Tahiche

At the town of San Bartolomé I found a decent pizza for lunch, although the "crab" was really seafood extender.

You must be tired of reading about César Manrique by now. He was born in Arrecife in 1919, trained in Tenerife and Madrid and became an internationally successful artist.

After he returned to Lanzarote in 1968, he undertook to build structures that harmonised with the unique landscape of his home island. As a painter, sculptor, artist, architect, and landscape planner he's left his mark everywhere on Lanzarote.

Sadly he died in a car accident in 1992, but the Fundación César Manrique that was set up in his former home and studio in Tahiche to this day lobbies for sympathetic development. One of the results is relatively few high-rise developments on Lanzarote.

Taro de Tahiche is set in the lava fields from the volcanic eruptions. The rooms are actually huge air bubbles left behind by the solidification of the lava.

It is a beautiful and peaceful house.

I had a lovely time walking through the rooms.

Even though it was mid-afternoon, I sat and enjoyed cool breezes in the shade outside the house.

There is a small garden too.

His huge wind sculptures are instantly recognisable Lanzarote landmarks.

Note from the future: This wind sculpture, Fobos, was an important story element in the 2009 Pedro Almodóvar film Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces).