The lack of motion brought me to
semi-consciousness about sunrise this morning. It was too quiet and
too still so I jumped to the conclusion that we were still tied up in
Tenerife. Peering out from behind the curtain I saw nothing but sea
and a tinted sky. Craning around to look forward I found a city dead
ahead. So we had left after-all sometime last night after 10:30pm and
slowly sailed on our planned itinerary and this must be Las Palmas of
the Canary Islands. By 0750 we were tied up port side to the pier.
(Our cabin is port side.) Across the pier from us is a Celebrity ship
so our view is of their decks of verandas. I kept our curtains
closed. A flurry of last minute preparations had us ready to depart
at 0830 for a day ashore.
You may look up the Canary Islands if
you wish and I will not go into
historical/geological/social/political detail, other than to mention
that this archipelago is (supposedly) named after dogs, (think
:canine”) for the ancient tribes used to eat their best friends,
dogs that is. Rumor has it the Romans didn't think much of the custom
and did a little ethnic cleansing. Look that up yourself. So with
this tidbit of information I realize why the locals call their island
“Cannery' rather than “Can-airy” as in tweety bird. Say "Cannary"
Islands enough and you will sound like a seasoned traveler though
most people will n have an inkling what you are talking about.
The group we were with filled an
entire tour bus and once so loaded, began with a dash through the new
part of the city to pick up a major road taking us West. They love
round-abouts here and even have one in a tunnel. Think: one lane,
tunnel, tour bus, round-about and you may understand why we usually
sit well back in a bus.
After an uphill climb we arrived in the
city of Aruca and dismounted to observe the volcanic stone Cathedral
begun in about 1907 or thereabouts. Quite Gothic. No peeking inside
though. So we walked a couple of blocks up the street, circled around
and observed the volcanic stone Cathedral begun in about 1907 or
thereabouts from a different angle. Still no peeking inside. I became
suspicious that the interior was never finished. Back onboard we
dashed off on narrow roads looking for another church; one that may
have been finished on the inside.
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| Las Palomas |
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| Buying cheese and sausage in Las Palomas |
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| view on the way up |
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| Cathederal Las Palomas |
Now we were heading up mountain so the
roads became very narrow and serpentine. About the time we felt we
really needed a church, regardless of the status of the interior,
our guide announced a church would be our next visit, along with
restroom facilities. We could satisfy both body and soul. This was
Las Palomas up high on the mountain. Quiet stone streets, clean old
low buildings with beautiful wood doors. The Cathedral was beautiful
and this day was being visited by groups of school children; the
first kids I have seen in a week. We found the kids refreshing and
even had a chance to talk to a couple of young teens and their
professor. As usual, the kids wanted to try their English on us and
we our Spanish on them. One girl is Eliana. Back aboard the bus and
up the mountain road of two lane traffic on a one lane road with
switchbacks. Rounding bends the driver would sound the horn and the
passengers would cringe from the plunging canyon alongside. A few
times we had to stop when confronted with an oncoming truck or bus
while the drivers jockeyed past each other, sometimes inches between
vehicles. Not a scratch today on our bus. At the top we found lunch
and local wine waiting for us, a great view from the mountain top
then back down the other side. Now it was cloudy and misty but still
switchbacks. Back at the bottom we stopped at the resort area of
Santa Monica and walked down to the beach, which is a huge area of
dunes and surf. Quite beautiful and a major draw for Europeans
seeking a beach vacation.
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| island dog loves chicken |
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| the dunes/beach |
By 1830 we were back aboard. My
navigator provided the noon report: Position 28º
08.45'N and 015º
25.37'W. Temp 73. Total voyage 3,871 nm. At 2145 we cast off, backed
a half ship length and pivoted 180º
between piers then headed out of the harbor to the open sea.
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