Lanzarote
- part II
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The unceasing wind makes
Lanzarote a mecca for windsurfers ...
... particularly off our
resort of Costa Teguise ...
... where the beach is reportedly
of Saharan sand blown over from Africa.
The island's largest resort
is Puerto del Carmen, where in addition to a similar but larger
expanse of pale sand (surprisingly not observable other than on
beaches!) it has a harbour for small vessels like these fishing
boats and excursion craft. Note the additional fisher - the grey
hunched Heron in front of the blue boat!
Outside of the capital and
the tourist fleshpots the island is but sparsely populated and
large empty prospects present themselves - here just outside Costa
Teguise looking north.
For our second and final
week we hired a car with which to explore the further reaches
of the island. The farthest horizon here is El Rio, the strait
separating La Graciosa, and the cliffs of the Risco de Famara
while the foreground shows the two basic volcanic rocks of the
island. The ground black pumice is strewn over the fields to retain
and attract moisture and enable specialist agriculture to flourish.
It is also quarried and exported to the other Canary Islands not
fortunate enough to have accessible supplies.
Down the road, I think in
the village of Tao, an unexpected confrontation. A local expression
of a Christmas tree with, for me, an exotic twist by growing in
amongst the prickly pear cactus!
Down towards the south-west
corner of the island the sea has long ago broken into a caldera
and the subsequent lagoon has acquired a very noticeable green
cast caused by a mix of minerals and algae (according to the guide
book). Also visible here are three different colours of rock.
Around the corner the breakers'
foam is whipped away by the brisk wind.
The main square in Teguise,the
old capital of the island ...
... where the streets and
squares are very sparsely peopled on New Years Day.
Not so the following day
when the Sunday market drew its accustomed large crowd. The African
ladies' open-air braiding emporium was especially well supported,
by girls of all ages.
Out of town, another gathering
in the wide open spaces around the isolated settlements.
High on the ridge heading
north, the Parc Eolico farming the near permanent wind. The nearby
island of Fuertaventura is named for the strong winds.
Shooting against the sun:
the church at Ye ...
... and again from our destination
...
... the Mirador del Rio
at the northern end of the island. El Rio (meaning river in Spanish)
is the name for the saltwater channel separating the much smaller
island of La Graciosa from Lanzarote and down which blows the
prevailing wind giving the appearance of flowing water.
Continued
in Part III
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VISTAS
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