While we have been here since Sunday I am going to gloss over our brief time in Las Palmas and the extra-long time it took to reach the Gran Caneria. Suffice to say that our trip did not get off to a smooth start as our flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria was cancelled. We were stuck spending a day twiddling our thumbs in Boston either in the hotel that Lufthansa put us up at (the Airport Hilton which was rather impressive though the food was only mediocre) or in Logan Airport. We lost a day of our trip to this delay and ended up also eating the cost of our rooms at the hotel in Las Palmas. Sometimes life hands you lemons and there is no way to turn them into something even close to lemonade.
When we arrived in Las Palmas we were tired in spirit if less so in body. Did the drive under seemingly smoggy skies through a less=pretty part of Las Palmas influence that? Maybe. We got settled into our tiny rooms with no views and then did some minimal exploration of the historical center of the capitol. We saw enough to know there is more to see and we got a glimpse of the cathedral every guide says you should enter and climb to the roof and spire. We did not do this. We found a small cafe and had a pretty tasty meal of vegetable samosas, a goat-meat stew with potatoes and chickpeas (largest I’ve ever seen), and a similar stew with chicken. It was surprisingly good. A short stroll down part of the Tirana pedestrian way showed us that you can’t go even a full block without passing by a coffe shop that features wonderful looking and no doubt sumptuous baked goods. We need these places back home. We found some ice cream (those shops are almost as common) before calling it a night as the sun dipped below the horizon and twilight was quickly coming to its end.
After a good night’s sleep in our very modern-inspired designed rooms and a nice breakfast we had a few hours before we would take a taxi to Agaete and the Occidental Roca Negra Hotel. The morning was if not quite clear than sunny and warm. The sky appears laden with smog but it is actually dust that is blowing across the ocean from the Sahara Desert. We had a nice breakfast and then did a little more exploring of the main shopping area which is close to the hotel. Besides the many shops and such we saw I think we will remember Las Palmas for the number of small and very small dogs we saw. Generally very well behaved, non-yippy, dogs. Dogs of various breeds in miniature form including one that was being held in the palms of one man’s hands. What is smaller than a lapdog? That one sure was.
* * * ** * * ** * * *
We arrived at the Occidental Roca Negra Hotel in Agaete around 12:30. We had a few hours to relax before the rest of the HF group would arrive. We spent that time settling in, having a bite to eat (the couscous salad was good; the hot ham and cheese sandwich lacked substance, the french fries hot and good enough), and relaxing at the pool. A little exploration down the paved path that curls down to the sea from the top of the bluff the hotel sits upon to a black sand lava-rock strewn beach below capped our last few hours by ourselves. It was a good way to get into a nice mindset for the upcoming days. That might have been a bit harder to do when the other 26 (I think) people showed up in two waves between 16:00 and 17:00 (4:00 and 5:00PM). We took a walk down into the village of Agaete to a nearby grocery store. It will certainly have more than enough options for our lunch and snack needs. After climbing back out of the sea-side village we had just enough time to sort things out before the first real meet and greet of the trip (sure we all walked down to the store together but that doesn’t count). That ended with our first meal together: buffet dinner. I hope the food gets better.
Breakfast was better. We will just quietly ignore the fact that you probably have to work hard to mess up scrambled and fried eggs, yogurt, hot and cold cereal, a selection of breads and croissant’s, fruit, and other stuff including some remarkably tasty donuts. We got ready to join the group and completely fill our bus. At 08:40 we met one of our local guides: Paco. An interesting effect of Brexit has been that HF no longer can use their own volunteers to lead walks in EU countries. You can make a good arguement that employing local people to lead the walk will give superior results as they are local but some of the charm has now been leached away. More proof, it seems to me, that Brexit was a bad idea. The other downside of local guides, conquering their accents, will eventually be dealt with. Certainly Belinda’s accent is easier to contend with but we got to hear her in better environments (the easier walk) while Paco was talking to us on a noisy bus and in the hotel lobby.
After a 40 minute bus ride along minor roads that twisted through the mountains of northern Gran Canaria we reached our dropoff point near the village of Teror and the nature reserve/working farms of Finco Osorio. The group divided up almost evenly in half and Mom, Dad, and I joined the easier walk. The reported stats were a 5.5 mile hike with 300 feet of ascent and 400 feet of descent along trails, country lanes (more akin to two-tracks or small mountain roads), and sidewalks along busy roads leading into the village of Teror. The people doing the longer walk would some of what we would do and add a summit climb over the local mountain Osorio Pico de Rayo (another 0.75 miles and extra 700 feet of ascent and descent I think). The morning was much clearer and the temperature pleasant.
It really was an easy walk. The bulk of the ascent (the number appear to be somewhat off) happened within the first mile along well-maintained and used mountain paths that wound through a lovely dense and dark forest. This is a laurel forest. Prior to the arrival and conquest of the people already here by the Spanish in the late 15th century these forest were far larger. What remains may be about 1% the size of what once was. It is a lovely forest. The ravine that Belinda took us into was definitely the highpoint of the morning. Give yourself even a minute of silence to inhale fragrances, listen to the call of various birds, gaze up and up and up along the nearly 80 meter high walls of the ravine. It’s a wonderful spot that I can well understand why Paco makes sure he visits whether leading the easier or harder walk.
We left the trails to wokr our way through working farm fields that I think are part of the nature reserve that is Finco Osorio. This is a 220 hectares (about 500 acres) plot that is being allowed to re-wild I think. However, farmer who lived here before it was acquired by the government can still farm. We passed by several potato fields. Our walk along small forest roads was interrupted by the frequent cries of roosters, the jingling of cowbells in the distance, and a few dogs that were probably a bit too eager to see us (and certainly let us know they were boss of the land). By the time we we stopped for lunch it was clear to me that we either were going to do a shorter walk than we were told or that we had better speed up considerably. We didn’t really speed up and the walk was shorter. I don’t know if Belinda shortened it or not though I am not sure, after we left the trails, that she could have. The gentle road walk was nice enough and even the walk on pavement sidewalks along a busy road into Teror proper was not bad.
Stats Distance: 4.4 miles. Acent: 470 feet. Descent 650 feet. Clear and sunny. A perfect day for a walk. Footing was excellent throughout. The majority of the ascent would be in the first 2 miles and most of that within the first 0.5 miles (roughly). The bulk of the descent was in the last 2.4 miles and pretty consistently gradual throughout.
Photos
Walking down Triana which is a lengthy pedestrian street full of cafes, coffee shops, and stores. It is at the heart of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.
--February 19, 2024 at 10:05 AM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, OpenTopoMap map
Standing on top of the cliffs just north of our hotel in Agaete, Gran Canaria. The sunsets should be wonderful here.
--February 19, 2024 at 2:20 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, OpenTopoMap map
The photo doesn’t do the ravine justice. The upcoming video does show the depth of the ravine a bit more clearly. It’s a love spot that if you give yourself even a half-minute of silence will reward you with feast for the senses.
--February 20, 2024 at 10:35 AM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, OpenTopoMap map
An Indian Laurel tree is the true centerpiece of the plaza here in the village of Teror. I suppose the church is nice (we did not go in) but this tree is remarkable.
--February 20, 2024 at 2:38 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, OpenTopoMap map
I don’t know how they got the tree to grow into each other but it a pretty sight. This is in the village of Teror which is the endpoint of our first day’s hike.
--February 20, 2024 at 2:12 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, OpenTopoMap map
We had a snack at a cafe - nothing compared to the love coffee shops we saw in Las Palmas - and then had some time to kill. Watching the antics of this red junglefowl helped pass the time before we re-joined the group to walk the couple hundred meters to the bus for the 40 minute ride back to the hotel.
--February 20, 2024 at 2:13 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, OpenTopoMap map
I just missed sunset. Looking to the north in the top photo;looking northwest at where the sun was moments ago.
--February 20, 2024 at 6:57 PM.
Maps are centered on the photo: Google map, Apple map, OpenTopoMap map
No comments:
Post a Comment