Gran Canaria... a trip that wasn't exactly thrilling (page 4 of 6)

I guess a lot of us are waiting for the rest 😎 It's true that publishing a travel journal takes a lot of time (even without bugs).

I managed to post the rest without any bugs. 🙂

I had specified landscapes as a point of view.😉

Morocco is disorienting in terms of its people.

The Canary Islands' landscapes can resemble those of the Altiplano, and the volcanic aspect doesn't exist anywhere else in Europe with such intensity (except in Iceland, but the effect isn't the same). The vast sandy expanses are very present in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.

Like your partner, I had some strong preconceptions about these islands. We mostly see them in travel agency catalogs or websites as all-inclusive destinations, which doesn’t do them justice.

I’d much rather return to the Canary Islands than to Mauritius, the Dominican Republic, Puglia, or the USA...

It was also tough to post yesterday. 🤪 Luckily, after refreshing the page a bunch of times, everything came back.

I write elsewhere and copy-paste.

For photos, I resize the ones I’ve selected. I noticed they upload better when they’re not too heavy. Plus, it’s way quicker to download.

I managed to post the next part without any bugs. 🙂

I'll go read that [;]

I write elsewhere and then copy-paste.

That’s what I did too, for the first time. It saves time (especially when it crashes).

For photos, I resize the ones I’ve selected.

I haven’t tried that yet... But on Myatlas, the download is almost instant—I don’t know why there’s such a speed difference (though I’m no tech expert ).

Anyway, I’ll give it another shot (after reading the rest of Carmen’s travel journal 😉).

Wednesday 01/04: Our trip is coming to an end—it’s our last full day. What should we do?

Between disappointing sites and endless trips, we’re not really sure—or rather, we’re not really feeling it. On top of that, the calima is still around, though much less dense. Why not head toward Fataga (I’d also considered staying there)? Oh, right—there’s a hike nearby, starting from the Arteara archaeological site. Two birds with one stone!

The interpretation center (which it’s also recommended to visit before the marked trail to better understand what you’re seeing) only opens at 10 a.m. At least, that’s what’s written on the sign at the entrance with the prices. Sure enough, everything’s closed (it’s 9:50). So let’s start with the hike, which goes down to the left outside the site and loops back through it after about ten kilometers. We reach a river… and are stopped in our tracks!



The ford turns out to be really tricky because of the water level (darn Thérèse!). Maybe it’s possible to jump over the river between two rocks… but I’m not feeling it. Back we go—hopefully the site will be open by now.

No such luck: everything’s still closed and even looks abandoned (can’t read the trail signs—they’re faded and completely white). Since we’re here, let’s go to the viewpoint for a view of the “palm valley.”



It *is* a pretty view—probably even prettier when the air is clear 😊

Huh! Less hazy with the phone 😎



We head back via the trail with the unreadable signs,



until we reach the “Arteara wall” (thankfully, that was the only readable sign—otherwise, I’d never have found this wall 🤪).

Back home. On the way, we consider visiting Fataga… but after all these setbacks, we’re too tired and give up (apparently a mistake, judging by Agnès’s travel journal).

The upside: same as yesterday—it’s not cold 😎 Sorry, *upsides*—because the direct road, which was blocked the previous days, has just reopened 🙂

Thursday 02/04: Our flight’s at 2:40 p.m., so we’re in no rush.

We *would* have had plenty of time to drive back to La Fortaleza (it’s on the way to the airport), since today the sky’s almost clear… But I think the “activity-planning” part of my brain has short-circuited—we only thought of it when we stopped at the viewpoint to take a photo of the fortress in the sun. Too late, no time to go back!





No stress at the airport—we’re early.

At Cicar, we drop off the keys and leave right away. Couldn’t be simpler! 🙂 The plane takes off on time… but will arrive a bit late due to headwinds (probably the same ones that brought the calima 😠!).

I don’t think you’ll ever thank Thérèse. 🤪

Me neither, for that matter...

What’s Gran Canaria like in the sun? We’ll never know! (Well, at least I don’t really want to go back.)

I’ll post a full review tomorrow. It’s clear Thérèse didn’t help... but even without Thérèse, I don’t think I’d have fallen in love with it.

A little wrap-up to finish this travel journal... Mixed feelings, as you’ve probably gathered.

The - (starting with these, to end on a positive note 😊): - The weather, obviously. Personally, a completely grey sky can ruin my holiday (among other things because the photos will be awful), rain even more so, and almost all our planned activities were outdoors—and on top of that, I hate the cold. Storm Thérèse, followed by the calima, didn’t exactly spoil us in that regard. P.S: I’ll ask my travel buddy if she took any photos of the grim weather to back me up ;).

- On top of that, the storm had consequences for the road network, causing detours and therefore longer travel times on already lengthy journeys. Because yes, as soon as you leave the coastal roads, it takes nearly 20 minutes to cover 10 km! I don’t remember ever winding around so much on mountain roads, no matter where I’ve been! It’s non-stop twists and turns!

- The sites we visited: many were closed (not necessarily because of the storm, and often with no information about it), others poorly or badly signposted, and the ones we did see didn’t strike us as exceptional and left us rather disappointed. That said, the landscapes are still exotic, especially if you’ve never been to the Canary Islands before.

- The food: it’s not really a negative point—we never ate badly—but the dishes were pretty bland, though always filling (we didn’t go to any gourmet restaurants either).

- Maybe a few downsides on our part: heading to the south coast on a weekend, the confusion over access to Barranco de las Vacas… but I’m not sure it would’ve changed the overall impression much.

The + (there are a few, after all ;)): - The hike to Roque Nublo (done in ideal conditions, even if unintentionally)—without a doubt the highlight of the trip.

- The azulejos of Veneguera (especially since going earlier might mean fewer crowds for hiking, I think).

- The historic centers of the small towns we visited.

- And even though the weather wasn’t great, it was still warmer than back home at the same time of year. We had 4 very sunny days (from Friday to Monday) and a few nice half-days (but you had to pick the right spot to go ).

The impression you’re left with after a trip comes from many factors, and in this case, the chemistry just didn’t work.

Conclusion (and even if this doesn’t protect us from climate or volcanic surprises), if we ever go back to the Canary Islands, it’ll probably be for the other option we considered this year: a combo of Tenerife and (most likely) La Palma (… unless Agnès gives me an irresistible urge to visit El Hierro instead ;))... and definitely not in March!

But as far as I’m concerned, with time, the bad memories of trips tend to fade, and only (almost) the good ones remain… so… :)

Thanks Muriel, it’s still nice of you to have summed up your trip despite mixed feelings 🙂 But... ??? You didn’t visit Las Palmas? 😮 I’m so surprised that I quickly went back through your travel journal from the start, thinking I’d missed a post! I really liked that city—it’s unique while still reminding me of the vibe of coastal cities like Barcelona or Valencia. And when the weather isn’t great, that’s the perfect time to explore!

The weather can really make or break a trip, especially in these southern European regions known for their mild climate year-round. If it rains in Ireland, you adapt. But these days, you’ve got to expect anything... I went there at the end of October: blue-sky storms and 25°C for 15 days—it makes all the difference 😉

But... ??? You didn’t visit the city of Las Palmas?

We hesitated... and almost went there on the day we arrived instead of the botanical garden since it was closed (I’d read that you liked it).

Agaete was the closest, but we didn’t stay long, and in the end, the days were filled with other things (except for the last afternoon, but it was raining *way* too hard—we couldn’t see a thing with the downpour).

Then, from Tejeda, with the roads closed, it felt *really* far (and long)... and after that, we just didn’t think about it anymore.

I admit that, generally, I don’t like cities (villages, yes), and when I have to make choices and cut visits due to lack of time, those are the first things I drop. After reading Agnès’s impressions, I don’t really regret it.

I went to Ireland at the end of October: storms of blue skies and 25°C for 15 days—it changes everything.

And you didn’t keep a travel journal??? () I’ve often thought about Ireland because the landscapes look amazing, but I always ended up backing out because of the unpredictable weather... but in the end, it might’ve been *way* better than the Canaries! 😎

I went to Ireland at the end of October: storms of blue skies and 25°C for 15 days—it changes everything 😉

And you didn’t keep a travel journal??? ()

I don’t know how my sentence got so messed up I said: If it rains in Ireland, we adapt. Meaning, it’s normal for it to rain in Ireland! No journal, the trip was a while ago and I didn’t know about VF back then 😉

I thought (wrongly) that you’d gone there last October 😉

Hi Muriel,

First of all, THANK YOU for overcoming the disappointment and sharing this "winding travel journal" with us. 😏

We have a friend who’s a huge fan of the Canary Islands in winter, and she keeps her travel journals on the "other" forum. She’s given us pretty favorable impressions of these islands (especially her last trip to La Palma), but she’s never had your bad luck with the weather....

You’re already incredibly lucky to have a direct flight near you—think of that as a huge advantage. I gave up on going to these islands because of that very reason...!!!

Good luck with the preparations for your next trip... to the Canary Islands, Ireland, Corsica, or even southern Tanzania!!! 😉

Best,

Puma2A

...

Thanks Alain for following this travel journal 🙂.

The Canary Islands do indeed have mild winters... with a few exceptions 😏

You’re already super lucky to have a direct flight so close to home:

We’ve got the choice between Brussels and Paris as nearby airports (Lille too, but not many destinations and often way more expensive). It’s true that’s really nice!

Next destinations: Puglia in about 3 weeks, then South Africa in October 😎

Thanks Muriel for your review. It’s true that your experience doesn’t really make you want to go there. But I think without all the setbacks from road and site closures, the review would’ve been different.

Have you visited other islands—Tenerife, Lanzarote, etc.? If so, which one’s your favorite?

Thanks Carmen for reading my post.

I went to Tenerife and Lanzarote and really loved Tenerife (especially the whole Teide area, but I also found the landscapes much more varied than in Gran Canaria). The weather had been better (not hard to beat ) but maybe the fact that it was the first Canary Island I visited played a part too.

Thanks Muriel for your travel journal 🙂 I don’t know the Canary Islands, and based on your feedback, I’d pick another island. I think it’s great to have mixed reviews too. That’s travel for you—it’s not always perfect. And I’m like you: in the end, it’s usually the good memories that win out over the rest

Thanks, Muriel, for this feedback 😊. Yeah, you really didn’t have much luck with the weather—it totally messed up your trip 😢. It’s true that’s such an important factor 😊

"If the Canary Islands attract millions of tourists every year and have done for so long, there must be a good reason."

I totally agree with you, Marie... but that's exactly why my husband doesn’t want to go there 😄.

But I’ll drag him there one day, when we’re older and tired of traveling far 😉.

Thanks, Muriel, for your feedback anyway.

Really, there are destinations I absolutely want to see, others I wouldn’t go to for anything in the world, and the Canary Islands are right in the middle! I can’t make up my mind from afar. I’ll only know if it’s for us once we’ve been there 😉.

Happy planning for Puglia 🤗!

Christelle