Chasing Summer –

October 27, Arrecife

We pulled into Arrecife at about 7 this morning with cloudy skies and multiple rainbows shining down on the island. Spain follows daylight savings so last night at 2 am we changed our clocks back an hour which is nice for a lie-in but makes breakfast sunrises more challenging as the sun was already on its way up when I headed to breakfast.

Due to the cruise’s late departure from Belfast, our itinerary has been a moving target with multiple changes as they struggle to find open ports at the last minute, so this stop was a surprise port that was found only three days ago.

At first, I was a little disappointed since it is such a small island (77 km end to end), and we were landing on a Sunday. Small places usually don’t have many options on Sundays, and public transportation is limited.

A little research showed that there is one major event every Sunday and only on Sunday, and that is the Teguise Flea Market. Teguise is a small village, a 15-minute drive from the port, so much too far to walk, so a taxi was needed. Luckily, a couple of taxis were waiting right outside the off-ramp from the ship.

It costs about 22-24 euros for the ride and takes you towards the center of the island where I could see the volcanic mountains and black pumice soil.

The island is definitely not green. There are some palm trees, but the most abundant vegetation is cacti.

The market is open from 9 until 2, and I arrived around 9:30. It was good timing as I could already see parking areas filling up with vehicles and people making their way into town on foot.

The market is massive, extending down many streets that are closed off to traffic for this event. I could see tonnes of knock-off bags, shoes, wallets, sunglasses, and belts. There were loads of jewelry, souvenirs, clothing, and food available for sale.

Beyond the market stalls was the town itself, which was adorable, with old buildings and other artisanal touches. Even without the market, it would be a nice place to visit and wander the streets.

I bought my magnet and sticker and then picked up a bottle of wine (vineyards on the island are protected and produce their own wine) and some local craft beers. I thought I was done when I turned the corner and there was a whole other street that I hadn’t seen.

At the end of the street, I stopped for a glass of house wine at a small cafe. I was slightly disappointed with the white I had, but I had higher hopes for the rose bottle I bought at the store.

At about 12:30, I decided I was done looking at treasures and wanted to make my way back to port with my bottles. I stopped at the tourist information center in town and got the bus number that would get me back to port. The problem was it only ran every 2 hours, and the next pick-up would be at 1:30.

I decided to taxi back again and made my way to the entrance where I had been dropped off early in the morning. There was a very long line of tourists waiting. Around 1:10, I was finally able to get into a taxi to bring me back. I would imagine that at 2 when the event ends, the line would be even longer.

As usual, when walking around, I ran into several of the other residents from the ship. It is comforting to see people you know everywhere you go.

That night at departure, our ship needed to make a pretty tight turn to leave the port. To do this, the engines and thrusters were working overtime, and in the dining area above the engines, everything was shaking like crazy. Workers were holding the coffee machines and glasses onto the counter. One plate and even a ceiling panel were casualties.

Everything in my room made it, but later, as we were out in open waters, we hit some swells, and my cabin is in the front of the ship, so my room felt them the most. Tragically, the wine that I had bought that afternoon leaped off the shelf, knocking items in front of it to the counter and floor, and it shattered on the carpet.

Not the cheap bottle that I picked up for 1 pound, no the 26 euro one. Sigh. Lesson learned. Only cheap booze from now on.