We flew from Seville to the island of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands . The Canary Islands are Spanish, but located much closer to northern Africa and the country of Morocco than Spain Africa , and the southern portion is similarly arid.
We stayed in a small self catering apartment in the tourist town of Playa del Ingles. The self catering aspect meant we needed to grocery shop daily. That provided challenges searching and selecting from unknown brands and local delicacies, then purchasing in Spanish using the euro.
In Playa del Ingles, the main tourist attraction other than the weather and beaches was a large area of sand dunes adjacent to the sea. We expected to see a camel just over the next dune, but more often than not, there was just another sunbather.
Our first cycling adventure took us along the coast by road, and then we returned along the beach, circum touring the area of sand dunes. While cycling the beach between the dunes and the sea, we rounded a curve and scooted by seniors playing beach bocce ball. They appeared to be having a hoot. It was difficult to say whether they would’ve had as much fun with bathing suits on or not. We’re not sure if the relatively common nudity is island-cultural or if the custom had been imported by the many European tourists. We suspected the later.
After the great ride, we relaxed on the patio and had a fine meal made from the selections of our last shopping trip.
Following dinner, our thoughts moved on to preparing for the next day’s bus trip. We’d be going to the northern part of the island, get up close to a volcano and then visit a finca.
Click here for that story and more:
http://travellingwithsteveandmarlene.blogspot.ca/2012/05/venturing-north.html
http://travellingwithsteveandmarlene.blogspot.ca/2012/05/venturing-north.html
