April 11, 2024

Yesterday we were notified that the tour we had scheduled was canceled. So, our plan is to see this port on our own. This is the third of the Canary Islands that we visit on this trip. It is different from the rest of the Canary Islands and some say that it is different from anywhere else on the planet. We thought it resembled the big island of Hawaii near the airport – a lunar look with volcanic rock.

Because of the dry climate and little erosion, the terrain looks much like it did after major volcanic eruptions in the 18th and 19th centuries. There are 100 volcanoes on the island but none are currently active. It is located only 70 miles off the African coast making it the most easterly of the Canary Islands. The climate is sunny and like the other islands here, they get very little rain.

There was a shuttle bus from the port to the town and it was a good idea to take it because it was more of a distance than we thought and there was no way to stay out of the port traffic.

We walked past the natural lagoon and over the bridge to see the History Museum of Arrecife – the San Gabriel Castle.

We explored the outside of the castle and walked along the rocks since it wasn’t open. I spotted some sea glass on the beach there and we spent some time collecting it.

We got quite a bit! It was good that we spent some time doing that because the castle opened before we left, so we got to tour the inside and go to the top as well. The entry fee is 3 Euros but they just asked for a donation because their systems were down.

All of the information in the castle is in Spanish so we couldn’t read it, but the woman who greeted us at the entrance explained the 14 different rooms with displays so we could wind our way around and take pictures. It is a 15th century fortress that was built because this, the capital city of the island, was historically besieged by pirates.

We didn’t visit the San Gines Church but saw it during our walk.

We walked through the town and saw lots of cafes and bars along the waterfront. We visited several shops but didn’t buy anything.

Here are some photos of the colorful boats here.

Some of the other sights in town:

We returned to the ship for the Mexican lunch and completed our day with massages. Tonight we will have the Captain’s Cocktail party and dinner at Red Ginger. And we have one hour back tonight before our first port in Morocco. We have been wanting to visit Morocco for some time and are excited to experience it.