The Canary Islands are in a way like Spain’s Hawaii. Like the Hawaiian Islands , these islands were formed by volcanic eruptions in a tropical location off Morocco’s coast. However, unlike Hawaii, it does not rain much here, so these islands are much drier, almost like desert islands.

The Canaries have become the favorite destination for many Europeans looking for a sunny location in the winter.

We enjoyed visiting three of the eight different islands.

Tenerife

Our first stop was the largest island called Tenerife.

On our first day we drove up the national park where you can view the volcano El Teide which at 12, 198 feet high is Spain’s tallest mountain. It’s an amazing place to visit. Even though the last eruption was in 1909, hardly any vegetation has returned to the landscape & you can easily see past lava flows.

We also enjoyed walking on the cobblestones in three of the oldest towns on the island. A common architecture style in the Canaries are wooden balconies outside the homes.

All over the Canary Islands you see banana trees.

The Canary Islands provide Europe with most of their fresh bananas. Most are grown on Tenerife; but, every island we visited had plots of land dedicated to this crop.

Tenerife has 2 very unique plants. One you only see in the volcanic region in the high altitude near Mount Teide.

We were only able to see remnants of the Tower of Jewels which has bright red flowers when it blooms.

The other unique plant is called The Dragon Tree. To me, they look like a different version of the Joshua Tree. Although a tree, it is actually in the asparagus family.

It is called a Dragon Tree because its canopy has branches resembling a multi-headed dragon, its gnarled roots resemble dragons’ feet, & its sap hardens into red blobs resembling a dragon’s blood. It is the only tree in the world whose sap turns red when it dries.

This oldest Dragon Tree is well protected inside a botanical park & is estimated to be over 1,000 years old.

A few other pictures from Tenerife.

La Palma

This island is far less developed than Tenerife & is much easier to get around. It has the most active volcano activity in the Canary Islands. The Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge last erupted in 2021 for 85 days near the town of Santa Cruz.

We drove up to the Caldera de Taburiente which is inside the national park named for it. This is a huge volcanic crater that has many paths you can walk around it. The day we were there, the crater was covered in clouds, but you could still feel its enormity.

La Palma is also a destination for amateur star gazers & professional astronomers. Close to the crater rim, you can see many telescopes at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory including the world’s largest telescope. You also see giant mirrors in the area.

La Palma’s main city is Santa Cruz. It has a replica of Columbus’ flagship the Santa Maria. Columbus used Santa Cruz a port for three of his voyages to the New World. It was his last stop after leaving Spain before heading across the Atlantic.

For several centuries, the Canary Islands remained a major hub for ships traveling to the New World. At one time, Santa Cruz was Europe’s 3rd busiest port behind only Antwerp, Belgium, & Seville, Spain.

Santa Cruz is a lovely place to spend a few hours.

Gran Canaria

We arrived into Gran Canaria with a mixture of clouds, rain, & sunshine that stayed with us the three days we were here.

We stayed close to the port in La Palma & had a beautiful view of the cruise ships. During the night they would leave & we would awaken to new ones docked in the port.

On our first full day we drove to the southern part of the island which was sunny & warm. The Dunas de Maspalomas is the location where most tourists seemed to go for sunbathing.

Another area we toured was was more inland & reminded me a lot of America’s Southwest.

The second day we explored the island’s north side which was cooler, more mountainous, & had very narrow windy roads.

We enjoyed a stop in Tejeda. It is known for its yummy almond pastries at Dulcería Nublo.

After Tejeda, we drove to Firgas which is famous for its fizzy mineral water, it is called the “Village of Water.”

Firgas has the Paseo de Canarias which is a promenade with lovely tiles & displays that celebrate each Canary Island along with every municipality on Gran Canaria.

Our last stop was at banana plantation to learn about different banana varieties & how they are grown in the Canary Islands.

The main banana grown here is the Cavendish variety. It is smaller in size so banana plants produce more of them on their bunches making them more profitable per plant.

I wanted to visit the Canary Islands for two reasons.

First, I had heard from various European friends how much they liked the Canary Islands.

Second, one of my maternal ancestors came from these islands. Maria Josepha Leal Goraz was born in 1724 on the island Fuerteventura. As a young girl, she immigrated to the New World to New Spain (now in Louisiana). It’s always fun to learn a little more about your family history & roots.

Spain has once again given us a lovely experience. Wish I could say my Spanish has improved; oh well, you can’t have everything. 😂🤣

Andalusia is Spain’s southern region. The Moors controlled this area for almost 700 years from the 8th Century until almost the end of the 15th Century. Their presence left behind many castles built with Arabic architecture & features.

Two years ago, we visited Seville & Cordoba by train. This time we rented a car so we could explore all Andalusia including cities & small villages.

Almería

Almería is the driest place in Europe & has its only true desert climate. They get lots of sunshine & little rain (only about 8 inches annual precipitation).

For many miles all around Almería’s outskirts spread over 100,000 acres you will see greenhouses; this sprawl is nicknamed “The Sea of Plastic.” In the winter, Almería provides most of Europe’s fresh fruits & vegetables.

 Almería has been occupied throughout history ranging from the Romans to the Muslims (who built their largest Alcazaba (fortress) in Spain here as well as other iconic city landmarks) to the Catholics who built the Cathedral that still stands today.

Málaga

Málaga is a beautiful city with marble streets, beautiful architecture, & wonderful culture.

It’s so lovely that 5 large cruise ships were docked in the harbor when we arrived.

We enjoyed visiting the Picasso Museum. It’s fitting to have a museum for Picasso here because this is where he was born & lived as a child. The museum is in his old nursery school.

The museum displays art from many phases in his career including paintings, sculptures, pottery, sketches, & prints. I’ve been reading the book, “My Life With Pacasso,” by Francoise Gilot. I was happy to see some pieces exhibited that she mentions in the book.

As a vegetarian it is often difficult to find veggie tapas; but, in Malaga we found a restaurant with many yummy choices. It was fun to to enjoy this Spanish cuisine custom.

Like most large cities along the coastline in Andalusia, it has a large Moorish Alcazaba fort & palace which were adjacent to some Roman ruins.

I enjoyed the Flamingo Show in Granada so much that I wanted to see another show that featured both male & female dancers.

Once again, the tap dancing & movements were amazing!

Ronda

This is a small inland city away from the Mediterranean Sea situated on a mountain top overlooking a deep gorge. Its history dates back to the Romans.

The city is known for two reasons. First, it is the home to modern bullfighting & has the world’s oldest bullring. To see a bullfight here, you must come the first week in September which is when their one & only performance is.

The second notable thing about Ronda is its spectacular Puente Nuevo Bridge.

It took 2 attempts to build the bridge. The first bridge collapsed in 1741 killing 50 people. After 34 years of construction, in 1793, the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) as it was & still is called was completed.

Its eventual span was 216 feet & its height is an impressive 322 feet above the canyon floor.

It is supported by thick vertical supports rising up from, and in places, attached to the narrow canyon walls. 

We also enjoyed driving around the mountains near Ronda to visit some classical “Spanish white towns” & one which is no longer white.

The blue village Júzcar is now nicknamed “Smurfville”

Before leaving Ronda, we enjoyed a few other Spanish favorites.

Cádiz

We only had one evening to explore this old town; but, we enjoyed what we saw.

Located on a peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Cadiz offers a unique blend of history, culture, & beautiful beaches.

Founded by the Phoenicians, it is believed to be the oldest continually inhabited settlement in Europe.

Often when you walk through a town in Spain in the afternoon during siesta, it is so quiet you could whisper to someone across the street and hear them. But, come 6:00pm, it’s like all the doors open & everyone comes out on the streets.

In Cadiz, we enjoyed watching families walking together, people singing along the waterfront, & friends meeting in small restaurants to enjoy a small dessert or drinks together.

On our drive back to Madrid, my husband tracked down the grave of “The Man Who Never Was” located in Huelva outside Seville.

If you are interested in knowing more about this true WWII espionage event, there is a very good 2021 Netflix movie titled “Operation Mincemeat” which stars many leading British actors.

Final thoughts on Spain.

I love finding things that are unique to a country & something I would never see in America. Here are a few.

I’ve heard the term “The Rock of Gibraltar” most of my life referring to something or someone being strong & dependable. However, until you see Gibraltar, you don’t realize how impressive it is & appropriate that saying is.

It is spectacularly huge & stands out on its peninsula making everything else around it seem small & insignificant.

The other unique thing about this place is it has been a British possession since 1713 despite many failed attempts by Spain to retake it. Spain’s many failures can be directly attributed to the great efforts Britain made to continue holding it.

To enter Gibraltar, you only need your passport to walk across its border with Spain.

In all my travels, this is the first & only place I’ve ever had to cross an active airport runway to enter a country.

As soon as you cross the border, you realize you are on land that belongs to Britain.

Gibraltar has one long shopping street where most shops are run by Spanish workers; but, English is the spoken language. You can pay in Euros, but you get change in British Pounds.

Interesting fact, John Lennon & Yoko Ono got married in Gibraltar on 20 March 1969 which is mentioned in the Beatles song “The Ballad of John & Yoko”- “Peter Brown called to say, “You can make it okay”, you can get married in Gibraltar near Spain…”

Many tourists take the cable car to the “Top of the Rock” like we did. Once there, you can easily see all the reclaimed land on the Western side used to accommodate most of Gibraltar’s residents which numbers around 38,000.

The views from the top are very nice. You can look out over the Mediterranean Sea & see Morocco in Africa as well as get a view all along the Spanish coastline & down to lower Gibraltar.

A second interesting fact about Gibraltar is that it is the only place in Europe where wild monkeys live.

Centuries ago, the Moors brought Barbary Macaques with them to Spain from Algiers & Morocco.

It is believed there are now 240 ea. Barbary Macaques on Gibraltar.

These monkeys are very bold & will jump on your back looking for food in your backpack. I made sure to keep my distance; but, they were fun to watch.

The British government ensures the monkeys are well fed & given good care. This maintenance may only be due to the local superstition that goes “If the apes leave the Rock, then the British will too”. During WWII, Winston Churchill did not want to risk losing strategic Gibraltar, so when the monkey population started dwindling, he personally ordered British troops to North Africa to bring back more monkeys to the Rock.

Another attraction are the tunnels built during the Great Siege of 1779-83 & even more dug during during WWII. There are over 34 miles of tunnels inside the Rock.

It was fun seeing Gibraltar & touring a place that felt like a British island in Spain.

Mediterranean sunset from our hotel.

If you get the chance, then come to Granada, Spain! Here the Spanish & Arabic worlds overlap beautifully in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

The highlight of any visit to Granada is visiting the Alhambra that towers over the small city.

The Alhambra was initially only a fortress known as an Alcazaba (Arabic for “Citadel”); but, Muhammed I Ibn Al-Ahmar who founded the Nasrid Empire in 1238 added the royal residence. Eventually, Granada ended up being the last Muslim strong hold in Spain.

On 2 January 1492, Queen Isabella & King Ferdinand vanquished the last Muslim sultan & took control over Granada & the Alhambra. They were living in the Alhambra palace when they granted Columbus the funding for his historic voyage on which he discovered the New World.

The palace is a blend of Christian & Muslim influences. The architecture & gardens reminded us of our visits to Iran & India.

We had a lovely hotel in the old town.

The city has a nice mixture of places to eat with Spanish & Arabic cuisine.

In Granada’s Sacramonte neighborhood, the Flamenco dance originated over 500 years ago.

We went to the Zincalé flamenco show which has been hosted by the Cordoba family for generations in a traditional cave home.

In this show only the women danced. The men sang & played the guitar. Their rhythmic tap dancing would have put Michael Jackson’s dancing to shame.

Nostalgia rules in Spain for Spaghetti Western & Clint Eastwood fans. Italian director Sergio Leone chose to make his movies in various locations in Spain which is why they are called “Spaghetti Westerns”.

When my husband & I were in northern Spain in 2023 walking the Camino Frances route, I commented how the terrain made me feel like I was in an old Western movie when he told me that many were made in Spain.

In fact, the iconic final scene from “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” movie was filmed only 40 miles south from where we walked in the Mirandilla Valley near Santo Domingo de Silos.

To refresh your memory, here is a link to the epic final showdown in the cemetery.

Sad Hill Cemetery is not a real graveyard – it was built entirely from scratch for “The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly” in 1966. After filming ended, it was abandoned for nearly 50 years. 

Overgrown & forgotten, this iconic filming location was very nearly lost until a group of very dedicated movie fans set out to find it. They discovered the famous circular plaza buried inches below the ground. 

For months, volunteers from around the world came to help with this labor of love & the iconic filming location was saved! 

We enjoyed having fun with some borrowed props & walking around this restored movie set located south of Burgos, Spain.

To see other iconic Spaghetti Western movie film locations, we went to the Tabernas Desert in southern Spain near Alméria. With only about 9 inches rain per year, this area looks like parts of Arizona & New Mexico.

Our first stop was called Western Leone. It undoubtedly looks like an old Western movie town.

The second movie set that was only a few miles away is called Fort Bravo/ Texas Hollywood. Not only have many Western movies been filmed here; but also movies including Lawerence of Arabia & Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade.

They also conduct live Western shows. The actors speak Spanish, but it isn’t too hard to follow the plot. Always some bad men up to no good & a sheriff to save the day.

I also had the opportunity to pet a few animals.