Life in Lanzarote

I've been away for a while, from both my blog and the UK. It's been six weeks since I left rainy England to experience a year of life here in sunny Lanzarote, and a while longer since I wrote anything here. Well, I'm happy to announce I'm back to my blog, and even more happily, staying here in Lanzarote.

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Playa Chica - Puerto del Carmen

For those of you who don't know, Lanzarote is one of a chain of seven Spanish owned islands called The Canary Islands, located off the North-West coast of Africa. It may seem strange that they are owned by Spain considering how far they are away from there and how close they are to Africa, but just remember all the overseas territories the UK owns. 

The UK even controls the Southernmost tip of Spain: Gibraltar! Lanzarote and the other islands in this chain were created by volcanoes long ago, but their volcanic history can still be seen here in the present.

Well, I digress, so back to telling you all about what it's like to live in Lanzarote. First of all the weather here is amazing. Yes I know, that is a very British thing of me to mention, but who doesn't love it when the sun is shining and you can stroll around in shorts and t-shirt?

That's not just during the day either, as so far since I've been here it remains warm well into the night. It is approaching mid-October and temperatures during the day are still perfect for sunbathing and swimming at the beach. Which brings me nicely onto another a major plus point about Lanzarote: the beaches.

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Famara Beach with its stunning cliff backdrop

This amazing island boasts a huge number of spectacular beaches all around its coastline. From the tourist hot-spots of beaches at Puerto del Carmen and Costa Teguise to more remote beaches such as that of Famara with its stunning cliff backdrop. There are beaches suitable for all tastes and interests; there are beaches for sunbathing and strolls, snorkelling scuba diving, and any other beach-related activity you could think of, from surfing to paddle-boarding. 

This really is a perfect place for outdoor life and keeping fit. I have been assured that the weather rarely gets cold and so far it has hardly rained at all. It almost seems a shame to be inside writing, but then again variety is the spice of life.

As Lanzarote depends heavily on tourism, you will not be disappointed if you are visiting the island for that much-deserved break from the working life. There is an abundance of shops, restaurants, cafes, bars and clubs. Although prices do vary depending on where you are visiting, I have not so far noticed anywhere that rips off tourists. In fact, prices are generally much cheaper than back home in the UK.

Yesterday I went out for a meal with my girlfriend at a nice traditional Spanish restaurant in Costa Teguise and had three courses for 10 euros. A typical price for a cappuccino or latte in cafes around the island is around 1.5 euros. You can eat a full English breakfast at many cafes in Puerto del Carmen, the main tourist town of Lanzarote for 2 euros!

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One of the beaches in Puerto del Carmen
While the predominant language of the island is Spanish, as you would expect, being a Spanish territory, you can definitely get by with just English. Most places cater to Spanish, English and German speakers as these are the main groups of tourists, but there are tourists from many other places such as Italy and France. 

It is this diverse mix on the island that makes it interesting. You can bump into people from all over the world, on this tiny Spanish island off the coast of Africa.

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Playa Chica - Puerto del Carmen

Now that I have settled into life here I hope to be able to write here more regularly on my experiences of life in Lanzarote. This has just been the story so far, I will keep you posted with the rest. 

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Sunset in Costa Teguise 

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