It’s unfortunate to have a name that rhymes with grotty when so many are quick to depict you as a one dimensional, mass tourism holiday resort.
However, anyone who dismisses the most easterly of the Canary Islands as a purpose built, package holiday hell obviously has the observational skills of a blind albino cave crab.
It doesn’t take much exploration to discover that Lanzarote is very much an island with its own personality and a stark beauty that is as enchanting as the creative influences of its cultural saviour and local hero, César Manrique.
Windmills of Your Mind
Don Quixote would have a right old job on his hands fighting the many windmills found on Lanzarote’s undulating volcanic landscapes. This one stands defiant against the breeze in the former capital of Teguise.
Dry and Fry
Even in the heart of the biggest tourist enclaves like Puerto del Carmen, there are little signs that the old ways still cling on. These fish were laid out on an old net on an even older fishing pot just a few yards from bars and restaurants buzzing with tourists.
The Old & the New
There’s nothing new about sardines when it comes to traditional local cuisine and there’s certainly nothing new about mojos (Canarian sauces) but a simple yet creative touch like drizzling the sardine with mojo gave it a fresh taste and a colourful look that felt original and contemporary.
Taken with a Pinch of Salt
If your food’s a tad salty in Lanzarote, here’s why – the Salinas de Janubio; creating salty mountains since 1895.
Lanzarote’s Rock Gardens
An abundance of flora isn’t the first thing that springs to mind when traversing Lanzarote’s ruddy volcanic world but that’s not to say that there are a few places where the spiky ones put on a display to rival the most vivacious bloom. César Manrique’s Jardín de Cactus in Teguise is a cactus revelation.
Castles in the Sky
If you’re on the look out for the Jolly Roger on the horizon then a fortress with a 360 degree vista of the coasts is just the thing. The view from Castillo Santa Barbara is quite epic and doesn’t leave much scope for even the most devious miscreant to sneak up on you. These days that’s less of a worry but you can spot coaches packed with school kids miles off, giving you time to take photos that make it look as though you’re the sole occupant.
Still Waters Run… in Various Colours
When the sun sends its beams on to the surface of the Jameos del Agua the result is electrifying, creating a pool where you’d expect the Na’vi to bathe their long, lithe limbs.
How Green is My Intergalactic Valley
A bog standard blue lake just wouldn’t do an ‘other worldly’ landscape like El Golfo justice – Mother Nature knows this. Luminescent lime works much, much better.
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