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Grand Canary Ben flew over a day early to scope out the island, and Marc and I arrived on Saturday afternoon after connecting through Madrid and Barcelona. The flying experience was our first exposure to the "relaxed" way of life in Spain. Our connection from Madrid to Barcelona was delayed 4 hours, and the crew announced in the waiting area that the pilots were most likely watching the world cup game. They would not let us stand by on one of the 80 other flights to Barcelona because that would have required some sort of effort on their part. Once we arrived in Barcelona I had to run between airlines until I finally got us on the last flight to the Canaries. The entire country is run with the efficiency of a three legged donkey. Nice if you want to sit around: infuriating if you need to get anything done. After picking us up at the airport, Ben took us to the southern part of the island to our resort, Anfi del Mar. We spent our days by the pool, lounging in the sun and preparing for the nights around town. We also had the chance to take several excursions on the island. The majority of the island tour operator's are from other European countries, and you really get the sense that they are running from the law. We went on a fishing trip that would prove to be on of the most miserable experiences of my life. I was fine while the boat was moving, but became violently ill as soon as we stopped. Luckily we were only stopped for 3 hours, and I was able to vomit to the smooth sounds of "Queen's Greatest Hits" played at full volume on an endless loop. The ship's captain knew two words in English - shit and fish - yet he was able to masterfully combine them into complex sentences that flowed smoothly and really conveyed the depth of his personality. He also had three teeth. The fishing was successful though as Marc hauled in a sting ray and Ben caught a 150 lb. gefilte fish. The dive master had a far larger vocabulary, but a really spotty personality. Ben and I dove while Marc stayed on shore, and Marc was actually worried that the guy was going to attack us underwater. The fact that he dove with 4 spear guns and some depth charges worried me as well, but I thought it was just a cultural thing. We had to wear wet suits as the Canaries are in the middle of the Atlantic off the coast of Africa, and the currents bring down extremely cold water from the north. We were shivering like Sigfried and Roy at a Menudo concert as we left the water, but we were able to see a good number of fish. Maspalomas had the most amazing dunes that I have ever seen. You would emerge from the trees at the edge of the sand, and the ocean was literally hundreds of yards away across the dunes. If you could avoid the throngs of old naked men, the beach was very enjoyable. Grand Canary is a volcanic island, and we ventured to the top one afternoon. It was foggy and 50 degrees at the top. Grand Canary is a unique place. The weather is beautiful, and the climate is varied. The nightlife is fairly young (17-22) so we felt a little out of place as Marc was usually twice everyone's age. The food on the island is miserable, and it is surprisingly difficult to find good seafood. The Canaries is the Caribbean of Europe, and is a great place to take a relaxing vacation. We geared up for some more standard European tourism as we headed to Barcelona... |
