Gran Canaria was not love on first sight. I needed to learn to love Gran Canaria and see the beauty which the island offered to the ones which took the time to look.Like the light and stillness of the Maspalomas dunes in the early morning, for example, as you can see below.
When I first arrived in Gran Canaria
When I arrived in 1993, I was expecting lush greens we find on the Adriatic coast of Italy and Croatia, or idyllic towns like on the coast of Greece.
I arrived by ferry in Las Palmas harbour. On the motorway and coastal road to Puerto Rico I saw only dry land and vast plastic sheets covering the tomato plantations and further south skyscrapers for hotels. In the South of the islands many of the plastic sheets have disappeared revealing barren land and the less than handsome skyscrapers are still here. This brown barren landscape will not suddenly turn green – there are too many sunny days a year and the skyscrapers are here to stay!
What has changed, is the way I see it all. I learned to slow down, look for the beauty and enjoy.
Now I see the vast blue sea, visible from almost anywhere from the island, and marvel at the depth and size of it. I adore the contrast of the different shades of brown and blues, interspersed now and then with greens. I love driving up the mountains and immerse myself in the different greens of the suddenly green countryside. One just has to go and find it.
I love the complete stillness in the Maspalomas dunes. I love the wild and dangerous waves at certain times of the year and the calm mirror-like sea at others.
Nowadays I even appreciate the wind which seems to be blowing all the time on the south west cost. What I probably love most of all, is that I like rain. Simply standing and marvelling at the falling drops from the sky, which the dry earth receives so gratefully.
There is something truly special about this island. In fact, there is something special about all seven of the Canary Islands.
Finally learned to Love Gran Canaria
My husband and I slowly fell in love with her, “La Isla de Gran Canaria”. We discovered the many different beaches and the lush greens in the interior of the island. We discovered that Gran Canaria was a miniature continent with 5 different climatic zones!
We realized how incredibly friendly and helpful the Canarians are, how life slows down and invites you to enjoy. We learned to relax and to pay attention to see the true beauty wherever we went.
We are blessed that we could make Gran Canaria our home. Now we will not give it up again. If we should ever decide to try living somewhere else, we will always keep a base here. Going to the beach, do water and other sports, eating out, going for walks in the nature or sightseeing new towns are our hobbies.
The simple enjoying of life
One of the amazing things in Gran Canaria is that it can stand still for a long time, like an unfinished building, a road construction or its educational system. But then, all of a sudden, it leaps forward – it explodes like a volcano. Through somebody’s initiative something new and interesting comes into existence. Just got to love Gran Canaria!
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Hi, I am Judith, the founder, author, translator and coffee girl of the GRAN CANARIA REGIONAL Guide.
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