Carnival

 

A fun run in the sun was the start of the day, they don't have parkrun out here, but they do have a sun run. Same distance, 5 euros to charity, and a comprehensive warm up both formal and informal. Informal was my 1.5 mile jog to the start, formal was a bit of 80s style stretching with TVAM Lizzie / Green Goddess of Lanzarote.

Being a bit of tight arse I did feel as I paid I should make a bit of an effort, so gave it a good go on the outbound which was flat to undulating, and then got collared for about half a mile on the inbound by an offshore breeze that almost ground the running to a halt. That been said, under 23 mins which is as good as it gets for me at the minute, and a nice bit of parkrun style banter afterwards with some of the other runners, almost all appeared to be from the UK.

Chrissi chose to run solo and I met her afterwards around where my run ended. This was in the heart of the tourist bit of Costa Teguise, not an area we have spent much time in, but had a quiet coffee and toast in the Cutty Sark pub, very much Brits abroad central, but not too garish at that time in the morning. Indeed it was local liveliness that was to be the eye opener later in the day.

We walked back slowly to the appartments, and had a final swim, although wasn't in for long. The wind had picked up so it felt cold to take a dip, and my heart wasn't really in it today.  Now, will Caldicot or Newport baths be any more appealing when we hit home?

The wind had put pay to an end of holiday idea I had for a boat trip, but with an unnecessary early start tomorrow ( to get to the airport) it may have been for the best that the wind put pay to that idea. So instead we found a cheaper alternative and boarded the bus to Arrecife to take a look at its fairly established carnival.  Built on some quite established return of the fisher folk with a nod to religion it has clearly evolved.

Pleased to find a modern version of something that appears to have been a feature over the centuries but felt a celebration of family and diversity, yes you can have both! (although not under Franco apparently)  Latin music definitely a communal and camp feel, but the rhythm and dance definitely enlivened the streets, and the costumes quite extraordinary.  It felt like the whole town was moving from square to square to sample a different bit of latin dancing or eat some streetfood (grabbed a pulled pork empanada, Chrissi a bit of olive focaccia), drink some beer. (had a coke!)

Before hitting the main parts of Arrecife (which pretty much co-incided with the same area we had cycled through a few days ago, along the coast, or just inland) we had walked down through town from the bus station. What I will say about this part of Arrecife is nothing to write home about, grimy suburbs, narrow streets, run down buildings. It doesn't feel a particularly historic city and being in the middle of a port and airport sandwich means that the tasty filling is quite thinly spread across the coast.

We returned to a favourite spot in the marina from earlier in the week, grabbed a cake and coffee and watched the dress up continue, thinking of some our friends at home who would have loved this. Turns out at least two of them were carnivaling in a different part of Spain so it does appear to be a cross nation kind of thing.  Eventually we left the party folk to it, who knows what happens after dark, and we wound our way back to the bus stop, waited a while and took the short hop back to Costa Teguise. All very familiar now, but time to pack up and prepare for a colder type of familiarity.

One last walk into Playa Bastien and another curry and even a beer tonight. All bets off for the last night as various food and drink that live firmly on the 'banned' list in the UK were a treat on holiday, so guzzled a chicken madras and had a couple of san miguel, my only beer on the holiday, but it turns out there have been a 'moderate' couple of drinks every night.  Didn't manage to break that habit.  Chrissi and I shared some thoughts on the great food and sights we have leisurely sampled over the last week or so, the pace has been good, never felt rushed, we may not have seen it all, but rested mentally if not physcially.