So, we are asked by Paula at Lost in Translation, to post again – our best shot from 2017. My choice are the few shots of Elliot’s Storm Petrel that I managed to catch from our boat in the Galapagos Islands. Long waiting and hundreds of shots – made for these two dancers. One photo in the shadow of the boat and the other on the sunny side. No perfection…but I treasure them very much.
We say goodbye to the Christmas of 2017, and to the year gone by. My deepest gratitude to all readers, followers and friends for your good company and fantastic support! We meet here, we exchange thoughts and comments, maybe even pass by each other on the street without knowing it… It is a small world, and blogging makes it even smaller. We learn so many things from each other, and I hope you will hang on for another year – I plan to…
We are grateful for 2017, even if this year maybe did not bring as much good to the world as we had hoped for.
Let us hope for a better year to come – and set sails for 2018 – see you at dawn!
This is maybe many people’s dream of a relaxing vacation – but luckily we are all different. We are all sailors on this vast ocean – but we are all different vessels and we all sail according to what we have learned, so far.
Also I dream of light and warm winds – especially during the Swedish winter. But I can more relate to these guys, who seek a space of their own with enough room and silence to let their thoughts run free. Reading a book…
…fishing the blue waves…
…or just contemplating life, sitting at the edge of the ocean.
All different vessels, but sailing together. Let us take good care of each other while we are here – Life is a wonderful gift.
Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Arches, Domes, Half Circles
For Cee – both man made and natural. In both cases, these shapes are pleasant to the eye.
Roque Nublo (Clouded Rock, Rock in the Clouds) is the famous volcanic rock on Gran Canaria. It is 80 m (262 ft) tall, and its top is 1,813 m (5,948 ft) above sea level. It is the second highest peak of the island after Pico de las Nieves, and a famous landmark.
This is a glorious hiking area (as you could see from earlier posts, we made a couple of walks here), and several years ago we did the main trail up to the peak. I totally fell in love with the nature here, so we saved this hike for the last day.
The pictures speak for themselves – but we took the car very early in the morning, before sunrise, because the narrow, winding roads will have you driving for a couple of hours to get to the starting point.
We were among the first to start walking, and that was the idea. Later in the day there will be more people coming. And…what do you think they do, the first thing… when they have reached the top…?
The island in the ocean behind is Tenerife with the majestic volcano Teide on display.
This year we made the trek around Roque Nublo as well – to see its beauty from every direction. Look closely at the first pictures, and you will see a person in red standing in the sun below the peak.
Is he not beautiful! Worth visiting – and returning to.
Montaña de Arucas on the north coast of Gran Canaria boasts a view of the town as well as almost the whole island. An early morning view from up there is not bad. The church (Not a cathedral!) San Juan is a real beauty. From the narrow streets its spires look almost unreal.
We continued our roadtrip to some northern pearls, Teror and Firgas.
Teror is the religious heart of the island, and every year, September 8, pilgrims come here from the whole of Gran Canaria. They all come because of Nuestra Señora del Pino, their patron saint.
The church, with the same name, was built in the 18th century in Moorish and baroque style. Very special.
Some of the 16th century houses along the street. Many famous for their skillfully carved balconies.
After a slow and meditative walk through Teror, we headed for Firgas. Mineral water con gas, was my first thought – but the small town is also known for Paseo de Gran Canaria with its cascading water and tiled benches decorated with landscapes and historical symbols of Gran Canaria. On the walls – city arms.
A closer look at the cascades in the header!
If you walk further up the stone steps, above Plaza de San Roque, you will find tiled maps of the largest 7 islands in the archipelago. A geography lesson well worth a visit!
On our way in the early morning for another mountain hike – we suddenly came upon this strange settlement. A set of caves with real doors and windows. Dogs barking and people up and on the move.
Guanches? Strictly speaking, the Guanches were the indigenous peoples of Tenerife, but the name came to be applied to the indigenous populations of all the seven Canary Islands, those of Tenerife being the most important or powerful.
Guanches refer to the aboriginal Berber inhabitants of the Canary Islands, and it is believed that they migrated to the archipelago around 1000 BC or perhaps earlier.
The population probably lived in relative isolation up to the 14th century, but after the Spanish conquest of the Canaries they were (almost totally) ethnically and culturally absorbed by Spanish settlers.
A bit touristy this settlement…and yes, soon a bus arrived with camera people swarming out…But, on the other side of the road, people were, for real, living in caves. Nobody looked that way…And if you look closely at the header picture, you will find the dog standing there – the one I used for Abandoned or Alone in Cee’s B&W challenge.
Well, when we continued driving towards the mountains, we realized we were lost – this was a dead end road – and not at all the road leading to our planned hike….But, instead we had found these interesting caves!
They day was turning into evening, so we had to return to our apartment. Again passing this strange wind mill. Why do you build one right in the factory- and shopping ghetto?
As we did not manage to walk the whole garden before dark, we returned the next day. I knew there was a Dracaena Draco path on the steep slopes – I just had to walk it!
I have always been fascinated by the Dragon tree, and many years ago I went to Icod de los Vinos, Tenerife, to see the ancient Draco, 22 meters high and trunk diameter 10meters. The inhabitants here call it El Drago Milenario: the Thousand-Year-Old Dragon.
On the ground, under Draco’s canopy, I picked 5 possible new trees…planted them at home, and – they grew up to beautiful little trees all of them. I gave away all except one. I cared for it lovingly for many years, but when it was about 1.50 meters high, a Swedish summer killed it. Too much rain made the top fall off, rotten. The tree never recovered.
So, in the the botanical garden, on the steep slopes of the Barranco de Guiniguada, Gran Canaria, I picked another 7 possible Dracaena draco. Hopefully some of them will start growing…and I will keep them away from the Swedish summer rains…
And the reward for returning here this day was…
…all I could ask for!
Establishing this botanical garden was the life work of the Swedish-Spanish botanist Erik Ragnar Svensson (1910–1973), who searched – and found – the optimal site for this garden, one that could successfully accommodate many of the diverse plant species of the Canary Islands. The garden was layed out in Tafira Alta, near Las Palmas, and the Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo was officially opened in 1959. Svensson (Sventenius) served as its first director. When he died in a traffic accident in 1973, David Bramwell was appointed his successor in 1974.
According to Wikipedia, the garden comprises approximately 27 acres (10 hectares), on which approximately 500 plant species endemic to the Canary Islands are cultivated. Important divisions are the ”Garden of the Islands” (Jardín de las Islas), the ”Garden of Cacti and Succulents” (Jardín de Cactus y Suculentas), where approximately 10,000 cultivars of succulents are on display, the ”Macaronesian Ornamental Garden” (Jardín Macaronésico Ornamental), and the “Hidden Garden” (El Jardín Escondido) with greenhouse. Also worthy of mention are the pinetum (El Pínar) and the ”Laurel-leaved Forests” (Bosque de Laurísílva), featuring trees which once covered most of Macaronesia prior to Spanish settlement. At the ”Fountain of the Wisemen” (La Fuente de Los Sabios), botanists who discovered and described the flora of the Canary Islands are honored.
But we will remain in the impressive garden of cacti and succulents. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did! The last tree in this gallery is a gigantic ficus.
Leya 
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