Fuerteventura

Sunday, 6/22

We booked a package holiday to Fuerteventura, Spain, which is part of the Canary Islands. Because we were flying a charter, our departure time was 6:00AM. We decided to get a cab for 3:45AM since we wanted to be at the airport two hours ahead of time. At 4AM, there was no taxi, so we called the service and there was no record of our reservation. They dispatched a cab that arrived within 12 minutes. The airport was a madhouse. There were probably 200 check-in desks. Maybe 20 face each other, so there are 40 check-in counters with a big space between. Lines form behind each desk but because there is such a high density of people the lines can extend for quite a distance, not cordoned off by ropes. The end of a line is rather amorphous and therefore difficult to find.

In our case, for whatever reason, they didn’t allow us to cross the threshold to where the the lines were until about 4:45. At that point, I had been advised by the travel agency rep who was onsite that we needed to check in by 5:10 or else we would be barred from boarding with no recourse. (We had been advised that 5:20 would be our latest check-in time when booking). I asked her what we were supposed to do since we had just been given access to the counters and she told me to cut in front of everyone in the line. After our access to the check-in desks, time was ticking down. In the end, out of desperation, we had to ask all the people in front of us if we could check in ahead of them. Thankfully, they showed us mercy.

Four hours after boarding our flight on KLM charter airline Transavia, we landed at the Fuerteventura airport. It was quite sunny and we got our bags without any issues. We met the travel rep who put us on a bus to our “aparthotel,” The Broncemar Beach in Caleta de Fuste. After unpacking, we walked into the Mercado and had brunch at the Blues Bar, and English restaurant, where we ate a full English breakfast (beans, fried egg, toast, bacon, potatoes, tomatoes – one of the options was black pudding, like in Swindon, but I took a pass). The closest beach was a five-minute walk from the hotel. We got our bearings and walked to the area’s big grocery store and went shopping.

We brought the girls to the kiddy pool and also consulted with the onsite Thomas Cook reps (not the agency we used) regarding the hotel daycare and our excursion options. The hotel was really great for kids because it had three pools, a softplay area, and a playground. That night, after our dinner, we went to a show put on by the Thomas Cook reps that involved wearing out the children of the guests under the guise of a dance party and dancing related games (i.e., musical statues – almost like freeze tag). Liliane had a blast and Amelie enjoyed watching everything. The Thomas Cook reps really were enthusiastic and funny and would be so every night of our stay.

the beach at Caleta de Fuste

notes about Fuerteventura – Fuerteventura is a Spanish island off the northwest African coast about 85 miles from the Sahara Desert. It was formed from volcano and is part of the group called the Canary Islands. Spain and Portugal had disputed for many years over the Canaries and other islands. Pursuant to a treaty in the late 1400s, Spain got the Canaries and Portugal got other islands including Madeira, the Azores, and Cape Verde Islands. The original inhabitants of the Canaries were known as Guanches. They are said to have been blond-haired and blue-eyed. Their language was never written and it was not related to any known languages, so there is really no record of it. When Spain invaded the Canaries, they enslaved the Guanche people. Soon, the Guanches either died or assimilated.

Monday, 6/23

After our breakfast, we boarded a tour bus for an island tour of Fuerteventura. I was struck by how much the land resembled Arizona - smallish mountains, prickly pear, rugged landscape. We could see goats – the island’s main type of livestock – milling on the land. We learned that there are 33 goat species on the island (who knew?). We also learned that there are no lakes on the island and all the running water is desalinated or originates from a well using a mechanism known as a “Chicago.” Our first stop was in the south at a beach called Jandia. The water was absolutely gorgeous – aqua, teal, blue, with velvety sand. A whale skeleton greeted us at the beach’s entrance and there was a picturesque lighthouse nearby. What was quite impressive – and what I failed to photograph – were the beautifully bathrooms and changing area. They were made from glass (frosted glass in all the right places) and appeared from the outside to be immaculate.

Our next stop was the aloe vera factory, which was based in a large aircraft-hangar type structure. Samples of aloe vera plant were handed out to everyone and all our companions started taking the Jello-like substance and rubbing it all over their bodies. They were selling aloe vera gel in bottles starting at 15 euros (about $25) up to 35 euros, so it was a little out of our price range. I opted to get a 50 cent coffee from a machine.

We then went to visit a church in Pajara that had a mysterious front entrance. No one knows for sure what the inspiration was, but the consensus seems to be that it was inspired by Mayan culture. Right outside the church was a donkey called Bombeo (fireman). He works a few hours every day, walking in circles forcing a water wheel to work. Luckily there was a small playground by our pick up point, so Liliane got in a little action. We had a typical Canarian lunch at our next stop, which consisted of a chickpea/noodle/chicken soup, roasted chicken, and Canarian potatoes.

We then went to a town called Betancuria which was Fuerteventura’s former capital. There was a lacemaking demonstration and goat cheese sampling, along with tomato jelly and prickly pear jelly tastings. The lacemaker was really nice and gave Liliane a lollipop. Later one, we discovered a photo of that lacemaker in our travel guide and in a publicity brochure for the island. Betancuria also has a church that features a painting where almost all the men go to heaven and all the women go to hell. Interesting… According to our tour guide, the painter is unknown.

Along the route, our guide told us about a ship called the American Star that had shipwrecked off the coast while on its way to Asia to its new home. For years it sat visible in a bay. After the wreck, the entire ship was entirely pillaged, including furniture, fixtures, and dishes. We were told that in Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura’s capital), there is a place called the American Star Ship Bar that features many original items from the ship.

On our way back, we stopped for a 5-minute photo stop where statues honoring the island’s native Guanche people which was on a promontory looking out at the vast gorge.

We then dropped many of our companions off at the northern resort town of Callejo and then we drove through the sand dunes monument. So much sand has blown over from the Sahara desert that large, beautiful dunes have formed. Before the national park designation, two hotels were built between the dunes and the water.

Tuesday, 6/24

The forecast was cloudy, so we shifted our plans to go to the beach to going on a bike ride. We rented two bikes and a trailer that could carry two children. There are miles of car-free trails that hug the beach, so we thought it would be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, Amelie hated the bumpy bits of the trail and screamed for the 20 minutes it took us to cycle up to the first town south (Salinas). Liliane chimed in much of the way and I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to go much farther after returning to Caleta. We could see the salt museum from the main road and another whale skeleton in the distance.

the girls - ready to go!

We cycled back to Caleta and then headed north toward Antigua. Along the way, we could see the ocean breaking against the rocks and it was really gorgeous. We also passed El Castillo, an old Spanish fortress around which the Barcelo El Castillo is built. Luckily, the smoothness of the path calmed Amelie and before we knew it they were both asleep. Back at our hotel, there was a paella demonstration that had taken place. We lunched on generous plates of paella and sangria. That afternoon, we dropped the kids at the crèche and went out for happy hour and then for coffee. We got our coffee at an Italian place called Cafe Nero.

Cafe Nero's cafe con leche

That night, we had dinner at a delicious Indian restaurant called Delhi Dharbar which served great chai and mango chicken curry. When our check arrived, we were each given a shot of ronmiel, the Canaries’ specialty beverage. It is honey-flavored rum and is quite tasty!

Wednesday, 6/25

We dropped the girls off at the crèche from 10AM to 1PM and simply vegged out at the pool and read our novels. It was really relaxing. That afternoon, we brought Liliane out to the kiddy pool.

Thursday, 6/26

We headed to the beach over from Caleta, which was about a 15-minute walk away. We really liked it because there were three small lagoons and the beach was protected from the ocean’s rougher waters. We were able to rent sunbeds under thatch umbrellas right near the water. The girls had a blast in the shallow water and Liliane performed tons of sand experiments. There were roving masseuses and I got a beachside massage. It was really relaxing, but I failed to reapply sunblock afterwards. I paid a little bit for this that night in bed, since my back had become slightly burned.

That evening, we dropped the girls back off at the crèche and went to dinner at a fantastic Portuguese steakhouse called Fado Rock. Fado Rock serves many of its dishes cooking on hot stones. We ordered leg of lamb and the mixto (various cuts of beef, ostrich, and kangaroo), both with Canarian potatoes and mojo sauce on the side. The lamb was succulent and came with a fine mint jelly, although the beef was less so. We got gelato at Cafe Nero which was excellent. There was some excitement that evening about the upcoming Spanish-Russian soccer match. Dan went to a sports bar to watch while I stayed in with the girls. Towards the end of the match, I heard an enormous roar coming from outside and I knew Spain had prevailed to go on to the European Cup finals.

Friday, 6/27

We woke up at the crack of dawn to meet the bus that would take us to Lanzarote, another Canary Island just north of Fuerteventura. Luckily, the bus that picked us up was to be our bus for the entire journey, including the ferry crossing. We were relieved because that meant we wouldn’t have to stress about transfering the car seats. The ferry was beautiful inside and out, filled with light, roomy and sparkling. It even served chocolate donuts. The crossing was speedy and only about 15 minutes long.

Once on Lanzarote, we headed past some towns and the guide pointed out the intricately carved chimneys that were a remnant of the Portuguese who had settled there. We then went to a cave at a place called Los Jameos del Agua that had been transformed into disco/restaurant by Lanazrotian artist Cesar Manrique. Another draw to the cave was the fact that it’s small pond contained albino crabs. There were well placed, but not obvious signs warning not to throw money into the water because it could disturb the chemistry of the water. One tourist sat at the edge and seemed to anoint herself with the water. Then she threw in a coin. I loved the funky furnishings and we learned that the moonscape swimming pool there used to keep the company of both people and turtles during the 1970s.

Our next stop was a vineyard that our guide had mentioned sold “not the best” Lanzarotian wine. This was an understatement as the wine was completely undrinkable. I am willing to bet that the liter box wine I had seen for 66 cents at the Eurospar grocery was far superior. I never got to find out. The silver lining of the vineyard was that I bought a volcanic stone necklace & earring set at a really good price at their gift shop. We then lunched at another “typical” Canarian cuisine restaurant – this time buffet. They had a chickpea stew, paella, Canarian potatoes, fried fish, and watermelon, of which Liliane consumed a copious amount.

After lunch, we went to the Timanfaya National Park – probably Lanzarote’s major attraction after its beaches. As we entered the park, which was filled with a lava flow and barren landscape, I noticed a camel train of about 15 camels. Our guide explained that it was possible to tour the park on camel, although we wouldn’t be doing so that day. He noted that there were camels on Fuerteventura should we be interested in a camel ride (this was true – there were always two parked on the Caleta beach).

The landscape was amazing – just tons of black rock, stretching out for what seemed like a few miles. We learned that the island formation and volcano activity were very similar to that found on Hawai’i. Soon we arrived at the visitor center, also designed by Manrique. It was circular upon a steep bluff. We were handed rocks from the area, which were quite hot to the touch. The ranger brought us to a hole, where he inserted a tumbleweed on a stick into it. Within a few minutes, the tumbleweed had entirely combusted. We were then brought to an area where pipes had been embedded into the ground. The ranger would then pour water in and seconds later a geyser would form. The noise was quite loud, which caused Liliane to become quite excited and Amelie to burst into tears. In the visitor center there were a gift shop, restaurant and bar. We were brought into the oven where volcanic heat barbecued fish and chicken were cooking. The food looked delicious!

We boarded the bus for a tour of more of the park. As we left the parking lot, the tourguide popped in a pre-recorded lecture about the different points of interest we were observing. The colors of the rock were incredible and the vistas were stunning. The tape featured somewhat dramatic musical interludes, but what was even more dramatic was the narrow roads that wended through the park. I tried not to look down and I heard later that those at the front of the bus could actually see the front bumper of the bus over the edge of the road, so it appeared that we could go over. I later looked at the distance between the front wheels and the bumper and guesstimate that it was about four feet.

The guide related some anecdotes about Timanfaya, such as it is the site where the original Planet of the Apes was shot. He explained that several other films and commercials were shot there, not only because of the scenery, but also because of the clear light. He told us that Omar Sharif had shot many films on the island in the 70s and had even purchased a home. He told us that Sharif lost the home in a bridge match one week after acquisition to, unbeknownst to him, the former owner and reigning bridge champion.

Apparently, we had some time to kill so we were then brought to a large tourist-trap gift shop for a half hour. From there we went to El Golfito, which was a crater partially in the ocean. The crater had a lake made a milky green by special algae.

Then we went to another spectacular coastal site, just south of Golfito for a five-minute photo stop. We then proceeded back to the harbour where we met the ferry back to Fuerteventura.

Saturday, 6/28

After breakfast, we stopped by the Saturday African market, which sold all sorts of knockoffs, clothing, and other goods such as collapsible wooden bowls. Liliane played for a while at the local playground and then we had a relaxing day at the beach. We got a snack of a savory crepe and coffee from Servemeer, which also has a good view from its terrace. That night, we had another excellent dinner at Fago Rock – the leg of lamb and chicken (oddly called “Louisiana” on the menu – nothing unique about its preparation).

Liliane & the Nightly Dance Parties

Sunday, 6/29

Overall, it was a great holiday! We had no problems checking in at the airport (which, incidentally, is shaped like an airplane). The flight was good, although Transavia would not allow Liliane to fly in her carseat.

waiting at the airport

That evening, I met up with Patsy who I’d met the previous week in Alkmaar. It was her last night in town and she had returned at 5AM that morning from Malaga, Spain. We went to two different pubs. Patsy had spent most of her time in Amsterdam lodged at the Corner House Hotel off of Dam Square. She brought me to the hotel’s pub which reminded me a little of Cheers – or maybe it was just gezellig. Anyway, the bartender greeted her like an old friend and one of the regulars bought us a drink. The resident cat had first dibs on barstools and was served milk and water out of sherry glasses. I was home at about the time the final match of the European Cup took place. Spain prevailed over Germany.