Cruise to the Canaries 2024.

A winter cruise to the canaries onboard Aurora, a vessel that we have happily sailed on before. However this was to be our first winter cruise to a warmer destination.

Lisbon

Lisbon was the first stop.

Gill and I had decided that we would visit the monastery and Pantheon. We had researched the possibility of a Tuk-Tuk and from what we had seen on the Internet thought it to be reasonable, but the reality was far different; an hour ride in excess of 200 euros. We had to decline a number of times given the persistence of the vendor; he followed us shouting lower and lower prices but it was still too expensive. We walked as far as the main square where we considered the tram but sadly we discover that the tram did not stop at all other than its terminus.

There were taxis and a quick enquiry found that the monastery was an 8 euro ride. Result!

A few moments into the ride and we were going the wrong way. It turns out that there are two monasteries in Lisbon and we were on the way to the other one. An interesting conversation resulted in a roundabout route but we arrived at the front of the Church of St Vincente de Fora within which I had visited briefly on a previous cruise but this time we noticed the doorway to the adjacent monastery.

The monastic cloister from the roof of the Church of St Vicente de Fora in Lisbon.

As part of the Second crusade, (no really, Pope Eugene III included Alphonso VI's campaign against the Moors in the Iberian Peninsular as part of the Second Crusade. During the siege of Lisbon, in 1147, D. Afonso Henriques made a promise: if he succeeded in conquering the city, he would commission the construction of a monastery dedicated to Saint Vincent, a highly worshipped saint among the Mozarabs. This monastery was founded in the same year “outside” the city walls, thus justifying the building’s name (Fora = Outside).

The church with the monastery to the right. The taxi dropped us off just here by the steps, which was nice.

The inside of the church itself.

The roof, from which there are lovely views over Lisbon

The National Pantheon seen from the roof of the Church of St Vicente de Fora in Lisbon.

The National Pantheon or church of Santa Engrácia is a grand Baroque building housing the tombs of the country’s most distinguished figures. Begun in the 16th century as the church of Santa Engrácia by Princess Dona Maria, daughter of King Manuel I, the church never fulfilled its purpose. It is thanks to her that the saying “like the construction of Santa Engrácia” came into being to denote something which is never completed. In fact, it was finished in the mid-20th century, 350 years later.

The view over Lisbon towards the Sanctuary of Christ the King Statue from the roof of the Church of St Vicente de Fora in Lisbon.

A cupola on the roof.

Just outside the church, a convenient bench; ideal after so many steps to the roof.

The cloister at Church of St Vicente de Fora.

A convenient seat near the conveniences which was handy.

Royal caskets

The tiled interior.

Aesop's Fables in blue tiles.

Modern Portuguese tiles

The pathway round the church on the right to the street market that wasn't there on the day we were.

The path led to the Pantheon which was shut on the day that we were there.

Traditional tiled buildings

Not quite so traditional wall art

The "Praça do Comércio" where we caught the taxi.

Arrecife de Lanzarote

A volcanic island with almost lunar views. We tried the trip to the volcanoes with a side trip to an Aloe Vera farm and then a winery. First up the volcano trip.

Only coaches are allowed on the road through the volcanic park and all private cars have to remain in the car park and their passengers transfer to the orange busses. We were already on a coach.

Shots from the coach. No control over shadows!

The sun changes the exposure but does make the sky a little more dramatic.

A dramatic landscape that is slowly adding flora; but it is still desolate.

The car park for those tourists wanting the experience from the back of a camel.

An impressive crater not a caldera (a depression caused by the land collapsing in to the void of the now empty magma chamber).

The agave plant in flower, cultivated not natural. Aloe Vera is weird stuff and we found out that every trip happens to stop at one of the many demonstration farms.

Next the winery.

A vineyard with the little walls to protect the vines from the wind.

Sometimes a depression in the volcanic ash takes the place of the wall.

The wine was interesting but not interesting enough to buy.

In the afternoon we walked into town and saw the sign that points out that wheelchair users should exit into the dock!

A different art installation by the entrance to the town.

Decorations on lamp posts.

Gran Canaria

There was a transport strike on the day we visited resulting in an unscheduled trip on one of the few hop on hop off busses that were running.

A picturesque trip through the modern town brought us to the old town where we alighted and looked for something to see. This is the back door to the birthplace of Albert Kraus a famous Spanish tenor.

We walked on and found a monastery! Actually it was the Cathedral; Saint Annes.

The church was begun by Fr. Diego de Muros the third Bishop of Las Palmas (the city not the island). The structure was finished, and the first offices celebrated, on the eve of Corpus Christi, 1570, in the time of the fourteenth Bishop, Fr. Juan de Alzolares. The eighteenth century saw the reconstruction and refurbishment of the cathedral after the Bishop, controlling a large tithe surplus, decided to commence work, overseen by Dean D. Geronimo Roos.

While the Cathedral has a long history and demonstrates the many styles of architecture it was the light that we found interesting.

There are a few stained glass windows, but there are a number that are just in effect blobs of colour.

Here you can see the effect of the light on the floor and the wall.

The plaza associated with the Cathedral with the decorations for Christmas being laid out.

Next to the Cathedral is the small but perfectly formed monastery.

Yorik gets about.

La Palma

La Palma, like the other islands of the Canary Islands archipelago, is a volcanic ocean island. Originally just one volcano, Taburiente it rises almost 7 km (4 mi) above the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. There is road access from sea level to the summit which is marked by an outcrop of rocks called Roque de Los Muchachos ("Rock of the Young Men"). This is the site of the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, one of the world's premier astronomical observatories.

There have been 8 eruptions since the 15th Century, the most recent of which was in 2021.