Arrecife 1

Lanzarote is the most northeasterly of the Canary Islands and catches little rain due to the low elevation, which makes the landscape stark but beautiful. It is volcanically active and a large part of the island was covered in volcanic debris in a recent eruption from 1730 to 1736.

It was a bit chilly when the ferry moored. A private taxi offered to take me into town. I thought the fare was a bit pricy at €7 but I didn't have much choice as the port was a couple of km outside town, a bit far to walk with a backpack. I resolved to rent a car to explore the island as bus services were infrequent.

Arrecife was a rather bare capital and port city. With only about 50,000 population, it was a far cry from the bustle of Las Palmas. Even when the skies were overcast there was a luminous quality to the light due to the lack of moisture.

The map in the guide was poor and I got lost in the winding streets of the old city. Eventually I found the hotel I wanted. There weren't many lodgers. I was not even sure that there was hot water in the showers. The best thing about it was that it was relatively cheap at €12 per day. The second best thing was a plump resident cat.

After a nap, I went into the city to look for car rental companies. There were only a few, and rates were around €30 per day. With the cheap accommodation this was within my means, but I wondered where I could park the car at night.The place with the best rates for a small car told me to check again the next day. If I visited Fuerteventura the next day, then I could drive around the island in the remaining 4 days until the flight back.

I discovered an Italian restaurant that served an excellent pasta for lunch. I was to return here a few times in the coming days. They also sold takeaway gelato. In their window was this tongue-in-cheek poster depicting how commercial ice cream cones are purportedly made.

In the evening I went for a walk in the area around the city beach. There was a large paved space and a gazebo overlooking it.

I found the bus stand where I had to be the next morning to catch the Fred Olson service to connect to the ferry for a day trip to Corralejo on Fuerteventura, the adjacent island.

The beach was quiet in the evening.

The city had a forlorn mood. Of course, most of the visitors were in the resorts, rather than in the city. I felt like I had sent myself into exile at the edge of the world.