Lanzarote was just that -- my, no OUR, great escape. Timing was spot on with me loosing my job on the Thursday before we were supposed to get away. No change of plans, we went and it was the best and only thing we could and should have done. But Lady Luck still wasn't on my side... I've already covered the demise of the main TV in the house which was written off by the insurance / warranty company with them sending us a vocher to purchase a replacement which we then couldn't get until today (bought on 24/6 and we collected from local store 8/7).
Well we get to Puerto del Carmen and 2 days in my camera packs up, finito, dead! No problem, I just have to share Suzie's with her. Then with 3 days to go my mobile phone dies, and that is a problem because all the job agencies, all my contacts have that number, friends, family, everybody. I keep swapping my SIM card in and out of Suzie's phone but it's not the answer and it wasn't working so I just waited until I got home where I (fortunately) have a spare (thanks Trinity).
So what of Lanzarote? Brilliant! For a 7 - 10 day break it's just the ticket. Lots of sun, sometimes cloudy, often breezy and frequently very windy. I didn't use sun cream/screen once and have come home with a lovely tan got by just spending time in the shade and being sensible about exposing my (too large) body to the direct sun. While there we ate well with 2 course meals costing beteen 90 - 125 Euros a time (for 6 people) but mostly between 90 - 100 Euros (including drinks). Mostly we had one meal a day as a group, usually in the evening, but, Andy & Emma often had a full English breakfast (at under 3 Euros a head) and Mark & Eleanor snacking cheaply as only university students know how to.
While there we took an excursion called "The Southern Tour" which was interesting and got us up into the Volcanic National Park. Nicely paced with several stops and never long on the air conditioned bus spoilt only by the typical commercially arranged syop at a winery, where wine tasting was arranged with the sweet wine being like liquid sugar and the dry wine strong enough to be used as paint stripper. We hired a car for a day, which with 6 adults had to be an MPV. Luckily we got a Opel Zaffira 1.8 which was only 7,500kms old and we drove up to Orsla on the northern most point of the island, had a mid-day meal and then back down the East coast stopping at the Caves of Verde (Green caves). After stopping back at the appartment to freshen up we then drove down to Playa Blanca and spent the evening there, returning to the appartment late that night. We certainly made the most of our day with wheels and the Zaffira impressed with just how easily it coped with 6 adults wanting to tour for a day. If there was any criticism then it can only be of the big gap between 2nd and 3rd gear in the gearbox which meant using 2nd gear more than I would have liked.
Mostly we walked everywhere. Up and down the strip, down to the harour, round the coast walk back towards our appartment. Every day started with a trip down "heart attack hill" and ended with the return trip back up. Sometimes we did that hill 3 or 4 times each way in the day. We should have lost some weight but because of the quality (and quantity) of the food that didn't happen, and I think we have all put on a few pounds (well I have anyway).
Flights both ways were no trouble. Such a shame that we have to turn up 3 hours before departure in the UK. If the rest of Europe can do all the checks in 2 hours why can't we here in the UK? So we got home at 3am this morning and having slept most of the 3.5 hours trip home I was up at 8am and started doing the laundry, most of which is now done.
Today Mark had an interview and got himself a holiday job, six weeks full time work at the local sports centre. That should help float his bank account ready for his next term at university.
Normality returns tomorrow. Suzie goes back to work and I start pushing to find that job that I both want and need, but, at least I start with a clear head. Thank you Lanzarote!
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