Lanzarote-home of the eighth wonder
October 25th 2006 22:53
Lanzarote…home of the Eighth Wonder?
Lanzarote is one of the Canary Islands and perhaps the most spectacular of all due to its volcanic landscape. It is said to be the home of the eighth wonder of the world- Los Jameos del Agua-a huge cavernous structure that deep down in the centre is a lagoon in which white blind crabs live- the only kind in the world. Visitors can traverse deep into the remains of the volcano by steep steps carved into the rock, holding on to ropes attached to the side. Every so far, there is an wider section where one can stop to view the giant stalactites, or marvel at the man made concert area built to take advantage of the acoustics. At one point, you come outside to a small outcrop where small pools are home to turtles.
But I am rushing ahead of myself. Lanzarote is part of the Canaries archipelago and its landmass is relatively small- 60 km long by 20 km wide. The whole of the Canaries is only around 500 km apart; which makes island hopping very viable and recommended, as each offers something different. Much of the land surface is blackvolcanic ash that gives the impression of a moonscape. This gives rise to an unusual method of growing grapevines- they are planted to spread horizontally along the ground- each group of plants surrounded by a semi-circle of stones to catch and direct moisture to the vines.
The upside of the rich ash is it is beneficial to certain flora which is planted abundantly in the gardens of little villa resorts particularly around Puerto del Carmen towards the south of the island.
On our trip we visited the ‘green lake’ – so called due to the overabundance of weeds that make the surface appear bright green. We also saw the remains of an old movie set for ‘100 years BC’ which starred Raquel Welch! Small ‘stone age’ encampments near caves were in a state of disrepair…perhaps they are now gone.
Our accommodation of choice was a self- catering villa- part of a large complex.The white washed walls of the building were almost blinding in the sun. Each villa is comfortably furnished. The terrace is private and looks onto its own garden resplendent with flowers that make a colourful contrast to the lava ‘soil’.
In the morning we would find a little cloth bag on the door containing fresh bread rolls, some fruit, preserves and butter. For our other provisions, we shopped at the local supermarket to buy green tomatoes- I searched for ‘ripe’ ones until someone told me that they were the local variety and always green in colour! I smile as I remember the ‘yellow thin, grain fed chickens’ (not at all like the large plump, round chickens I am used to)- these reminded me of those used in comic skits! .
THE FOOD: Aaah! the memory makes me smile.
SEAFOOD: The wide variety of seafood- tuna, swordfish, calamari, prawns- nearly always pan fried and served with the local’ Mojo’- a sauce made from a variety of ingredients including garlic, chilli, peppercorns or a different version coloured green by adding herbs like coriander.
OTHER: Apart from traditional Spanish fare of paella and the little dishes of tapas, there are local dishes of the Canaries. These include:- a meat stew called ‘ Puchero Canario’ which is served as both a first and second course. The soup is liquid from the stew, while the main or second course contains the meat and vegetables. It is usually pork and beef, and assorted vegetables e.g. sweet potato, cabbage or pumpkin. This is not unlike the French dish ‘Pot eu Feu’ (boiled beef with vegetables- also served as two courses). "Sancocho Canaria" a fish stew made from dried fish and potatoes.
"Pescada A La Sal" is fish baked in salt.
Speaking of food, it reminds me of a wonderful night at a restaurant on "Timanfaya" or ‘fire mountain". After ordering, we went outside with a chef who carried a long spade.
His oven was the live volcano several metres from the restaurant. He dug deep into the black ash until it became bright red as the live ash was exposed. We quickly stepped back as we felt the heat. Then he deftly lowered a wire basket (in which our meat order was fixed) into the hole. In a few minutes, the meat was cooked to perfection. We went inside as the chef completed the meal adornments, to discuss the experience.
EXPEDITION: Another memorable moment was taking a camel ride up the side of an extinct volcano. The camels are the African variety with one hump, so two passengers were required to sit either side for balance. The views were amazing but soon I, not one for heights and positioned on the ‘outer’ side, ‘chickened out’ when halfway up the mountain as the camel sway got more pronounced as it climbed. As I got off to wait for the camel train to the continue the journey, I felt sorry for the other passenger who had to sit on the hump for the remainder of the climb.!
So much to enjoy in fascinating Lanzarote…a caution though- it is best as a winter resort as the heat in the summer restricts swimming time and is conducive to bad sunburn which we soon discovered!
Join me again tomorrow….
Lanzarote is one of the Canary Islands and perhaps the most spectacular of all due to its volcanic landscape. It is said to be the home of the eighth wonder of the world- Los Jameos del Agua-a huge cavernous structure that deep down in the centre is a lagoon in which white blind crabs live- the only kind in the world. Visitors can traverse deep into the remains of the volcano by steep steps carved into the rock, holding on to ropes attached to the side. Every so far, there is an wider section where one can stop to view the giant stalactites, or marvel at the man made concert area built to take advantage of the acoustics. At one point, you come outside to a small outcrop where small pools are home to turtles.
But I am rushing ahead of myself. Lanzarote is part of the Canaries archipelago and its landmass is relatively small- 60 km long by 20 km wide. The whole of the Canaries is only around 500 km apart; which makes island hopping very viable and recommended, as each offers something different. Much of the land surface is blackvolcanic ash that gives the impression of a moonscape. This gives rise to an unusual method of growing grapevines- they are planted to spread horizontally along the ground- each group of plants surrounded by a semi-circle of stones to catch and direct moisture to the vines.
The upside of the rich ash is it is beneficial to certain flora which is planted abundantly in the gardens of little villa resorts particularly around Puerto del Carmen towards the south of the island.
On our trip we visited the ‘green lake’ – so called due to the overabundance of weeds that make the surface appear bright green. We also saw the remains of an old movie set for ‘100 years BC’ which starred Raquel Welch! Small ‘stone age’ encampments near caves were in a state of disrepair…perhaps they are now gone.
Our accommodation of choice was a self- catering villa- part of a large complex.The white washed walls of the building were almost blinding in the sun. Each villa is comfortably furnished. The terrace is private and looks onto its own garden resplendent with flowers that make a colourful contrast to the lava ‘soil’.
In the morning we would find a little cloth bag on the door containing fresh bread rolls, some fruit, preserves and butter. For our other provisions, we shopped at the local supermarket to buy green tomatoes- I searched for ‘ripe’ ones until someone told me that they were the local variety and always green in colour! I smile as I remember the ‘yellow thin, grain fed chickens’ (not at all like the large plump, round chickens I am used to)- these reminded me of those used in comic skits! .
THE FOOD: Aaah! the memory makes me smile.
SEAFOOD: The wide variety of seafood- tuna, swordfish, calamari, prawns- nearly always pan fried and served with the local’ Mojo’- a sauce made from a variety of ingredients including garlic, chilli, peppercorns or a different version coloured green by adding herbs like coriander.
OTHER: Apart from traditional Spanish fare of paella and the little dishes of tapas, there are local dishes of the Canaries. These include:- a meat stew called ‘ Puchero Canario’ which is served as both a first and second course. The soup is liquid from the stew, while the main or second course contains the meat and vegetables. It is usually pork and beef, and assorted vegetables e.g. sweet potato, cabbage or pumpkin. This is not unlike the French dish ‘Pot eu Feu’ (boiled beef with vegetables- also served as two courses). "Sancocho Canaria" a fish stew made from dried fish and potatoes.
"Pescada A La Sal" is fish baked in salt.
Speaking of food, it reminds me of a wonderful night at a restaurant on "Timanfaya" or ‘fire mountain". After ordering, we went outside with a chef who carried a long spade.
His oven was the live volcano several metres from the restaurant. He dug deep into the black ash until it became bright red as the live ash was exposed. We quickly stepped back as we felt the heat. Then he deftly lowered a wire basket (in which our meat order was fixed) into the hole. In a few minutes, the meat was cooked to perfection. We went inside as the chef completed the meal adornments, to discuss the experience.
EXPEDITION: Another memorable moment was taking a camel ride up the side of an extinct volcano. The camels are the African variety with one hump, so two passengers were required to sit either side for balance. The views were amazing but soon I, not one for heights and positioned on the ‘outer’ side, ‘chickened out’ when halfway up the mountain as the camel sway got more pronounced as it climbed. As I got off to wait for the camel train to the continue the journey, I felt sorry for the other passenger who had to sit on the hump for the remainder of the climb.!
So much to enjoy in fascinating Lanzarote…a caution though- it is best as a winter resort as the heat in the summer restricts swimming time and is conducive to bad sunburn which we soon discovered!
Join me again tomorrow….
| 50 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
