Lanzarote
Marina Rubicon - Disaster Strikes
22/11/07 19:05
Our day started off with a power failure. The reason according to marina staff is that the power always goes off when rains. It must have rained for about 15 minutes last night. A few hours later we had power again.
A quiet day. We are planning to leave tomorrow and I changed the engine oil.
Back in Graciosa I saw a small cockroach but did not catch it. Today the critter appeared again and I got him. One of these....
A male German cockroach about a cm long. We may get lucky depending on where he came from. If he has hatched from a cluster of eggs that came aboard with produce we are in big trouble. If he came aboard already hatched hidden in something we may be lucky if he is a one off.
We have had poison out for several weeks but it didn't get him. Our anti cockroach arsenal will be reinforced at the next big port.
Off to Fuerteventura tomorrrow.
A quiet day. We are planning to leave tomorrow and I changed the engine oil.
Back in Graciosa I saw a small cockroach but did not catch it. Today the critter appeared again and I got him. One of these....
A male German cockroach about a cm long. We may get lucky depending on where he came from. If he has hatched from a cluster of eggs that came aboard with produce we are in big trouble. If he came aboard already hatched hidden in something we may be lucky if he is a one off.
We have had poison out for several weeks but it didn't get him. Our anti cockroach arsenal will be reinforced at the next big port.
Off to Fuerteventura tomorrrow.
Jameos del Agua - César Manrique
21/11/07 20:03
Jameos del Aqua is a work of art using intact and collapsed volcanic caves as a starting point. It was designed under the supervision of César Manrique and incorporates a concert hall, restaurants, a bar and reception areas along with a lovely garden. It opened to the public in 1966 and is similar in style to to the home of César Manrique we visited the other day.
It is a wonderful site and shows what can be done with few rock holes and caves given a bit of money and a lot of imagination and is well worth the €8.00 admission.
Entrance via a Jameo or collapsed cave.
Tidal grotto in a cave linking two Jameos. The water is crystal clear.
Looking up through the entrance.
Exit from the grotto.
Exit stairway where the volcanic rock has been filled to create a striking contrasting smooth finish painted in white gloss.
One exits via a series of terraces incorporating seating areas and bars.
Volcanic rock with contrasting filler.
Seating area with the grotto roof behind.
Entry sign. Each Manrique site incorporates a different style of sign.
Contrasting seashells spread under a rock in the garden.
Swimming pool in white and turqoise with stone paving set against a volcanic background.
Stunted trees with stone paving.
A bar area. The bar seats are smoothed curved rock and the stair trim is wood.
Rock presented in different forms.
Throughout the complex plants, white gloss, plants and smooth rocks of various sizes are used to create a striking visual effect aginst the stark volcanic rock.
And again.
A visual feast of colour and light.
Terraced plants and trees rising from the swimming pool level. The pool is now decorative only.
The concert hall is under repair.
When the repairs are finished it will look something like this.
Smaller plants set on ledges protruding from the rock wall.
A solitary tall palm rising from the pool level.
Natural and landscaped rock.
The pool and adjacent volcanic rock.
Exit stairs.
And again.
Looking down on the pool.
A kaleidoscope of blue. Sky, sea and pool.
Inside the cafe /gift shop area looking out.
And again but this is a mirror.
Garden and paving outside he cafe/gift shop area.
A window through a window.
It is a wonderful site and shows what can be done with few rock holes and caves given a bit of money and a lot of imagination and is well worth the €8.00 admission.
Entrance via a Jameo or collapsed cave.
Tidal grotto in a cave linking two Jameos. The water is crystal clear.
Looking up through the entrance.
Exit from the grotto.
Exit stairway where the volcanic rock has been filled to create a striking contrasting smooth finish painted in white gloss.
One exits via a series of terraces incorporating seating areas and bars.
Volcanic rock with contrasting filler.
Seating area with the grotto roof behind.
Entry sign. Each Manrique site incorporates a different style of sign.
Contrasting seashells spread under a rock in the garden.
Swimming pool in white and turqoise with stone paving set against a volcanic background.
Stunted trees with stone paving.
A bar area. The bar seats are smoothed curved rock and the stair trim is wood.
Rock presented in different forms.
Throughout the complex plants, white gloss, plants and smooth rocks of various sizes are used to create a striking visual effect aginst the stark volcanic rock.
And again.
A visual feast of colour and light.
Terraced plants and trees rising from the swimming pool level. The pool is now decorative only.
The concert hall is under repair.
When the repairs are finished it will look something like this.
Smaller plants set on ledges protruding from the rock wall.
A solitary tall palm rising from the pool level.
Natural and landscaped rock.
The pool and adjacent volcanic rock.
Exit stairs.
And again.
Looking down on the pool.
A kaleidoscope of blue. Sky, sea and pool.
Inside the cafe /gift shop area looking out.
And again but this is a mirror.
Garden and paving outside he cafe/gift shop area.
A window through a window.
Cueva de los Verdes
21/11/07 20:03
The Cueva de los Verdes is so named after the Green family who lived in it with their sheep in the 17th century. It was also used by the populace at that time to shelter from volcanic eruptions and from North African slave traders and pirates.
It is a volcanic tube formed from eruptions of Corona Volcano 3-4500 years ago. The 50 min tour is a spectacular walk through 2km of the 7km long tube. I found the interior very difficult to photograph and the pictures that I managed in no way do justice to the epic scale of the place. I must read my camera handbook.
The tour is enhanced by mood lighting designed by Jésus Soto and soft new age music plays in the background. To good effect I thought.
Entrance sign.
Looking up from the entrance stairs.
The tour path is paved but otherwise the cave is pretty much in it's natural state.
There are small rock falls in places but the tour section is otherwise safe and stable.
The tunnel splits into two or three galleries in places. The scale of the place is immense.
Rock shape and colour varies widely.
Vertical shafts run between the galleries at irregular intervals.
Some galleries are quite low.
The cave produces exellent acoustics and regular mainly classical music concerts are held there.
Part of the concert seating area.
This is a very effective illusion. The photograph shows a huge gallery with a rock bridge in the centre. In fact the lower half of the photo is a perfect reflection of the gallery ceiling. The cave floor here is flooded with 3cm of water. The illusion is revealed when a member of the public is invited to throw a stone into what appears to be the gallery below. Cue gasps all round.
This attempt at flash photography revealed patterns in the solidified lava flow.
Another €8.00 well spent.
It is a volcanic tube formed from eruptions of Corona Volcano 3-4500 years ago. The 50 min tour is a spectacular walk through 2km of the 7km long tube. I found the interior very difficult to photograph and the pictures that I managed in no way do justice to the epic scale of the place. I must read my camera handbook.
The tour is enhanced by mood lighting designed by Jésus Soto and soft new age music plays in the background. To good effect I thought.
Entrance sign.
Looking up from the entrance stairs.
The tour path is paved but otherwise the cave is pretty much in it's natural state.
There are small rock falls in places but the tour section is otherwise safe and stable.
The tunnel splits into two or three galleries in places. The scale of the place is immense.
Rock shape and colour varies widely.
Vertical shafts run between the galleries at irregular intervals.
Some galleries are quite low.
The cave produces exellent acoustics and regular mainly classical music concerts are held there.
Part of the concert seating area.
This is a very effective illusion. The photograph shows a huge gallery with a rock bridge in the centre. In fact the lower half of the photo is a perfect reflection of the gallery ceiling. The cave floor here is flooded with 3cm of water. The illusion is revealed when a member of the public is invited to throw a stone into what appears to be the gallery below. Cue gasps all round.
This attempt at flash photography revealed patterns in the solidified lava flow.
Another €8.00 well spent.
La Santa, Playa de Famara, Teguise, Haria and Mirador del Rio
21/11/07 19:58
First stop on today's tour was La Santa on the west coast. There is a popular surfing beach and a large ugly sporting complex. We did not stop. The road north was blocked so we were diverted onto a dirt track with a ridged surface. Tomas said that if we went 100km/h we would fly over the bumps. He was right but I felt the potential downside of flying off the track into the sand was worse than a bumpy ride.
Playa de Famara is a lovely and somewhat remote beach on the north coast of Lanzarote. There is almost constant wind and the shallow dunes (or large sandhills) are constantly changing.
Playa de Famara looking NE towards Mirador del Rio.
There are lots of smooth rocks on the beach which are used by locals to build windbreaks thus ensuring they can sunbathe without being sandblasted.
Wind driven sand sculpture.
Wind driven ripples in the sand.
A very pretty spot marred only by the amount of plastic flotsam on the beach. A problem shared by many other remote beaches we have visited in Spain.
Next stop the old island capital of Teguise towards the centre of Lanzarote. A charming well kept town with a castle on the hill above...
...and a windmill...
...and this lady.
Moving north we stopped briefly in Haria. A pretty little town but with little to detain us.
A sign to our next destination. The Mirador del Rio.
Entrance to the Mirador. This looked ominous. We couldn't see the entrance about 50m behind the sign.
Entrance to the Mirador del Rio, another César Manrique creation, was €4.50. A bit rich since the cloud was so dense we couldn't actually see anything. On a clear day there is a spectacular view over the Estrecho del Rio to Caleta del Sebo where we spent most of October.
An alternate was to walk a few hundred metres to an alternative lookout but this too was obscured by cloud.
Next stop Cueva de los Verdes.
Playa de Famara is a lovely and somewhat remote beach on the north coast of Lanzarote. There is almost constant wind and the shallow dunes (or large sandhills) are constantly changing.
Playa de Famara looking NE towards Mirador del Rio.
There are lots of smooth rocks on the beach which are used by locals to build windbreaks thus ensuring they can sunbathe without being sandblasted.
Wind driven sand sculpture.
Wind driven ripples in the sand.
A very pretty spot marred only by the amount of plastic flotsam on the beach. A problem shared by many other remote beaches we have visited in Spain.
Next stop the old island capital of Teguise towards the centre of Lanzarote. A charming well kept town with a castle on the hill above...
...and a windmill...
...and this lady.
Moving north we stopped briefly in Haria. A pretty little town but with little to detain us.
A sign to our next destination. The Mirador del Rio.
Entrance to the Mirador. This looked ominous. We couldn't see the entrance about 50m behind the sign.
Entrance to the Mirador del Rio, another César Manrique creation, was €4.50. A bit rich since the cloud was so dense we couldn't actually see anything. On a clear day there is a spectacular view over the Estrecho del Rio to Caleta del Sebo where we spent most of October.
An alternate was to walk a few hundred metres to an alternative lookout but this too was obscured by cloud.
Next stop Cueva de los Verdes.
Marina Rubicon
19/11/07 22:09
Today was spent doing maintenance. The starboard navigation light had failed after a period of functioning intermittently. This was traced to faulty wiring. Replacement involved feeding the new wire into the pulpit tubing and down to a junction box in the forepeak. It was very fiddly and took a couple of hours. The old wire had chafed through on the rough edges where it entered the railing and water had wicked down to the junction box.
Our two 100A/H house batteries were no longer holding any charge and needed replacing. We drove into Arrecife and purchased two Vetus Marine108 A/H sealed batteries at a cost of €320 from Duque Hermanos, Calle Augustin de la Hoz 14-24. Not my first choice as I want to install Trojan golf cart batteries but these cannot be easily obtained here.
On the way back to Marina Rubicon I spotted these unusual houses designed by Antonio Padron. Unfortunately there was no time to have a closer look.
Our two 100A/H house batteries were no longer holding any charge and needed replacing. We drove into Arrecife and purchased two Vetus Marine108 A/H sealed batteries at a cost of €320 from Duque Hermanos, Calle Augustin de la Hoz 14-24. Not my first choice as I want to install Trojan golf cart batteries but these cannot be easily obtained here.
On the way back to Marina Rubicon I spotted these unusual houses designed by Antonio Padron. Unfortunately there was no time to have a closer look.
Fundación César Manrique
19/11/07 21:56
We left park Timanfaya and drove along back roads towards Tinajo through a wine growing area.
The vines are planted in shallow pits with a stone wall on one side to protect them from the wind and radiate heat into the pit.
César Manrique was born in Arrecife on Lanzarote in 1919. He lived for many years in Madrid and New York before returning to Lanzarote in 1966. He was a painter and sculptor with an interest in urban planning and public art.
He died in 1992 leaving a legacy to Lanzarote of an homogenous built environment with strong empahasis on local architecture which is unobtrusive and very pleasing to the eye. It was a pleasure to see an alternative to the ghastly free for all that characterises much of Spain's coastal built environment.
After he died Manrique's home was passed to his foundation which opened it to the public as a showcase for his work. It was built at Tahíche near Arrecife on a volcanic plain and incorporates lava tunnels into the building and garden. We went to visit.
Palms in the garden with characteristic white detailing contrasting with the volcanic rock.
Sculptures and cactus in the garden.
Volcanic plain seen through north facing windows.
A Manrique painting.
A volcanic tunnel connecting two reception rooms.
A reception room in a lava tunnel with partially open ceiling through which a tree is growing.
Garden with pool and water feature.
Reception room with sculpture and tree.
Brick oven in the garden.
Cactus set in pebbles.
More pebbles.
Another lava cave reception room.
Pool bridge with more white highlighting.
Pool and garden.
Pool and garden from a different angle.
Path from house to garden.
Another sculpture in a third reception room.
Plants growing through a ceiling hole in this lava tunnel reception room.
Distinctive signage. This for the "ladies".
Exterior mural in the upper garden.
An exterior mobile many of which adorn public spaces around Lanzarote.
The vines are planted in shallow pits with a stone wall on one side to protect them from the wind and radiate heat into the pit.
César Manrique was born in Arrecife on Lanzarote in 1919. He lived for many years in Madrid and New York before returning to Lanzarote in 1966. He was a painter and sculptor with an interest in urban planning and public art.
He died in 1992 leaving a legacy to Lanzarote of an homogenous built environment with strong empahasis on local architecture which is unobtrusive and very pleasing to the eye. It was a pleasure to see an alternative to the ghastly free for all that characterises much of Spain's coastal built environment.
After he died Manrique's home was passed to his foundation which opened it to the public as a showcase for his work. It was built at Tahíche near Arrecife on a volcanic plain and incorporates lava tunnels into the building and garden. We went to visit.
Palms in the garden with characteristic white detailing contrasting with the volcanic rock.
Sculptures and cactus in the garden.
Volcanic plain seen through north facing windows.
A Manrique painting.
A volcanic tunnel connecting two reception rooms.
A reception room in a lava tunnel with partially open ceiling through which a tree is growing.
Garden with pool and water feature.
Reception room with sculpture and tree.
Brick oven in the garden.
Cactus set in pebbles.
More pebbles.
Another lava cave reception room.
Pool bridge with more white highlighting.
Pool and garden.
Pool and garden from a different angle.
Path from house to garden.
Another sculpture in a third reception room.
Plants growing through a ceiling hole in this lava tunnel reception room.
Distinctive signage. This for the "ladies".
Exterior mural in the upper garden.
An exterior mobile many of which adorn public spaces around Lanzarote.
Parque Nacional de Timanfaya
19/11/07 20:28
First stop today was the orientation centre Parc Nacional Timinfaya visitor centre.
This centre provides course 101 in vulcanology. We learned that the park was formed by two periods of volcanic activity. The first from 1730 to 1736 and the second in 1824. The park has an area of 51 sq km and is the newest part of the Canaries. There is very little flora in the park and the environment is very hostile with little rainfall. Lichens are capable of surviving and covery the lava rock extensively.
Volcanic plain and ancient volcano to the north of the visitor centre.
Then we moved on for a tour of the park. There are tourist faciities designed by César Manrique near one of the peaks which include a restaurant. Park ranges demonstrate a variety of heat effects before visitors board a couch for a tour round the park's volcanic highlights.
Extinct volcanoes in Parque Nacional de Timanfaya.
A magna chamber 4-5 km below heats this exterior oven to 200ºc.
An old firefighting training school trick. Water poured into a tube of 200ºc expands fourteenfold as it turns to steam creating a miniature geyser.
Temperatures 13m below the surface in this oven reach up to 600ºc with heat from the magna chamber 4-5 km below.
Oven vent.
Solidified lava flow.
Volcanic slope covered in fine sand.
More extinct volcanoes.
Volcanic landscape.
Crater edge.
Another solidified lava flow.
Bleak in the extreme.
Stratified lava flows.
This centre provides course 101 in vulcanology. We learned that the park was formed by two periods of volcanic activity. The first from 1730 to 1736 and the second in 1824. The park has an area of 51 sq km and is the newest part of the Canaries. There is very little flora in the park and the environment is very hostile with little rainfall. Lichens are capable of surviving and covery the lava rock extensively.
Volcanic plain and ancient volcano to the north of the visitor centre.
Then we moved on for a tour of the park. There are tourist faciities designed by César Manrique near one of the peaks which include a restaurant. Park ranges demonstrate a variety of heat effects before visitors board a couch for a tour round the park's volcanic highlights.
Extinct volcanoes in Parque Nacional de Timanfaya.
A magna chamber 4-5 km below heats this exterior oven to 200ºc.
An old firefighting training school trick. Water poured into a tube of 200ºc expands fourteenfold as it turns to steam creating a miniature geyser.
Temperatures 13m below the surface in this oven reach up to 600ºc with heat from the magna chamber 4-5 km below.
Oven vent.
Solidified lava flow.
Volcanic slope covered in fine sand.
More extinct volcanoes.
Volcanic landscape.
Crater edge.
Another solidified lava flow.
Bleak in the extreme.
Stratified lava flows.
Flight - Gran Canaria to Lanzarote
18/11/07 19:20
Our host family had to get up very early to catch their 08:00 flight to Spain. I staggered out of bed to say a final goodbye returning thereafter to the land of nod. Thanks Carmen and Genocho.
We got underway at around 11:00 and, assuming we did not have to checkin until 13:30 for our 14:00 flight, decided to do some more sightseeing. This time we took the GC520 north from Maspalomas to San Bartolome. Another chance to travel this spectacular route.
At San Bartolome we turned right onto the C815 which turned out to be yet another stunning mountain road. There are very steep drops to the valley below but most of the roadside is protected by armco. Nonetheless it was something of a hairy ride given the habit of many Spanish drivers to sit 3ft off the rear of the car in front. The road slowly descends around Montana Teheral via Santa Lucia and Agüimes to the east coast and on to the airport.
We were cutting it fine, returning our hire car and arriving at the checkin desk at 13:30 to find the flight had closed moments before. Oh well. A bit of confusion followed where we were put on standby for the next flight but with hand baggage only we might get onto our 14:00 flight if we got to the gate quick enough. We didn't. Tomas had a problem, which he resolved quickly, with his Swiss army knife. He had assumed it would be checked baggage and now it was in hand baggage.
We sat around and caught the 16:00 flight. Binter Canarias inter island flights are operated with ATR turboprop aircraft carrying about 70 people. Passengers are taken to the aircraft by bus and aircraft seating is first come first served.
It was a good flight. The ATR is a STOL aircraft and cruises at about 3000ft. We had a good view of Fuerteventura from the starboard windows.
The flight was just over 45 minutes and we landed on time at Arrecife
where we hired a car for three days and returned to Marina Rubicon.
Kiriwina was just as we left her apart from some stretch in her warps. Although Marina Rubicon is very secure some swell works its way in causing the boat to move around more than one would expect.
We got underway at around 11:00 and, assuming we did not have to checkin until 13:30 for our 14:00 flight, decided to do some more sightseeing. This time we took the GC520 north from Maspalomas to San Bartolome. Another chance to travel this spectacular route.
At San Bartolome we turned right onto the C815 which turned out to be yet another stunning mountain road. There are very steep drops to the valley below but most of the roadside is protected by armco. Nonetheless it was something of a hairy ride given the habit of many Spanish drivers to sit 3ft off the rear of the car in front. The road slowly descends around Montana Teheral via Santa Lucia and Agüimes to the east coast and on to the airport.
We were cutting it fine, returning our hire car and arriving at the checkin desk at 13:30 to find the flight had closed moments before. Oh well. A bit of confusion followed where we were put on standby for the next flight but with hand baggage only we might get onto our 14:00 flight if we got to the gate quick enough. We didn't. Tomas had a problem, which he resolved quickly, with his Swiss army knife. He had assumed it would be checked baggage and now it was in hand baggage.
We sat around and caught the 16:00 flight. Binter Canarias inter island flights are operated with ATR turboprop aircraft carrying about 70 people. Passengers are taken to the aircraft by bus and aircraft seating is first come first served.
It was a good flight. The ATR is a STOL aircraft and cruises at about 3000ft. We had a good view of Fuerteventura from the starboard windows.
The flight was just over 45 minutes and we landed on time at Arrecife
where we hired a car for three days and returned to Marina Rubicon.
Kiriwina was just as we left her apart from some stretch in her warps. Although Marina Rubicon is very secure some swell works its way in causing the boat to move around more than one would expect.
