November 2010
Monthly Archive
Monday, 29th November 2010
Judith 30 Nov 2010 | : Holiday
We knew the forecast was poor for the first couple of days in Lanzarote, but it was still a bit of a shock to wake up to warm, but rainy and windy weather. We had a lie in and then trundled out at 10am for breakfast. All the restaurants on the strip were just opening and the shops were all closed. This is obviously a proper resort… everyone sleeps late. Despite the fact that we never have cooked breakfasts in the UK, we had a full English breakfast for 3.75 euros. We couldn’t face a full Irish – it was twice the size. Once finished, we went to find the tourist information office that should have opened at 10am, but was still closed at 10.40am. Our very nice apartment has a guidebook, so we just grabbed that and headed out for our first day of exploration.
The last time we were in Lanzarote we rented hang gliders and despite being told that the island is known for its windy conditions, it was nearly nil wind every day. We did, however, try to fly everyday, so they only tourist thing we did then was to see the Timanfaya Volcanic National Park. We’ve heard from so many people about the other delights of the island, so we were keen to get out and see them. As we drove past the first crater, Geoff shook his head and said “talk about building houses right on the side of a volcano!”. I nearly wet myself laughing… what a statement from someone who lives on top of a volcanic plug!
Our first stop was the cactus garden. It was a really nicely laid out park with every type of cactus imaginable. Big ones, small ones, hairy, spikey, you name it. Fascinating.
Next we went to the Jameos del Agua, a really tranquil park created using a lava tunnel, with a natural pool which is home to a unique species of fluorescent blind crabs. It has a few cafes and the most amazing night club/concert venue ever. We bumped into Marc, Isabel and Sergi there and fixed up dinner, which we promptly postponed, when we met them again at the next stop, the Cuevas de los Verdes. These are caves formed by the same lava flow as the Jameos del Agua. We made the mistake of not going with the Spanish group, who were at the front. The young guide tried hard, but her English was incomprehensible and her German three times worse. The caves were amazing though and also included a concert hall and a surprise at the end of the tour that would be unforgiveable to reveal here.
We were going to go to the Mirador del Rio on the way home, but it started raining again, and there didn’t seem much point in going to a view point without much of a view, so we’re saving that for later in the week. As we were driving back through Teguise, we spotted a pharmacy and the time was an hour earlier than we thought. This tallied with the clock in the car (which we had assumed hadn’t been changed after the clocks went forward). I checked on the internet and much to our surprsise, the Canaries don’t have CET, but GMT. Explains all the stuff this morning. Sigh.
Geoff’s been a happy bunny here and already checked out all the cheap places to eat, so we went to a Chinese buffet tonight. All you could eat and with the bill came a free drink – the choice of plum wine or a spirit that had real dead lizards in the bottom of the bottle. We opted for the plum wine. It did come in glasses that were clear, but once you put liquid in them they revealed a naked man with a large knob in the bottom. We really are in a tourist resort!
Sunday, 28th November 2010
Judith 29 Nov 2010 | : Holiday
We were a bit chaotic and hadn’t packed or prepared a thing for our trip to Lanzarote, so it was a matter of chucking it in the suitcase and hoping for the best. My dad dropped us off at the airport and we were off on our hols!
Visibility on the flight was stunning right until the south of Spain. We got to see Santa Brigida and Puig d’Afrou from a completely different perspective. Flying over the rest of Spain, it was clear why it’s the most mountainous European country after Switzerland. You could see whole geological features like ancient river beds, rifts and endless ridges. I had my camera with me and spent the first two hours of the flight taking photos.
Unfortunately, we arrived in Lanzarote just as the sun was setting. Had we been half an hour earlier, I could have got some fantastic photos of the Famara ridge and the volcanoes from above. It was nearly 8pm once we got the car hire sorted and so we hit the bars of Puerto del Carmen for some food and drink. It’s about 11 years since we were last here and the place is nicer, with a lot of landscaping having been done. Can’t wait to go off exploring…
Saturday, 27th November 2010
Predictably, when you really look forward to something, a spanner gets thrown into the works. As soon as we finished the conference, I started to feel uncomfortable and soon after I succumbed to the worst period I have had in years. Forget the partying, I spent the night in agony, with the painkillers not really having much effect. Or if they did, I dread to think what it would have been like if I hadn’t been eating them like smarties.
A lie in for me this morning to make up for the lack of sleep, while Geoff finally closed down the conference for posting. We really wanted to get out, so I offered to drive for him, not being in much of a state to even think about going flying. With a warmish, sunny, SW forecast, people were going to Santa Brigida, Sant Pere de Rodes, Bellmunt and Orgassa. I was leaving it up to Geoff where he wanted to go. Top of the list were Bellmunt and Sant Pere de Rodes. We didn’t fancy the strenuous hike up Orgassa and wanted the flexibility of other things to do that Santa Brigida doesn’t offer. A call to Matthias confirmed that we would go to the coast, and if it wasn’t much good, we could at least spend some time at the beach. We met Johnny to go up Sant Pere de Rodes and despite some cloud, the launch was clear. By the time we had walked up, cloud was spilling over from the north and the north side was completely clagged in.
Because of the strong north wind, the lack of sun and the fact that even here the temperatures have taken a dip, it was pretty cold. We huddled around until the north side cleared and eventually, Geoff and Johnny launched, hoping for some ridge soaring. The best lift seemed to be out from the hill and both landed in strong winds on the beach at Port de la Selva.
Nice to be out, although we all wanted a hot coffee, rather than a cold beer, after packing up.
Tuesday 23rd – Friday 26th November 2010
What we missed…
Every day during the conference has had fluffy little cumulus outside the window. Predictably, the weather has been epic. I have left the house a total of three times in the last 5 days… once to get some bread, once to go to the municipal bins, and we went out for some food last night. I have cabin fever and need to go out for some fresh air. Only 6 hours to go…
Monday, 22nd November 2010
Geoff writes: the final day of the pre-conference week, with the conference opening in full tomorrow. Lots of live events today, plenty more people logging in, lots of minor crises… a typical day when we are running a conference. Only four more days to go. But they are going to be incredibly busy. We’ve stocked up on the alcohol.
Sunday, 21st November 2010
Judith 21 Nov 2010 | : Trying, but failing, to fly, Walking
We woke up to a sunny day, but it started windy, although it soon dropped. Nicky wanted to go see some volcanoes, so we went to Croscat, the hollowed out volcano. Next stop was Santa Pau. By this time the wind was picking up again, but Marc confirmed that the wind was light in Santa Coloma. We decided to try to fly at Santa Brigida, but as we got closer we could see the duvet effect, which means high winds. We carried on regardless, but it was clear it was far too breezy and 180 degrees off. Since we were there, we took a walk round Amer village, which took all of five minutes.
Nicky decided to go home, and we drove back to do some work. When we got back to Puig Sacalm, the duvet effect was the biggest and most impressive we’ve ever seen.
Saturday, 20th November 2010
Judith 21 Nov 2010 | : Miscellaneous activities, Walking
No live sessions over the weekend, so we’re having some time off and just doing the minimum to keep the conference ticking over. We need a rest before the actual conference starts – both to preserve our sanity and our wrists/mouse fingers. We were hoping we would be blessed with good flying weather as Nicky was coming up for the weekend, but the day started with rain and wind. By lunchtime the sun was shining, but it was still too windy. When Nicky arrived we just had time for a walk round the cliff/village and then dinner.
I haven’t had much time or inclination to cook recently, but having a visitor gave me the chance to plan and cook a small feast. We had asparagus gratin for starters, then carrot, almond and feta terrine wrapped in vine leaves with a green pepper-corriander salsa and lemon sorbet for dessert.
Nicky claimed not to be very good at games and then wiped the floor with us on her first ever go at Labyrinth. No good indeed!