Letting Go In the Canary Islands
Sunday, April 19th, 2009
When people talk about the Canary Islands, they’re referring to seven main volcanic islands and several islets that form a chain extending for ~ 500 km across the Atlantic, its eastern edge being only 100 km from the NW African coast.
Everyone knows these islands were formed by volcanic eruptions, caused mostly by hotspots in the oceanic crust; but no one knows for certain why the lava erupted in this particular area of the Atlantic Ocean and when the land masses formed. The actual origin of the magmatism in the Canaries and its complicated space-time relationships have been a subject of debate for many years.
Here is a link to some fine pictures of volcanic formations throughout the archipelago. Calderas and fissure vents (linear openings through which lava erupts) are abundant.
If you want some interesting historical data, present day statistics and/or tourism info, follow this link to Wikipedia.
Personally, I’m interested in the food aspect, and Wikipedia doesn’t say much about what’s to eat. After carefully combing the internet, I’ve found something that looks mighty tasty: Canary Islands’ cuisine, I’m told, combines traditional Spanish recipes with African and Latin American influences.
A very simple and well-known Canary Island recipe, for example, is papas arrugadas: potatoes boiled in salt-water with their peelings on then served with mojo picon,a hot sauce of oil, garlic, chili-peppers and paprika. Yum, yum yum. Click the above links for tried and true authentic recipes. The local Canarian wine, a mellow flavored and not too sweet concoction from the Malvasia grape, compliments all the spiciness.
In addition to the divinely natural architecture, humans have created some fine masterpieces in the larger cities. There is everything from Moorish to Modern, the latter of which can be seen in the picture.
Wikipedia doesn’t tell you this, either, but Las Palmas is famous for its miracle cures. Tourists have been frequenting the Canary islands for centuries in search of alternative health cures. The natural beauty of this area, along with the temperate climate, make for a friendly, open thinking environment–one that is good for letting go of conventional ideas. (Hint Hint)
