Oh, memories arising!
I visited the Canary Islands in the late 80s and the early 90s quite some time. First visit was Lanzarote and while the plane was circulating above the island my first eerie thought was: "Oh, my God. That is a desert! No green whatsoever!I don't want to go there. That is depressing!" As I had no chance we landed and I got later on fascinated by the minimalism of the Canary Islands. Never will forget the "Cueva de los Verdes" on Lanzarote and the contrasts of Fuerteventura you speak of.
We spent our time on the rough side and I cursed the wind more than once. But admiring the brave surfers (of which I thought being insane).
Here I share with you two pictures which encapsule those stoney wind shields and the massive sand dunes we made fun to take pictures from (taking a bed sheet from the hotel:)
Meeting a local dog:
Dune more from the far:
Sorry for the quality. I just photographed the prints with an old i-phone.
I hope the landscapes are still intact and tourism hadn't have that bad influences like at the Spanish coast. Can you say something about it?
P.S. Finally, you are blogging again. Me tuning more out, you tuning in:)
Hi @erh.germany, what a nice surprise!
Thanks for these awesome shots. I think they capture Fuerte's spirit very well.
I started travelling to Fuerte in the early 90s and as far as I perceive it, the landscapes and the beaches have not been impaired by the tourism since then. I can't judge though how the impact on less visible aspects like groundwater, sea pollution, endemic fauna and flora has been.
The minimalism, as you describe it, is indeed what makes this Island so special. But only to those who are able to respond to it. Because only then one is able to see the incredible diversity within this scarcity. All these colours, textures, niche plants, rock sculptures and so on...
And true, I also wouldn't mind if the wind would pause from time to time. It just doesn't ;)
Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers!
"to see the incredible diversity within this scarcity" - yes, that is the beauty. Couldn't have said it better.
I hope, their politics haven't changed since the early 90s and they still restrict to build infrastructure and housing like crazy. At least on Lanzarote, there was a law not to build more than two or three story buildings (can't remember the exact number).
Oh, and look who was visiting me in time and space:
The fledgling of the flying lizard from your Alpine hike. And I haven't spotted it! Damn!
:))
:D