A Grand time in Gran Canaria

Judy. When we told friends we were spending a month in the Canary Islands, on the island of Gran Canaria, they typically said, “Well, that’s a great place for you to relax. There’s nothing to do there.”

I’m not sure just what part of the Canaries they visited, but we’ve hardly slowed down! I’ve heard that Maspalomas, the “English Beach,“ is like that, but here on the north side of the island, in Las Palmas, living near Playa de las Canteras, things are hopping!

As we did in Cadiz, we walk along the beach promenade almost every day. Further south on the same beach it’s somewhat touristy, but here we get surfers and locals. The waves are massive, and it’s fun to watch the surfers, from about age six up, from novices to experts, maneuver through and around to get the best ride. You can grab wine or coffee and sit for hours watching them.

Tide's out!

Or you can wait for the tide to go out and plop yourself on the black lava sand and enjoy the sunshine. The water’s surprisingly warm here, and the rocks hiding just beneath the surface make for interesting wave patterns.

But that’s on the quiet days, the ones where you take more than a couple of hours for a nap or rest.

Our first Saturday we walked to Parque de Santa Catalina and stumbled on a group of Canarian folk dancers and musicians. After a song or two, locals just started dancing as well. After enjoying that, we walked downtown to the Old Town and tourist information. We definitely want to go back to see the sights there. I posted a video below. Remember to see the video, you'll have to visit losingsightshore@blogspot.com.

Our friend Jose Maria, who spent Christmas with us several years ago, lives here, and

With Jose Maria

one night took us to San Lorenzo, a tiny town in the mountains, to eat typical Canarian food, which was not like any food I’d had before, but delicious:  tiny potatoes with mojo sauce; ropa vieja, a pork dish; and delicious Canary cheese.

One day we took a bus tour around the northern part of the island and discovered mountains, forests, rocky outcroppings and quaint towns. One of these, Tejeda, is named one of the most beautiful towns in Spain. Spread out over several hills, its white houses sparkle against the green trees. They also have some pretty delicious marzipan. We definitely want to return to two other towns, Teror (where the Virgin appeared in a pine tree years ago), and Arucas (where a student of Gaudi built the massive church, and also where Jose Maria lives).

Teror, monument to the Virgin in Pine

Gaudi's student's work, Arucas

A view from the mountains

Tejeda 

Ever heard of WOMAD, the World Music and Dance festival? It’s held in venues all over the world, and one weekend, it was here—and free! For three nights we walked to Parque de Santa Catalina and listened to flamenco, North African music, Canarian bands, Scottish bands, and Ladysmith Black Mombasa, whom we’ve loved listening to since Paul Simon released his album Graceland.

Maalem Hamid dl Kasri

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

I’ve located a yoga studio, and in addition to practicing in our apartment, I visit Om Yoga Studio weekly. As it’s my third time practicing in a Spanish studio, my Spanish—at least the directions and body parts words—is improving. And John, who's Irish, and his wife, Christelle, who's French, translate from Spanish to English when needed!

Speaking of improving Spanish, on Tuesday evenings we go to an intercambio. We meet at a café on the beach, pair up—one English speaker and one Spanish—and walk the beach for about 45 minutes, speaking Spanish one way and English another. Not many of the English speakers are English or American. We’ve met folks from Poland, Finland, and Germany, among others. Last Tuesday, I paired up with Maria, who was terrified—her English was almost non-existent. I was feeling pretty cocky helping her out till it was time to speak in Spanish. I’ve still got work to do. After the walk we sit in a café in groups and talk. Poco a poco, our Spanish is getting better.

Holy Trinity on Veterans' Day

We located a little Anglican church, Holy Trinity, in the English Gardens part of the city, about a 20-minute walk away. On Veterans’ Day, they had a deeply moving service with readings from soldiers and poets about WWI. The church was packed. Regular services don’t have quite so many folks, and they can take the time to speak to us.

It’s odd to see Christmas decorations going up everywhere, without any hint of Thanksgiving except for the ubiquitous Black Friday sale signs. I have to admit they took me by surprise, since I tend to lose track of what month it is, much less what day.

Christmas is coming!

Ted located a tiny 16-seat Argentinian steak house that is absolutely delicious, and not expensive at all. While we mostly eat at home, that’s one of the restaurants on our “return” list.

A couple of Ted’s shirts got stains on them, and we located a second hand shop that had beautiful clothes he bought for replacements! For seven euros he walked out with a wool sweater, a corduroy shirt, and a new pair of sunglasses.

Ted's birthday coffee & cake

Along the way in our travels, we’ve developed the habit of getting an afternoon coffee and maybe a treat. Here we alternate between sitting in a café on the beach, where the coffee’s not so terrific, but the view is to die for, and Café Regina, a fabulous coffee shop about five blocks into town. No view, but incredible coffee. It was a great place to celebrate Ted's birthday. Oh, and I’ve discovered leche leche, a coffee drink made with condensed milk and coffee with regular milk. It’s a lovely dessert all on its own.

Sunset coffee

So we’re two weeks into our four-week stay, and rather grateful for the rain today, since it means we’ll relax for a bit. It's Thanksgiving today, and we were able to talk to our family on FaceTime. Just one more month till we see them again. Meanwhile, there's more to explore!