We are all back from Lanzarote after a fantastic two-day trip there. Since we did not post an update before we left for there, you may not have been aware that we went there. The host siblings were studying for exams this week, so we decided that this would be a great time to take the group away from Tenerife. What/where is Lanzarote? Lanzarote is another one of the islands in the archipelago, located north and east of Tenerife. Its topography is very different from that of Tenerife. While it is also of volcanic origins, no central peak dominates the island. Instead, it is a low, wind-swept island contains more than two hundred volcano cones. It was also home to the famous Spanish painter/architect/conservationist Cesar Manrique, and many of the attractions of the island are the product of his work and foresight. Serafín gave two lessons to the group -- one about the island and one about Manrique -- that prepared the students well for the trip.
The adventure started when the entire HFAI group came back to the 'school house' on Tuesday evening, and we trekked down to the beach below the house for some swimming and relaxing. Being so close to the summer solstice, it stays light until a little after 9pm in Tenerife. The host parents picked up the students and took them home for the night. The next morning, we all headed to the Tenerife Norte airport to catch a 7:15am flight to Lanzarote. There were certainly some bleary eyes but all were excited. After landing in Arrecife, the island's main city, we headed first to the Parque Nacional de Timanfaya. The seemingly desolate landscape of the lava flow, deposited by a volcanic eruption in the late 18th century, gives the appearance of being on the moon. We toured the park by bus (walking through it is prohibited) and also saw how Manrique designed a grill in the park's restaurant that uses the earth's heat to cook food. Following that, we headed to the southwest coast of the island to see La Laguna Verde (The Green Lagoon) as well as some blowholes. Due to the significant waves, the blowholes were more just holes through which one can see the ocean. Following a stop for lunch, we visited the Fundacion Manrique, located in Manrique's house in the center of the island. Again, we hope that the pictures can convey just a portion of how fascinating it was. We wrapped up with a visit to the Jardín de Cactus (Cactus Garden), also designed by Manrique, before heading to the hotel for the night.
On Thursday morning we enjoyed long breakfast together and made friends with the hotel's cats before heading out to see more of the island. We visited two other sites designed by Marnique -- Jameos del Agua and El Mirador del Rio -- as well as the Cueva de los Verdes before heading to the airport. Tenerife's infamous weather almost prevented us from getting back last evening but, somehow, we managed to do so.
Below are just a few of the photos from the trip. We are in the process of culling through the best ones from the various cameras and will post more once we have them.
No comments:
Post a Comment