Happy New Year!

Have a great New Year!

Here's to 2012!

Cheers!

Back to reality

Today has passed in a blur of washing, unpacking and shopping, all the while accompanied by the steady fall of rain out of a grey and gloomy sky. What a welcome home! I've realised that although it's wonderful to escape the cold and grey in warmer climes, it's a nasty shock coming back to it! At least in the summer there's some hope of sun and warmth when you get home!

I woke up late which was a surprise as I never slept in while in Lanzarote. I can't even blame the time difference as there wasn't one! It took a while to get going and I resisted for a few hours but we had to go and do some shopping and the scattered cases blocking up the rooms was not a good look!

It's amazing how quickly a holiday can be dismantled and put away. Within a couple of hours the luggage had all gone and everything tidied up, the only clue that we'd been away the piles of colour-coded washing waiting to be loaded into the machine and the huge ironing basket...oh, and our tans which look really strange and certainly not natural! I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb in Tesco's this afternoon among all the pale faces!

 It was back to our normal routine in the evening. Keith went to the pub to deliver the cigarettes and to catch up with the gossip, of which there was a bit, for once!

Well, it's over...

...And we're home safe and sound.

We were all up early this morning and out of the villa by 8.30am which was a good thing as we had a slight hiccup with finding out where to leave Lump. We naturally headed for Departures at the airport when really we should have gone to Arrivals where we picked her up. We almost (and I say almost) left her in a completely different terminal altogether, which would have been fun when we came to hand the keys in! At one point I did wonder how many circuits of the airport we were going to do by the time we found the right place!

As we were early we grabbed a coffee and a pastry for breakfast before checking in at 10am. I was then able to sneak onto the internet to update this and catch up with...nothing at all really!!

Our flight left a few minutes early but the pilot warned us we had a head wind so it took us a bit longer to get home. I put a pair of earphones in and just switched off for almost the whole flight, listening with a lot of pleasure to some favourite music, namely Talk Talk, The Psychedelic Furs and some vintage U2. This meant I didn't have to listen to the two year old near us who screamed every time the seatbelt light went on and obviously didn't want to sit in her seat! I'm so glad I wasn't her mother!

Landing at Birmingham at 5.30pm was a return to earth with a bump in more ways than one! It was cold and windy and dad wasn't there to meet us! Typical me, I started to worry and imagine all sorts of horrors, but the reality was that he hadn't left home until 5.30 himself as he thought we weren't going to land until almost six!

I drove his car home and let me tell you, the M6 was not pleasant! What a rude awakening! Mum was at our house to greet us and when they left the kids literally tore all the wrapping off the presents we left behind. The house was in uproar! Luckily we managed to get a table at the local pub so we went there for a quick meal and then it was home to survey the cases, the mess and the stack of mail!

PS...I've updated the blog with lots of photos and some weblinks and also added some more stuff that I forgot about (like Mikey's haircut!).

Marina Rubicon 

Galeria Bar 

Last day...and someone gets a Spanish haircut...

So, today is our last day as we’ll be setting off early tomorrow to catch our plane which leaves at 1pm. It’s been a most enjoyable holiday but a very strange experience celebrating Christmas in another country, especially as it’s been so warm. The weather has been considerably better than I expected with (as yet) only one morning where we saw rain. We have been guaranteed sunshine from around 8am to 6pm with the real warmth coming through between about 9am and 4pm. After that it gets a little cooler but it was wonderful to be able to sit out on the terrace at 5pm and still feel the lingering warmth in the sun, especially as it would be pitch dark at home at that time.

It hasn’t felt like Christmas at all, I’ll be honest, and I still get a little jolt of shock when I see Christmas decorations in the restaurants and shops. It feels like it should be June or early July and I really can’t believe we’re in mid-winter. I have a feeling we’ll get a shock when we return home tomorrow and feel the much colder temperatures!

We’ve loved the island very much and it hasn’t changed for the worse at all since we last visited in the 1990s. There’s so much to do here and we haven’t done half the things we wanted to do such as visit Fuerteventura or La Graciosa island, see the beautiful cactus gardens or explore the capital Arrecife. I have a feeling we’ll be back again.

I’m not sure we’ll rent the same villa again, though! It’s been OK, but we’ve had several niggles (with the pool) and the toilet in our en-suite refuses to flush every now and again which Keith has to fix by taking the cistern apart. We did mention it to Villa Plus and we’ll have to leave them a note tomorrow warning them about it for future customers. There’s been a strange smell pervading the house for the two weeks we’ve been here and no matter how many doors and windows I leave open it still persists!

The bathrooms could do with updating and I really wish Spanish villa owners would take a leaf out of American villa owners’ books and provide BIGGER beds! Our bed was a small double which has meant that Keith and I haven’t slept together for two weeks as we found it so uncomfortable being crammed together in a tiny bed! Not romantic, I can assure you, after almost 20 years being married! Perhaps when we were first together but now we’re used to our own space in bed! Beds in the US are normally at least a Queen size (5ft?) and it would really add to the experience, believe me! Perhaps I should start a campaign!

We spent the morning shopping for presents to take home and wandering around the shops, picking up some very good bargains. The Canary Islands are not part of the EU when it comes to duty allowances so we can only bring a certain amount of alcohol, cigarettes and perfume back with us. But the bargains more than make up for it! Keith bought his mate Dave two packs of cigarettes at a very cheap price and it does explain why some people just come here to pick up duty free tobacco.

On the way back to the villa we called in, very suddenly, to a hairdresser's salon that we passed every day for Mikey to get a haircut (how I forgot to mention this originally is beyond me!). He insisted he wanted it done as his hair was rather long and messy. The hairdresser sat him down and asked us how we wanted it, but when she started shaving it she left it really long on top, so he resembled a palm tree!

I started to panic but after she finished shaving his hair she wet it and then expertly cut the top so he had a very neat and short new haircut!

Back at the villa I did as much packing as I could before relaxing with a book and enjoying the last of the winter sunshine. The clouds that had been hanging around all morning cleared away to a beautiful blue sky and Keith and I both savoured the warmth!

Every cloud has a silver lining.

 

 

Pool cover on and everything tidied up outside ready for our departure.

 Our evening was spent at two bars – saying goodbye to the Marina with a last drink there and then another drink at the Galeria bar where it was very busy for a change. In fact, the whole resort was a lot busier than it has been and although we’d booked a table at the Volcan de Timanfaya, the place was packed and we had to wait a few minutes before our table was ready.

The sun sets on the Marina...and on our holiday.

 As always, we had an enjoyable meal with starters of chicken soup for the children, garlic bread for Keith and a gorgeous prawn cocktail for me, which was easily the best I’d ever had, and included pineapple, apples and lettuce with big juicy prawns and a delicious sauce.

Keith re-visited his shoulder of lamb while Mikey had the last pizza of his holiday, Sophie had chicken cordon bleu while I opted for veal escalope, and very good it was too!

Mustafa and Raoul - our waiters at the Volcan de Timanfaya

Not sure of this waiter's name but he was a great laugh too.

We paid a last visit to the ice-cream parlour before going home and turning in early, in readiness for the journey home tomorrow!

Fundacion Cesar Manrique and we’re thwarted by the piggies…

 

After breakfast we headed off to the house where Lanzarote’s most famous son, Cesar Manrique, used to live. His house, with several rooms made from lava bubbles, is a haven of peace and tranquillity, full of beautiful works of art (I saw two Picassos) and sculptures. As well as his own sculptures and paintings he has works by other Spanish artists and I tried to work out, without any success, what some of them symbolised. His trademark contrast of white floors and walls, against the black volcanic rock and the deep green of various plants and cacti was everywhere and is something I particularly love. 

We wandered through the fantastic rooms looking at his furniture and admiring the water features and plants dotted about. Outside, one huge white wall is covered with a multi-coloured mural and a tinkling fountain adds to the serenity and calm of the building.

The children had an ice-cream and I had a cup of coffee before I discovered a gift shop crammed full of beautiful jewellery, bags and scarves. I couldn’t resist buying a gorgeous handbag, totally different to anything I’d seen back home, and I spotted a lovely scarf and necklace as presents for my mum.

I really could have stayed at the house all day and just enjoyed wandering around the gardens, but Keith and the children were growing restless (they don’t appreciate his works of art as much as I do) so I reluctantly followed them out to the car. Keith had a yearning to go to the Papagayo beaches, just outside Playa Blanca so we set off across the interior of the island, meandering through sleepy little towns and villages and crossing a fertile plain where herds of goats grazed. We also passed through the region of La Geria again, where most of the wine production is located and gazed at the distant volcanoes, all different colours under the blue sky.

Papagayo is a natural reserve and we had to pay 3 euros to visit the area. There is no proper road, just a very dusty and rough dirt track and I drove Lump very slowly, just in case I got a puncture on the sharp stones. Several other rental cars had no such qualms and passed me very quickly in clouds of dust. It was a bumpy, uncomfortable journey but the beaches at the end of the road are well worth the effort of getting there. We hadn’t intended to stay so we hadn’t got any swimwear with us, but if you’re a beach bum they’re definitely the place to head to. Several boats were moored some distance from the beach and we had a fantastic view over to Fuerteventura. There were no bars or cafes and if we were staying any longer we’d definitely go back and spend some time there with a picnic…maybe we should have gone there on Christmas Day!

After another bumpy ride back we drove into Playa Blanca and had a pizza at a restaurant called L’Artista overlooking the beach. The portions were very generous so after lunch it was back to the villa and a long snooze by the pool!

In the evening we decided to try a new restaurant which went by the rather long name of El Horno de la Abuela. Sophie told me that “Abuela” is Grandmother but we had no idea what the rest of the name meant! Forever afterwards it was known, rather rudely as "The Horny Grandmother"!

We drove into the resort for a change and parked on a side street and then walked the short distance to the Galeria Bar. We were a bit later than normal, owing to the large late lunch we’d enjoyed so by the time we were ready to eat it was almost 8.30pm. Unfortunately, El Horno de la Abuela was “complet!” so Keith didn’t get to eat the suckling pig he fancied after all…perhaps there’s a conspiracy amongst the piggies!

We opted instead for a restaurant right on the front called Brisa Marina. It was pretty busy but they managed to squeeze us into a table at the back. It was an enjoyable evening, the food was very good and the waiting staff efficient and friendly without being overbearing. We skipped starters for obvious reasons and plunged straight into the meaty main courses. I chose escalope (veal, I’m afraid to say) with a marsala sauce served with green beans, carrots, a little heap of rice and chips. Not sure I needed both lots of carbohydrates! Sophie had a chicken escalope, breaded, with chips and veggies, and both Keith and Mikey went for lamb. Mikey opted for shoulder (not as big as the Volcan de Timanfaya) while Keith had a leg. Again, his wasn’t massive, but he said it was very tasty. I chose a Marques de Caceres Rioja to wash it all down and very good it was, too, despite the waiter giving the glass to Keith to taste…as a woman am I not supposed to know anything about wine?!! Hmph!

Brisa Marina was the only restaurant that didn’t offer us a complimentary glass of honey rum (or a liqueur of your choice if you were a valued customer) at the end of the meal. We didn’t mind, but it was the exception to the rule. We passed on the dessert at the restaurant and went to our ice-cream place for a couple of scoops on the way home.

Back at the villa we had the last few dregs out of a bottle of Lanzarote red and then to bed, with only two more sleeps until we’re back in our own bed…and I’m looking forward to that!

Sipping wine and feeling fine...

The start to our day was lovely as Keith and I sat on the terrace while the children were still asleep and watched as a couple of pigeons came down to see if there was any food about. We’d noticed them before, sitting on the wall and eyeing us hopefully, but as there were some crumbs left over from our picnic of the day before they hopped down and pecked about, coming very close to both of us and not showing any fear at all.

Keith went inside and crumbled up the last little cake we had and scattered that about for them and soon they were joined by a host of little sparrow and chaffinch type birds who hoovered up all the tiny crumbs. We had a feeling that previous occupants of the villa had fed them before and they were obviously used to having food left out for them.

We don’t have any animals near us this year, just the odd lizard which scuttles about and then disappears into the stone wall. There are a few cats about on the promenade and a very friendly black and white moggie at the marina who tries to sit on your lap, but that’s about it. No donkeys or cockerels, thank goodness!

Today, apart from sunbathing and lying by the pool, I have been mostly smashing things…in the supermarket, while reaching for a box of eggs, I knocked a large jar of haricot beans onto the floor where they smashed into smithereens! I was not very popular with the cleaner who looked at me as if I’d murdered a baby when he arrived with his mop. Then, back at the villa, I managed to smash a glass on the terrace which went everywhere…

Apart from the mishaps, today has been very relaxed and we managed to get a lot of sunbathing done as the sun shone out of a clear blue sky. We also spent a lot of time in the pool which has finally warmed up. We’ve had a few problems with the temperature which should have been about 26 degrees, but at one point last week it was less than 22 and was very cold! Today it’s been like a bath and very pleasant to swim around in, gazing up at the azure blue sky and trying not to think of the journey home on Thursday and a return to dismal grey skies.

Our evening was spent in Playa Blanca, first at the Wax Bar to catch up with vital internet activities and then at the Galeria Bar. I called home and spoke to mum who said they’d all had a fantastic Christmas dinner at the Marriott Hotel in Bexleyheath, which was great. The cats were fine, she said, and she was looking forward to us all getting home and catching up with our news.

We took dinner at the Jumbo Chinese restaurant again, as we’d enjoyed our meal there so much last week. This time I chose a bottle of the Torres San Valentin wine to accompany our dinner which was a much better choice! In fact it was so enjoyable Keith twisted my arm and ordered another bottle but at least it’s only 11% alcohol!

By 10pm we were walking back to the villa (after calling into the ice-cream parlour on the way) and we were surprised to find that the resort had emptied out considerably. They really don’t do late nights here!

Paddling in the Atlantic

After a bit of a disturbed night (there were loud fireworks going off all around the villa) we had a lovely start to the day by opening our presents (all of which were useful for the holiday) and having a cooked breakfast with a glass of Cava each. The sky was a bit cloudy but we pushed on with our plan to go to the Playa de Famara with a picnic.

The journey didn’t take too long (the island is small so you could drive around it in half a day) and before long we could see the towering cliffs that overlook the beach. It’s really a surfer’s paradise as the winds are very strong, creating lovely big waves, and there were quite a few people out in the surf.

The nearby village of Caleta de Famara has a surf school and we also noticed lots of cyclists from the nearby resort of La Santa where a lot of professional athletes go for winter training.

We all paddled in the very cold Atlantic Ocean and Sophie and I made a “stoneman” rather than a traditional snowman! Unfortunately Mikey got very wet by going in much further than he should so we had to return to the car to change his shorts and try and dry him off a bit. The sea here is not recommended for swimming as it can be very rough and today the red flag was flying, although there were a couple of hardy people in! 

It was too windy for our picnic and on the chilly side, so we drove into the village to see if there was a shop open selling tee-shirts. Caleta de Famara is a traditional Lanzarote village of square white houses with green shutters and it was very quiet, which seeing as it was Christmas Day, was not a surprise!

I tried to call my parents who were down in Kent to take Nan out for Christmas lunch but they hadn’t arrived yet. It felt very strange speaking to my Nan who said that the weather in the UK was dull and mild, just how I hate Christmas to be at home.

We made the decision to go to the Costa Teguise, a resort that Keith and I stayed in back in 1995. On the way, mum called me on my mobile so we wished each other Happy Christmas and told her we’d been on the beach. I was a bit worried I’d feel sad speaking to my parents when they were so far away at Christmas but everything was OK and we’re all looking forward to having a meal together on our return, when we can bore them rigid with our holiday tales.

Once in the resort of Costa Teguise we parked the car, found a tee-shirt for Mikey (emblazoned with San Francisco University, oddly enough)  and had a very pleasant and relaxing drink in a bar overlooking the sea. It was so hot at one point that it was beginning to get uncomfortable and it felt about as far from Christmas Day as you could get! Apart from most of the supermarkets being closed, life seems to go on as normal here and the roads were much busier than I’d anticipated.

A drink by the sea on Christmas Day.

We decided to go back to the villa and have our picnic there so within half an hour we back sitting on the terrace with a beer and our picnic of ham and cheese rolls!

We had a shock in the evening when we found our favourite bar closed for the evening! Undeterred we walked on to the Wax Bar to find that all shut up as well. The only other bar we knew of was right around the headland so we ventured into Mollie’s Irish Bar and sat on the terrace overlooking the sea and the marina in the distance. It was fine for a while but it became quite chilly so we moved inside and sat opposite a television which was showing David Gest’s top Christmas songs on MTV! It felt so bizarre listening to the tunes and being somewhere like Lanzarote but it did mean we felt Christmassy for a little while!

We’d booked a table at the Volcan de Timanfaya for 8pm and when we arrived the place was packed to the gunnels! The waiters flew about at top speed, bless them, and the man who usually lurks outside to lure customers in was waiting at the tables as well. We had a good table, though, far enough inside the restaurant to be nice and warm and to have a good view of what was going on.

I’m pleased to say we had an excellent meal and when I think back to the food we had on Christmas Eve and how much it cost, I just feel even angrier. Keith and Sophie shared a starter of chicken with nachos, I chose tomato soup (thick and creamy) and Mikey went for Chicken soup. His large bowl was filled almost to the top!

As it was Christmas I decided on fillet steak for my main course, accompanied by a jacket potato, mushroom sauce and some delicious vegetables. It was probably the best steak I’ve ever had and I could see the chef grilling it on the big barbecue right in front of me. Keith chose what looked like a whole lamb – technically it was a shoulder but it would have fed all four of us easily. Our mains were 12.95 and 13.50 euros respectively, which when I think of the crap we were served the previous night at 22 euros, makes it terrific value for money.

Mikey, ignoring the fact that it was a special Christmas meal, went for a pizza while Sophie had a huge portion of pork ribs. With a bottle of good Rioja, drinks and a dessert of strawberry cheesecake for me, the bill came to 88 euros. We will definitely be back for our last meal of the holiday on Wednesday night.

As always, we called into the ice-cream parlour so the children could have an ice-cream and then it was back to the villa and a quick catch up with the news before bed!

It's Suckling Pig, Jim...but not as we know it...

My favourite day of the year dawned a bit cloudy so we made the decision to go out for breakfast at the marina, and have a quick look around the market at the same time, before going to do some essential food shopping.

We picked La Petite Marmite for breakfast, and very good it was too. A full English including tea and coffee which certainly set us up for the day. The market was pretty busy, which begged the question…where are they all at night?

I was dreading going into the supermarket as I imagined that it would be really busy, like at home, but I needn’t have worried as there was only one checkout girl on and the queue was relatively short with absolutely no panic buying of sprouts and mince pies. It was all very laid back!

We bought a few essentials and some picnic items for Christmas Day and then headed back to the villa to sunbathe the rest of the day away. By now the sky had cleared and the sun had come out and it was very pleasant indeed!

In the evening we headed back to the marina for a drink at the Café del Mar and dinner at Casa Roja, which Sophie had chosen as they had pork ribs on the menu. As Keith and I had skipped lunch after our hearty breakfast we all had just the one drink and then made our way to the restaurant at the early time of 7pm. We were very surprised to discover that a considerable amount of tables had been reserved and we were lucky enough to secure one of the last tables laid for four. Or were we?

I had high hopes, I have to admit. Casa Roja is a beautiful restaurant set right on the water’s edge with an elegant interior and very attentive waiting staff. It was a bit posh with the beautiful people in attendance! The starters ranged in price from around 8-10 euros with the mains hovering around the 17-20 euro mark, but as it was Christmas Eve, we wanted to push the boat out a bit and have a special meal.

Sophie is "not amused" at Casa Roja.

 The children wanted a starter of mixed croquettes followed by the pork ribs, but the waiter told us the ribs weren’t available but he had pork chops in a spicy sauce instead. I ordered a starter of scrambled egg, mushrooms and prawns which was delicious. Keith didn’t fancy anything at all but managed to hoover up a couple of Mikey’s croquettes.

For a main course Keith and I had been tempted by the Chateaubriand, but the waiter told us he had a special of suckling pig on the menu, something Keith had wanted to have since we arrived. So we were both swayed into ordering the dish, which, with hindsight was a big mistake…

The children’s main courses arrived and Mikey clearly wasn’t happy – he said the sauce was too peppery. Our suckling pig arrived and it certainly wasn’t how we expected it to be! We’ve both had it before at an excellent restaurant in Mallorca but I have no idea what the chef thought he was doing with it in Lanzarote… There was a rounded heap of shredded pork, topped by a rubbery piece of skin (?) accompanied by a crispy bit of what looked like leather. Next to this was what I assumed to be a cored apple (I think) and a smear of apple sauce, although of this I can’t be certain. No vegetables to speak of.

All around us, lots of people were arriving, some were turned away, while some had booked and the restaurant was really busy. One table next to us has stuck to their guns and ordered the chateaubriand and it looked wonderful – and they had vegetables!

And it turned out to be cheaper than our awful main course as well! We were charged the eye-watering amount of 22 euros for the plate of rubbish while the chateaubriand was 18 euros and the children’s meals, instead of being a tad over 13 euros morphed into an 18 euro meal! With my dessert (I needed something sweet to make up for my disappointment) and a bottle of average Rioja, the bill came to a hefty 155 euros which almost made me cry, seeing as we were so disappointed.

The staff were busier and busier as the evening progressed and we had to wait ages for the bill so Keith got his revenge by leaving an extremely paltry tip of 4 euros! Oh dear!

It was back to the villa and a glass of wine on the terrace and a chance to chew over the fat…literally!

Mountains of Fire

The sun was shining this morning and the temperature was a warm 25 degrees centigrade so we stayed by the villa until mid-afternoon before driving over to the Timanfaya National Park. Yesterday we’d seen the park under a mantle of cloud so it was a relief to arrive and see the beautiful blue sky and sunshine.

First stop was the camel rides and Sophie and Mikey had a private tour all to themselves as the place was much quieter than yesterday when there were crowds of people. They both had a great time and came back after about 20 minutes full of what they’d seen.

We then continued through the lava fields to the barrier where we paid to gain access to the interior of the park. It was very dramatic as we drove up and up to the car park and the restaurant which are situated right on top of a volcano which is still active. The staff demonstrate this in several ways, to the amazement of the tourists!

First up is the burning of the hay. There is a hollow dug into the ground in which the staff member piles a clump of hay. You can see it smoke, then catch light and within seconds it’s burning strongly even though the man only put it in the shallow hole! It makes you realise how hot the volcano is and how near the heat is to the surface.

Secondly, the same man pours a bucket of water into a pipe and within seconds it shoots back up again in a plume of steam! The last demonstration is the huge barbecue where the restaurant cooks its meat. As you peer into the cavernous depths you can feel the ferocious heat below you.

We had a drink in the restaurant which was designed by Cesar Manrique and then took the coach tour further into the park. The views were simply stunning and nothing had been done to the landscape since the volcanoes erupted back in 1730. The last eruption on the island was in 1824 but no doubt at some point in the future they will go off again as the heat they generate is still very much alive! The whole area was eerie, full of dark chasms, jagged mountains and vivid colours with stunning views over to the coast in the distance.

The plan was to try and take the last tour of the day and then have a drink and dinner in the nearby town of Yaiza, but we were still a bit early so we made the decision to go back to the villa, freshen up and then walk into the resort for dinner.

Tonight, rather than turning left on the promenade, we turned right to explore the bars and restaurants nearer the port. We were immediately accosted by a couple of waiters from a restaurant and literally had a menu thrust into our faces! Not a good move! Keith waved them away and we walked up to a bar we’d visited last week.

After a quick drink we cut through to the main street, thus avoiding any more encounters with over-zealous waiters and chose a restaurant called La Cuadra which specialised in grilled foods. What we didn’t realise was that it backed onto the promenade so we had a great view over the harbour.

The waiter who looked after us was very friendly and we had a great meal. We decided to have starters again – chicken soup for the children and Canarian “Wrinkly potatoes” for Keith and I. When our potatoes arrived there was enough to feed an entire family, but they were very good, especially dipped in a garlicky sauce.

For mains, Sophie and I went for a chicken paella, Keith went for salt encrusted sea bream and Mikey chose lasagne which he found a bit disappointing. It didn’t matter, though, as there was enough paella left over to feed us all again! With a half bottle of San Valentin, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and the attentions of the waiter, who made sure we all had a great time.

Our waiter preparing our Paella

 We called into the ice-cream parlour once more to eat an ice-cream on the walk home and then Keith and I sat outside for an hour with a drink. It was still pleasantly warm so that was a bonus!

Checking out the camels.

The weather was a bit cloudier today and a tad cooler so after breakfast and doing the boring chores like stacking the dishwasher and making the beds, we drove over to the Timanfaya National Park. The park contains over 30 volcanic cones within its boundaries and is completely devoid of any plant or animal life. There were a series of eruptions back in the 18^th century and the lava fields from these eruptions are still barren to this day. 

We drove into the park, passing through vast areas of malpais or badlands so called because of the lack of vegetation. The park is named after the village of Timanfaya which was obliterated when the volcanoes exploded. Nobody was killed as the villagers fled to the north of the island to escape the rivers of lava. The symbol of the national park was everywhere – a devil with a long tail holding his arms aloft. It’s a creepy place to be and away from the coast the cloud cover was quite heavy adding to the brooding atmosphere.

We tried to find out the entrance fee for the park – you drive in and then come to a restaurant which cooks its food with the heat of the volcano underneath! From here you can take a coach tour around the volcanoes which lasts about 40 minutes. You can’t drive and there’s no stopping to take photos so all pictures have to be taken from the coach. We couldn’t find out any prices but later discovered that it was a very reasonable 8 euros for adults and 4 euros for children under 12.

As well as visiting the volcanoes you can also take a short ride on a camel. We stopped at the camel station but it all looked a bit chaotic with lines of camels waiting patiently to be ridden. They looked really sweet but I wouldn’t have wanted to stroke one!

As it felt really quite chilly we headed back to Playa Blanca for lunch at the Wax bar and a chance to access the internet which pleased Mikey very much!

Our evening walk into Playa Blanca was accompanied by the most gorgeous sunset, with clouds forming a beautiful backdrop to the bay. I took lots of photos of the beach and the distant mountains of Fuerteventura as the sun slowly sank over the horizon. We had a drink again at the Galeria Bar and just watched the evening darken, in awe at how beautiful the scene was.

Our venue for our evening meal was Volcan de Timanfaya where we had another very delicious and good value meal. We all had a starter – mixed croquettes for Sophie and me, chicken soup for Mikey and onion rings for Keith. Our main courses consisted of chicken skewers with a mushroom sauce, lamb chops, pork ribs and a pizza for Sophie which was so big she had to take some back to the villa wrapped in foil! Keith and I each had a half bottle of wine, a Rioja for him and the Lanzarote white that I like for me. We had no room for dessert but we did have an ice-cream cone to walk home with. 

Our waiter called the restaurant in the marina to cancel our booking for Christmas Day so that was very good of him.

I still can’t believe it’s only a couple of days until Christmas!

Mikey surprises me!

Today has flown by! Again, the sky was a beautiful shade of blue, there was just the merest hint of a breeze and we spent all day lying by the pool, reading and listening to music. It was very warm, not too hot, but warm enough to want to have a dip in the pool to cool off a little.

In the evening we drove over to the marina to feed the fish and have a drink at one of the bars. The fish gobbled up our leftover bread and an eel ventured out from beneath his rock to try and grab a little bit. As it was about 6pm, we took lots of photos of the gorgeous sunset as the sky turned from blue to pink and then to orange. 

The marina was very quiet again and there were hardly any people about. I’ve no doubt the place is buzzing in the summer but the lack of custom must be very worrying for the bar and restaurant owners who still have all their bills to pay.

After enjoying a drink at the Café del Mar we drove back into Playa Blanca where I called mum from a payphone. I’ve tried very hard not to use my mobile as the charges can be extortionate so buying a phonecard was a wise move and hopefully I won’t get any nasty surprises on my bill when I get home. Mum told me the weather was horrible back in the UK – cold and wet and miserable so I’m not looking going back to that. I may have been a bit jealous if it was freezing cold with blue skies and sunshine!

Dinner tonight was at a restaurant called La Chalanita, right on the front. We sat at a table overlooking the sea (and the marina in the distance) and studied the menu which was a bit more expensive than the places we’d been to over the last couple of days. The starters ranged from about 8-10 euros and the main courses from 15-20 euros or more, if you decided to go for lobster! We skipped starters and went straight into the main course and Mikey surprised me completely by choosing King Prawns! Sophie and I went for a two person dish – flambéed beef stroganoff while Keith chose lamb shoulder. I opted for a Rioja to go with the meal having given up on the Lanzarote wines for a while.

We were given the ubiquitous bread and olives and then the head waiter arrived at our table with a trolley and an array of ingredients to make our beef stroganoff, which he did with great flourish and lots of flames! The food was very good indeed and Mikey thoroughly enjoyed his prawns, competently shelling them and disposing of the heads and tails before relishing the juicy flesh. Keith said his lamb was slightly over-cooked but he enjoyed it nonetheless and Sophie and I really enjoyed our beef which was in a delicious thick and creamy sauce.

The bill came to a shade over 100 euros despite us just having a main course, so I dread to think what it would have been if we’d indulged in starters and desserts! On the way home we called into an ice-cream parlour and treated the children (and me!) to a cone which did very well as a dessert!

The Cloudless Blue...

Well, last night we went to the Wax Bar to have a drink and to access the internet. It was a much friendlier place than Sandra’s and as the owner was a lovely lady from Birmingham, Keith was able to catch up with some sport that was showing on the television. The place the bar was situated in wasn’t ideal, being in a shopping centre with the outside tables in a sort of wind tunnel, but it fulfilled its purpose!

Sitting outside at night is a bit of a hit and miss affair. I was convinced we wouldn’t be sitting outside at all, but it’s tolerable and we find it best to wear long sleeves and jeans. It’s certainly not a place to dress up to the nines! Sophie wore shorts last night and was cold but then that was up to her! Most people have coats or cardigans on at night but it’s still much warmer than the UK!

After a couple of drinks we walked back to Lump who was parked on the street, popped the laptop back in the boot and walked to the promenade, trying to hide from our friends at the Volcan de Timanfaya restaurant as we’d decided to eat at their deadly rival’s establishment! Keith had noticed they served rabbit on the menu and really wanted to try some.

The place was packed so we were seated at a table which, technically, was next door in the Chinese restaurant, so that was a little odd! The staff were friendly, though, and remembered us from the other evening when we’d strolled past looking at all the menus. We decided to have a starter – Mikey set the ball rolling by wanting tomato soup – so Keith chose sardines, Sophie went for fishy croquettes and I had dates with bacon.

For our main courses, Keith had his rabbit cooked with lots of garlic, Sophie had chicken in a curry sauce, Mikey had his beloved spaghetti while I went for breaded veal, much to the disgust of Sophie who tells me off every time I have it, which is only when I’m abroad as I’ve hardly ever seen veal on the menu in the UK. The food here, in the restaurants that line the front, are all very similar and I think that by the time we go home, we’ll be literally drooling for a good old Sunday roast with all the trimmings, including cauliflower and broccoli!!

Tuesday morning dawned sunny and bright with a cloudless blue sky, so that was a relief! We went into Playa Blanca to do some food shopping and then, as the weather was so gorgeous, we spent the rest of the day by the pool where it was lovely and warm.

Happiness is...

Our sunbathing was interrupted in the late afternoon by the unexpected arrival of two cleaners who gave the villa a good going over and changed the beds which was very welcome.  It was lovely to go back into the house and have clean floors!

We stayed outside until almost 6pm as the sun was still bright in the sky and it felt wonderful to have that extra couple of hours of sunshine. Keith and I sat at the table on the terrace and just soaked up the warmth – before long we’ll be back in gloomy Britain but tomorrow is the Winter Solstice so after that the days will start, very slowly, getting a little longer.

In the evening we walked into Playa Blanca and had a couple of drinks at the Galeria Bar. The children made a beeline for the computers again while Keith and I sat at a window seat and enjoyed the view of the lit-up resort. It made for a very pleasant hour and I sipped on a “Timanfaya” cocktail – a mix of banana liqueur, cava and Grenadine!

Our choice of evening meal was the Chinese restaurant next to the place we’d eaten at last night. It was the first time we’d ever ventured into a Chinese abroad but we all fancied a change from the menus in the port. We chose the 15 euro a head option which included prawn crackers, soup, a delicious meat concoction with lettuce and seaweed and four main dishes of king prawns, beef, curried chicken and roast pork.

I ordered a bottle of Lanzarote white and with desserts the bill came to just over 100 euros, the second most expensive meal of the holiday so far. Having said that, the food was excellent, the service extremely efficient and friendly and we thought it was very good value for money considering the meal we had in the marina was a few euros dearer and we only had starters and main courses. The head waiter pressed a Chinese liqueur on us when he gave us the bill (to soften the blow, maybe?) and the glasses he served it in were very rude indeed! As you looked into the bottom of the glass you could see an explicit picture of a man or a woman depending on which sex you were…Hmmm! He also gave us girls little bracelets and clips for our hair decorated with butterflies, which was a lovely touch.

This leads me onto how friendly everyone is in the port – I know all the restaurants are in deadly competition with each other, but they go all out to provide a great service with a complimentary drink at the end of the meal as standard. In summer things may be a little different as there should be enough holidaymakers to go around, but at the moment, with the resort so quiet, they are literally clamouring for our business.

I think in future, though, I’m going to stick to mainland Spain wine! The white we had, made from the Malvasia grape, could have stripped paint and reminded me a bit of petrol on the nose! I had visions of calling into a bodega and buying several bottles to take home, but I don’t think I will now! We have two bottles of wine in the villa, a red and a white, and if I’m not keen on them then I think I’ll admit defeat!

A sightseeing tour of the island.

Somehow, despite the array of weapons we have against them, I woke up with two new mosquito bites this morning as well as rain falling out of a cloudy sky. Hmmm…not a good start to a Monday morning!

We’d planned on going up to the north of the island today to visit Mirador del Rio and Jameos del Agua so the cloudy weather wasn’t going to spoil a day by the pool. By the time we’d breakfasted and got ourselves ready it was almost 10am and the sky had cleared to a mix of sunshine and fluffy clouds. 

However, as we headed off on our journey the sky grew darker and the range of volcanoes more menacing. At times the landscape resembled Glencoe in Scotland, with the weather to match! At Yaiza we turned off onto a quieter road that ran through numerous vineyards or bodegas, each of them advertising their wines for sale. The vines are grown in hollows in the ground surrounded by a stone wall to protect them from the wind. The earth is black and in the summer when the vines are in full leaf, the contrast of the green leaves, the black earth and the gorgeous blue sky is striking.

I’d asked Keith not to direct me through the small town of Haria as from the map I could see that there were several hairpin bends, but we ended up going that way nonetheless! At one point we were very high up and we were able to see right down to the coast. There was just a low stone wall preventing us from going over and it was a bit hairy!

I negotiated the bends pretty slowly and “Lump”, as we’ve christened the Seat, did pretty well! By 11am we were at the Mirador del Rio, an old gun placement that Cesar Manrique transformed into a viewing point over to the neighbouring island of La Graciosa. Cesar Manrique was very influential on the island and designed several monuments and buildings, all of which are beautiful. He also decreed that the buildings should stand no higher than a palm tree (except churches) and that the paintwork should be either natural, blue or green. Although he died several years ago, his influence is still felt very strongly on Lanzarote.

Mirador del Rio is very beautiful, with lots of natural wood and whitewashed walls. Several of Cesar Manrique’s sculptures are dotted about. The views are magnificent but the sheer drop a real “sweaty hands moment”! I didn’t go too close to the edge! We had a drink and a snack, had a look in the tiny gift shop and then made our way to Jameos del Agua not far away. On the way over we had a good look at the Corona Volcano which is responsible for the tunnels in which Jameos del Agua is built.

You first go through to an underground grotto to see the rare blind albino crabs which aren’t found 

anywhere else in the world. Soothing music plays in the background and then you emerge into a tropical island paradise with palms and lots of foliage and flowers. In the middle an azure pool beckons surrounded by brilliant white “sands” and black rocks which contrast beautifully with each other. At one end is a fabulous auditorium where concerts are held, the acoustics amplified by the natural rock ceiling.

On a higher level is the Casa de los Volcanes where the computers are monitoring volcanic activity all over the world. The last one to erupt in Lanzarote was back in the 19^th century but if one is due to go off we’ll all have at least a week’s notice!

Lunch was taken at Restaurant “El Charcon” in nearby Arrieta which specialises in fish. We were really only looking for a pizza or a sandwich but Keith and the children enjoyed chicken while I had mussels in a “marinera” sauce, and very delicious they were too!

As it was past 2pm by the time we left we decided to call a halt to the sightseeing for one day and return to the villa to spend the rest of the afternoon by the pool.

In the evening it was off out to find a bar with wifi so we could all get our fix!