The Canary Islands

Fresh out of Israel Antoine and I wasted no time in setting sail for our next destination – The Canary Islands. The islands are Spanish territory, but closer to Africa (a geographical fact that worried my poor mother to no end). We were joined this time by many people – Antoine’s brother Lucien and his mom Valérie. We hopped on a Ryan Air flight and were there in about 4 hours. I had the window seat, and as I watched during our descent I remarked to Antoine how much it looked like Hawaii! There was greenery but also it was a bit desolate where volcanos had erupted.

Antoine was like a kid the minute he stepped on the island. He’d been visiting since he was little, and it was evident he felt at home. At the airport we were greeted by familiar faces, Antoine’s best friend Borat and his mother Catherine. We all piled into our little island Fiats and headed to the resort.

The resort – Marazul- was gorgeous. Hilariously, it was also a French community smack dab in the middle of Spain. I swear, Valérie always manages to find French people wherever she goes. As soon as we arrived Antoine and Borat (the Canary veterans) told Lucien and I (the Canary newbies) that we needed to go to Ponton. I asked no questions and we made our way through cactus gardens in the resort and down a cliff until we were at what seemed like the edge of the world – literally. The land stopped and the sea began. It was breathtaking, until Antoine and Borat threw off their shirts and jumped off this manmade cliff into the angry sea below.
I was talked into it of course, being the only girl amongst a group of manly men, and it was so exhilarating! There was a ladder to get back up to land, but Antoine had to help me, because there was a very specific art-form and tide calculation to it. Still, this was the perfect way to introduce us to Marazul.

We were then shown the huge pool of the resort and spent hours playing there before heading back to the bungalow.

Back at the bungalow, we found that Val had made an early dinner – as they say rosé is water in the Canaries. I had both rosé and beer, to stay true to America but embrace my new French-ness. I, the American, was enlisted to open the bottle of rosé and much laughing ensued. She had also prepared tomatoes with mozzarella and it was just delicious and perfect in the heat. Another staple of the Canarias are these “petits poissons” called “boquerones” which are basically salty little fish. I was weary to try them because I don’t like anchovies, but once I did I was addicted. We put them on these crunchy garlic bread bites and it was simply to die for.

Our bungalow had a little pool and was so nice, so every night after dinner we’d cool off in our personal pool. Paradise found. We played a French game called “Mille Bornes”. Ironically I had actually played it with my friends in Tahoe one summer, so the American had some experience and I came in 2nd place!

The next day was Bastille Day – think of it as the French 4th of July. I was super excited about it, but to the French it seemed almost like another day. That is, until we went to dinner at a restaurant in which Val knew the owners and who were, of course, French. We had a wonderful cocktail hour, were given little French flag pins to pin on. My flag kept falling off and Lucien jokingly told me each time that it was because I was not a real French person, but I wore it with pride. When they stood for the French National Anthem I stood along with the rest of them. Everyone had a little too much to drink as more and more bottles of wine were brought to the table, and then we all went back to the bar for “Name that Tune”. I was on Val and Lucien’s team, and drunken Antoine went with all the older woman who just adored him. Val was quite competitive and told the bartender that I was American. Then, whenever he played an American song, she expected me to know it! It was a lot of pressure because the French don’t like the American music I know and love, they seem to be stuck in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s!! Still, it was a wonderful night. Vive la France!!

The next day we went to Playa del Ducque. It was beautiful, and I would compare it to a luxurious, European Hawaii. We got a little palm frond umbrella and beach beds with lovely cushions that you sunk into. Then all of us kids went into the water, that is, until Val forced Lucien and I out. She felt responsible for us and thought the waves were giant! Later we were joined by Odile, Fred and Victor; Antoine’s aunt, uncle and cousin. I was so happy to see them! I adore Odile, and we spent time talking and then all went to lunch for, you guessed it, more rosé. At one point drama hit when Borat’s mom felt sick and had to be taken home. Antoine helped Borat take her to the car, and then we lost Lucien! Val was understandably distraught, and Odile, Fred and I tore up the beach looking for him. But it turned out he was just on a phonecall with his girlfriend. What a relief!

The next day started early with a trip to a go-cart track. I’d never done a go-cart, and Odile and I were the only girls! Fred, Antoine, Borat and Victor joined us. It turned out to be pretty fun. Antoine stayed behind me the first few laps and then I waved him ahead. I didn’t realize that you’re not supposed to brake on the turns, so my time was more a nice drive in the countryside. It was hilarious afterwards when we got the times for each lap- I came in dead last, and on Antoine’s list you could see his time was longer than mine for the first few laps and then did at least 50% faster when he passed me up!! What a nice guy, and a fun outing!

The afternoon’s activity was a drive to Teide, the volcano on the island. We convoyed up, Antoine, Lucien and I in the little fiat and Borat, his girlfriend Solène (who’d arrived the previous night) and Catherine. It was mostly a trip for the scenic route,but we got out of the car for photo opps and mini hikes. It was a beautiful drive and a lot of fun.

That night we went out on the town, and boy was it eventful! Borat’s girlfriend Solène had joined us at this point, so I was thankfully no longer the only girl. We took a taxi to the best nightlife locale on the island – Las Veronicas. We first headed to a bar because Lucien is a minor and can’t go to clubs. He bought us all a round of jaeger shots and the night commenced. I bought the next round, and after some dancing we headed back out to try a new place. Borat and Solène ducked into a liquor store and surfaced with a bottle of rum, a bottle of Coke and cups. We went one block down from the main party street to these cliffs with the sea just below. We sat on the wall with our drinks and enjoyed the scenery. A creepy homeless man offered us Coke (cocaine this time) and so we moved down a bit on the wall. This change of location ended up being even worse, because we saw a woman down on the cliffs with her…gentleman friend. After they finished she brought down two other men and we did not want to be witness to Act II so we walked away. Ironically, at the last club we went to before closing, I saw that same lady in the bathroom!

The next day commenced with a jump of Ponton, no surprise there, and then a trip on a catamaran! Antoine was immediately picked out by the captain as the leader of our squad, as he was the most macho English speaker, and I heard them talking in hushed tones about how they were going to change the agenda of events because the sea was unusually rough. Val had brought anti-sea sick patches, and although I was skeptical at their effectiveness I slapped one on immediately. The captain sure wasn’t kidding! Antoine and I snagged the best seats on a cushion at the front of the boat, with all of our friends piled in behind us. The sea was coming over the edge and soaking me, so I asked Antoine if we could switch sides. At that moment a HUGE wave came as I was shifting sides and I was thrown into the cable partition that prevented me from falling clear out of the boat. Everyone came to check on me, captain included, and it was one of those horrible moments that the pain was so bad that I couldn’t speak and tears came down my face. My leg had a huge gash from the cable and was bleeding. Things calmed down a bit and I sat tightly wedged between Antoine and a pole, holding on for dear life. Unfortunately the rest of the day was dampered by that and when everyone else swam I sat drinking a beer to mask the pain on the boat.

 

Next up, Antoine and I had a date! Odile had insisted that Antoine and I have a whole day “en amoreux” which means “between loves”. She even financed the outing, and boy was I relieved! It was so nice to have time for just the two of us. Unfortunately my leg was still hurting pretty badly, but I sucked it up because I was so thrilled to have time for us. I told Antoine I wanted to do the beach and then shopping. On the beach, we stopped for ice cream cones at the place Antoine raved had the best ice cream he’s ever had. It did not disappoint! Later on the beach, during our long awaited date, we both fell asleep. Then we woke up and I forgot about my leg so we decided to go swimming but as soon as I stood I remembered and the pain made me fall down. So, our date was interrupted by a trip to the pharmacy. The pharmacist took one look and refused to help me, insisting I needed to visit a doctor. So, the date got even more romantic as Antoine took me to a Spanish doctor – Dr. Blanco – who spoke French and played translator. Luckily nothing was broken, just bone bruised, so she wrapped it up and sent us on our way.

We then went shopping, because nothing can keep me away from sales! The Canary islands apparently always have great sales, and I’d been looking forward to them for weeks. There, I bought this leather jacket in a coffee colored brown with buttery leather at Massimo Dutti, a Spanish brand that made me feel that much cooler buying it in Spain.

The next day was our last in the Canaries, and Antoine had one more outing up his sleeve. Borat, Solène, Lucien, Antoine and I piled into the car and went driving clear across the island to Loro Parque. Loro Parque is basically a huge zoo, and the nicest I’ve ever seen! We saw monkeys, fish, flamingos and really every animal imaginable! There were shows too, for dolphins and whales. I was the only one in the group to buy a poncho after the warning video during the whale show (the whales get a little excited and tend to splash half the pool on the audience), and was well pleased when Solène and Borat left the show drenched and I was dry to the bone!

My favorite attraction was of course the penguins. Penguins are my favorite animal, and at Loro Parque they have a people mover in front of this huge antarctic land with hundreds of tiny little penguins. Heaven on earth!

The afternoon took a turn for the worse in the shark tube (a people mover through a tube with sharks swimming over you). Antoine got a call and then came back to us stone-faced saying that his mom had fallen and broken her elbow and was at the hospital.

The afternoon was solemn, I personally was trying to do what I could to help everyone out. That evening we visited Val in the hospital and it was so sad! What an awful ending to a wonderful week. She had surgery the next day and missed her flight, and stayed behind 3 weeks in the Canaries for recovery. Luckily all went well.

We had an early flight the next morning, so we all decided to just stay up late and not sleep. We went to a hookah lounge downtown and had drinks and hookah for our last night.

All too soon it was time to go to the airport and leave Borat, Solène and Val behind. At the airport, at 5am, Antoine had the bright idea to get a bottle of wine. We were later than we thought for the flight so we all ended up chugging our glasses and were sufficiently tipsy for the boarding and flight. One thing is sure, we sure slept like rocks on the plane!

The Canary Islands are a beautiful place that I cannot wait to return to. They’re really a hidden Spanish gem, and I definitely prefer them over the rest of Spain I’ve explored.