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The Secrets Of Playa Quemada

by Bettina Kold | Bettinas World, Lanzarote To Do, Lanzarote Trekking & Picnic Places

The Secrets Of Playa Quemada

It was such a beautiful day. The sky had the right colour of blue, and the fields where green due to a few days with hours of soft rain. Its amazing the difference the rain brings to the landscape of LANZAROTE. Most of the year our surroundings are totally black and brown. So when it finally rains, and we get some green grass on our fields and volcanos it’s HAPPY times.

Me and my friend Digna decided that we would do a long Day Walk. A walk without having to look at the watch. Just enjoying the green fields and Lanzarote`s nature during winter. And so we did!!

We parked our cars down at the harbour of Puerto Calero and continued by foot on the Avenida, towards the local village of PLAYA QUEMADA. Within less than half an hour walking reaching the green field we meet a shepherd with at least a 100 pregnant sheep. How adorable. The shepherd noticed my enthusiasm and asked me if I wanted a photo with one of the sheep. Of course. I couldnt say no. It was my first time scratching a sheep behind the ear. She must have liked it, because she didn’t want to turn around and follow the herd when I left.

Digna and I continued our walk along the seaside, while we enjoyed the view of the deep blue Atlantic Ocean next to the slopes of the green fields. We passed by the BEACH of Playa Quemada, which mostly consists of small stones all the way through. The village of Playa Quemada itself is very small and very much Canarian. There we met this very relaxed looking fisherman, who seemed to not have a care in the world.

When passing the village of PLAYA QUEMADA the walk started to get pretty tough going up and down the fields all the time on a hard slippery terrain. So we really had to concentrate and focus on where to step to avoid slipping down the cliff. We reached our first stop ,which was a tiny stone beach. That beach is called PLAYA DEL POZO. Right in the center of the beach someone has constructed a what looks like a water well, only with no water in it.

And also a bus stop look-a-like construction of stones and rocks.

Lanzarote has several of those sorts of constructions scattered around the island. No one seems to know who build them.

When standing right there looking up to the field I saw a huge drawing, at least 50 by 5 meters, of what looked to me as an ANCHOR.. It was the first time I saw it that close up. I have only seen it from the seaside from a boat, when sailing by. There are many stories to that “drawing”, and it has been there for many years!! One day I will definitely tell some of those stories!

After a well deserved break on the Beach of Playa del Pozo and having sipped a half liter of water we continued our walk along the fields. The high temperature started be noticeably. That is why everyone, who lives here permanently knows that when exercising, early morning is the best option.

Our next and last stop that day was the arrival to what is called “The Secret Garden Of Playa Quemada”. It’s a very special place I have to say. I wonder if such a garden exists elsewhere in the world? It’s situated close to the sea and as you can imagine the access to it is difficult, because of it’s location and watering those plants in the secret garden is anything but easy.

There is a huge gap in the cliff, where children’s toys from many different countries are used as decoration, as well as all sorts of lost buoys from passing boats.

However, it’s obvious that the plants growing there are being well taken care of by someone and so is the “decoration”. Everything looks so tidy and clean. And inside the cliff we even found a Visitors book! When I opened it I was amazed to see the different comments from other visitors from all around the world. Funnily, I noticed that the book itself was just about 3 years old. I took the time to write a comment, in which I promised that my next blog post would be about this walk to The Secret Garden of Playa Quemada!

This walk is medium to high. It`s a 15 km long walk. Good shoes are strongly recommended. Plenty of water and a sandwich or two. Sun cream and a hat are a must!

From Puerto Calero Marina to The Secret Garden there is 7.5 KM each way.

The Avenue and Beach of Playa Honda

by Bettina Kold | Bettinas World, Lanzarote Eating Out, Lanzarote To Do

The Avenue and Beach of Playa Honda

I have lived in PLAYA HONDA since the late Nineties. I love it here. It`s where I feel comfortable and where I feel at home. Its not a touristic area, it’s more likely Canarian and for the locals I would say. It`s here in Playa Honda we got the best and longest Avenue on the Island

When I first moved to Playa Honda and started building friendships with the locals I was amazed and happily surprised when we during the summer went down to the BEACH in the afternoons. I had never seen anything like what I saw down there and I really liked it a lot – I felt completely at home!.

The beach was the gathering place for all the local families it seemed. Parents, grandparents, kids, nieces, nephews, aunts having fun and enjoying an afternoon picnic together.

Down there I would find my local Canarian friends with their entire family. From Great Grandmother to Aunts and Cousins of all ages. With their sun umbrellas and beach chairs and PICNIC bags full of nice and tasty food. I LOVED IT.

The attitude and that special bond that most Spanish and Canarian people have with their family I find very BEAUTIFUL. On those occasions one realize how much fun one can have on a completely normal afternoon..

And as you might suspect or already know the Summer here in The Canary Island is very hot. We have degrees from 32º to 38º Celsius and that is taking into consideration that we always have a nice cool breeze here

Also, the beach of Playa Honda is also a fantastic place for children during their nearly 3 month school Summer Holiday. The beach is at least 5 kilometers long. There is plenty of space for playing beach games and oceans of crystal clear water to swim in.

It`s that time of the year that the beach is full of laughter and chatter and the restaurants are fully occupied. The lovely smell of SEA FOOD and GARLIC is everywhere.

The Avenue of Playa Honda is also very famous for the airplanes that are landing just nearby. It’s running past the landing strip of the Airport of Lanzarote and the landing spot is to find at the very end of the beach, when you walk in the direction of Puerto del Carmen, the great touristic area.

It’s a favorite spot for many locals and believe me, tourists too. Lots of tourists ride to the landing spot on bicycles or walk by foot to take photographs of the airplanes when they takeoff or land.

I have to say it’s an AMAZING feeling standing right under the fence when an airplane roars right above over your head. I remember years ago when me and my sister spent nearly two hours trying to get the right shot for my camera, while the airplanes flew over us. It was hard work as the noise and wind from their powerful motors were incredibly loud and one would automatically look downwards afraid of being blown away.

When we finally succeeded with ONE single photo we were thrilled. Especially my sister.

Now, the photo of that one airplane in perfect landing position in this BLOGPOST has a funny story to it. My daughter is actually a passenger in that plane. I took the photo on first shot, and then I immediately hurried straight to the Airport to pick her up..

Yes, our airport is literally just a stone throw from Playa Honda.

The Volcano La Montaña Roja

by Bettina Kold | Bettinas World, Lanzarote To Do

The Volcano La Montaña Roja

I had been driving past this stunning Red Volcano called ” LA MONTAÑA ROJA ” for almost 25 years without taking much notice of it. One day not long time ago I finally took my time to walk up to the very TOP with a friend of mine. I have to admit that I deeply regret that I did not do it before.

The view up there is absolutely STUNNING and BREATHTAKING. When I reached the top with my friend I could not believe what I saw. I knew PLAYA BLANCA had grown into a good sized CITY over the past 20 years, but the scenery I saw from the very TOP was slightly different from what I had imagined – I was totally amazed! Today there are thousands of Villas, and pleanty of Hotels..

When I came to the island in 1993 you could count the amount of houses down at the Ferry Harbor of Playa Blanca on one hand. There were only FOUR houses at back then!In one of those houses lived the family of Fefo. Fefo was the cook onboard the Yacht, where I worked as a Chief Guide during my first 6 years on LANZAROTE.

While I was standing on top of The Volcano “La Montaña Roja” a lot of memories came to my mind, and Fefo was one of them. We had loads of great FUN while working together. He was such a good cook. Too good sometimes. He made the strongest GARLIC SAUCE on the whole Island for our tourist guests – and he did it deliberately. No one on, board including me, had any success trying to make him change his recipe!

Today PLAYA BLANCA`S Harbour is very different from when I arrived in 1993. And so is the city. The view I saw from the mountain top proves it BIG TIME. When walking up there to the TOP I did walk several times around the entire Volcano, because it’s not that big really. I just couldn’t get enough.

The terrain is fairly easy to walk on. That’s good news. The only thing you have to be careful about up there, is the WIND, because it’s always really windy in that area.

The Volcano is about 180 meters high. So be careful. Especially when walking out to the very edge of The Volcano, where the view is so STUNNING. I admit it’s hard not to…

From the TOP you can see over to the neighbour island, FUERTEVENTURA and it`s beautiful Golden BEACHES and SAND DUNES. On days with clear blue sky the beach will shine like gold and it seems like the beach is only minutes walking distance away…

LA MONTAÑA ROJA has a legend too I have been told. The story is that long time ago when there was hardly any lights on at night in PLAYA BLANCA many “UFOS” were often seen landing inside the Volcano. I must admit that when looking down at the bottom, the size of the hole of the volcano could be the perfect landing spot for a UFO ..

When you walk down into the crater you’ll see that people, locals as well as foreigners, have written their names and LOVE messages on the small rocks or in the stiff hardened sand down inside the volcano. Some people have even built STONE TREES. I have always found those kind of things very sweet and romantic..

I have to add that reaching the top of the Volcano is fairly easy. You don’t need to be fit. You just need good shoes and time. Bringing some water is recommended. You might feel like staying up there for a little while enjoying the STUNNING VIEW all the way round the volcano, just like I did.

Love Is In The Air

by Bettina Kold | Bettinas World, Lanzarote To Do, Lanzarote Trekking & Picnic Places

Love Is In The Air

It’s the most wonderful thing to see, when people are in love. Especially elderly people. I find it so romantic to see them sitting arm in arm or just holding hands.

The other day I went for a walk with a small group of friends taking off at The Flamingo Beach in Playa Blanca heading towards the “Faro Pechiguera” (The Pechiguera Light House) It’s the absolute Southern point of the Island.

This walk is EASY and very relaxing too. Its a 5 kilometers long walk, and it’s straight forward all along the beautiful “avenida” and coastline.

During the walk that day we saw people holding hands and sitting arm in arm on EVERY single bench.

That was amazing to see. This is why I decided to call this post “Love is in the air!

There is also a kind of “Viewpoint” right on the Avenida with chains hanging on railing poles. People from all over the world have put a HEART padlock on the chains. Many of them have written a little message. Some have written their name on it only. Possibly to return one day to see if their heart is still there..

During the walk you can sit on the benches available to the public or you can lay down on the sand and rocks and enjoy the shade of the bambu umbrellas, the sea smell and listening to the sounds of the Atlantic ocean.

When you are half through the walk you will automatically pass by a lovely Beach Bar. The dominant colours of the Bar is Ocean Blue and so are the chairs and tables and all around they have planted banana trees.

The ambiance is marvellous as the overall effect of all the impressions and view incredible as you also have The Lobos virgin Island just out there in the blue sea just in front of. This feels so like PARADISE. Oh yes, and I enjoyed my refreshment at the bar…

The Mountains Of Femes

by Bettina Kold | Bettinas World, Lanzarote Eating Out, Lanzarote To Do, Lanzarote Trekking & Picnic Places

The walk in the Mountains of Femes in the Southern part of the island, has without any doubt been the hardest walk I have done so far here in Lanzarote.

It`s a 9.5 km long walk. But it`s absolutely wonderful. When you return back home you should be amazed and proud of yourself – you were actually able to go through with it!

Especially when we have days with high temperatures it’s quite an accomplishment

So , what we did was parking our car behind the Church in the small village of Femes, which is placed in a valley between the high hills on the Southern part of Lanzarote.

We stepped out of the car and literally walked straight up the hill passing a house where the restaurant “Casa Emilio” is located. Casa Emilio is a tipical and beautiful Canarian house that has been transformed into a restaurant.

While walking up to the very top of the hill you probably pass by a Goats farm. When you do that you are on the right path.

The smell of Goat, and there are hundreds of them, can be unbearable for most, but I am sure you will forget all about the smell when you see their cute little bearded faces looking straight at you and posibly they are wondering what you are doing at THEIR farm!!

Once you have passed by the Goatfarm you will instantly see this amazingly stunning view. It`s amazing to stand there. Just you and the mountains. Silence. When standing there it’s difficult to calculate the real distance down to the sea because of the evenness of the brown colours of the mountains. Everything around looks like it goes into ONE piece and like one big brown carpet, with no points of reference.

We went straight up the mountain hills first and came direct out to a sort of cliff where we could see all the way to Playa Blanca. The south of the island.

It`s really a special feeling standing so high up on such a tiny walkway.

therefore, I have to warn those of you who suffer from vertigo, fear of heights. But don’t worry, it`s just about 10 minutes that path you have to walk through and you will be back on a normal, safe walking path again for the rest of the time!

While we continued our walk the only noise we heard was the sound of the Goats from the Mountains. Hundreds of them. I find it quite amazing how they can walk kilometres and kilometres on their tiny feet on the steep slopes o the mountain hills without falling down on my head!

After we had been walking for a few hours we passed by this homemade stone building that looked like a Tipical Canarian Bus stop. Right there in the middle of nowhere.

The funny thing here is that, while sitting there I realised that the only view was mountains and more mountains. Not the sea as I would have preferred.

MWe took advantage of the “Busstop” and enjoyed our homemade sandwiches and had a little rest too on the bench before we continued towards the other side of the hills. We arrived to a small valley with very little grass. Hidden behind Femes’. So silent and peaceful.

After a while we returned straight up towards that mountain from where we came from aaaaand… Back to the Goats, those little cuties…

Enjoy your walk and don’t forget plenty of water. And really good walking shoes!

A great day at Volcan De La Corona

by Bettina Kold | Bettinas World, Lanzarote To Do, Lanzarote Trekking & Picnic Places

A great day at Volcan De La Corona

It’s almost the last chance to explore the green scenery of Lanzarote’s amazing landscape.

There is already such a difference in the colours up in the mountains and the volcanoes, from last month until now.

There is absolutely no comparison to how they looked one month ago – so green, so lush. All though the landscape is still quite beautiful.

That is one of the reasons why you have to be really fast if you want to explore what’s left of the green and flowering beautiful scenery of Lanzarote.

It’s such a short pleasure, because as the sun takes over it “warms” out the greens and therefore Green Lanzarote Spring has to be enjoyed to the fullest as it normally lasts for one month only. Volcan De La Corona

In a very short time everything will dry out because of the heat and wind and the island will be back to its normal black and brownish colours again.

I am Danish, and I grew up with the green grass and trees. I am often asked if I miss the green colours… I do indeed.

Especially, when I see it, the green. When going home to Denmark on holiday and the plane is about to land at Copenhagen airport I get this “over the moon” feeling of pure happiness, when seeing all the green fields and the flat landscape of my home country.

That is also one of the reasons I appreciate so much more the green scenery when “My Island” finally becomes GREEN!

Last weekend we brought Sally with us. Sally is a beautiful brown labrador you see on my photos. She’s an absolute sweetie. And we surely got the impression that she had a great day in the country too and she managed perfectly well the 5 hours walk with us.

The first we did was that we went up to the top of the Volcan De La Corona so we could enjoy the panoramic views over the country side and the view all the way over to the Island of La Graciosa and The virgin Island of Alegranza. Volcan De La Corona

We sat down on a plain rock. Chilling out and just breathing in the fresh air. I will never, ever get tired of resting like and taking in that breathtaking, amazing view.

When walking downhill again we walked towards the village Arrietta, which is a lovely small fishing village down by the coast. The path we chose is non existing walk way, which means no path to follow. And that’s really a challenge.

It’s very rocky, so we had to walk slowly and carefully to not tip over or fall.

The view is just beautiful from that path we took and of course , lots of photos were shot here as well.

Walking all the way round the slopes of the Volcan De La Corona we finally made it back to our car in the village Ye on the other side, where we left it on the parking lot by the Church

We walked straight over to the Restaurant 300 meters from Volcan De La Corona, where we enjoyed plenty of delicious, great tapas and lots and lots of water.