Jameos del Agua

My next destination was Jameos del Agua but first I needed lunch, so I drove past to the small quiet fishing village and beach of Arrieta.

The restaurant I was looking for on account of the "enticing main courses of fresh fish" promised in the guide book had closed or changed owners, so I settled for another one called El Charcon at the pier. The meal was a bit more expensive than hoped at €13 but the delicious fish soup for starters made it worthwhile.

Then I took a walk in the vicinity to help the digestion before backtracking to Jameos del Agua.

About 4000 years ago, Monte Corona erupted and spewed lava which flowed down the eastern slopes towards the sea. The lava on the surface solidified, but gas trapped underneath the lava formed caves. The Jameos extend toward the sea. Some seawater has leaked back in, creating an azure lake inside a cave.

A natural aperture in the roof of the cave admitted a beam of sunlight which materialised as a luminous azure shaft where it penetrated the water. I, and the other visitors, happened to be there at the magical time. A small new-age moment.

César Manrique attached a tasteful bar/restaurant to the jameo chico containing the pool. It harmonised with the nature of the site.

The jameo grande is surrounded by a garden of tropical plant species around a glowing turquoise pool. Here are a couple of views of it, as the complex had several vantage points.

Any hotel would yearn to have a pool as lovely as this.

Manrique also designed a concert hall seating 600. Apparently the acoustics are excellent.

I thought that those two caves were all of it, but I was pleased to find the very informative Casa de los Volcanes in the complex. This was a topographical model of the Canary Islands. I was glad to spend more time as I didn't want to get back to Arrecife early. The Jameos were a very worthwhile attraction.

Then it was a quick run down the smooth LZ1 highway to El Castillo de San José, which houses the Museum of Contemporary Art.

I wasn't enamoured of modern art but there was a pretty bar/restaurant with a view of the breakwater. There was a TV crew filming for a presentation or panel of some kind.

While napping in my car to until parking became free in the town centre I overheard some Canarians youths in their car yakking away. I recognised the same lazy Spanish pronunciation that I had heard in Cuba, the dropping of the s. This was no accident. Many Cubans were immigrants from the Canaries. Back on Gomera, the guide told us that when Castro came to power, some Cubans migrated back to the Canaries, bringing cigar rolling skills with them, so there is cigar production on the Canaries. So there were hidden connections between my destinations that I was not aware of when I planned the trip.