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LANZAROTE
   DIARY  4

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Diary 1  2  3  4 

                From Diary 3 and the comfort of a car.
9/10. I start the day with a trip to the airport to drop off the car. No comments, but a long conversation with the girl who receives it. She is from Andalusia, and misses the forest and the cold.
I walk around the airport and find the beach. I follow it a couple of hours back to Arrecife. Here is a beach promenade, beautiful sandy beach, rocks and dunes. I find a pastry shop and have brunch; a bun with potato omelette. Maybe I should just stay and try all their cakes? But no, I trudge on into town. First I follow the coast, where there are quite a few older buildings, and a lot of restaurants. Out on a land and double pier lies a small fort with its own golden beach.
Inland, the pedestrian street starts, and I follow it. Close by is the lagoon Charco de San Ginés, which has a life of its own. I find a latte in one of the surprisingly boring side streets. I trudge some more around into the residential areas, which start at the street behind the waterfront. It is worn but clean here. Then back to the pier after a late lunch. I've pretty much seen the whole city, and I'm heading home at two. Then I can spend the rest of the day figuring out what I'm going to do for the next two days.  Day's highlights.
10/10. I start the day very slowly. Then I walk around the bus stop I need on Tuesday, just to be sure. I meander down towards the central part of Arrecife, but it's pretty quiet for a Sunday here. I look for artwork and other photogenic things scattered around the town, and just enjoy the 26C and the sun in general. One of the central sculptures on the waterfront most resembles a UFO that has crashed. Could it also be the remains of a ship?
I thought some of the roadside trees looked like Australian bottletrees; Brachychiton australis, and finally I find one, real fat, and has the right fruits. They thrive here, as long as they are watered.
I pass by the pastry shop again by chance, and try a Milhojas; egg whites, thin layers of puff pastry and a solid layer of powdered sugar on top. More calories than taste. It's almost eleven o'clock and I'm restless. Sunday and no car was defiantly poorly planned.
I find some nylon fabric, a zipper and thread. Then I can make a slightly larger toiletry bag and a separate compartment for the gadget box in my belt bag.
I get around most of the city, but I don't find that many new motifs. At the far end of the city are the cruise ships, and that takes away some of the interest. Close by, I find some abandoned buildings on an equally abandoned rocky beach. A strange mix.
It's hard to find lunch, as I'm hungry at twelve o'clock. Most places are closed, but those that are open, haven't opened the kitchen. Finally I find a baker who has buns with cheese and tomato. Not the most exciting thing I've seen, but I can get it.
There are quite a few English tourists here, and you can tell from a distance by their bubbly mood. And they are very happy to talk to strangers, English or not. And they are generally only slightly overweight, unlike many others.
In addition to alcohol disposers and guidelines, many have cash machines; all remnants of Covid-19. Or preparations for the next pandemic? Bird flu seems to be gaining momentum.
I quietly trudge home, to sew while there is still daylight. It keeps me busy for a few hours. Incidentally, it is a small and cosy hostel where I stay: 13 guests and three employees. The owner is from Milan, then an Argentine and a German. Everyone talks to each other, but it is generally quiet here. The owner constantly organizes sunset trips, tours to concerts and alike. I would have loved to have attended a techno concert in a cave tonight, but I have had too little to drink, and I just have to crawl into bed.  Day's highlights.
11/10. I'm trying, more and more desperately, to figure out what I was thinking, when I planned three car-free days in Arrecife. Maybe I thought there was something to see?
Now, I'm just wandering around and finding suspicious works of art, while doing my best to avoid the pastry shops. Unfortunately, they are outnumbered. At least there are a few more shops open today, unfortunately mainly with tourist-oriented things. On the other hand, I don't need neither tourist or non-touristy things.
I'm home at two o'clock, having seen everything, once again. After an hour, I'm terribly restless, and I trot one more time, this time in the residential area. Even here, there are pastry shops, and I fall in. I end up down by the beautiful harbour, and then trudge home.
I do today's Facebook update, which is a bit thin, and then I have a few hours to go, before it's time for bed.  Day's highlights.
12/10. I walk around the corner to the bus that takes me to Playa Blanca and not least; the ferry to Fuerteventura.

Lanzarote was a pleasure, but I don't plan on coming back; a week is enough to see everything. It is a fairly modern island with little history items left. Beside from the vine fields, here are, at least this time of year, no sigh of agriculture. The tourist industry seems to dominate. I have taken 1868 photos and driven 735 kilometres myself. It cost me a few percent less than expected, as petrol was cheap; €1,145.
Expenses DKK
Flight (1/3) 1016 135
Car 1063 142
Petrol, Parking 255 33
Dorm 1725 230
Stuff 23 3
Food 1204 156
Admission 146 19
Total: 5431 719

Photos   Map & Plan   Diary 1  2  3  4