Spain travel

10 Reasons Gran Canaria is a Magical Experience

September 26, 2014 by Cat Gaa · 17 Comments

I’m pleased to bring on a guest post for the first time in ages. Like me, Sven fell in love with Spain a decade ago, and has been residing on Gran Canaria ever since. I’ve written about the islands a few times, but hear this local out – there’s a lot more to Gran Canaria than you’d think!

Maybe you’re already thinking about Gran Canaria for your next holidays? Or you just want to find out more about this beautiful island, not so far from Africa.

After all, there must be something special to attract over 3 million tourists every year, many of whom return time and time again.

In fact, this unique destination has so many unexpected charms they’re too numerous to mention, but here are ten of them:

1. You can walk through the Sahara without being in the Sahara

The Canary Islands are quite close to Africa – about 140km of ocean separate Lanzarote and the Western Sahara.

The unique climate conditions in the Canaries carries in a few thousands of years tons of Sahara sand to the Canary Islands in the air, and the most stunning result of this phenomenon are the Dunas de Maspalomas.

Follow the shore from the south point in Meloneras until you reach Playa del Inglés. You get an extraordinary feeling of how it feels to be in the Sahara on 12km of natural dunes without the heat.

The Dunas de Maspalomas is one of the most visited places in the Canaries.

2. Feel like heaven in Gran Canaria’s alpine world

The highest peak of the island of Gran Canaria, known as El Mar de Nubes, is Roque Nublo.

You get a similar feeling when you’re sitting in a plane, as you’ll see nothing else than clouds until the horizon below your feet. With an incredible view up to the neighbor island Tenerife, whose volcano Teide sticks out of this ocean of clouds.

If it’s cloudy and rainy at the seacoast, get a car and drive up to the mountains. When you reach 1500 meters, you pierce through the clouds and the sun welcomes you. Remember to wear suitable clothing, as it gets chilly!

3. Just one season all over the year

There is no such thing as four seasons on the Canaries.

Well…as a local, of course you feel the winter. It’s the time with more or less 20 to 23 degrees in the north, when locals dress up with thick clothing.

As a short time visitor, your body is not accustomed to the local climate. That’s why you are able to enjoy 365 days of summer with mild temperatures between 25 to 32 degrees all over the year. In fact, the Canaries are considered to have one of the best and most stable climates in the world!

4. You get to see different continents in 30 square miles

Gran Canaria is like a miniature continent and was awarded a Biosphere Reserve label by UNESCO for its natural diversity.

This makes it an interesting place to visit, because the landscape changes drastically in just a few short miles. Apart from the desert dunes and the mountains, Gran Canaria also has tropical beaches, fir forests, more than 60 lakes, a green lung and dry and dusty desert areas.

And besides, you can get into another climate zone in between an hour if you want. In winter, you can even see frost or snow while tourists are enjoying the beaches in the south of the island.

When you’re sick of being in the steppes in the south of Gran Canaria, just follow the highway to the north for 40 Minutes and drive to Tafira.

You will find a green natural oasis, palm trees and flowers in all directions. And that’s the whole north part of the island.

Since you’re already here, visit the island’s Botanical Garden.

5. Plants that don´t exist anywhere else in the world

I just mentioned the botanical garden in Tafira. This place shows you a few hundred endemic plants you can find only in the Canaries.

Sure, you will pass them by when you make a tour through the island. But certainly you won’t recognize them without a label. Those labels, you get to see in the Botanical Garden.

The “Jardin Canario” is not like those typical botanical gardens you walk through in half an hour, where you just get to see some trees and flowers.

Its a huge area with forests, rocks, small lakes, animals, waterfalls and uncountable stone paths up to the top of the valley. It’s full of endemic plant species and even trees you won’t see elsewhere.

If you feel physically fit, follow the stone paths upwards. From the top of the valley, the botanical garden presents you a wonderful view all over the green paradise and the valley surrounded by mountains.

On one of those stone paths you will find a little wide open cavern with space to sit down and enjoy the silence. You will know that you’ve seen the whole park when you find the founder’s tombstone somewhere hidden in the forest.

6. Your allergies and pains can disappear

Apart from having the world’s best climate, the Canaries is a haven for people who suffer from many different diseases and conditions. One important point is that there’s not much industry that could pollute the air, and an island like Gran Canaria gets fresh air from the Atlantic from all sides.

Many people with Asthma are report breathing normally, and people with muscle tension, rheumatism feel much better in Gran Canaria because of the favorable temperatures. People who suffer from skin diseases like neurodermitis, experience a significant improvement, too.

This, of course, is not a medical advice; it’s subjective experience from thousands of visitors. That’s why Gran Canaria is not only well known as a holiday paradise: many retired people from northern countries move to this healthy island to live their life with less pain.

7. A dreamlike above- and underwater world

Water is an intimate part of life on Gran Canaria, particularly with water sports. Surfing far away from the coast, accompanied by sharks or even whales is an unforgettable experience for many surfers.

And sometimes they get to see orcas here, though you can charter a boat trip to see whales and dolphins from out of a secure distance.

Snorkelers and divers will find an awesome living underwater paradise. With steep rocks, dropping down into unfathomable depths. Underwater trenches, volcanic caves, underwater dunes with countless wrecks. And of course, an impressive amount of beautiful fish and other sea animals awaits you.

It’s a fascinating sequence of the most beautiful underwater landscapes from the world’s oceans.

8. Perfect Produce

The first time you go into a fruit store in Gran Canaria (not a supermarket) you probably will call your family in your home country to tell them how great it smells here inside a fruit market. Tomatoes, Bananas or Mangos have such a yummy smell that you would love to bite in immediately.

So when you’re on holidays here, get fruits in an outdoor market or individual fruit market. Fresh local fruits from Gran Canaria and not the frozen imported ones are incredibly delicious here. Look for the label “Producto de Canarias.”

Canarians also produce fantastic seafoods, cheeses and wines, so get crazy!

9. Get a front row seat for a specutacular view of the universe

The nights are absolutely clear on Gran Canaria, free of air pollution. And clouds are very rare on the south of the island, which gives you a mind-blowing view to the universe.

You see the stars so clearly that you feel like you’re in the middle of the Milky Way. Because of this, NASA has some observatories in the Canary Islands, including one on the south end of the island.

Interestingly enough, the signals from the Apollo 11 mission first reached Gran Canaria. From here, Neil Armstrong’s “That’s one small step….” got forwarded to the Kennedy Space Center in the USA.

10. A paradise for history lovers

A few hundred years ago, Christopher Columbus left Gran Canaria bound for India, just after he prayed in a little church in Las Palmas for success and a safe passage.

So the capital of Gran Canaria is full of Columbus’ footsteps and there are a lot of historic buildings left to discover. Gran Canaria has its own interesting local history.

People still love to live in cave dwellings like their ancestors, the Guanches, and you’re able to visit some of those old caves, hidden all over the island.

As you can see, there are a lot of great secrets to discover in this tiny island and if you haven’t already, it’s time to book your flights. And who knows….many people who have been here for holidays got the idea to live here forever.

About the author: Sven is a writer, living since 10 years in the Canary Islands. He fell deeply in love with Gran Canaria and he wants to pass over his passion for this paradise to travelers on his blog adventuregrancanaria.com, where you can download his latest Guide “Triana y Vegueta in one day”. Follow his stories and photos in Google+ and Twitter.

Filed Under: Canary Islands, Featured, guest post, Spain Travel · Tagged: Gran Canaria, Spain travel

Autonomous Community Spotlight: Cantabria

September 4, 2014 by Cat Gaa · 19 Comments

Not one to make travel goals, I did make one when coming to Spain: visit all 17 autonomous communities at least once before going home. While Madrid, Barcelona and Seville are the stars of the tourist dollar show (and my hard-earned euros, let’s not kid around here), I am a champion for Spain’s little-known towns and regions. Having a global view of this country has come through living in Andalucía, working in Galicia and studying in Castilla y León, plus extensive travel throughout Spain.

When I sat down to write this month’s post about Cantabria, I didn’t feel inspired. I made it a point to get to Northern Spain one summer between summer camp in Galicia and summer camp in Castilla-La Mancha, but my trip left me far less than impressed. In fact, I called a post ‘Santandisappointed.’ Looking back, it may have been the crowds, it may have been traveling alone, it may have been my timing.

That’s why I’m offering the floor to my friend Liz Ferry, who has not only studied in the capital of Cantabria, but has also work their as an auxiliar. In fact, she loves the region so much, she left Andalucía to head back to a place where surf and turf exist together.

Cantabria and I go way back – back to the American crisis of 2008, when I studied abroad in Santander, Cantabria, and literally spent every penny I had, thanks to the exchange rate at the time. But apart from losing all my money, I fell in love for the first time in my life, and it was with a place. I later moved here in 2011, and with the exception of a one-year fling with Seville, I have stayed here ever since.

This tiny region is often considered by other Spaniards as cold, rainy, windy, and full of boring, sosa people. Our semi-Irish winters, however, make for an incredible landscape, with views of the Bay of Biscay, the Cantabrian Mountains, and the Picos de Europa.

Name: Cantabria

Population: 592,000

Provinces: Only one (Cantabria), but there are 10 comarcas: Asón-Agüera, Besaya, Campoo-Los Valles, Costa Occidental, Costa Oriental, Liébana, Saja-Nansa, Santander, Trasmiera, and Valles Pasiegos

When: May 2008 (Cat: 14/17, August 2010)

About Cantabria: Cantabria is a little-known region of Spain, which climate and landscape-wise is more similar to Ireland than it is to the interior and south of Spain. It’s known for its cold, rainy, and windy winters, and its mild summers, in which we hope to get enough good beach days to enjoy all the hidden corners of the region. Cantabria is also a Celtic region – along with Asturias, it was one of the last regions to hold off the Roman Empire from invasion.

Must-sees: The capital, Santander, is a small city of about 180,000 people. It’s home to one of the vacation palaces of the royal family, the Palacio de la Magdalena. There are great walking paths on the grounds of the palace that offer some of the city’s best views. From the palace, continue to the Sardinero beaches, Santander’s famed beaches that offer lots of activities nearby, such as a luxury casino. Continue walking along the coast to arrive at the cliffs, Cabo Menor and Cabo Mayor. Cabo Mayor is home to the main lighthouse, and provides the city’s best sunset views.

Santander also holds a Semana Grande festival every summer, the week leading up to the Day of St. James (July 25). The atmosphere of the city does a 180 – people are eating pinchos and drinking wine or cañas in the streets and at casetas, and there are free (and not-free concerts) every day, tons of activities for people of all ages, fireworks over the sea, bullfights, and typical fair rides.

For seaside enthusiasts who prefer a quieter scene, Cantabria is full of beautiful, natural beaches and coves. San Vicente is a fishing village with sea and mountain views, and the beautiful Playa de Oyambre is right next door. Suances is a tourist hot-spot in summer, with its plentiful beaches and mountainous landscape (it’s also where I work!). Liencres is my personal favorite, home to the Dunes of Liencres and a hidden, rocky cove beach called Portio. Castro Urdiales is a popular beach town near the border of País Vasco, which makes for a quick commute to Bilbao for a night on the town.

For mountain lovers, Potes is a must, with its cobblestone streets, cider, and proximity to the Picos de Europa. Fuente Dé is nearby, where you can catch a cable car into the Picos de Europa. San Roque de Riomiera, further off to the east, has breathtaking mountain views, as does Vega de Pas, a small town in the Valles Pasiegos.

For a historical visit, head to Santillana del Mar, the town of the three lies (if you break apart it’s name in Spanish, it means Holy Flat Land of the Sea, but it’s not holy, it’s not flat, and it isn’t on the sea). This well-preserved medieval village has become quite touristy, but for good reason – it’s like you walked into the Middle Ages. The famous Altamira caves are nearby, although most people are only allowed to see the replicas. For other caves with cave drawings (that are even older than those of Altamira), go to Puente Viesgo, a small village also famous for its churros con chocolate.

No Cantabrian experience is complete without a gastronomic tour. Cantabria is famous for its seafood and fish. Fresh-caught fish and seafood from the rough waters of the Bay of Biscay are served up daily throughout the region. Santander even has a whole barrio full of such restaurants, the Barrio Pesquero, where you can get a menu del día for 12 euros. Foods specific to Cantabria include cocido montañés, a typical bean dish, sobaos, a light breakfast pastry, and quesada, a cold, dairy-based dessert. After a weekend lunch, you can see scores of cántabros taking a shot of orujo, a liquor made in Cantabria.

My take: I’ll take an Irish-like winter any day in order to have the beautiful green views intertwined with the Bay of Biscay. If you’re lucky enough to see Cantabria on a sunny day, you too will fall in love. While we do prefer to keep it relatively unknown and to ourselves, I am proud to boast about my tierra Cantabria. Once a Yankee, always a Yankee.

Have you been to Cantabria? What are your thoughts? Check back at the beginning of October for the next installment, Castilla y León.

Want more Spain? Andalucía | Aragón | Asturias | Islas Baleares | Islas Canarias

Filed Under: 17 Spanish Regions, Cantabria, Featured, guest post, Moving to Spain, Parks and Gardens, Roman History, Rural Tourism, Spain, Study Abroad in Spain, the north · Tagged: Cantabria, Spain, Spain travel

Spain Snapshots: The Guadalupe Monastery of Cáceres

July 14, 2014 by Cat Gaa · 12 Comments

Many great places in Spain are seeped in legends, mentioned in texts or venerated by the insane queues at its ticket offices (I’m looking at you, Alhambra).

For me, the Real Monasterio de Guadalupe was an obscure monastery and the name of many females, little more than a blip on a map in the wild back country of Extremadura. I figured it was worth a detour on our way to Trujillo.

Then came this:

According to legend, the veneration may have been carved in the 1st Century by Saint Luke himself, who then carted her around the world before presenting the Archbishop of Seville, San Leandro, with it. During the Moorish invasion that commenced in 711, the Archdiocese of Seville looked for a place to hide her as invaders ransacked cities and palaces.

Turns out, I have something in common with this particular image of the Virgin Mary (besides my birthday being on the day of her ascension into heaven): we both made a pilgrimage to Guadalupe from Seville of 320 kilometers. When she arrived, though, she was buried next to the Guadalupe River and not discovered until the late 12th Century.

On that very spot, a humble chapel was erected and eventually converted into one of Spain’s most important (and arguably most stunning) monasteries.

Like all great pilgrimage sites, like the ending points of the Camino de Santiago or El Rocío, Guadalupe has attracted illustrious names in Spanish history – Columbus prayed here after returning from the New World (and the Madonna is now revered in Central and South America), King Alfonso XI invoked Guadalupe’s spirit during the Battle of Salado, and many modern-day popes have stopped to pray.

While we weren’t on a religious pilgrimage, really, I’m slowly ticking UNESCO World Heritage Sites off of my Spain list, and Guadalupe is listed as such. We joined the last tour of the day after getting lost in teeny towns on nearly abandoned highways, many of which bear names that were later given to cities in the New World, like Valdivia, where we devoured fried calamari sandwiches.

Tours to Guadalupe’s cloisters, treasury, church, religious art museum and sacristy can only be done on a guide tour in Spanish, which leave on the hour. As the monk droned on about artistic heritage, I stole into the Gothic cloistered courtyard.

As we had joined the last tour of the day, an elderly monk showed us through the sacristy, painted in its entirety by Zurburán, and invited us to the room that held one of three black Madonnas. The soaring chamber had frescoes of Catholicism’s most famous female saints, relics in every wall and a small turnstile that allowed the three women on my tour named Guadalupe to kiss the hands of the veneration.

They, like Columbus and Cervantes before them, had come to pray in front of the woman who gave them their name and ask for her eternal protection.

As it turns out, the 60 minutes we’d budgeted for the monastery stretched to nearly two hours, meaning we were late to meet Angela from Trujillo Villas, but a night in a cozy palace-turned-vacation-home has us back on the right track the following morning before visiting Yuste and the gorgeous hamlet of Garganta la Olla.

Have you ever been to Extremadura?

Filed Under: Architecture, Churches, Extremadura, Featured, Places with Encanto, Road Trip, Rural Tourism, Spain Shots, Spain Travel, Trujillo, UNESCO World Heritage · Tagged: Extremadura, Spain travel

Visiting Spain’s Archaeological Sites

January 18, 2014 by Cat Gaa · 8 Comments

Spain has an ancient landscape where you can explore ancient human sites that date back to prehistory. The earliest sites, the caves and rock shelters, date back to the Paleolithic (Stone Age). Spain’s oldest archaeology actually pre-date humans; the Orce Basin in the Andalucía of Spain has evidence of the earliest known Homo erectus in Europe, from around 1.6 million years ago.

yes, that’s me in 2009. memories.

Cave of Altamira

The Cave of Altamira is famous for its Upper Paleolithic cave paintings, which date from between 50,000 and 10,000 years ago. This was the first cave in which prehistoric paintings were discovered and helped to change the way we think about prehistoric human beings today. The cave was discovered in 1880 and it is close to Santillana del Mar in Cantabria, which is 30 km to the west of Santander.

Atapuerca

Atapuerca is the site of a series of limestone caves near Burgos in northern Spain. The main site is called Sima del Elefante (“Pit of the Elephant”) and contains fragments of human jawbones and teeth dating back 1.1 to 1.2 million years ago. Nearby is Gran Dolina, which also contains human remains and some early tools from around 800,000 years ago.

Baelo Claudia

Baelo Claudia was a Roman town in Andalusia, close to Tarifa. It is one of the finest ruined Roman towns in Spain. The town developed as an important trading post during the first century BC under the Roman Emperor Claudius. It had a forum, market and theatre. Many of the ruins have been restored and preserved.

Lugo Roman Walls

The Lugo Roman Walls date to between 200AD and 299AD and are one of the finest examples of a late Roman military fortification. They were built to protect the Roman city of Lucus Augusti, now called Lugo, in the north-west of Spain. Lugo is the only city in the world surrounded by a Roman wall (the Ronda da Muralla). The wall has ten gates. The city dates back to the Celtic period and is named after Lugus, a deity of the Celtic pantheon. In 13 BC it was conquered by Paulus Fabius Maximus and renamed Lucus Augusti.

Belchite

Belchite, in Zaragoza, is a relatively modern ruined town. It was destroyed during the Spanish Civil war in 1937 and has been left untouched since. The town was founded in 1122.

Mérida Roman Theatre

The Mérida Roman Theatre was built around 15BC and is the one of most impressive Roman ruins in Spain. When in use it could hold an audience of around 6000 people.

Mérida was known as Emerita Augusta and was the capital of Lusitania. Today you can also find the ruins of the Roman circus, amphitheater and the impressive Temple of Diana and the Alcazaba Fortress.

Castillo del Nicio

Castillo del Nicio sits upon a hilltop called Cerro del Castor in the province of Málaga. It has extensive ruins dating from the late Moorish period. Roman and Bronze Age items have also been discovered at the site.

Ruinas del Castillo de San Luis

Ruinas del Castillo de San Luis is a ruined castle dating back to 1646 on the island of Tierrabomba. It once controlled the entrance to Bocachica, an important trade route during the colonial period.

What are your favorite arhcaelogical sites in Spain? Don’t miss Carmona, the dolmens in Valencina or Roman gem Itálica while you’re in Seville!

Filed Under: Andalusia Tourism, Architecture, Extremadura, Featured, Roman History, Spain Lists, Spain Travel · Tagged: Archaelogy, Spain travel

Spain Snapshots: My 2014 Spain Wish List

January 13, 2014 by Cat Gaa · 37 Comments

The great thing about living in Spain is that I have an entire country to explore. Although I’ve been to each of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions, there are still so many more places that I’d like to visit.

2013 had me in various new places in Spain: Calpe, Avilés, rural Galicia as I walked the Camino de Santiago, and I have one trip booked for 2014 to Tenerife. There are several other places I’m hoping to visit this year:

Trujillo

Cradle of the conquerors, Trujillo is a medieval town crowned with castle ruins near Cáceres. I’ve seen it a dozen times from a car window, at the A-5 highway passes nearby, but have never been able to stop in Pizarro’s birthplace for so much as a coffee, much less a walk around. Plus, they have an entire festival to CHEESE.

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Thankfully, I’ll have the chance to see Trujillo later this year, thanks to winning a contest through Trujillo Villas for writing about my most memorable meal in Spain.

Jaén

Despite my major allergy to olive blossoms, I’ve always wanted to see Jaén and its rolling fields of olivos and enormous cathedral. In fact, it’s called the city of liquid gold, due to the immense amount of olive oil that’s produced here.

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While in Jaén, I’d also like to visit the Renaissance villages of Úbeda and Baeza, which are also UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and perhaps visit Cazorla to hike. It’s moments like these when I’m thrilled to have a car.

Ceuta

Ceuta is an autonomous Spanish enclave in Morocco where both Spanish and Arabic are spoken. I have a few friends from Ceuta, and I’m interested in seeing how a Spanish city on the African continent lives its day-to-day life. And the food clearly interests me!

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While not in mainland Spain, Ceuta is reachable by ferry from Tarifa and Algeciras. The Novio’s friend Ana has a boyfriend living there, so we really have no excuse.

Mallorca

Laugh all you want – I have never been to Mallorca, save a few airport visits (I have, however, partied in Ibiza and lived to tell the tale…if only I could remember!). Mallorca is famous for its beaches and calas, island culture and Rada Nadal.

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I skipped my chance to go to Menorca with a friend last summer, and have regretted it ever since. Who knew water could be so blue? Air Berlin flies directly from Seville, so there are plenty of chances each week to escape.

What are the places you’d like to visit in Spain? Have you been to any of the places on my list and have places to suggest to eat and sleep?

Disclaimer: these photos are clearly not mine because I have never been to these destinations. If you are the author and would like the photo removed, please contact me directly.

Filed Under: Andalusia Tourism, Featured, Places with Encanto, Road Trip, Seville Shots, Spain, Spain Travel, Things to do in Andalucia · Tagged: Spain, Spain travel

Visiting Spain’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites

January 2, 2014 by Cat Gaa · 16 Comments

Spain is home to a whopping 44 UNESCO World Heritage sites, including historical, cultural and archealogical gems, third in number of sites only to Italy and China. Without knowing it, I ended up in eight of those 44 in 2013, plus the Old Cities of Dubrovnik (Croatia) and Kotor (Montenegro), and my Christmas trip meant revisiting the Old Towns of Salzburg and Vienna and checking out Schönnbrun Palace (Austria), taking a boat trip down the Wachau Valley and visiting the Abbey of Melk (Austria), and walking around the Buda Castle area (Hungary). Of 981 around the world, it’s a very small sliver of them.

It all started with Nina, a Croatian from Split who hosted me while Couchsurfing in Zadar, Croatia, whose dream was to work for UNESCO. While I’m no Gary Arndt, who is on a mission to visit all 981 of them, I’m always delighted to discover that I’m visiting another. As a history lover interested in culture and language, I’ve tried to work the sites into my trips. Given Spain’s political and historical landscape over the last two millennia, it’s no surprise that it boasts nearly four dozen sites, with many more in contention (this also makes visiting them quite easy!):

February: Historic Center of Córdoba (1984)

If you’ve taken high school Spanish, chances are you learned early on about the horseshoe spires of the Córdoba Mosque (in my case, it was plastered on the inside cover of my Paso a Paso 1 book). As a center for learning and once the largest Moorish city in Europe, Córdoba’s former glory is evident in the collection of buildings in its historic center, along with the countless contributions to science, medicine and art that the cordobeses made under Moorish rule. The area is easily walkable.

At less than an hour by bullet train, Córdoba makes an excellent day trip from Seville, and while you’re there, be sure to try its gastronomical claim to fame, too: salmorejo and flamenquínes.

10 Reasons Gran Canaria is a Magical Experience