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Gran Canaria was first inhabited sometime between the 5th. and 7th centuries AD by the Berber people from North Africa and their primitive dwellings can be seen close to the shores. It wasn’t until about the 15th C that the Spanish invaded and took over these islands.
Some holiday makers prefer to stay in one place but we like to get out and about. The town markets are great fun especially the ones which are really for the locals, where everything you could think of will be on sale. At one market we saw a local demonstrating a prickly pear cutter. The prickly pear when ripe has a lovely dark red, if pippy, flesh but you wouldn’t want to harvest them without some protection – they are not called prickly without reason!! Himself went looking for his golf ball and I had to spend sometime getting the very tiny sharp prickles out of his sweater and his skin that evening!!
We had an apartment, which meant that we could make our own breakfast and sandwiches for lunch if necessary, but could enjoy the delights of the local restaurants, of which there were many. Every type of cuisine is available, but we enjoyed the Italian the best – because that’s what we like anyway!
As I found to my cost, the sun can be deceptive especially if there is a wind blowing.
We had a rare day ‘at home’ and after a walk along the sands at Maspalomas, I decided to sit in the sun by the pool. Big mistake! Whilst my arms and legs had got used to the sun and I had a good tan there, the rest of me hadn’t and I ended up very red and sore. I won’t do that again in a hurry!