A Visit to Lanzarote Easter 2014

During the Easter school holidays, we were fortunate enough to be able to escape wet England and spend a couple of weeks on the volcanic island of Lanzarote. This is is our fourth visit to the Canary island. There’s clearly something special about this place that keeps drawing us back 

Lanzarote Hols 2014

Regardless of how busy the main resorts are, within a few minutes you can get away from it all and find complete peace and solitude.

Lanzo 5

All three of us ‘unplugged’ for the trip (no phones, iPads, computers, video games) and it was utter bliss! Lil’ L never run out of things to keep him occupied. In his ‘down time’ he sketched and read (the NERDS series by Michael Buckley was popular this holiday) …

Lanzarote Hols 2014 2

… while the rest of the time he was swimming, playing tennis, exploring, rock climbing, or playing on the beach.

Lil' L Lanarote 2014 Collage 1

When I asked him to name his ‘top three’ holiday highlights he said ‘swimming in the sea with the beautifully coloured fish’; ‘the Aqua Park’; and ‘spending time as a family’

Lanzarote Hols 2014 3

It’s funny how the littlest of things can totally captivate me….

Lanzo 3

… like finding this tiny yellow flower happily growing on the beach in a volcanic rock shelter

Lanzo 2

During our time away, I was studying for a Buddhist exam but luckily I could do this anywhere – at the cafes, on the beach, sitting on a rock, in a lava tunnel.

Cueve de los Verdes Collage

Most days I went for a morning run along the sea front which was totally exhilarating (the winds were seriously strong!) M also hired a mountain bike and went exploring in the volcanic national park.

Lanzarote Hols 2014 6

Once he’d pedaled to the top, he paused for a moment to take in the views…

Lanzarote Hols 2014 7

Lanzarote Hols 2014 8

… then munch his box of home-made trail mix (see even he’s started taking food photos now!)

Trail Mix in Lanzo

Talking of food, we ate really well this holiday. Most days, we prepared our own lunches. We ate lots of fresh salads, accompanied by six-seeded multigrain bread that was so fresh from the bakery that it was still warm

All the restaurants we visited had veggie options on their menu or were happy to accommodate us. I’m so grateful for this as I don’t think demand for veggie food is very high in Lanzarote! Pretty much everyone I saw was tucking into meats – steaks and racks of ribs the size of plates (literally!) – and chips. Not a veggie in sight!

Lanzo Lunch

In the Italian restaurants we asked for vegetarian pizzas without cheese, and they were utterly delicious! When you ask for a cheeseless pizza, they tend to substitute the cheese with lots of extra yummy grilled veggies 🙂

Another favourite was the veggie fajitas at the Mexican restaurant. A huge plate of sizzling veggies came accompanied with a bowl of chilli beans, rice, salsa, guacamole, sour cream (which I left) and tortillas. While M and Lil’ L ate a small amount of eggs and dairy this holiday (mainly ice creams), I chose to stay 100% plant based. It just suits me better.

Lanzarote Hols 2014 4

All three of us agreed that this trip was easily as good as our previous trips to Lanzarote, if not better! I think we all cherished every moment of it

Back home, life’s returned to its usual level of ‘busyness’, but I’m still determined to strip back and ‘declutter’ my life in pursuit of the ‘simple life’ that I yearn for. I’m still very far from that place but if I keep steering myself back on track, hopefully I’ll get there one day.

Lanzo 7

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9 thoughts on “A Visit to Lanzarote Easter 2014

  1. Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures. I always wanted to visit Lanzarote- it looks so wild somehow, despite all the tourism. The beaches look lovely 🙂

    1. Lanzarote is an island of great contrasts… busy resorts and lots of half finished buildings, yet a few minutes drive or biking and you can find yourself totally alone, surrounded by majestic volcanoes or on stunning shorelines. When you enter the volcanic national park, it’s almost like stepping onto the moon. I’ve never seen a landscape like it before!

  2. What an amazing place, and by the sounds of it, a lovely trip. I really like your ‘back to basics’ approach with no technology on holiday. It sounds like it paid off with you soaking up the sights and local things on offer!

    1. It was absolute bliss having that time away from technology, living the ‘simple life’. Now I’m back home, everything’s back to being hectic, sigh! Oh to live a simple life all the time. Hopefully one day I’ll make it 😉

  3. Lovely pictures Sharon, such a wonderful holiday! I’ve never been to the Canary Isles but my son went to Fuerteventura once and the scenery looks breathtaking.

    I loved that you unplugged, we like to do that too, in fact it sort of makes you not want to plug in again when you get home, it’s a real escape!

    The food looks lovely! I also yearn for the simple life – I was talking about it with my husband just yesterday but it’s not possible at the moment so here’s to the future!!

    1. I’ve never been to Fuerteventura but the sand dunes look awesome! We’ve been to Lanzarote three years on the trot now, so maybe it’s time to explore another Canary island!
      It’s nice to hear that I’m not the only one yearning for the ‘simple life’. It could be quite a challenge in this day and age, but I’m determined to keep striving for it… hopefully I’ll get there one day 😉

  4. Captivating photos, Sharon, thank you for sharing your trip in Canary Island! I’m so happy you’ve found your peace and solitude there and spending time with your family. I like to spend time alone with my precious thoughts, away from the Internet, social media, and all of this and also spending time with my loved ones. This is the key to pure happiness! Isn’t cheeseless pizza great? Love grilled veggies on it! All the food you guys ate look very delicious, go plant-based foods! xx

    1. You’re right, it is the key to happiness ♥ Back home, I definitely need to be more disciplined and take regular breaks away from social media etc. If I get too immersed in it all, I find it hard to think straight.
      I love the fact you spend time alone to collect your thoughts. Sounds blissful ♥ I’m always happiest when I immerse myself in my Buddhist practice and meditate daily. However busy life gets, I need to make sure I find time every day to fit this in xx

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