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14,000-Year Old Volcanoes
Our next stop in the Canary Islands was the island known for its volcanoes. While all the islands are the result of volcanic activity, Lanzarote looks like it just came from an eruption. It is a fairly dry island and years ago camels were imported to travel across the volcanic ash which covers most of the island even today.
The island owes much of its architectural and artistic pieces to its resident Cesar Manrique. His vision was to unify art, architecture and the environment. The volcanic park, Devil’s Park, was designed by Manrique to preserve the area (called the Bad Lands) but at the same time, to show it off. Certain parts are accessible only by special buses. The ground is either very desert-like or looks like it recently erupted. Consequently, agriculture on the island is quite unique. The rich volcanic slopes of the mountains are transported to the flat lands where low walls are built around the plants to protect them and the soil from the northerly winds.
Jameos del Aqua, also designed by Manrique, is a structure built primarily inside a giant cooled lava tube that stretches to the seashore. There are natural pools (one of only two places in the world that is home to a tiny, blind albino frog), a restaurant, amphitheater and museum built in and around this natural wonder. Even the scenic view site down the road was designed by Manrique and it blends perfectly with the landscape that surrounds it.
