GRAN CANARIA
- HISTORY
- BEACHES AND NATURE
- CLIMATE
- SPANISH CUISINE
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Om du vill tillbringa din semester på ett vackert bungalowområde erbjuder Grancanariatours dig möjligheten att hyra en eller flera rymliga bungalower. Bungalowerna är på 100 alternativt 120 kvadratmeter, de innehåller två eller tre sovrum och ett eller två badrum.
Området har endast femtio bungalower och det finns tre poolområden med tillhörande barnpool. Dragon Club II är ett bungalowområde nära stranden med privata bungalowers passande för alla, äldre och yngre, familjer med eller utan barn. Alla turistbekvämligheter såsom affärer, restauranger och barer finns inom promenadavstånd. Vi har en fantastisk natur, en massa aktiviteter att njuta av, många restauranger och barer och många sportaktiviteter. Området ligger två kilometer från Maspalomas och endast 750 meter från stranden där du kan njuta i solen. Även om området är centralt beläget erbjuder dig anläggningen en lugn och skön miljö.
Resorten Dragon Club II är belägen 750 meter från stranden och havet. Här kan du njuta av strandlivet året om. Dragon Club II ligger 100 meter från det stora köpcentret ”Yumbo”, det är det största köpcentret i Playa del Ingles och här hittar du många affärer, caféer, barer och restauranger.
HISTORY
Opinions are divided as to how Gran Canaria came into existence.
The most obvious
explanation for the existence of the Canary Islands, which Gran Canaria
is a part of,
are the volcanic eruptions in the past. The islands are all more or
less of volcanic
origin but legend would have it that the islands are part of the lost
world of Atlantis.
However no proof has ever been found for this.
Some scholars think that the Canary Islands were once known as “Fortunatae
Insulae” (the Lucky Islands). They were probably already known
by the Phoenicians
and Carthaginians.
According to the Roman scholar Pliny huge packs of wild dogs (Latin
- canis)
roamed the islands and that is why he called the islands the “Canaries”.
The Guanches, probably ancestors of the Vikings, inhabited the islands
after having
been stranded there during their travels. The Guanches were a tall,
blond, blue-eyed
race which was a rare sight in and around the Canary Islands.
During the time of the Guanches the island was divided into kingdoms.
The kings
regularly fought bloody wars which are vividly recorded in the history
books. There are
still many place names in Gran Canaria which date from the time of the
Guanches
and once of the main towns still bearing a Guanche name is Galdar. In
addition,
many of the present inhabitants give their children Guanche names so
that you
hear names like Jonay, Mencei and Janira alongside the typically Spanish
names,
Julio, Juan and Dolores.
The islands were awarded to Spain in 1344 by the Pope at that time.
He had
declared himself ruler of all yet undiscovered areas and thus given
this position
had the right to award the islands to Spain. The Spanish did not manage
to
overthrow the Guanches until 1483 and could only call the islands Spanish
from that time.
The inhabitants of the islands have never ever really felt or considered
themselves to
be Spanish and they do everything they can to maintain their own identity.
Las Palmas
was an important stop-off point for Columbus during his trips to America.
He changed his crews here and loaded his ships with provisions for the
long journey ahead.
At the end of the 1960’s mass tourism began in western European
countries and led
to the rediscovery of the Canary Islands.
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BEACHES AND NATURE
Although the name might suggest otherwise, Gran (big) Canaria is
not the largest of the
Canary Archipeligo. However, its beaches, beauty, entertainment opportunities
and charm
allow it to compete on equal terms with the larger islands of Tenerife
and Fuerteventura.
This circle-shaped island is on the one hand small enough to explore
completely and on
the other hand large enough to offer a huge variety of landscapes
with different micro climates.
Most of the more than 1.5 million visitors per year head for the south
of the island. It is always
sunny, dry and warm in the south because the mountains in the middle
of the island stop
the clouds that move in from the north. So you can imagine that you
can “bake” in the sun here 365 days a year.
There is a garland of beaches around the southerly point of Gran
Canaria with many
kilometers of the finest sand and the sometimes impressive waves of
the Atlantic Ocean.
Most of the beaches are very wide and on Gran Canaria you never have
to look far for a bit of
beach which you can call your own. Many of the beaches are suitable
for a wide range of water
sports such as windsurfing, sailing, parasailing and deep sea diving.
The most famous resorts in the area, San Agustin, Playa del Ingles
and Maspalomas,
are one of the most important tourist regions in the whole of Spain.
In addition to the long,
sandy beaches there are also extensive tourist facilities, great night
life and great fun parks.
For those who have had enough of all the activity and sun bathing
and want a change of
scene there is the beautiful inland area to explore. The landscape
in Gran Canaria is dry
but not arid and it is very pretty. Inland it is rough, hilly and
pretty much uninhabited. Once
past the rain boundary towards the north the landscape becomes greener
and once you
near the capital, Las Palmas, you could even describe the vegetation
as luxuriant. Every
visitor to Gran Canaria who takes the trouble to make a day trip and
drive quite a few
kilometers is impressed by the natural beauty and enjoys the adventure.
If you want to
discover the island for yourself you can do it in several ways. On
a clear day you can see
Tenerife from Puerto Rico, the highest point in Gran Canaria.
The island has varied scenery and surprising views, such as extensive
fir forests, volcanic
openings and craters like Bandama, or funny-shaped, high rock formations
like Roque Nublo,
or deep ravines, luxuriantly wooded valleys and picturesque white
villages like Terror, Agaete
and Tejada. The more northerly you go the cooler and damper it becomes.
This is the area
where the hillsides are covered with banana and coffee plantations
and other subtropical
plants which give the landscape such a beautifully intense green colour.
The coast in the
north is also dramatically different from that in the south. Here
you find small black lava
beaches between the steep rocks that rise out of the sea. The holiday
paradise of Gran
Canaria with its many faces and mild climate throughout the year is
one of the most popular
parts of Spain.
There are an incredible number of agaves and they last about 6 years
and a lot of fig cacti
which produce a delicious, edible fruit. Apart from them there are
about 1700 different sorts
of plants two of which are the Palmera Canariense and the many kinds
of eucalyptus.
At dusk the eucalyptus produces a sweet, fresh scent which pervades
the surroundings.
All this without even mentioning the fantastic bougainvillias which
seem to fall from the roofs like waterfalls.
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CLIMATE
Gran Canaria has a warm and sunny subtropical climate. The temperature
is fairly regular
throughout the year thanks to the north-easterly trade wind (Calisio)
and the Canary stream,
a branch of the Gulf stream, ensures that the heat on the coast is
tempered. It is often cooler
in the hills inland and the tops of highest hills may even be snow
capped for a few months of the year.
The south of Gran Canaria is in the rain shadow of the hills which
means it is sunnier and
drier than the north. In the winter the weather might turn rainy and
stormy with lower
temperatures for a few days. In the summer it can be extremely hot
because of the Sirocco,
the hot easterly wind from the Sahara which blows over Gran Canaria.
The average annual temperature is 25°C; the coldest month is January
with an average
monthly temperature of 23° C and August is the warmest month with
an average of 28°C.
The temperate weather influences mean that the temperature rarely
rises above 32°C during
the day or falls below 15°C at night. The air temperature in the
south hardly ever falls below
20°C during the day in December.
Gran Canaria has an average annual rainfall of 300 to 500mm but it
never rains for long
periods. Most of the rain falls in November, December and January;
the driest months are
June, July and August. The Gulf stream means that the water temperature
is almost always
between 19 and 24°C.
The ‘Calima’, a warm Sahara wind engulfs the island in a
cloak of dust, which is
impenetrable by the sun, for about 3 to 6 days per year .
A few figures:
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SPANISH CUISINE
You can savour simple Spanish cuisine on the Canary Islands although
international fare
is becoming more and more widely available on the most touristy islands.
There is a wide
variety of fish available as befits an island but do not worry, meat
is also to be found in plenty.
The islands do not differ much as regards cuisine although seasonings
may vary according to
availability on the various islands. On the less touristy islands
it is unusual to find chips on
the menu as a side dish but you often get mojo sauce served with your
meal. This sauce
can be green or red. The mojo rojo (red sauce) is made from chili
peppers which are grown
on La Gomera and is extremely hot. The mojo verde (green sauce) is
made from oil mixed
with garlic, coriander, vinegar and herbs.
Spanish cuisine is known for its delicious paella. Fish lovers will
be in their element as fresh
fish is brought ashore daily. Lovers of sweet desserts will leave
the table contented in Spain.
Spanish meals are accompanied by fresh bread and a bottle: mineral
water, wine or beer. Each
region of Spain has its own typical wine which often come from small
vineyards, take for example
the well-known Rioja or Santa Maria. To keep the wolf from the door
between meals the Spanish
eat the so-called tapas. Tapas recipes vary because of the different
tastes and traditional
gastronomic habits of the various regions, however, you nearly always
see olives and dried
nuts and these along with garlic, smoked ham or sausages, slices of
cheese, peppers and
chorizo have become world famous.
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Dishes
Conejo del Salmarejo
The rabbit is marinated in a clay pot smeared with garlic and herbs
the day before it is to be
eaten and it is served with a hot tomato sauce. (Mojo picon).
Sanocho:
This is a stew of salt water fish, usually sea bass. The dish is seasoned
with onions, garlic
and gofio (ground and roasted corn). Apples and pears are added.
Puchero Canario:
This is a meal of salt water fish with fried beef or pork, potatoes,
vegetables, apples,
pears and a corn on the cob.
Zaruela:
Fish soup
Papas Arrugadas:
Small potatoes are boiled in their skins and then rubbed with sea
salt. The potatoes are
pretty salty but are to be recommended because the taste with the
skins is superb.
Bienmesabe:
This dessert is a mixture of almonds, rum and honey.
Potaje de berros:
A vegetable soup of the Canary Islands with berros (watercress) as
the main ingredient.
Cheese:
Made from goat or sheep’s milk.
Paella:
This is a rice dish which is traditionally cooked on a wood fire.
It is well-seasoned and
contains fish, prawns, mussels, squid, sausage, shell fish, chicken,
rabbit, green beans,
green peas, red pepper, olive oil, rice and saffron.
Caldo de pescado:
Soup made of rice, saffron and fish and maybe mussels and shell fish.
Potaje de ajos:
Strong garlic soup
Tollo:
A speciality of dried cod (bacalo) which is marinated and grilled
on a barbeque.
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DRINKS:
Wine is only made in the area of Santa Brigida.
Most of the wine comes from the neighbouring islands of Landzarote,
La Palma and
El Hierro or the Spanish mainland. Each island has its own wine. Landzarote
and La Palma
have mainly malsavia wines from the volcanic ground. Most wines are
of reasonable quality.
Gran Canaria has its own white rum and honey rum. The honey is really
palm tree juice
which is harvested on La Gomers.
Beer is brewed in several breweries on Gran Canaria and is drunk more
often than wine
by the locals.
Spanish coffee is generally speaking stronger than ours.
Café solo : black coffee similar to Italian expresso
Café cortado: café solo with a little milk
Café con leche: café solo with a lot of milk.
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