This was our first visit to the Canary Islands, and we were so excited when we got there because it was such a change from the day before in Morocco. Nearly all of the buildings were white. The white buildings with blue trim were in the proximity of the ocean while the structures with the green trim were up in the hills, vineyards and farms. This is not a written law, but has been a tradition there for centuries.
The island is covered in volcanoes and is VERY, VERY windy!!!
These are wine vineyards. They have to build them differently here because the wind is constantly strong. They build lava stone walls surrounding each plant. This was so intriguing to see especially because we live in Germany, and we are used to seeing “normal” vineyards.
When we first got to the island we headed to their national volcano park.
I felt like we were on the moon except for the ocean in the background. It was windy as HELL! They did several demonstrations about how hot the ground was there because the volcanoes are still active. They literally just stuck this piece of hay in a hole in the ground, and it caught on fire. THAT is how hot the rock was in some places. It was crazy because the air temp was so chilly there!
In another demonstration, they just threw a bucket of water in a hole, and steam exploded out!! Really cool!! Especially for this geology geek!
After the demonstrations, we got to shop a little. Steve liked these. I guess they are fertility sculptures?
Horrible pic, but I don’t think that we had enough pics together on this trip. 
After our little tour of the park, we went on a camel ride. Since the groundwater is so scarce on the island, they use camels instead of horses. My camel had curly hair just like me! 
Steve took a picture of this: 
We both thought it was funny. We are so immature!
After our exciting camel ride, we visited a winery for some tastings…
Some more of the vineyards I was telling you about…
The wine was okay, and we decided to go outside and face the wind.
We tried to put our camera on a ledge to take this pic a few times, but the wind was so bad that it kept blowing off!
After the winery, we headed to a beautiful hotel on the island for lunch. This was the inside of the hotel. Gorgeous!
We had the best paella ever!!
Standard Spanish lunch with veggies, olives, paella, chorizo, and I added some seafood pasta to the mix.
For dessert, we had some chocolate coffee cake, lemon mousse (amazing!), ice cream, and a little bit of coffee. The coconut ice cream was so smooth and creamy. It easily overtook my old favorite of chocolate chip cookie dough!
The coffee was tiny yet so cute!
We were then whisked away to a cave that served as an awesome cave diving spot, bar, and theater. It was right next to the ocean, and was one of Cesar Manrique’s works of art.
There were all of these tiny white crabs in the water that glowed in the dark. This cave is the only place where the crabs are found near the surface. 
Here they are. It was so cool!
There was a manmade lagoon right in the middle.
This is the theater. 
This was right outside of the cave…
Can you tell it’s windy?!
Next, we were taken to a few lookout points on the island. I like this pic because my hair is attacking Steve!
After our lovely day on the island, we had a gala dinner to attend on the ship. I love it when Steve dresses up!
Up next, Tenerife of the Canary Islands!
Missed other parts of the cruise?
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