Finale weekend -3

Sunday 21.04
I definitely slept better last night. I wasn't overly full as I managed to stop eating after the first of a multi-course meal and also my pillow wasn't as inflated as the night before, allowing my head to rest better.
After a hearty breakfast, as the climbers set out for their climbs, I went to Borgio Verezzi to see the caves there. It's a wonderful ensemble of stalactites and stalagmites, really magnificent. Well worth seeing.

Caves in Borgio Verezzi

As the day was sunny at intervals, I drove back to Finalborgo where I settled on a bench with a book and my diary... and a few tangerines for lunch. After another stroll around the burgh, very nice looking, I'm settling in, waiting for the climbers to come back.

Finalborgo

It's been a very nice weekend, just like a mini-holiday. Quber performing up to its standards, and proving once again really useful. This morning we say a similar adaptation of a VW Caddy, which is slightly higher, so you can make the bed without removing the back seats. Also it's a little longer so you don't have to put down all the front seats either.

Finale weekend -2

Saturday 20.04
The weather hasn't been as rotten as forecasted - actually, it was rather good :)
I walked some 3.5 km to Finalborgo, then another 1 or so to Finale Marina where I had a nice stroll along the beach, that's another km or thereabout. The sea was raging - there was a red flag - and it was really beautiful. I like raging seas. I barefooted back to Finalborgo and visited the Archaeological Museum, then walked my way back to Ca' d'Alice. I did put together quite a few paces today, I'm pleased.
The evening was spent laughing an cheering with the climbing lot - and for once I managed NOT to overeat...

Finale Marina

Finale weekend -1

We set out after work and made it to Ca' d'Alice, a rural guest house where we're gonna spend the weekend, Rosie climbing and I strolling around :-)
Mind you, the weather forecast is rain and thunderstorms... but, what the heck! let's enjoy life, shall we? For the moment we had an excellent home-made meal and we are now relaxing in our Quber before going to sleep...

Lanzarote - day 7

For our final day we decided on a cultural tour - we rented a car and travelled to the Jardin de Cactus, then to Teguise, to the castle and Museo de la Pitatería, then back down to the Fundación Manrique. We then moved to the coast, to Arrecife and had lunch there, then we visited the castle and the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo in Castillo San José, then back to Nazaret to visit LagOmar, the house of actor Omar Sharif, also suggested by Cesár Manrique. Both the Manrique house and LagOmar ware encased in volcano bubbles, some really spectacular architecture. What a sight for sore eyes! We really enjoyed the day.

Lanzarote - day 6

Nice long walk midway along the southern massif, about 12 km to Playa Quemada, where we had a rewarding swim in the ocean :) Quite hot, but still windy and pleasant.
We then moved on to el Golfo, los Herra... and las Salinas, three spectacular viewpoints along the western coast. The ocean was really amazing today.
Back to the bungalow complex we had a shower, a pint of lager-top at the Black Bull, and a nice dinner at Luis', where Lino bought an extra bottle of red wine to wash down the nice meal.
We bought a map of the island. Tomorrow, last day here, we're renting a car and have a cultural tour :)

Lanzarote - day 5

This morning we hiked to the island's highest volcano, Famara, at 653m. The hike wasn't too steep but my heels need a massage now... The view from the flat top was, needless to say, spectacular. Just before the climb we stopped by a village on the beach, a surfers' paradise, where the waves were indeed quite high. There were dunes and the sea from there was really something! You could see the surf spray going well inland. We came down on the other side of the mountain, to the village of Haria.
Back to the cars we went to the Jameos de Agua, actually the other side of the tunnel formed by the Cueva de los Verdes. This collapse had been manhandled by local architect Cesár Manrique, making thus an installation of subterranean lake of sea water, swimming pool (once a disco), and vulcanology museum. Although the latter showed the signs of age (it's been devised in the late 60s) it was all rather interesting. In the lake you can see quite a large number of white blind shrimp-like tiny creatures, normally only found in the dark depth of the sea...
Tonight we'll be dining in Teguise, in a traditional restaurant, where there'll be a reggae gig and all.
Quite a tiring day, although very interesting and intense, as usual.

Lanzarote - day 4

Another great day, hiking along a canyon, the Barranco in the Famara range. Spectacular scenery throughout, basaltic columns, lush vegetation, we even met with a gallinula ploropus, a polla de agua with great deep green feathers. The wind was quite fierce and we also had a shower, but overall the day has been great.
We also passed from Tiguise, the original capital of the isle, although obviously during their siesta, as most shops were closed... The pueblo is nice, quite characteristic. We had a cerveza and a carrajillo in a local bodega, where we'll be dining tomorrow night.
Tonight's dinner will be a paella at Luis :)
I'm really enjoying this holiday - every day seems more interesting than the previous one. We also celebrated today's NOTAV march with our own pucture with the NOTAV flag, and a collective shout of "a sara' dura" echoing down the valley.