Canary Islands- February 2014

To be totally honest, I never expected to go to the Canary Islands.  I knew where they were, but did not know that they are owned by Spain.  Which was a happy surprise for me because I was able to use some Spanish there and get by, instead of the painfulness that is my Russian.
This was not the vacation that Jesy and I thought it was going to be.  I'm not saying it was a bad vacation, just different.  We were expecting a pool/beach holiday, but it was often too cold for that.  What we did do on this break, though, was a whole lot of nothing.  And that it really something that our family (Jesy) needs.  We took many hikes and walks to town.  We watched movies and fooled around on our I-pads.  There was a sports pitch on the side of the house, and the kids had great fun playing soccer, throwing balls, and making up games.  And we ate A LOT of good food. 
We travelled to the island of Fuerteventura.  It is more of a desert island and I felt like I was in the western part of the US at times.

Our house was quite lovely and I didn't mind one bit spending a lot of time there.  Like I said, there was a sports pitch.  There was also a pool, small trampoline, and a slide.  There was a big kid's bedroom that was filled with toys, and my kids loved playing in there.  There was also a big TV, and at night the kids were quite happy to watch a movie and all fall asleep right where they were watching.

On one of our first days there we rented a catamaran.  There was a captain and first mate and they were very nice men.  The water was freezing, so we did not do many water activities.  There was a wetsuit for Jesy, so he spent some time in the water, as did Amalie.  John and Kathleen were willing to get in the canoe, but that was about all.  Colin decided to stay in the little cabin most of the time and read brochures.  I don't know how he did it.  I would have been sick all over the place, but sometimes that kid has a stomach of steel.  Which bodes well for our Caribbean cruise this Christmas.  And Eileen?  I was really freaked out to jump in that 60 degree water.  But, I also wanted to say that I swam on the other side of the Atlantic.  So I did it.  I jumped in, screamed, and got out of the water.  But I have swam on both sides of the Atlantic now.

This is a little bit of a side story.  Do you notice the hooded towel Kathleen is wearing in the picture above?  The owners of our rental house provided towels for the beach and pool.  Kathleen loved this hooded duck towel and wore it the entire time we were on vacation.  She begged me to find her one just like it when we got home.  I told her I would, but that it would have to wait until we got back to the US this summer, as I was sure I would never find one in Moscow.  Well, what do you know?  I was in Metro the other day (think Sam's Club), and there was a whole bin of them.  I was so excited.  Of course when I tried to check out they could not find the right tag or whatever to charge me.  Usually when this happens in Russia I say no to the item because they store does not want to find a new one and the people in line behind you are not very patient.  Not this time!  I would have stayed in that line all day if necessary, and the checkout lady knew it.  And Kathleen is soooo happy to have her own "duckie towel".

I'm really glad we did this day cruise as it showed us just how beautiful Fuerteventura and the surrounding islands are.  After the boat ride was finished we drove to the beach.  No one wanted to go in because we were so mesmerized by all of the windsurfers.  They were amazing and it was quite a feat that no-one gets tangled up in any one else's stuff.

 

One morning we drove to this state park and hiked.  Jesy and the three older kids made it to the top.  John and I made it about halfway when he stopped and decided he would much rather play with the rocks than climb anymore.  Regardless, we all had some nice views.

 

On one of our last days in Fuerteventura we went to their zoo.  It was a lovely day, we saw some nice animals, and the kids loved the seal show.  You are allowed to buy food for the animals at the entrance, and actually give it to elephants and giraffes.  It was quite interesting to watch the kids feed these big animals. 

 

Kathleen loves big stuffed animals.  There is a giant stuffed penguin outside the library at school, and I can never get her off that thing.  We could barely get her away from this lion to go on the camel ride.

The camel ride.  When we signed up for this I thought it was you ride a camel around a pen a few times.  No.  You get on a camel and ride up a steep mountain, all the while thinking the camel might fall and you will plummet to your death.  I spent much of the camel ride imagining how I would grab John and roll away from falling camels.  It was worth it in the end (kind of) because the views from the top of the hill were spectacular.  And the kids loved the ride as they are not crazy like their mother and had no visions of death during the trip.

Obviously the last two pictures are not of the camel ride.  But John loved this cow.

Ok, so now for the sad truth.  You know what my favorite part of the trip was?  A local restaurant in our town of Lajares that served AMAZING sandwiches.  You go on this great trip and the best part is sandwiches?  I know that's what you are thinking.  Sometimes in Moscow I just want a sandwich.  And I don't mean Subway.  I'm talking along the lines of Panera, or Atlanta Bread Company, or some yummy local place in your town.  Moscow does not have places like this, and like I said, sometimes I just want a sandwich.  And no, I can not make one on my own.  I am afraid of the deli meat here in Moscow, and I have never bought any.  So, the town of Lajares is super cute.  We were able to walk in to town and go to the playground and get some food.  If you know me, you know that I love to walk to dinner at night.  I find it very relaxing.  And throw in a good sandwich?  What a vacation!