Gran Canaria!

We spent the evening before our flight to Gran Canaria in the city of Barcelona with our very good friends Maria and Juan.

They gave us a quick tour of the centre of the city which was all lit up and looked amazing.

We visited the former cathedral...

...and had a splendid meal in a lovely restaurant with them...

...before making our way back to the hotel. A wonderful start to the holiday!

The sunrises were quite stunning and each morning I took a few shots. 

Every sunrise, and sunset, is different!

Lunch each day was a fairly simple affair but we always had a good view to go with it!

It would be nice to say to people who ask what we did on holiday to reply, 'nothing, we had a holiday', but we did venture to the centre of the island on one occasion.

The scenery as always is quite stunning...

...and the almond trees were already in blossom.

A relaxing cup of tea in the Parador at the 'Cruz de Tejeda' at the highest point where it was cold, wet and windy!

Another day we had a walk into town and along the sea front.

An amazing 'sand sculpture' which we saw on the beach when we visited the market at Puerto Mogán.

And so to the shots of the sunsets...

...and the moon.

What a fantastic holiday! Can't wait to go back next January!

Holiday in Gran Canaria!

The first part of our holiday was in the Parador at Cruz de Tejeda which is in the centre of the island at around 1,500 metres above sea level.

Click on any image to see it full size.

The view from our room was incredible with the Roque Bentayga being very prominent at 1,414 metres.


In the photo below, taken at sunset, Pico del Teide on Tenerife can be seen above the cloud to the right.

There were some dramatic sunsets.

The pueblo of Tejede is peaceful and tranquil at this time of the year. Even at this altitude they can still grow oranges.


Evenings in the Parador were spent in the lounge in front of the fire.


Another attraction of the Parador is the spa which we had all to ourselves one morning.


The menu in the Parador was well worth exploring - in this dish I had 55 caracoles. Delicious!


Not in the Parador but in a restaurant nearby - clearly not popular vintages.


Driving around the centre of the island you were never far away from known landmarks even though the drive had taken a long time - there are no straight roads in this region.

Cactus thrives at lower altitudes...

...as do the local colourful weeds.

There are breathtaking views all around the island.

The second part of the holiday was at Puerto Rico very close to where we stayed last year but a little higher up the hill. Below is the view from our terrace.

Around the grounds of the hotel, the gardens were set out neatly...

...with lots of colourful bougainvillea...

...and lots of palms and cacti.

One day we visited Palmitos Park and saw all the animals and plants we saw last year but this year we also saw the dolphins which have just been introduced. Click HERE to see the video on YouTube.

We also saw the exotic birds and birds of prey shows. To see edited highlights of both shows, click HERE. After the show with the birds of prey there was a photo opportunity with an eagle!

The cacti were splendid...

...as were the birds...

...and butterflies.

Another show we had to visit was the parrot show - great fun. To see the edited highlights, click HERE.

Another day we visited Maspolomas...

...and saw the famous dunes.

A brilliant holiday. We've already booked for next year!