12 Days in Lanzarote - Part II

*If you haven't read Part I yet, find it by clicking here*

So, I had just wolfed down banana and honey pancakes when I had last written to you. Nothing out of the ordinary. However, the next days were something quite special. 

Timanfaya Volcanic National Park

 The next day was spent by the pool, but on our seventh day, we hired a car - a little Fiat 500, i.e. one of my favourite cars ever. On our first outing with him that day, we traveled to the iconic Timanfaya Volcanic National Park. This was the epicentre of hundreds of giant eruptions between 1730 and 1736. Visiting there was something I won't forget in a hurry. The landscape looked like something out of a movie. There was dried lava surrounding the incredible mountains. We took a bus tour around the site so we got a close up view of the huge craters and beautiful yet eerie views. After the tour, we watched a guide pour water into holes in the ground, which created a huge geyser. We also had a look around the site and saw that that the heat from under the ground was barbecuing the food for their cafe. Insane! On our way back, we arrived at a car park which lead to rows of camels you could ride around one of the volcanoes on. Of course, it was a must-do. It took about fifteen minutes but it was such an amazing experience and well worth it. The idea of riding a camel to me just seemed so exotic and cool! That evening after a meal back at the villa, we decided to watch the sunset at the famous 'Green Lake' in El Golfo, a village not far from Playa Blanca. After walking down the sea front, we came to the conclusion we weren't going to find the lake, but sitting on the beach watching the sunset was just as wonderful. When we were walking back to where we had parked the car, we noticed a walkway along some cliffs looking over the beach which we followed, which of course lead to the 'Green Lake'. It still looked amazing even if it wasn't sunset. 

The Green Lake

Camels

Sunset in El Golfo

Jameos del Agua Cave

The next day was spent exploring Lanzarote. The day before we had tired to visit the Visitors Centre at the National Park, but it was shut. We went there that morning instead. It was like a mini museum explaining what had happened during the eruptions and what brought them about. It also had a simulation as to what it would've been like if we had been there when the eruptions started taking place. It wasn't a very big place so we could get on with our adventure across the island quickly enough. Halfway through our journey we had lunch overlooking a beach and more volcanoes. It wasn't the worst roadside stop ever. Our next port of call was the Jameos del Agua, a stunning volcanic cave. It was such a calming place. You could just sit in front of the water flowing in the cave and feel instantly relaxed. There was a cafe and restaurant looking over the cave too, which we took advantage of. Outside was like a huge garden with a swimming pool and gorgeous flowers. They even had a concert hall underneath the rock. I imagine seeing a concert there would be completely unforgettable. They also had a museum there too. After that we took a short drive over to Mirador del Rio, the most northerly viewpoint of the island. It provided a breathtaking view over the ocean and across to the opposite an island I believe is called La Graciosa. The north of the island seemed a bit more mountainous than the south, too, so there were a lot of volcanoes to see here as well. Playa Blanca was on the other side of the island but it only took around forty minutes to get back from Mirador del Rio to our villa. It gives an idea of how small Lanzarote is. That night, we went to an Italian restaurant by the Natura Beach called Luna Rossa. It was the nicest meal of the holiday for me. I had the vegetarian cannelloni - I needed some veggies in me - and it was quite something. 

View from Mirador del Rio

On the 5th August, we spent another day at Flamingo Beach. It really is a lovely beach. There weren't huge waves because there we barricades of rocks not too far from the shore, but the water was very clear and there supermarkets and restaurants close by. One of those supermarkets provided me with a pink raspberry Magnum. I had made it that holiday's mission to eat one, so I am very grateful to them. It might be my favourite ice cream now. Also that day, my brother brought a snorkel so he could see the fish up close in the sea. I didn't use it, but I did the next day in the pool and it worked a treat. That day was simply just another pool day. I got quite a way through my book called Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, which was the perfect holiday read. It was quite cloudy that day but very warm all the same. 

The day after was another day down by Flamingo Beach. Again, it was cloudy, which made the sea absolutely freezing, but the sun broke through in the end. I used my brother's snorkel for a bit but wasn't a huge fan because the mouth piece just tasted of gross sea water and I couldn't really see where I was going. My brother also brought down some bread to feed the fish. They all rose to the surface to eat it, and he used the snorkel to get a better look. I finished Eleanor and Park that day as well. It was a heartwarming story with a very poignant end. To be honest, I wasn't expecting too much from it - I brought it purely because it had my name in it, which has never happened to me before (I waited my whole childhood for an Eleanor Fairy in the Rainbow Fairies series and it never came) - but it was pleasantly surprised. I moved on to The Maze Runner by James Dashner, which my brother downloaded on the iPad. I'm enjoying that too but it's quite a hassle trying to remember what page each of us are on. Once again, I treated myself to a pink raspberry Magnum. It was even better than I remembered. That night, we went back down to Luna Rossa. We had made a booking on the balcony looking over the beach, which was lovely. The food was very nice still but it was a busy Friday night and we were there a lot longer than expected. 

My Frappelatte;) 

Saturday the 8th was our final day in the villa. The morning was full of packing, and when I wasn't helping out I was reading The Maze Runner or watching the SacconeJolys. We had to be out by 2 o'clock, so stored our luggage in nearby hotel's baggage room and went for dinner by the Flamingo Beach at a restaurant called Casa Joaquin. I had the BBQ Burger, which was tasty but rather big. Instead of dessert, I had a Mocha Latte Frappelatte, which I've never had before but would very much like one again. We had some time to kill, so walked down the sea front to the Irish Anvil bar, where we watched the rugby, even though I really don't get the rules. After that, we picked up our luggage and got a cab to the airport. 

Leaving Lanzarote felt strange, but now we're back, it feels like we never left. There are many aspects I'll miss about the island - the sea, the sun - but I wasn't able to watch Bake Off or get consistent WiFi over there, so there are perks to being back. I also missed my friends a lot, so I look forward to seeing them again this weekend. I really enjoyed my holiday on the beautiful island. The villa is potentially the best one we've stayed in and Lanzarote itself is an incredible island. I hope to go back in the future. 

 

Hope you're all well - will speak to you soon. 

From, 

Eleanor

Bye Bye Lanzarote