As with the other Canary Islands, Lanzarote is Volcanic in origin. Due to the recent eruptions during the 18th and 19th Centuries, many parts of Lanzarote appear to be from another world, often described as 'lunar' or 'Martian'.The dry climate (and lack of erosion) means that the Volcanic Landscape appears much as it did just after the eruptions.
Despite the Volcanic nature of the island, Lanzarote has several beautiful white beaches such as at Playa Blanca and Papagayo. (http://www.discoverlanzarote.com/)
Marina and I went to Lanzarote with a relaxing holiday in mind and we weren't disappointed; there wasn't much to do besides sit by the pool or look at lava formations! Nevertheless, we did a bit of both and managed to bring home a couple of sunburns!
Here is a view from our hotel balcony:
Here I am at the beach. The water was too cold for my taste so I stuck with the pool!
One of the days we took an excursion to the Montañas del Fuego (Fire Mountains). The Fire Mountains were created between 1730 and 1736 when more than 100 volcanoes, covering more than 50 km², rose up and devastated this part of the island (including several villages). In 1968 the area was declared a national park, Parque Nacional de Timanfaya.
In the middle of the national park there is a tourist center where they perform "experiments" or demonstrations about the temperature of the island just below the surface (temperatures just a few metres below the surface reach between 400°C and 600°C). Here you see what happens when they pour water down a pipe that goes about 12 feet into the ground. They also have a restaurant at the center where they cook the food over an open hole in the ground using geothermal heat - no fire necessary!
Somehow they manage to have agriculture on the island, and we stopped to visit the "vineyards" on the way back to the hotel. They somehow use a "waterless" irrigation method; essentially the plant beds are covered with a thick layer of lava pebbles, overnight the pebbles somehow capture condensation and it trickles to the plant, the pebbles protect the soil from the sun during the day, and small half circle walls are built around each plant to protect it from the wind. Magic!Somehow they manage to grow enough grapes to squeeze out commercial production of a sweet white wine.
Here is a photo of Marina soaking up a bit of the sunshine at the vineyard:
Here is a picture of "emerald cove"... or something like that! There is some sort of green stone in the rock that causes the water caught in the cove to appear green.
If I didn't know better I would think that some construction equipment had a radiator leak!
... and that my friends was Lanzarote.
1 comment:
B-E-A-UTIFUL! Looks like SO much fun! Glad all is well.
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