Las Palmas, Gran Canaria

Thursday 19 May.

 

As I walked over the deck by the pool to get our early morning cup of tea I could see the lights on the coast of Gran Canaria as the ship approached the city of Las Palmas. Moira had showered while I was out and I quickly got ready myself as soon as I got back. We took our cups of tea with us for an early breakfast and were ready to go ashore as soon as we docked.

 

A long way from Cape Town.

We were in the queue waiting and talking to a guy from Cape Town when a couple jumped the queue in front of us. This is one thing I can't stand and it resulted in an argument but they shrugged their shoulders and claimed they didn't understand. The weather was a bit blowy when we landed, it was overcast as well but we had on our fleeces in preparation. Later when the sun got higher and there were breaks in the cloud it got warmer and we were able to get down to just out t-shirts.

 

Castillo de la Luz.

We walked along a walking-cycle path that ran beside the dock and up by the seaside. After a short distance I consulted the map we got from reception and found that the main holiday and bathing areas were on the other side of the city which was on a narrow isthmus at the north of the island. We cut across through the busy streets to the other 'coast' and reached the esplanade at the Playa de las Canteras. There was a lovely sandy beach stretching around the wide bay and the surf from the Atlantic Ocean was breaking along its length but there wasn't anyone in swimming, it was still too cold. The prom was a typical Spanish setting lots of restaurants that we have become used to in places like Benidorm, Conil and Salou where we were last year. The 'menu del dia' they were offering was quite reasonable, some under R10, and including the usual half bottle of wine. We reached the far end of the bay and the coast line then became rocky and rugged with the tides and waves eating into the rocks and creating holes and arches. After watching the waves smashing against the rocks we backtracked and followed signs pointing the way to the Castillo de la Luz. The streets went through a Chinese district before coming to a small castle on the other side of the point. We were back near the docks again and the Sinfonia was in the background of the castle turrets. There were beautiful garden surrounding the castle and the roses were out in full bloom. A school party was waiting to go into the castle but it was other 30 minutes before it opened for visitors so instead we decided to head back to the beach area again.

Rugged Gran Canaria coast.

 

On the way we spotted a Spar supermarket and got a couple of beers to go with the lunch Moira had prepared before leaving the ship. At the esplanade again we made our way along in the other direction past where we had started earlier. It was a lot busier now that it had warmed up and people were out on the beach in swimsuits. A tourist information kiosk that had been closed earlier was now open and the guy was very helpful with details and maps about the area and trekking in the hills and mountains that we could see behind the town. He said that the hill walking and trails here were much better than the ones on Tenerife, but I suppose he was biased. Anyway, we decided it looked a pleasant place for a longer stay sometime in the future and some new trails to hike.

 

Further along the beach there was a surfing area. In the shallows learners were attempting to get standing on their boards as a wave picked them up. Further out in the big waves the more experienced surfers were putting on a good display. We watched them for a while before getting to the other end of the bay and the Alfredo Kraus auditorium. It was a fancy building with a glass dome and sculptured replicas of fish and birds, in front there was a large statue of Alfredo Kraus. A number of well known celebrities had appeared there and there were plaques with their names on the walkway in front.

Afredo Kraus

Alfredo Kraus auditorium

 

We headed back along the esplanade to the surfing beach and found a seat where we had our picnic lunch and the beer we had bought. The beer had cost R0.60 per can, big difference to the price they charge on board the boat. When we finished the plan was to head over to the other side of the isthmus then make our way back to the docks that way. Once we started Moira realised that we had forgotten about the Spanish siesta when the shops closed from 1:00 until about 5:00 pm and we wanted to get some wine to take back. When we were half way across to the other side we followed a sign pointing to the city centre and soon found a supermarket that was still open, it actually didn't close for siesta anyway. We got a couple of 1 litre cardboard boxes of red wine and I decided on another can of beer as well, my favourite Spanish beer this time, San Miguel.

 

Carrying on I was looking for a park, Parque Romano, but found a sports ground instead with benches in quiet surroundings. We sat there and rested after having been walking for over 4 hours with just a short break for lunch. It was now pleasantly warm as I sat and enjoyed my local brew. It was now nearly 2:00 pm and we had to be on board again by 3:30 pm but first we wanted to go to a MacDonald's restaurant that was in the shopping complex next to the docks. We wanted to use their free WiFi.

Tourist horse and cart.

 

We spent an hour in the restaurant and had an iced cream while on the web. I downloaded today's 'Telegraph' to my iPad and this time the crossword was full page, not the half version I have been getting on the ship. I updated my blog with photographs and that was working well but one thing that didn't work was the email. Moira wanted to send an email to Suzy about the house insurance she wanted her to pay but it wouldn't send. I tried to send it on mine which was going well on the blog but it wouldn't work either. Moira thought that MacDonald's had blocked emailing for some reason. She sent Suzy a text instead using What's App.

 

We got back in board at 3:00 pm and the x-ray machine my rucksack had to pass through didn't pick up the wine. A woman taking a bottle of wine on board was stopped, probably they don't recognise square cardboard boxes as wine containers! We dumped our gear in the cabin and went to the stern of the ship to watch our departure from the island. The ship was supposed to cast off at 4:00 pm but it was another hour before the lines were taken off the bollards and we sailed away. It had been warm enough on the deck, we read and had coffee stretched out on loungers while waiting. As soon as she left the docks and harbour the ship soon picked up speed and it wasn't long before the mountains of Gran Canaria were the only things to seen in the distance.

 

Leaving Gran Canaria.

We had booked again for the early show at the theatre but there was still time for a glass of wine in the cabin before the start. The act tonight was a magician-ventriloquist but after about 10 minutes we decided he was rubbish and left for dinner. After the meal we were both feeling tired after all the walking today and went to cabin to lie on our bunks. I had about 100 pages to read in my book and continued reading until I finished it. It was quite good and I like Anne Cleeves' murder mysteries. Moira was already sleeping by the time I switched out the lights.

 

 

 

 

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