Blogs from Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain, Europe - page 3

Birthday weekend in the mountains for Hayden. We rented a cabin on Mountain Negro. About a 30min drive into the center of the island. After some road closures and a nail-biting turn around on a very steep mountain hillside, we finally made it to Teror for lunch. A quaint little city with tons of character ..pretty much every city on the island. We had a snack at one of the restaurants and some Pappas arrugadas (Canarian potatoes) before taking a tour of the town and looking for some groceries for the weekend. We found a great little waffle shop our way out that we decided to celebrate with candles and all for Hayden, as we were not able to find the groceries we had hoped to find for his birthday dessert and breakfast. Back on the ... read more

The weather has been spectacular the past few days. Not unheard of in February, but definitely a bonus for me! Hayden, on the other hand, would prefer rain and cold...or SNOW! Which I hear is still coming down in Canada :) Saturday we finally talked Hayden into a surf lesson with Sarah. He was a good sport and managed to get up a few times. Seeing as it is their winter season, the wind is much stronger this time of year, and that makes for more waves. The waves are short and fast, so it also means a lot more work on the surfers part. Hayden says it was enjoyable for the 2 min he actually got up, and it was more work than he thought. Sarah did MUY BIEN, but she too is not as ... read more

It's been a while since my last entry, I guess I have been busy, but mostly just life. I will try and keep it short.... So what have we been doing for the past 4 weeks? Well let's see..... We completed our intensive Spanish Lessons (except Lindsay she is returning for another month of sessions). I think we learned a lot, how to ask questions, order food, return something...all the basics needed when out shopping or at a restaurant. We learned more grammar but that is all out the window now for me. We try to speak what we can, but find most of the time locals just try and figure out English for you instead. Sarah has continued at her surf lessons. She leveled up and now gets to hit the bigger waves. She has ... read more

Surf lessons...working out....coworking.....yoga....and lots of walking about sums up the week. Sean and I have started to settle into our daily routines here. Sean gets up around 6 and heads to beach for his early morning workouts ( they have a great set of work out apparatus for pull ups , core and dips ) so we joke he is working on his Prison workout physique. He gets back just in time for Sarah and then eventually me waking up getting ready to start our day. He typically trades until 11:30 or so and then gets ready for the day- which as of now has been walks on the beach and working on the gym stuff in the afternoons. Sarah gets up pretty early (not sure why) but I think typically she tries to play some ... read more

Las Palmas 16th June Gran Canaria is (another) volcanic island with deep valleys, volcanic cones and a picturesque landscape. The main city and heart is the port and capital Las Palmas, we were here back in 2004 and could not recall what wedid!!!! Must be old age setting in. Gran Canaria is one of the most popular islands in the Canaries, mainly because of sandy beaches, the landscape is probably less dramatic than its neighbours such as Tenerife and Lanzarote but its place in history is right up there!! Pause for history lesson. Originally the islands were the thought to be the last vestiges of Atlantis but recent discoveries suggest that they have been inhabited since the Bronze Age. The original inhabitants were the Guanches, a native race who for years resisted the Spanish from conquering ... read more