Lanzarote - Day 1

Our first real day in Lanzarote didn't get off to the perfect start, we'll admit, but it sure came back for a strong middle section and a reasonable finish.

After the awe inspiring rain storm that rolled in as we finished breakfast, we were more than a little down about spending our 'winter sun' vacation surrounded by the same damp dreariness that we could get at home. We instantly changed our perspective while watching what Mother Nature was doing to the poor people in Japan. It really is unbelievable, the sheer force of all that water and the damage it did. All of the sudden it seems really petty to be complaining about rain.

And our change in attitude brought with it a change in the weather. As the sun started peeking out from behind the clouds we decided to walk down the esplanade further into Puerto del Carmen. We got some nice shots of the beach and the mountains (volcanoes) in the background. The sky seemed to get blue-er with every step. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, we rushed back to the hotel to swap our walking clothes for swimwear and a good layer of 30 SPF lotion. The afternoon was comfortably spent around the pool, soaking in as many rays as we could. It really is hard to describe how awesome it felt to be able to lie back, enjoy the sun and worry about nothing but the next few paragraphs of my Dan Brown novel - cheesy fluff, I know, but particularly well suited to a pool-side read.

The afternoon slipped slowly by and after our hard afternoon of lounging, a nap was required. Post-nap we went straight down for dinner. We're learning quite quickly what to avoid and what to take advantage of in the buffet meals. We spent a little time on our balcony star-gazing, the beautiful crescent moon just on the edge of our view, with Orion looming large and Sirius shining brightly on the other edge. I wish we had the telescope - I'm sure a lot more would be visible here than in Aberdeen.

Now we're sitting in the lobby, catching up on all things that require technology, listening to the music coming from the piano bar. It's either some clubbing in the resort bar tonight or a little more star-gazing from the balcony. Ahhh, it's nice to have options....