| Known to the ancient Greeks
as The Fortunate Islands, the Canary Islands are indeed blessed: exuberantly
green and temperate all year-round. There are seven islands in the archipelago:
Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera,
and El Hierro. All were similarly formed by volcanic upheavals, creating
dramatic mountains and craters and spectacular scenery.
Vegetation is lush and varied.
The indigenous dragon trees, some of them thousands of years old with spindly
upturned leaves, is an especially exotic sight. The fertile land yields
impressive crops of continental and subtropical fruits and vegetables.
Magnificent fine sand beaches -some formed from striking black volcanic
ash ring each island, and water sports range from swimming and boating
to surfing and deep sea fishing.
Although the Canary Islands
are located off the northwest African coast, just west of the Sahara Desert,
the islands are cooled by ocean currents and by the trade winds, creating
perpetual springtime. The beaches and clear ocean waters are splendid any
time of year, making the Canary Islands a popular winter getaway.
Before the fifteenth century
the Canary Islands were inhabited by an isolated Stone Age people called
Los Guanches, who left behind fascinating archeological remains. Columbus
stopped in the Canary Islands on all four of his voyages to the New World
as did many other Spanish explorers.
Because of the influx of
tourists to the Canary Islands, multinational restaurants are everywhere,
but traditional cooking of the islands is worth seeking out. It is an interesting
cross of Spanish and Latin American influences that incorporates subtropical
fruits and vegetables into traditional Spanish dishes and features pungent
dipping sauces called mojos.
Attractions
Each of the Canary islands
has its own personality. The most visited islands, Gran Canaria and
Tenerife,
have well developed tourist facilities along the coasts, and visitors can
take spectacular day trips to the islands' volcanic hearts. Growing in
popularity is dramatic Lanzarote, covered with volcanic boulders
and ash -still so hot beneath the surface that a well-known restaurant
grills over natural heat emanating from the earth. In this volcanic soil,
vineyards grow and produce Malvasia wine, praised by Shakespeare centuries
ago, and best known as a sweet wine, although today it is also an excellent
dry wine.
La Gomera, a lovely
little island densely forested and blanketed with banana trees, is just
20 kilometers across. Fuerteventura, the driest of the islands,
is popular with visitors for snorkeling and for submarine and deep water
fishing. La Palma is the greenest of the Canaries, and at its center
is the world's largest crater, an awesome sight indeed. El Hierro,
the most isolated of the islands, is an oasis of tranquillity. Communications
between the islands by sea and air are excellent, making island hopping
a wonderful option.
Text courtesy of the Tourist
Office of Spain |
