the island (of Fuerteventura) was incredible—just looking out the window of the plane provided me with a big fresh breath of air. Stepping outside into the sunny warmth was a relief and a blessing, like the sneeze succeeding an itchy brain. I immediately removed my socks (which I was wearing with my Birkenstocks on the plane) and my sweater, and convinced myself I was going to get a sufficient mid-winter bronzing on my milk frosty skin.

on the ferry

We (Stacey and I) had rented a Panda online and hopped right in after landing. Our plan was to head straight to the port in Corralejo and catch a ferry to Playa Blanca on the southern tip of Lanzarote. After some driving confusion (the signage is all but plentiful), we found the ferry port and bought a ticket to scoot our little panda onto the boat. The ferry ride was quite rough—I had to tune my eye on the horizon while Stacey thrived and giggled at me—but we made it safely to Playa Blanca and drove off onto the desert island.

The vegetation on Lanzarote seemed to be non-existent apart from the town plantings and random cactus and palm tree. All the hills were brown and barren, but the ocean was visible from every angle we explored on the island. The roads were paved and lined with beautiful white stones, which matched all of the buildings/houses we managed to come across on the whole of the tiny island.

After the first day of travel we decided to head straight to our hotel to drop off our bags and get settled. We went for a walk around our hotel grounds, checked out the pools and sauna, and slipped out the back gate for a stroll along the ocean-lined cliffs. The water was blue and chilly, clear and sparkling, deep and endless. I couldn’t wait to get in.

We walked along the boardwalk from our hotel (Hesperia Lanzarote) to Puerto Calero for some sushi and called it a night. Day 2 was big. We woke up, ate at our gorgeous hotel buffet, lifted weights (I won’t write about that) and headed to Yaiza for some jaunting and eating. Casona de Yaiza opened for lunch at two (we had planned on eating at this restaurant for a while because it sounded simply scrumptious) so we drove the Panda up some steep hill and climbed to the top to check out the view and take some photos.

From the tippy top of the hill we could see the ocean all around. It was sunny and colorful and winsome and wind-some. I nearly got blown into the clouds (which would have been alright).

Lunch was delicious (fried cheese with fig jam!!! the best!). We ventured into the natural (national?) park to check out the volcano, but it ended up being 9 euro and a crowded bus ride to get to the top so we instead looked up and headed out. Off to El Golfo and the black-sand beach we went.

The sky was incredible, the rock formations true and yearning to be climbed. So that we did. And then we jumped off into the sunset...

La Lapa was a delicious restaurant we ate at that night in El Golfo. The sangria was far too good, the prawns were fresh, and the clams (rock clams?) were pesto-loved and incredible. We were tipsy, full, and sleepy—a perfect combination for a perfect night of sleep.

Day 3 was relatively uneventful. We needed a day off, so we hung out in the spa and walked to Puerto Calero for some more yummy food (Indian this time). It was a clear and moonlit night, perfect for some experimenting with my camera.

On the fourth day we woke up, packed our bags, and headed to ride some camels. I was a bit hesitant about this, but Stacey convinced me to jump on and get rocked by George (our camel) for 20 minutes. I thought I was going to fall off and get trampled. Alas! We survived and dismounted to safety. Poor camels: walking circles all-day, muzzled and knock-kneed. Although we didn’t actually get to sit on the camel (we were on an awkward-double-metal-chair contraption) it was still an experience that I’ll remember for at least a few more days. Good thing I took some pictures :)

We drove back to Playa Blanca in the afternoon to catch the ferry back to Fuerteventura for some more adventures. Which I will expand upon in part 2…

Until then, enjoy these pictures… bonne journée (oh yeah, I’m in Meribel, France)!