December 28 (Thursday) – GRAN CANARIA, Spain – [Starboard side to dock; Drive RHS 9:00-5:30] (Capital Las Palmas population 150,000 total Island population 500,000; Driver Javier, Guide Armando) – La Gran Canaria (Great Island of Dogs) is located 200 Kilometers off the coast of Morocco. The islands are thought to be the last visible vestiges of Atlantis and have been inhabited since the Bronze Age. In 1401 a French expedition under Gadifer de la Salle and Jean de Betancourt gained a foothold on the island, with de la Salle being driven out and the Guanache subjugated after extensive battles. On June 24, 1478 General Juan Rejon with 600 men founded the city of Las Palmas and have been part of Spain ever since. Rejon established a hermitage, built a church to St. Anne on the site of the present San Antonio Abad church where Columbus heard mass before setting out to the New World in 1492. The island is almost circular in shape (34 miles long by 29 miles wide) and it’s highest peak Los Pechos is 6,400 feet above sea level. Whereas on Lanzarote all houses were white, on this island there were many colors and a true metropolis with different types of buildings neighborhoods, High rise apartments, slum and posh areas etc. Prior to the 1980’s there was a great deal of employment and many people from South America emigrated. Many of these houses now lie empty and there is a 24% unemployment. Whereas there was a lot of farming (Banana, Tomato, Avocado, Mango, Potato) and agriculture was 70% of the economy, now it accounts for only 7% of the economy with the main part of the economic activity being Tourism. There is a University with four large buildings built by the church as a seminary but since 1965 it was converted to a University. There was a lot of greenery all over, the black sand of the lava, covered by vegetation. Many craters and dams are present on the island which act as water reservoirs, however, water has been scarce for the past few years and all these reservoirs are dry. 80% of the water now comes from desalination and is rationed to three days a week for the average local inhabitant, thus roof drums and water storage on Most buildings. Whereas Lanzarote and Fuerteventura appeared some 25 Million years ago, Gran Canaria started 14.5 Million years ago. There were many Agave / Century Plants with their tall stalk flowers which indicate that the year after the tall flower appears, the plant dies. Bougainvillea in all it’s seven colors was present with purple and orange being the most common. Early settlers from Morocco and Tunisia were cave dwellers (currently still numbering 800) were here 2,500 years ago, however since 1483 the island has belonged to Spain.
We all took the Highlights of Gran Canaria tour except Alex who had the Medical Centre aboard arrange to have an Ultrasound for his kidney stones. However, what was to happen at 9:30AM (and thus he missed the tour) actually took place after we had come back from the tour, after lunch together in the main square and in fact not until 4PM. So he could have come on the tour, but then with the late appointment, the concern was about getting back to the ship before we left at 5:30PM. All went well and we had a great lunch in the main square of tapas (including Papas arrugadas – potatoes with a special spiced red sauce) and all five of us made it onto the ship before the sail away. The other issue was that Peter has been suffering – twice yesterday and three times today – with severe nosebleeds – a condition he often suffers during the change of seasons, but draining.
Gran Canaria is another volcanic Island with deep valleys, cones and craters yellow and black sandy beaches and very windy narrow roads – Not a good place to tour if one has a fear of heights or car sickness due to all the curves. Las Palmas is the cosmopolitan port city and the center of the island’s activity. Columbus stayed here on his way to the “New World” and we passed his home. The first stop was at the Bandama Crater or Pico de Bandama (369m high, 100m crater diameter, 200m depth of crater – named after a Dutch man Mr. Van Damme) with it’s stunning views. This crater and the climb to the top of the volcano is a hair-raising spiral with ever less space between you on the coach and hundreds of feet below with nothing in between. The view from the top was spectacular overlooking the 12 mile long Las Palmas city along the sea shores. There are so many volcanoes that it is difficult to determine where one starts and the other ends. However, from the top of Badarama, one looks straight down some 1,000 feet to the bottom of another crater where there is a single home and no road to get there for the inhabitants.
Next to the quaint and very attractive village of Teror with it’s whitewashed houses and balconies, visiting the spectacular Cathedral of Our Lady of The Pine (1768 – constructed from Light and dark volcanic rock) – Famous due to the apparition to shepherds of The Virgin Mary in a pine tree. The altar and much of the decor is gold or silver and it is a beautiful church with a large square outside where there are parties, marketplace and other such gathering of townsfolk and domestic tourism at week-ends. Apart from the usual decorations in the church there was a large crèche / Nacimiento as it is just after Christmas and will remain until January 6th, as is the general custom, the Three Kings bring children their presents on Jan 6, not Santa Clause). An interesting tidbit of information – Theresa Bolivar (wife of Simon Bolivar of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador etc) was born near the church in Teror.
We then travelled to the cobble stoned city of Arucas, it’s homes, churches (the grey neo-gothic one finished in the 1970’s, is similar to the one in Barcelona as the architects were the same) and Marquise’s de Arica Gardens where we sampled the island’s banana Liqueur – a yellow delicious liquid. The gardens were filled with Cacti, palms, bougainvillea, even a Jack Fruit tree – beautiful. Then back to the ship along the North coast to meet up with Alex for lunch. The evening was filled with a light meal in the cafeteria, watching the Arsenal 3 / Crystal Palace 2 football game, music interlude of the joint orchestras doing big band music, and Alesia & Massimo doing their acrobatic artistry with curtains hung from the theatre roof. Off to the next Canary Island for tomorrow – Tenerife.
Roger & Anne Travels 