Island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands


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Originally uploaded by sjmcdowell
I have traveled to the Canary Islands a couple of times and will never forget the strange and unique landscape there. The soil is black and course and the sand is also black but of finer grain. The volcano is "sleeping:. We took a bus ride up to the top of Timinfya one day. There is a restaurant on the top and a gift shop too. In the front of the restaurant is a huge round grill and on that grill they cook the fresh fish that is caught that day from the ocean below. The heat from that grill is supplied by the "sleeping volcano" Timinfya!! On September 1st 1730 Timinfya erupted and 21 villages were obliterated, it stopped April16th. 1736, a Spanish priest on the Island recorded it in his journal.  On the road leading to the Volcano on either side are petrified lava fields, no trees, no plants, no bird calls, just the sound of the wind and a few cars that go by.
Closer to the ocean there are towns that have lovely Hotels and wonderful restaurants. They actually have some wonderful vineyards on the island as well and what a sight to see these little halfmoon rock walls about two feet high and growing in the black lava soil are these little grapevine plants rows and rows of them, the little stones piled up around the plants are there to protect them from the strong winds that blow at times from west Africa. You never want to visit the islands in the summer months because the temps can go up to 120 degrees farenheit. Big sand storms also come across the ocean from west Africa and can blow blinding sand storms on the islands for a week or more.

My favorite thing to do was to go to one of the local restaurants right by the ocean and watch the fishermen throw their nets into the water and catch the fish right in front of you, you can then pick the fish you would like for lunch that day and they will go into their kitchen and  cook it to perfection...You can't get any fresher than that!!!

They also have a great Bird sanctuary there with beautiful Parrots.
I also rode a Camel one day but felt so sorry for him, that I would never do it again.

This is one of the prints I bought while I was there and thought I would share some of my memories with you this day.

Love and Peace and Laughter to All!!

Susan

Comments

  1. I absolutely love hearing about people's travels! This is a wonderful post - I really enjoyed reading your memories of that trip. Wew have never been there - but we will. It is one of the stops on a future cruise that we will be going on. Thanks for that wonderful story~~~

    Vicki

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  2. This is a nice story, thanks for sharing it. The fish dinner sounds divine. Have you seen Ces's blog? She does fantastic drawings and just finished a series where she drew her version of disasters like tsunami, mudslides, volcanos, you'd have to see it to understand. Let me find the url..........http://cesandherdishes.blogspot.com/2010/05/no-10-las-hijas-de-senora-phenomena.html
    I don't know if you would like these drawings or not. They are very interesting.

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  3. I too have been there many times and you have 'painted' a beautiful picture of it! Great memories x

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  4. Wow my friend the question is Where have you not been? lol
    Love love hearing about your travels...never get tired of learning more about you.
    I am up for a minute so wanted to say hi before I lay back down.
    They worked me in to see a Neurosurgeon yesterday and he told me two of my vertebraes were broken and to stay in bed.
    Oh my that is a hard order.
    Looking forward to talking to you
    Have a good weekend and move around for me.
    Love
    Maggie

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  5. Very nice painting. I would love eating fish there, fish to me is best when it is fresh. Interesting post.

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  6. What a lovely post about your trip. I've never been there but reading about it sure makes me want to go.
    Thanks for sharing.

    hugs
    Sissie

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  7. I’ve enjoyed looking over your blog. I came across it through another blog I follow, and I’m glad I did. I am now a follower of yours as well. Feel free to look over my blog and perhaps become one as well.

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  8. Hey honey are you okay? Hope your feeling better by now. let me know.
    Got to go get cleaned up my son is coming from Austin to check on me.
    Christi left Sunday and has had a headache ever since...I guess I do that to people
    Rough painful night but today is another day
    Love
    Maggie

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