Island Hopping 2024: Canary Islands; Doing Nothing

On our list of things to do while in the Canary Islands was to go on a Whale Watching Excursion.  Today would have been the perfect day to join a group of people in search of the leviathans because the ocean was as smooth as glass.  But here is the thing… between the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Costa Rica and the Hawaiian Islands we have enjoyed dozens of whales and perhaps seven or eight different species.  We are also scheduled for a tour of the Alaskan Inside Passage in 2025, again whales.  Conversely we seldom stay at so nice of digs as we are now.

So, in the realm of frivolities, wherein lies the choice between observing (possibly) these majestic animals or reclining in the warm embrace of our sun-soaked terrace, our aesthetic sensibilities veered towards the latter. The balcony has become our sanctuary of leisure, where being cared for by a happy staff constantly bringing ice, drinks and chocolate to our door, has seduced our spirits into a languorous dalliance.  Our choice is not an affront to adventure but a simple affirmation of the sublime pleasure we find here at our villa.

Sandy in the plunge pool with a little bas relief of a frog.  Sandy says "You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince."

Me in the plunge pool

Our hillside villa and terrace

Sandy at the spa

Sandy in the steam room.  Wow!  What an exhausting day.

Spending my time in such wistful thoughts gave me time to learn about and contemplate the anthropology of these special islands.  The original inhabitants (as proven by DNA) were the Proto-Berbers who originated from the Levant in the Middle East and settled along the North African coast.  After migrating to the islands they became the Guanche.  Surprising to me, is that though what is now Morocco was successively influenced or controlled by the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Romans, and the Arabian Moors, and they all knew of the Canary Islands, (it was even the Romans who gave the islands today’s name) but never tried to control them, and had very little trade with them.  Even more surprising when considering what voracious conquerers were the Romans and Moors.  So for millennia after millennia these ancient peoples developed their own religions, own cultures and own languages without outside interference.  But then, in 1492 the Spanish, needing one last provisioning station on the way to the Americas, began their conquest and Christian conversion of the islands.  Much the pity.