Day 20 - Maspalomas Sand dunes and New Years eve.

This morning we hopped into the car and headed over to the town of Maspalomas. We took a walk down the boardwalk, which was suprisingly crowded before stopping off for brunch.











We then headed over the the famous sand dunes,  its surprising how difficult it is to walk on them and when the wind whips off the top, the can sting any exposed part of the body.

In the evening we  made our way over to Arguineguín where we enjoyed a wonderful meal at a Chinese restaurant and enjoyed the company of a lovely Swedish couple. We then watched the fireworks over Anfi beach from our balcony.

https://youtu.be/eHZEeOyvwDg

Day 19 - A boat trip to Mogan

This morning we skipped over to the port of Arguineguín to catch a ferry to Puerto Del Mogan.











Before we set sail there was a very sobering incident. The Spanish coastguard landed a number of immigrants who appeared to have sailed from Africa. Thankfully the Red cross seemed to have the incident in hand.

We then sailed along the Southern coast of the Island,  stopping off at Anfi and Puerto Rico. The coastline was quite rugged and dramatic. 











The small port of Puerto del Mogan was quite picturesque making a change from some of the built up towns along the coast. We wandered through the market and explored the neatly kept backstreets, had a bite to eat and then made our way back to the ferry. 

Day 18 - A Coastal walk

Our day started on the coastal path at Patalavaca where we walked to Puerto Anfi. After a coffee break we decided to head along the coast to Arguineguín, it was a warm day but the walk along the coast was pleasant.

Arriving in Arguineguín we decided to stop off for lunch at the Los Antonio's restaurant.
We selected a variety of Tapas and enjoyed the meal as well as the sea views and on the distant horizon we could see the summit of Mount Teide on the neighbouring island of 
Tenerife.













In the evening we walked up to The Palm Garden restaurant and bar, we only had quick drink in there but the food looked so good that we booked to return. 

Day 17 - A visit to Puerto Rico

On another warm day we took the short ride over to one of the neighbouring ports that sits on the Southern coast of Gran Canaria. 

Puerto Rico has to seen to be believed,  its seems as if they have built on every square foot of land available. Even the steep mountain sides are covered in Apartments and hotels, so there is little charm to the place. 

What we did notice was the huge number of Scandanavians that were visiting  Puerto Rico, infact one of the towns has be Christened "South Oslo"

Day 16 - Patalavaca and Sunset at Arguineguín

We left Las Palmas and returned to the airport to collect our rental car. We were a bit "twitchy" at first due to the fact that we were driving on the right hand side of the road. 

We soon made it to our destination of the small coastal village of Patalavaca.  We booked into our accommodation, the Mariposa Del Sol, unpacked and began to explore the surrounding area.

We made our way over to Arguineguín which lies a couple of kilometres down the coast. We walked around the crescent shaped beach until we reached the Le Barca restaurant. 

The fish meal we had was very good,  but the sunset views from the terrace were spectacular. 

Day 15 - Final Day in Las Palmas.

On our final Day in Las Palmas we once again took a long walk along the seafront and stopped off to watch the surfers.

The weather was a bit overcast but still warm. As we walked along the promenade a low flying helicopter passed by with a Santa waving to the crowds below.

We then walked over to Santa Catalina park for a light lunch.
Tomorrow we pack our bags for the next stage of our Winter break.

Day 14 - A Merry Christmas

 A very, Merry Christmas to all our family, friends and visitors to  our blog.

Christmas day started out with overcast skies as we made our way down to Parque Doramas. These beautifully kept  gardens sits behind the imposing Santa Catalina Hotel.

We then strolled over to the Las Palmas marina,  this is a huge harbour servicing 100's of  different types of boats. 










We stopped off here for brunch before making our way home via Playa del las Acaraveneras.

Inn the evening we went down to the Don Quijote restaurant,  after hearing such good reviews about it, we were sadly disappointed with the service  and standard of food.

Day 13 - A crowded beach and Los Gofiones show.

We took a stroll over to Las Canteras beach,which was crowded today,  we assume that this is because the Spanish have already started their Christmas break. We took a lunch of Ceasar salad on the promenade at the waves crashed into the sea wall below us.

It was an absolute privilege to be invited to the Los Gofiones music show in Santa Ana. These superb local musicians and singers put on a wonderful show in a magical setting. The photos and video just do not do justice to this superb night of music.

Earlier we had wandered through the old town of Tiana and enjoyed the Christmas spirit that was in the air.

Day 12 - Sunday Markets and strolls.

An overcast start to the day and we have not fully  recovered  from our head colds.  We set off to look at the local Sunday market,  nothing too impressive,  just the usual bric a brac.

We the wandered over to the port where two large cruise ships were berthed. One was the P&O Ventura and the other was the German Aidastella. There were lots of passengers milling about from both ships.

From the port we walked over to Las Canteras promenade which was very busy with people taking the sea air. We stopped off for our obligatory coffee before continuing our stroll. I must say, we have covered a few miles on foot in Las Palmas,  but its been very enjoyable. 

We stopped off for lunch at a Tapas bar  before searching out a local restaurant for our Christmas day dinner. We think we found a good one, it had a good, varied menu and they were welcoming, so we made a reservation for the big day.

Day 11 - Bugs, music and ships

We both woke up with coughs and sneezes,  so our first stop was the pharmacy to get some medication. We took things easy  today, we have been on the road for 10 days, so a bit of resbite was in order.

We did manage a stroll over to the port where a small market and musical show was in progress.













We also checked out the Aidanova cruise ship on which we hope to sail on next year.

Day 10 - Sand , sea and Rock music

Another beautiful day began with a long walk along the surf at the beach before a coffee break.

We then made our way over to Castillo de la Luz, an ancient fortress that is set in beautiful grounds with a beautiful aroma from the rose gardens. 

We stopped off for lunch at Nievo Rio in Santa Catalina garden, this has become a favourite of ours, its always full of locals and the food simple but tasty.  

Today we opted for a selection of local cheeses, ham, tuna and salad, washed down with a couple of glasses of chilled wine. They also provided us with a couple of glasses of vodka caramel. 

In the evening we walked over to the El Bodegon restaurant and enjoyed a lovely meal, even though I was served the smallest size beer ever.

We then wandered over to Farray plaza and watched a pretty good "Rolling stones" tribute band.

Next stop was La Travesia del Puerto,  a small bar but warm welcome awaited us and there was a great atmosphere due to several Christmas parties being held. 

Our final port of call for the evening was the Imaginaro club where we watched a 4 piece "Bruce Springsteen " acoustic tribute band, so it ended up being something of a late night. 

Day 9 - Las Canteras and The Old town.

Another beautiful day in Las Palmas and we started the day with a walk along las Canteras seafront,  only this time we headed South. Again there was plenty to  see, especially the numerous surfers, beginners and experts.

We strolled as far a the auditorium where the a some unusual sculptures. At mid morning we stopped off for coffee and cake. 

In the afternoon we made our way  down to Vegueta, the old town of Las palmas. We wandered the old historic streets where many of the buildings had ornate balconies. 











We the visited the Cathedral Santa Ana, this beautiful building is quite stunning and to learn that construction started around 1500 is quite remarkable.











We the strolled over the Plaza  to where the local kids were holding a Christmas show on an outside stage.
There were several choirs of all ages and it was very entertaining. 

The Triana district was our final stop  where visited a traditional Tapas bar and tried out several of these local delicacies. 

On our way home we walked down the main pedestrian street where all manner of street entertainers were playing to the passing visitors.