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I’ve already talked a lot about the mountains (see article “Can a Hessian yodel”), especially about the Alpe di Siusi. But this blog is also about the sea and an island. Not just any island, but a very special one:
LANZAROTE
Already in my childhood I spent a lot of time there. Friends of my parents owned remote houses in the south of the island, far away from any civilisation. At least that’s how it seemed to me. Since we mostly stayed there when we wanted to go to the sea, I hardly ever came into contact with the tourist side of Lanzarote. For me, it was a world of boundless vastness. Empty of people and untouched, it seemed to me in my childlike naivety. It never occurred to me that the herd of goats I sometimes saw on the horizon could belong to a farm. They seemed to me like antelopes in Africa.

But maybe I should introduce the island first. Surely you know that it is one of the Canary Islands, along with Tenerife, La Gomera, Gran Canaria, La Palma, El Hierro and the very small ones: Graciosa, Alegranza and Lobos. Politically, of course, the islands belong to Spain. The language, however, is more like the Spanish spoken in Cuba and there are a lot of words that you won’t find in the “normal” Spanish dictionary. Maybe that’s because of the proximity to Africa, who knows. It’s only a stone’s throw to Morocco, but it’s more than twice as far to Madrid, and there’s a strait in between, the Strait of Gibraltar.

Lanzarote is very different from the other Canary Islands. If you are looking for a relaxed beach holiday with white sand, then Lanzarote would not be my first recommendation. If you like southern forests, banana plantations and exotic flowers, then I would recommend La Gomera, La Palma or Tenerife. Lanzarote has other strengths. It is somehow rougher here. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But here, if you have a sense for it, you can discover special things. For example, besides some “normal” white beaches, there is also a black beach. It is dotted with small green glittering gemstone grains (olivine) that glitter mysteriously in the moisture. Well, these beaches are of course populated by tourists. Word must have got around. Although it is not exactly pleasant to walk barefoot over the glowing hot surface when the sun is shining. Still, the sight is fascinating.

But I don’t want to talk about the places and routes that you find in every advertising booklet and that every well-behaved tourist works off. Of course it is exciting to ride a camel through the black-grey-brown rock and steppe landscape. And you also want to see the huge fountain that hisses up when you pour a bucket of water into a certain crevice in the rock. But once is enough, I think. And then?

What is it about the island that keeps people like me and many others coming back? Perhaps the omnipresent volcanic landscape and its aesthetics, both rugged and gentle. It is a constant reminder that somewhere beneath our feet there is a red-hot, seething world of molten rock that could break the surface at any moment. Of course, you don’t constantly think of glowing ava here, but somewhere in the back of your mind this image is always active and provides a permanent inner tension. A kind of unconscious permanent stress. If you only go on holiday for a fortnight, it may feel very tiring, so for simplicity’s sake you could interpret it as relaxation. Or else you feel extremely energised. It depends on the type of stress. One person freezes (feels tired), the other wants to run away (gets more energy than usual from the body). Either way, you are forced to somehow deal with this inner change. This is not difficult on holiday, as you are usually permanently distracted from yourself. It only becomes difficult when the stay on the island becomes longer and you are suddenly confronted with yourself again.

I believe that Lanzarote has this described effect more strongly than the other Canary Islands, although there are volcanoes there too. Here, the visual “magma feeling” runs through and is not interrupted by small green forests. Not everyone can see that this special landscape is nevertheless very varied. You need a feeling for that, perhaps an artist’s eye. I am not surprised that there are many holidaymakers who never come back. It is not a seaside holiday resort. Or at least not only. (although there are nice beaches, too).
Maybe that’s why the island isn’t for everyone, because it seems to do something to people. I have seen people who came to Lanzarote and stayed for more than a year suddenly flee the island. People change here. I have the feeling that the island pulls the true core of a personality out of the well-guarded back room and onto the stage. Both the good and the difficult sides. That can be quite unpleasant. Not everyone can or wants to deal with that. It requires either the ability to observe oneself and a great deal of childlike curiosity or ignorance and self-love. Perhaps there are other possibilities. One thing is certain: if you stay on an island for a long time, you have to find an attitude towards yourself and the world. A new attitude, because the old one no longer works. It seems to be melting away somehow and no longer gives any support. As I said, this is a personal observation and interpretation. Whether it is true or not is a moot point.

One often hears the thesis that Lanzarote is somehow connected with the sunken Atlantis. In any case, the fact is that it is a place of elemental forces. Because of the volcanoes. By the special light that attracts many artists. By the often stormy and oppressive wind, which often carries sand from the Sahara desert. And, of course, by the sea.

I hope I haven’t put you off. Please don’t get me wrong: Lanzarote is a wonderful place. I’m sure I’ll write more articles that might show you faces of the island that you won’t find in every travel guide. Or maybe you would like to read someone else’s point of view in between.

Funnily enough, when I was taking a break from yodelling on the Alpe di Siusi, I got into conversation with a hiker who is an absolute fan of Lanzarote. Out of pure enthusiasm, he started a blog about the island. Maybe you would like to have a look there?

Here is the link to his (german) Lanzarote-blog:      https://www.lanza-loscho.de/

And how did I end up here again, after having forgotten this place of my childhood for so long? Well, through my street music I came to the markets of the island about eleven years ago to sing and play. And since then, Lanzarote has never let me go. Even though my “base station” is still in Germany, you can find me at least as often on Lanzarote as on the Alpe di Siusi.

                                                  Between island and Alps – Yodelhippie.