Off on my bike : Gran Canaria

Playa de las Canteras.

It's a long boat journey to Las Palmas, but only a short ride from the dock to my hotel on La Isleta - seems a bohemian area, sounds of jazz waft up to the hotel's rooftop terrace.  This is clearly a big city, a friend has recommended his sister in law's restaurant in the centre and it's fully four miles away, well, a chance to see the place.  I walk through squares lined with cafes, past a big complex of open air pools, along a section of main road by the sea, then into streets of shops and stylish but cheap eateries.  One such is my destination, but sadly they're full, and indeed shut tomorrow, and the owner isn't even here.  Oops, ah well, plenty more to choose from.

In the park.

Plan is to bar crawl back to the hotel, I head inland a bit to avoid the main road, and oh my god, this has to be the seediest neighborhood I've ever seen and that's saying something.  I will spare you the gruesome details, let's just say I get out of there quickly.  I do find a beer in one of those plazas, keep heading towards the hotel but get caught up in a big crowd heading for the other side of the narrow spit of land joining La Isleta to the city proper.  Turns out they are going to the massive beach party happening this evening - partly an annual Spanish festival in honour of John the Baptist, but of special significance here as it's also the anniversary of the founding of Las Palmas.  People are wading into the sea, there's a band, and at midnight an excellent firework display... can't fault my timing.

Casa de Colón.  We should call him Colon in English too.

I have a free day, and just sight seeing in Las Palmas is easily enough to use it up, I wander around various parks, including one that used to be home to the local football club, then into the old town.  Plenty of interest here, many old buildings in the traditional Canarian style, including a substantial cathedral.  I have a good wander around the Christopher Columbus museum, then back to the beach, all quiet today, still I manage to find some dinner.  Early boat next morning, which turns into a bit of a panic, Las Palmas has many docks, I head to the one my map has the ferry going from but it's wrong, they tell me I want the Nelson Mandela dock.  Of course it is as far away as it could be, I pedal along frantically, reaching it thirty minutes before the departure time - and no boat is there, this is wrong too, aargh.  OK, a chap here tells me a third dock to try, and thank goodness, ten minutes later I'm there and so is the boat, off to Tenerife then.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.