Las Palmas, Gran Canary Island, Spain

October 28

Our second island in the Gran Canaries was Las Palmas on Gran Canary Island.

We pulled up with cloudy skies and a few raindrops at about 7 am.

By the time the port was cleared for deboarding, the weather was cloudy, but the blue sky was peeking through.

One of the disappointing things about this port is that it is almost 5 km from the city center. There are no shuttles, so it can be a long walk or passengers need to catch taxis or buses. This isn’t too bad, but it limits the crew who have only a short break and have to decide whether to waste time and money getting into town or having a nap.

I decided to take a local bus to the center and then walk back. It is about a 10-minute walk to Parque Santa Catalina, where bus number 12 stops and then I bought my ticket inside the terminal (I think you can do it on the bus too) for 1.20 euros for a single ticket I saved myself a fair bit of walking.

I rode the bus to its farthest stop, Mercado de Vegueta. It is a market that sells local produce and fruits. There were stalls for fish, meat, cheese, and spices.

I adore the fall colors of the fruits available.

A handy sign to show what is available during the different seasons.

A few blocks away is Casa de Colon, Columbus House. In 1492, Christopher Columbus made his first stop in the Gran Canaria. It is now a museum about the Age of Exploration.

In front of the Casa de Colon is the Plaza del Pilar Nuevo. This is where women used to gather and collect water from a fountain.

Around the corner, I was at the Catedral de Santa Ana. It is a beautiful building, but I was more interested in the Plaza Mayor de Santa Ana out front because the 8 canes are there.

The Dogs of Santa Ana are 8 cast iron sculptures of dogs looking towards the Cathedral.

Arte building at the end of Plaza de Santa Ana.

I also checked out the architecture of the Teatro Galdos and watched candy being poured on Calle Mayor de Triana. This calle is a major shopping area that is closed to traffic.

At the end of the street is Parque de San Telmo. The Hermatige or Ermita de San Telmo stands at the start of the park, and Cafe El Modernista is on the opposite end.

I walked along the water and passed the small craft port before returning to the Odyssey. Did I see everything? No, but I was happy with what I had accomplished.