I'm happy to report the ferry from Fuerteventura to Gran Canaria was much smoother. Our lesson learned from the last voyage was to take Dramamine earlier. I'm sure the placebo effect played its part as well. The sea was still a little too rocky to take advantage of the free wifi and stare at our screens, but we could briefly take in the scenery this time to enjoy the boat's Christmas decor before we closed our eyes. I now have a greater appreciation for our ancestors who sailed across the Atlantic ocean for months sans Dramamine. They would have thrown me overboard an hour into the voyage!
The infamous Fred Olsen ferry.
The beaches and mountains were unforgettable on the Canary Islands and definitely worth the trip. Jagged peaks dwarfed us, jetting straight up from the West coast's golden shore, while the aqua water sparkled on the white sand of the Eastern coast. We didn't escape the nudists on Fuerteventura, for us suit-wearing sunseekers were definitely still a minority! We've concluded that the typical nudist is a 60-70-year-old male who likes to stand proud and tall on the sand gazing out at the sea (instead of lying on the beach or sitting comfy in a chair).
Fuerteventura's East coast.
Fuerteventura's West coast.
We spent our last day in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria's largest town, where we will catch our flight to Porto, Portugal tomorrow. To our surprise, what appeared to just be a gritty port town actually has an old city center full of character. The kids' favorite part of Las Palmas was Cereal Thriller, a cafe that only served bowls of sugary cereal. Seeing all the colorful boxes flooded me with childhood memories from the 80s, like the treat of getting the mini boxes of "sugary cereals" when we'd go camping.
The Cereal Thriller cafe, note the VHS tapes on the bar wall.
Old Town Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.
View from our Airbnb's rooftop in Fuerteventura.
View from our deck overlooking the small town square in Fuerteventura. Noisy but great for people watching. We lucked out with the town's tree right in front of us.
FACT: The exceptional geographic location of the La Luz Port on Gran Canaria has made it the most important port in the Mid-Atlantic, bridging Europe, Africa and America. It's also known as the Atlantic's fueling station. Christopher Columbus used this port 500 years ago as a refuge for his boats heading out to discover America.
Though they look tiny, those freight carriers are massive heading to port.
