Off to warmer climes
Very much goodbye rain, hello sun today, although it was sunset when we finally arrived in Lanzarote but I could still very much feel the sun had been active (as indeed I plan to be during our stay)
Set the tone for active before we even departed (to be fair the whole of the last month or two has been pretty active as I seek to bury the memories of Chicago) and negotiated the rain, mud and puddles to a parkrun near the Premier Inn we had booked to stay the night before our departure to Lanzarote.
In getting the main drive out of the way last night, we were able to remedy the various things we had forgotten with a couple of near closing time visits to supermarkets in / around Crawley, and feel that we were indeed ready for lift off, get a bit of sleep and not have to rush around before departure.
The parkrun so the various stats tell me is my 101st different one and starts with an I, these are important facts for the community. The course, which is more of an important fact for me, was narrow, lots of double backs, with lots of puddles, and I never really got going. I did however chat to a Swansea Jack at the end who was stopping off having flown in from Mexico, so doing the parkrun / flight thing in reverse. I jogged back to the hotel as soon as I had finished for an extra kilometre and to get showered and packed so Chrissi could do the same on her return and we were on the road to the airport quick smart.
We decided to park off airport this time, and a 10 minute shuttle bus had us relatively near Gatwick South terminal and we were able to use our fast track check in privileges to shoot through in no time, and be huddled up airside with a window view of da planes, da planes in the Executive Lounge. Love a bit of plane spotting!
A chance to break a duck and start to plan the week ahead! First drink of 2026 was a bloody mary, followed by a civilised glass or two of wine as I took a look at the buffet - fruit, some sort of pie/bhaji medley, and cake was the food I went for, and a bag of crisps, for some reason. Called up my folks and took the first advice of things to see in Lanzarote from my mate Tom. A spoon in concrete his recommendation, which on further exploration has fallen significantly down the list, and is on the other side of the Island to us!
An alert the plane was boarding took us away from our peaceful haven but just a short walk to the gate, and then eventually onto the flight. Never have I seen such an extended business class on a short haul flight. About 14 rows, almost half the plane! Didn't detract from the service or space, and perhaps talks to the deal I had found, plus I guess if people are not going charter to the Canaries, then they are likely to pay the bit more and the bit more for a bit of luxury with BA. I always am happy to do that in most circumstances these days, a throwback to the travel of yesteryear.
The almost 4 hour flight did mean we could avail ourselves fully of the service and enjoy the comfort, as well as start to plan the week ahead. Got out the Lanzarote Lonely Planet and took a look at some of the must sees, volcanic islands and landscape, some water based wonders, and the old market towns now all on the list, but we are taking this one day by day and looking for a rest too, so all sensible suggestions in the comments below!
Fair play to BA cabin crew, served up champagne, G and T, good snacks and I had a light charcuterie selection to see me through after the larger dinner in the lounge! Soon, still light, we were descending into Lanzarote, the conical peaks catching my attention on landing.
Out into the dusk, still warmish, what a lovely contrast to home, and across the tarmac into the queue. Obviously we were in the Brexit chaos queue, enhanced by some odd tech issues, so took a bit longer, a few tempers frayed and odd pushy behaviours that I had to call out by the entitled, especially the guy who pushed past me to find out what was going on at one point, interesting encounter, lets say I won on points. My mood quite good as bantering with Bryn about fantasy football on the family chat.
And then into the real post airport world and a taxi to our airbnb in Costa Teguise, not the heart of culture, but a good deal and the idea is a little bolt hole away from home for reasons that will become more apparent throughout the trip. Gated community that is very secure as we found trying to get in and locate the property, even the taxi driver not sure, but with video support from host, all got there in the end, and a nice little appartment, our home for next few days.
Took a late evening stroll to find the local cafes, bars and supermarkets, aswell as the boardwallk, so all research done for tomorrows likely rest day and stay local with a bit of running and sport and lazing around. Very quiet, almost residential streets around us and just a few people taking a walk along the coast, which was placid and mellow and immediately feeling relaxed. With our provisions as the supermaket closed at 10 we had a little balcony time as the evening now getting late, and clubbing not on the agenda, so it was reflection, planning and sleep.
Well, what to say - envious, yep!! Looks lovely and interesting reading the 'before' you got there - so enjoy as I can feel there is lots to do there. Much love from us, mnd, xxx
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear we are in for another blog on that lovely island, which brings back teenage memories for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm old enough to be of the generation where School Cruises were a thing (a long time ago) and Lanzarote was one of the destinations on our Cruise on the SS Nevasa - I didn't say it was a luxury cruise!!
The Nevasa was a converted troopship, built in the 50s to take troops to the Far-East in the days when very few people flew places and before Malaya became Malaysia - it had been involved in the Suez debacle too.
By the time we were on it in the 70s it was showing its age - but the places to which it took us seemed like an amazing dream, so I have no complaints.
Lanzarote was one of my favourite ports of that trip. The island still sparsely populated in that period, and there were even some roaming wild dogs, which give the islands their latin name - - Canariae Insulae, the islands of dogs!
You seem to have found a nice quiet bit of the island, so I hope you have a good mix of relaxing and exercising. I look forward to the rest of the daily updates.
Chrissi knew it was dogs not canaries, but everyday a school day for me. Now onto your school days though, where did you go, where cruises were on the agenda? I think a trip to London to watch Wind in the Willows was all I was offered, and that was cancelled due to fears of the I.R.A at the time! That said, healthy and safety and risk assessment make them all a little more sensible these days, and your ship would have passed most tests I guess. But so exciting with you living to tell the tale and all!
DeleteThe Nevasa did different trips around the Med and into the Atlantic - the school block booked a slot for 40 odd kids and we were joined on board by children from other schools from across the country. Our boat even had a Catholic Chaplin so we could go to Mass at sea on the Sunday.
DeleteI remember my parents dropping me off into town where a David Isaac's bus took us from a dismal wet Swansea down to Southampton where we boarded the Nevasa.
The route was across the Bay of Biscay with stops in Funchal (Maderia), Santa Cruz (Tenerife), Arrecife (Lanzarote) and Casablanca (as it was then, now Ad-Dār al-Bayḍā, Morocco).
We would normally have a tour by bus in the mornings and then be free in the afternoon. On 'sea days' we would have lessons about our next location and 'clubs' which might involve photography, or running a ship's newsletter (which got printed each day) or language learning or other activities. It was educational.
I remember tasting to much of the namesake fortified wine and not enough of the namesake cake in Madeira.
I loved the wild ruggedness of Lanzarote and found that Lanzarote castellano pronounced the z in its name very differently from the mainland version of the language we were learning in school. More like zee less like th.
Casablanca was somewhat exciting, some of the girls in our group, all - as girls seem to - looking about four years older than the boys in our mid-teens, were being encouraged to offer their services to the local Arab gentlemen for fine clothes and trinkets. When some of the boat's crew - Indian guys (as most of them were) - came to warn the girls off, the Arab gentlemen wielded quite exotic looking - but sharp - scimitars while screeching to the Indian guys to 'get away from these fine ladies you damn coolies' - which was clearly not a term of respect!!
We all scurried away from the sook and onto the docks where the locals turned away and left us and the girls too it.
I learnt that I'm a good sailor (which I would have hoped having joined the Sea Scouts by then!), so as we were going over the bay of biscay in a heavy gale I was one of only about 20 of the 1,000 children on the boat who regularly turned up for meals - as most of the others where bring the food up from, rather than down into, their stomachs as the boat lurched. It meant those of us who were well were given, seconds and thirds and sometimes fourths of what was on offer - and I was a greedy kid when it came to food. (Not much changed over the years I hear the two of you say 😂)
You've clearly inspired a whole set of ancient memories for me, thanks.
that is so evocative Haydn, a real boys own story the way you tell it with the schooling and the exploring.. feels like those adventure books I read back in my own school days, with maybe a hint of Indiana Jones / Popeye the Sailor man for good measure :) It is clear though that your love of travel was in the blood from an early age, loved reading this trip down memory lane, what school were you in then? St Josephs, Bishop Vaughan?
DeleteHi Lloyd,
DeleteIt was Bishop Vaughan - I was trying to remember if it was in my second or third year. I suspect third (71-72) as we didn't start learning Spanish until that year, so I wouldn't have picked up on the difference in the pronunciation of Lanzarote.
The Spanish teacher (Viv Jones) was one of those who travelled with us. He and my Dad had played soccer against each other in their youth! (What odd things the memory comes up with when pressed.)
I didn't go to St Joseph's I was in St David's in the town centre before moving up to Bishop Vaughan, though St Illtyd's was the nearest Catholic primary school to us, it was two bus journeys from Winch Wen whereas the number 80 went almost door to door to St David's.
My grandparents lived next to the Vetch (Madoc St), so I even got to go to their place in lunch break, which was great.