Gran Canaria

Today we docked in Gran Canaria just after we woke up.  After a quick breakfast, we left to meet our tour group for a shopping excursion.  We figured that was right up our alley, plus just a short bus ride was promised. The tour description also noted that “most of the tour is unguided.”  As it turned out, that was all too true. At our first stop, the guide said, “Get off here.  The bus will pick you up on another street at 11:20.” When pressed to say WHICH street, she waved her hand across the street. We don’t think English was her strong suit. We wandered around for a bit, but never found any shops at all except for two tiny souvenir shops.  We decided to give up and get coffee at a very pleasant outdoor cafe in a square.  And Charlie took the requisite cathedral pic.


Load of geraniums in stacked pots


When we returned to the (supposed) bus stop, everyone was disgruntled, but we still had two stops to go. The second one wasn’t very far away, and it did have a few stores, though Skechers and Levi’s were prominent. We gave up and stopped to enjoy sparkling water. The area near the bus stop had some amazing trees, plus more geraniums.



“Surely the third stop will be better!” we assured ourselves.  We were dropped on a busy street across from a huge modern department store, El Corte Inglés.  Apparently, it’s Spain’s biggest chain.  It looked like Macy’s. That didn’t interest us, either, so maybe we’re just too picky.  We again found a sidewalk cafe and had lunch—a very good veggie pizza and cervezas.  

At this point, we’re about ready to swear off excursions altogether.  We have one more scheduled in Lisbon, a walking tour.  Stay tuned!  Tomorrow we dock in Lanzarote, and if possible, we’ll just walk around ourselves.



Comments

  1. RachelJune 8, 2024 at 8:20 AM

    I'm hoping the Viking excursions will be as good as everyone says!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 9, 2024 at 7:36 AM

    On my boat, they were pretty great. They tend to stop in smaller towns and their guides are super knowledgeable and often funny. I enjoy knowing the history of places, but if that’s not your jam, you can just walk away and do your own thing.

    ReplyDelete

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