We left Tenerife at 22:30 last night and sailed at a leisurely pace throughout the night. We arrived in the port of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria at 06:30 this morning.
Other than the lights from the harbour, it was still pitch black. What wasn’t apparent until later was that the port is an ugly container port, but in the pre-dawn blackness, with lights on the working vessels and cranes, it looked quite attractive. Once the sun was up, it looked very different. From our balcony, I counted 14 ships in the inner harbour or waiting outside the breakwater to come in.
We went up to breakfast a little earlier than usual as we had an excursion booked for 10:00. While we were eating, we heard an announcement from our Captain (James Brown) to say that he was departing the ship on leave… and going on a cruise through the Mediterranean on Aurora. He then announced his replacement and welcomed him on board.
We disembarked just before 10:00 and climbed onto our coach. We didn’t have far to go, but the port is certainly not a simple walking distance from the town. We stopped in the old part of town (Vegueta) and our guide, Diego, walked us through the alleyways and squares, explaining the history and the architecture.
One of our first stops was the covered market, where the locals purchase their vegetables, cheeses, fish, and meats. It was a riot of colour and smells and an enjoyable interlude.
The next proper stop was at the Casa de Colon (Christopher Columbus Museum). This is located in what used to be the Governor’s House and tradition tells us Columbus stayed there in 1492 while one of his ships was repaired. The building is a huge mix of architectural styles and is built around a peaceful open courtyard.
There are exhibits related to Columbus’s voyages and a mock-up of his cabin. There are ship models of La Niña, La Pinta, and Santa Maria. There are ethnographic displays and upstairs is an impressive gallery of paintings (some owned by the Museo de Prado). It was a very interesting interlude.
From the museum, we went to the main square dominated at one end by the Cathedral of Santa Ana and at the other by the Casas Consistoriales - the old town hall. Whilst the Cathedral is an imposing building, there is nothing attractive about it. We didn't get the opportunity to have a look inside.
We didn’t spend long in the square as we had to cross to the “poor” quarter where we were stopping for a light snack. We sat down at two ranks of tables and were served a soft drink, a beer, or some wine. Then, when everyone was served, they dished up tapas of Canarian potatoes in a fiery red sauce. Entertainment was provided when one waiter tried to juggle a tray of drinks and ended up decorating the pavement with shards of glass and pools of beer. It was further enhanced by me dropping some of the hot sauce on my stone-coloured chinos and my polo shirt. As I write, both are now soaking in the vague hope that they may wash out.
We returned to the bus and were taken to the Botanical Gardens. We had about 30-40 minutes for a quick look around but hardly scratched the surface. They were quite impressive, with extensive stands of the native shrubs and trees. We were soon ushered back to the bus and taken back to the port.
Once back on board, we both had a nap, accompanied by the sirens and alarms of the working port.
We sailed away from Las Palmas soon after 17:30 and did a sneaky about-turn in the harbour so that we could sail straight out of the entrance rather than reverse up. We stood on Jane and Trevor's balcony watching the world go by and chatting about the success of various sports teams during the day— the England Women's Rugby win over Canada, the significant lead Europe had in the Ryder Cup over the Americans, and some of the day's football results. We went to the Bay Tree restaurant for dinner at 18:30 and took our places at our usual table. Di started with melon (though it wasn't on the menu), and the rest of us had grilled sardines on toasted ciabatta. For the main dish, Di selected the lasagne al forno, while I had Texan beef brisket chilli. Whilst nowhere near hot enough for me, the chilli was very tasty indeed.
The entertainment tonight was advertised as a comedian, Manuel Martinez. In fact, he was more of a witty magician. Hailing from Cuba, he switched from Spanish (his opening was all in Spanish) to English. He was excellent, working the crowd mercilessly and constructing some long-running jokes/tricks.
It was quite clear at the end of the show that the audience were eating out of his hand and loving every minute of it. We were delighted to hear that he has a further show later in the cruise.
We all called it a night after the show. Jane and Trevor have an early start, tomorrow, and a quiet evening suited us well, too.
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