Trip Report: Lanzarote Part 2

Clareboy

Cesar Manrique Foundation

On our first Sunday in Lanzarote, we visited the César Manrique Foundation, which is only about a 15 minute bus journey from Costa Teguise on route 31. On the approach to the foundation complex, one can see the black line of a lava flow through the landscape where it poured down from a crater in the interior of the island in the 1730s. We were absolutely fascinated to find ourselves in the middle of a lava flow and to see the impenetrable and splintered jet black terrain close up. It was here that César Manrique built his spectacular home in the 1960s. On the approach road, two of Manrique,s amazing wind sculptures can be seen. The wind causes the different parts of the sculpture to move in a rotating motion. The upper level of the building is in the traditional white walled style of the island and is in complete contrast to the surrounding black lava fields. Many of Manrique’s paintings, drawings and sculptures and on display in the galleries. A remarkable window gives the impression that the lava has flowed into the building. On an outside wall, a collection of bleached animal skulls are on display. The truly remarkable complex is further enhanced by all kinds of exotic plants such as cacti and palm trees and water features. The lower levels of the building consist of a series of lava bubbles that Manrique turned into comfortable lounges lit by natural openings. The most beautiful area is the swimming pool which is fed by a cascade of water and divided by a footbridge of basalt rock. A traditional outdoor oven can be seen in this area. Narrow tunnels through the volcanic rock connect up the different departments. At the end of the tour, visitors can relax in a nice garden and enjoy some refreshments from the coffee shop. The whole César Manrique Foundation complex is an extraordinary blend of natural and manmade elements and is a lasting monument to the artist.

Arrecife - Capital of Lanzarote

On our first Monday, we decided to visit the city of Arrecife, capital of Lanzarote. We began our walk along the sea front at El Cabildo, an imposing building that houses the local government of Lanzarote. The wide beach of Playa del Reducto leads to the Gran Hotel de Arrecife, the islands only high rise building. The structure was started in the 1960s when Manrique was in New York. On his return, construction was stopped and the building lay unfinished and abandoned until the 1990s, when it finally opened as a 5 star hotel.
The Castillo de San Gabriel is a small fortress on an island that is connected to the city by a road bridge and a foot bridge. The foot bridge features the original draw bridge that protected the fortress from attack. Further along the sea front is the pool known as El Charco with its fishing boats and its traditional houses with blue painted windows and doors. As cities go, Arrecife is not the most exciting place and is a mainly workaday city that is home at least half of the islands population.

Arrecife Bus

Public transport in Lanzarote is provided by Arrecife Bus, which runs an extensive network of services throughout the island. The buses run to most of the places of interest on the island, but not all. The busiest route is the Costa Teguise/Arrecife/Puerta del Carmen service, which runs every 20 minutes around the clock. Our favourite bus was route 31, which runs from Costa Teguise to Caleta de Famara every 2 hours. It is operated by a minibus and usually carries only about 10 passengers at most. Route 31 leaves Costa Teguise and climbs into the hills behind the resort, passing close to the César Manrique Foundation. It then meanders through some lovely villages of typical white houses to Teguise, where connections are available to the northern parts of the island. From Teguise, the bus drops down to the magnificent beach at Famara.
Arrecife Bus offer a pre paid ticket called a Bono Bus, which offers a reduction in the basic fare and eliminates the need to be fumbling for change on entering the bus. The Bono Bus ticket is available in denominations of €12 and €22. Bus journeys on Lanzarote tend to short, the longest route being just over an hour.



Puerto del Carmen




South of Arrecife, lies the largest holiday resort on Lanzarote, Puerto del Carmen. On arrival, we found the place to be very commercialised, tacky and full of touts. We were surprised to find an Irish girl working in the tourist office. The restaurants in Puerto del Carmen do offer great value for money! This Mexican restaurant offered a Full English Breakfast for €2.50! We do not normally eat a Full English Breakfast, but who could resist all that food for only €2.50! One would pay that for just a cup of coffee in Ireland! We relaxed on the beach for a while before going meet our friend. There was a lot of activity on the main beach – all the holiday crowds! Mary did not particularly like Puerto del Carmen because some parts of it were quite hilly. Also, catching a bus there was very confusing because of the one way street system. We were glad that we had chosen the flatter and quieter resort of Costa Teguise.
That afternoon, we made our way to Matagorda, the more upmarket part of Puerto del Carmen. We met our friend at her hotel, the 4 star Lanzarote Sol. We went to the nearby Matagorda Shopping Centre for some afternoon tea. There are 5 Irish bars in Matagorda. We do not normally visit Irish bars in Spain, but we did plan to visit Peggy’s Snug in Matagorda, which promotes itself as a ‘ Clare Bar’. It is run by a couple from County Clare – Mike and Dolores. The three of us had a few beers in Peggy’s Snug and we found the owners to be very friendly and chatty.


As we returned to Costa Teguise late that evening, we found it very cold. It may be 20C during the day in Lanzarote, but as soon as the sun goes down, it can get pretty nippy! That night, we could hear the howling wind and the rattling of doors and windows. They get a lot of wind in Lanzarote, which is not surprising as it is an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.



El Monumento al Campesino - The Monument to the Peasant




On the Wednesday, we visited El Monumento del Campesino – The Monument to The Peasant, which is situated at the geographic centre of Lanzarote near the village of San Bartolomé. The monument and adjoining folk museum is one of the 6 Centres of Art, Culture and Tourism established by César Manrique. We took a bus from Costa Teguise to Arrecife bus station, from where we caught the number 16 bus to the monument.
The actual monument is a huge abstract sculpture on a height, from which extensive views of the surrounding countryside and distant volcanic mountains may be enjoyed. Below the monument is a period mansion in the traditional Lanzarotean style with snow white walls and green painted doors, windows and furniture. Even the employees are dressed in green in order to blend with their surroundings. The museum contains displays showing the various traditional crafts, agricultural implements and farming practices. One room houses a fascinating collection of models of all the churches and chapels in Lanzarote. A large underground space houses a bar, restaurant and function room. The Monumento del Campesino is a relatively quiet site and does not attract the number of coach parties as some of the other places. There is no admission charge. We enjoyed a bowl of Canarian soup before walking to the nearby village of San Bartolomé. On our walk, we passed by some typical farmhouses. We were fascinated by the maze of stone walls, almost reminiscent of some parts of the west of Ireland. The constant strong winds are a problem in Lanzarote, so the growing crops have to be protected by the stone walls.
San Bartolomé is one of the more substantial villages in Lanzarote and has a very attractive centre. A fine trio of public buildings, a church, a theatre and a town hall define the centre of San Bartolomé. The buildings are grouped around a charming palm tree lined plaza with a fountain in the middle. We later caught a bus back to Arrecife and from there to Costa Teguise.