Mallory en España: LAS CANARIAS

My weekend at the Canary Islands was by far one of the best weekends I have had so far in beautiful España. It was such a large, fun-loving group (of 15 people) from so many different countries that it was hard not to have a great time!

On Thursday we took a bus from Burgos to Madrid at 3:45 AM because our flight was at 8:30 AM. Despite it being so late/early in the morning, we were all too excited to sleep. The trip went by quickly, and we landed in Gran Canaria at 11:30 AM. From there we went straight to the hotel to change, get food, and of course some drinks for the beach.

The beaches of Gran Canaria are hot and BEAUTIFUL. We spent the day laying out and getting sun, swimming and walking along the beach. One thing that was very different from the United States was that these beaches have “zonas nudistas” or nudist zones. This was something I didn’t want to miss out on, so my friends Jaime, Brito, Youssef and I went for a casual walk along the zona nudista (with our swimsuits on, of course). It was definitely something I have never experienced before, and was interesting to say the least, because we were the ONLY clothed people in that area. Later that night, we all went out to a club called Pacha.

Friday was definitely a day to remember! After waking up, we made a last-minute decision to go on a booze cruise to a cove about an hour from the main island. It cost 30 euros and it included food and drinks, along with snorkeling, banana boat and jet ski rides in the cove. Once in the cove, we went swimming and then Monica, Laura, Caetano, Thais and I went for a ride on a banana boat! We stayed out on the ocean for almost five hours, just eating, drinking, dancing and swimming. That night we were so tired that we stayed in and recuperated.

Saturday and Sunday were very similar to Thursday, as we spent the days tanning on the beach and going out to the clubs at night. Saturday was supposed to be our last day there, but Monica, Laura and I decided to stay until Tuesday because we were having such a good time! Fortunately, our friend Hector has a cousin named Karla who lives in the Canary Islands, so we were able to stay with her.

On Monday, Karla had classes at her university so Monica, Laura, Hector and I spent the day on the dunes of Gran Canaria. They were so big and amazing; it felt like we were in a desert! We spent the whole day at the beach and then just relaxed that night because we were returning to Burgos early Tuesday morning.

Next Wednesday a large group of us is leaving for Tangier, Morocco and Cadiz, Spain for spring break. Afterwards, I will be meeting up with the Miller’s from the beach in Paris for Easter! April has been a big month for traveling, and I am very excited to see all of these new places.