West Coast
This day we drove through the middle of the island, wine country,
La Geria, to the western coast of Lanzarote.
The photos below illustrate how vines are grown, one by one, in
La Geria, and the complete and utter destruction of the middle
western side of the island that was caused by six years of eruptions
from 1730-36. Most of this side of the island, the Timanfaya area,
is now a national park. Frankly, I can't see what else Spain could
have done with several square miles of volcanic devastation but
to make it a national park. That gives them the authority to control
tourists, and to try and keep them from hurting themselves.
This is a very dangerous area. The terrain is not even negotiable on
foot. It is miles of jumbled volcanic rock with a steep cliff that
has been battered by the Atlantic forever on one side, and a desert on
the other.
But, there is a certain beauty to it. And a certain juxtaposition.
Somehow, somebody figured out how to build a road through here...
Also, at the bottom of the page, there are a couple of shots of
Janubio, which is just north of Playa Blanca. Janubio is a salt
reclamation operation that has been ongoing since the 17th century.
Just to the north of there used to be the biggest port on the island
until it was razed by the eruptions of 1730-36.
