The car excursion continues and we visit the wine district around La Geria to see how grapes are grown in a volcanic area. Since we didn’t visit La Graciosa when we sailed here, we want at least to view the island from a vantage point at the strait between Lanzarote and Graciosa.

We set Google maps to guide us to the Mirador del Rio, the lookout point up on the strait towards La Graciosa. On the way there we drive through La Geria and Masdache which are the centers for the vineyards on the island.

The wine district at La Geria

Pretty soon after we pass Femes the lava field begins and we start to see vineyards on the edge of the lava field at La Geria. There are some other areas with vineyards at Masdache and Tinajo. There are also some vineyards up at Ye in the northern part of the island. The whole of Lanzarote is its own DOP district in Spain.

As you can see on the satellite image over the island, it is black lava and lava sand where the grapes are grown.

We stopped just before we reached La Geria and then we could see how sparsely the vines grow. Each plant grows in its own little walled pit. The wall is built on the north side of the pits to prevent them from being filled with sand carried by the constant northerly wind.

It was really a completely unexpected way of growing grapes and one really wonders how they can survive in this environment. Black sand that probably gets very hot during the day. Also, it appears to be very dry and no other vegetation.

Since we are driving, we skipped wine tasting in the bodegas we drove past in La Geria and Masdache.

They grow several different kinds of grapes and produce both white, red and rosé wines. One of the more well-known grapes is Volcanic Malvasia, which produces tasty, slightly sweeter wines, but it is also possible to make slightly drier wines from the grape.

Northern Lanzarote

In the north of Lanzarote, the landscape has changed character and is much greener and more mountainous. From the road on the mountain side, we have a nice view of green valleys that are watered by water vapor from the Atlantic. On this day, we could see how the sun lights up the water mist that blows in over land.

Haría

When we arrived to Haría it was time for lunch and the town seemed quite lively with lots of people on the streets. We stop here to try to find a cozy restaurant and it turns out to be a nice little community with quite a few restaurants open.

Here in Haría there is a sculpture of a basket maker from Lanzarote, Don Eulogio Concepcion Perdomo. He is apparently remembered for his work in teaching the knowledge of how to weave baskets, apparently an important tradition on the island.

Mirador del Rio

In the north of Lanzarote is this viewpoint with a magnificent view of La Graciosa. Since the winds didn’t take us to La Graciosa this time, we still wanted to see what the island looks like and the lookout point is a good place for that.

On the way back to Rubicon, we first take the coastal road south from Mirador del Rio and then on to Órzola. After Órzola we drive south towards the old lava tunnel Cueva de los Verdes and later Costa Teguise. On the way to Cueva de los Verdes, we stop at the small beach El Arco, situated just south of Órzola.

Órzola

Órzola is the port where the ferries to La Graciosa leave. The harbor did not appear to receive visiting sailboats. We found a small restaurant, on the promenade south of the port, where we stopped for a cup of coffee before continuing south.

The beach at El Arco

Just outside Órzola we saw a small sandy beach embedded in the rocky coast. From a distance it looked nice, but when we parked and went down to the beach we saw that the water was quite muddy. This meant that we refrained from bathing this time.

Cueva de los Verdes

A little further south we came to Cueva de los Verdes, a lava passage, several kilometers long. Part of the aisle is open to visitors and there are places available for us in the last viewing of the day. The guide spoke both Spanish and English, but unfortunately mostly Spanish, so we felt that those of us who don’t understand Spanish missed out on some information. Even so, we found it a rewarding half hour to experience a lava tunnel.

Costa Teguise

A little north of the island’s capital, Arrecife, is Costa Teguise. There are at least two sandy beaches here and thus the city is a tourist destination. We stop here to finally swim and hopefully find a restaurant where we can satisfy our hunger after the exhausting day’s program. For some reason we don’t have any pictures from the beach and the nice promenade. So you have to settle for a few pictures from the way down to the beach, there were many nice flowers to photograph here.

Carina leaves me alone

Before we leave Lanzarote for this time, Carina will take the opportunity to go home to Sweden for a week. In the meantime, I take the opportunity to enjoy the single life in sunny Rubicon.

The week goes by very quickly and I barely manage to do laundry, shopping and cooking, brisk walks for the sake of health. One of the trophy fishing boats at the jetty is being prepared and it would surely be an awesome experience to go along. The pool is still open and it’s nice to be there for a while in the afternoon.

The days go by quickly even without company, but of course I miss Carina.

Carina has returned and finally the time as a single guy is over!

Up next

We visit Gran Tarajal on Fuerteventura during our continued sailing where Las Palmas is the final destination this year.