Tag: europe

Gran Canaria 2024 – Sunny Canteras day

Day 10 Tuesday 13 March 2024

Almost at the end of our trip and the sun is shining, it’s a sunny hot day! It was also our last chance to visit Vagueta, the oldest and most attractive part of the city. Las Palmas is scattered with sculptures and memorials in most of the small parks which is rather lovely. This guy, Dr Juan Negrin Lopez has been given some makeup, I’m not sure if the lipstick is the right shade for his green moustache.

CAAM is the Centro Atlantico de Art Moderno, the modern art museum. It is housed in a beautiful purpose built gallery close to Casa Colon. Like all modern art museums, the content is a mixed bag of genius and “what the hell is that!” The good far outweighed the indifferent, and there are some beautiful as well as challenging images in there.

I have called this one “a nod is as good as a wink”, which is also the name of an album by The Faces. Did I ever tell you that I saw the Faces once in 1972? They came of late and were as pissed as farts, as usual.

We spent a very pleasant couple of hours wandering around enjoying and trying to make sense of the pieces. Every picture and sculpture had a little description/explanation in Spanish and English, and every one was mystifying to me. The text below could be used for any of the pieces and make the same amount of sense.

In the British spirit of “bloody hell I could do better than that” I made a Work Of Art. I didn’t have a 5 year old with a packet of crayons to exploit, so this is a self-portrait. Its called “Parallel Lines:Not Blondie”. It expresses my alienation from the world of sport, and hope for the future of music through an appreciation of Deborah Harry. Possibly.

This is available from Eltimbola Enterprises as a colour photocopy for £399.99, and an extra 100 quid if you want it signed.

Spain is a lovely country in many ways. But it doesn’t have have the same level of basic amenities as in the UK. They don’t have cafes in museums, which is a horrifying omission. They miss out on an enormous revenue stream by not flogging overpriced cakes and crappacino to peckish visitors. The cafe at Kew Gardens covers several hectares and is designed to slow down the flow of customers as much as possible and sell cakes that cost as much as the hourly minimum wage. I think CAAM should convert one of the exhibition spaces into a cafe and sell coffee and carrot cake, the English tourists would pour millions of Euros into it to spend on more Art.

We took our good money elsewhere, and found a top cafe near the market. We shared a fabulous focaccia sandwich with Jamon Jamon in it, and a slice of almond cake. My lips they say “yes”, my waist he say “wibble wobble”.

After lunch we got on a number 12 up the coastal road to Parque de Santa Catalina. I wanted to take a look at the Elder Science Museum, which is housed in a big old warehouse once built by a British company called Elder. I looked through the window and could see that it was puny compared to the mighty Science Museum in Sarf Ken, so I kept my 6 Euros to spend on beer.

This is the museum, a big shed with half an extension on the top. The tall palm trees are called Washingtonia and are from California, the small ones are Phoenix Canariensis, which are local.

The park is on the Isthmus, so we walked across to Canteras beach, which was looking fabulous in the hot sunshine. It was very busy with pale tourists gently roasting in the sun. I sat on a bench looking at the sea until I got too hot, and then found a bit of shade about 30cm wide under a palm tree and sat like Robinson Crusoe hiding from the sun. Because I’m a bit of a nerd, I observed that the shadow of the tree moved about 10 cm in 10 minutes. Consequently I had to keep moving round to stay in the shade so I didn’t shrivel like Gollum.

I read my Kindle, which is much better than a phone for reading in the sun. I’m reading Nuts and Bolts by Roma Agrawal. It’s all about the engineering of small things like the wheel, pumps, nails and nuts. I enjoyed it very much, but it wouldn’t suit everyone. Probably most people to be honest. I just like to know how things work, and how they came to be. Stories are quite good, but give a man a fact and he can bore people for life.

At about 4pm we met up with Jo and Dave and found a very good restaurant overlooking the beach, with seats in the shade; perfect. There we stayed for several hours drinking and eating, it was very good indeed. Super-good, one might say.

It started getting overcast and cool at about 6.30 and took the bus down to Jo and Dave’s hotel near San Telmo, and went to the bar to test the quality of the wine and beer. Extensive research brought us to the conclusion that on the Nice/Good/Super-good/Triffic scale, the booze came in at Good. I will publish the results in the European Journal of Booze Studies. This will probably get noted by the Daily Mail and published as a health story.

I went to bed at about 11 pm, full of joy and Vino Tinto. I awoke at 1 am with hydrochloric acid erupting in my stomach like a volcano, c’est las vie.

That was our last proper day on Gran Canaria. Thursday was all about waiting of various types; at bus stops, airports and on a plane. But until they figure out how the Tardis works, thats always going to happen at the end of a holiday.

I hope you have enjoyed my blog. If you did, send me some fan mail to timharness@timharnesstravels

I can then share some facts with you about nuts and bolts or the movement of the sun relative to a Canarian palm tree.

Gran Canaria 2024- The Botanic Gardens

Day 6 Saturday 9/3/24

Today it was time to get outa Dodge and commune with nature at the Jardin Botanico. Before we left Julie was about to make some coffee, but there was no power. There were workmen at a bank over the road doing something, so I went to investigate. It could have been a massive heist by a major OCG, but Ray Winstone wasn’t there and there was no glamorous lady criminal mastermind in a tight skirt and stilettos. A bloke in overalls pointed at a notice tied to a lamp post, written in Spanish of course. Google Translate worked its magic and told me that the power would be off until 5.30 in the evening. So no coffee for me.

The bus went from San Telmo bus station, 5 minutes away from the flat. It only took about 15 minutes to get to the botanic gardens in the hills above the city. There was a wooden cabin at the entrance where a man told us we wouldn’t need a ticket. Maybe that’s his job, and he has a degree in telling people it’s free to get it. Our first stop was the rather nice restaurant to get a coffee and book for lunch later on.

The restaurant was at the top of a big hill, and most of the gardens were at the bottom, so we walked a short way down and then sat on a bench in the sunshine until it was lunchtime.

The restaurant is very nice, and definitely a step up from the Mexican last night. We had a great table in the window overlooking the gardens and the hills across the valley.

Do you want to know what we had? Steak and Kidney Pudding and Mushy Peas. Only kidding, we had crispy prawns to start followed by Hake and potatoes and fried peppers. I said to the waitress “can I see the drinks menu?”, she said “we don’t have a drinks menu”. Aha I thought, a cunning trick to make us buy a 30 Euro bottle of mediocre wine, so we had water (flat).

After lunch we walked down steps to reach the main part of the gardens. They are uneven stone steps, with a cliff on one side and a steep drop on the other. There are very few signs, and the wrong turn can lead to a dead end or really precipitous steps about 2 feet wide. So it took us 20 minutes of careful walking to get to the bottom of the cliff.

That’s Julie thinking about the Life Insurance policy I took out on her last week.

But it was worth it, since the gardens at the bottom are very lovely. It was much more Spanish (disorganised) than Kew, but it is extensive and relaxing. There are sections of pine forest, laura silva, coastal plants, succulents and cactuses. A murky pond was churning with fish and dragon flies hovered over it which were the size of Ornithopters.

Some of the cactuses are the size of trees, and have woody trunks with bark 60cm across. The laura silva woodland is a recreated remnant of a type forest which once covered much of the Canaries and Madiera. It was alive with birdsong, the most I have heard on the island. When we travelled to Costa Rica in 2022 we expected lots of birdsong in the rainforest, but all we heard was distant Howler Monkeys.

It is a great place to visit, but its a pity there are no bus stops at the bottom of the hill. On the other hand, climbing back up the stairs took only 11 minutes and we only had to wait 10 minutes for a bus. The bus dropped us in Vagueta and we saw some more lovely streets of old houses.

I’m sat next to the tiny balcony in the flat with the doors open listening to the chatter from the street below. I have a glass of iced Ron Miel and some salty nuts, so I’m happy as a pig in shit. The Jehovahs are down there witnessing all the people who won’t be going to heaven with them. What I’m thinking is that if heaven is full of that lot, it’s probably very boring and down stairs with all the sinners would be much more fun.

Day 7 – Bike Tour of Las Palmas

Gran Canaria 2024-Exploring Triana

Day 4 Thursday 7/3/24

The sun was shining this morning from the beginning of the day, so we got out of the flat early…ish. There were pants and socks to wash, so in the event we got out at 11, which is early for a holiday.

The Jehovahs were out on the street trying to convert people by just standing there with their leaflet stand. Quite honestly they could just as well have several cardboard cut-outs of varous versions of Doctor Who and achieve the same number of converts.

We walked for about 5 minutes to get to San Telmo Park, and decided we needed a coffee, its the only way to start the day in Spain. The park is opposite Puerto de la Luz, one of the biggest ports in Spain. They service floating drilling rigs at the port, and there were several lined up ready to get their spark plugs changed and timing belt adjusted.

The park is close to the sea, but is overlooked by hills not far away. In Google Maps I looked up Mirador (viewpoint) and found Mirador de Schamann about 20 minutes walk away, so we headed up there. On the way we passed this interesting looking old building, which is the Canarian Naval Headquarters. I expect they are ready to vigorously fend off any English or Dutch pirates. But quite honestly the Spanish Navy hasn’t had much success since the Battle of Trafalgar.

The view from the mirador was excellent, and the hike up the hill will hopefully negate the effects of the alcohol I will drink tonight. Notice all the drilling rigs in the port. Also you can see that the houses are all little boxes made of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.

We had lunch at the flat (bread/sardines/hummous/tomatoes/sangria) and in the afternoon had another explore of Triana. There are so many interesting streets and a plethora of restaurants.

Have I used the word plethora before? I don’t think so. Like Ithmus, it has a TH in the middle. My initials are TH, surely there is a mystical connection.

Anyway I digress, we mouched about looking at nice places and taking note of restaurants for this evening.

This is the Gabinete Literato, which is a cultural and scientific society a bit like our own Royal Society.

Inside it is equally lovely, and it has a restaurant that we might try out some time.

I took loads more pictures of pretty places, and have cleverly made them into a collage. Not only am I a master of unusual words with TH in them, but I also use collages in my work, I truly am a polymath (which also contains TH).

At 6.30 we met Dave and Jo in their hotel and walked them into Triana. We had a drink in one of the side streets running off Calle Triana, then went in search of a restaurant. They were either Inside Restaurants with no menu on the wall outside and linen table cloths (out of our league) or Outside Restaurants with affordable menus to peruse, but a bit drafty in the street.

Eventually our rumbling tummies overruled us and we found an Outside Restaurant near Plaza del Ranas (Frog Square). My chicken and wrinkled potatoes were very good, washed down with a hearty Rioja.

Day 5 – Santa Ana and a Dead Bishop

Gran Canaria 2024-Vegueta and Canteras

Day 2 Tuesday 5/3/24

We had a very languorous start to the day, mostly doing Sweet FA until about 11.30. We then ambled south along Calle Triana (Calle is pronounced Cayeh in Gran Canaria) and explored a few more of the side streets. There are some very beautiful old houses with wooden balconies, typical of the Canaries.

We crossed Calle Fuente to reach Vagueta, a major road that was once a river until the 20th century. The area we are staying in is called Triana which is 16th and 17th century, Vagueta is the original part of Las Palmas which was founded in 1473 by Castillian Juan Rejon. The Spanish fought the local people for five years before they were conquered by their better armed opponents. Guns, Germs and Steel win every time.

In Vaqueta we met Maria, a local guide who took us around the old town centre. She was an excellent guide and spoke ten to the dozen in a strong Spanish accent that I had to tune into. She loved the area and was enthused about the gorgeous old buildings. One of the first we saw was a little church where Christopher Columbus once prayed while one of his ships was being fixed on his first trip to China (that’s what he thought).

Next to the little church are some palm trees, not the original Las Palmas, but close to where they grew. Vagueta (which means a small piece of fertile ground) has several lovely museums and lots of cafes offering tempting pastries and cocktails (later in the day). Maria told us that Francis Drake had a go at Las Palmas in his usual piratical way, followed later by the Dutch having a pop. Gran Canaria is a very desirable location between Europe, Africa and America. The Canarians built narrow streets with tight corners, so they could pick off any invaders one by one.

The grandest building is the Cathedral of Santa Ana. Apparently Saint Anne was Jesus’s grandmother, and his grandfather was called Joaquin, like Phoenix. Who knew that?

This picture is the back of Santa Ana, with Maria in the corner.

There’s a fantastic market in Vagueta selling local food. Pushing the culinary boat out we invested in some Iberico ham. The pigs are fed only on acorns, and it costs 20 Euros for 100g, that’s 200 Euros a Kilo my friends. Fuck it, we’re on holiday! To go with it, we got some spelt bread, and ate it at lunch in the flat. Needless to say, it was bloody delicious.

After lunch we got the 17 bus to Canteras beach. Las Palmas is a very big city, and the north of is shaped like a lollipop. There is a big peninsular sticking out at the northern end, which is made up of old volcanoes. This area is called Isleta, and is connected to the rest of the city by an isthmus. Dear reader this is the first time I have ever used the word Isthmus, and I’m proud of it. On the western side of the isthmus is a beautiful beach called Canteras, allegedly the best urban beach in Europe.

Its very popular with surfers, most of whom are enthusiastic but crap at surfing. But its a lovely place to hang out in the afternoon sunshine.

Isleta is the lumpy bit at the end of the beach.

Las Palmas is a lovely place, and I’m looking forward to exploring it more. It’s wine time for me now.

Day 3 – Into the Mountains and Down to the Dunes