They Come in All Shapes and Sizes

We concluded a very pleasant week in Lanzarote with a visit to the Jardin de Cactus, otherwise known as the cactus garden. We'd actually passed it, and even gone into the car park, earlier in the week, to have a look at the huge metal cactus outside the gates. However, we hadn't thought that wandering round a load of cacti would be particularly exciting, and it wasn't our normal sort of holiday activity, so we'd decided to give it a miss.

However, while shopping in Eurospar one evening, in the middle of the wine section, we met a bear friendly Brit and got chatting. He'd been to the Cactus Garden that day and told us it was well worth a visit as it was an amazing artistic experience. He said it was the artistry with which the garden was laid out that was more important than the cacti themselves.

As it happened, the weather was cool, cloudy and windy on our final day - definitely not beach weather, but perfect for garden visiting - so we decided to pay a visit.

And we're pleased to say that having been, it is worth a visit, especially as the entry fee is very reasonable.

The garden is built in a former quarry, and it was the brain child of Lanzarote's most famous son - Cesar Manrique - who is responsible for most of Lanzarote's tasteful tourist attractions. Although the garden is full of cacti - about 10,000 types - there is much more there than simply cacti. There is a restored windmill and huge volcanic rocks have been turned into natural sculptures and water features.

Wandering round is an aesthetic experience that is very pleasing to the senses. The cacti really do come in all shapes and sizes. Some were quite snake like and reminded us a bit of the 'Day of the Triffids' ...

... while others were short and fat and looked almost fluffy in appearance, although fluffy they most definitely were not. Prickles seemed to be the order of the day and none of us wanted to get too close for photographs, all except one ...

Yorkie risked a close encounter when he found a cactus with fruit that looked good enough to eat. Apparently it was. Those spines were almost as big as Yorkie, so you have to admire his bravery - or foolishness!

After a very lesiurely circuit taking it all in, we stopped for coffee in the garden's cafe. We all agreed that completely misjudged just how much fun looking at cacti could be. 

A few hours after our visit, we were on a plane on the way home. Our visit to Lanzarote had been a successful one, full of interesting experiences, and we will no doubt return one day. In the meantime we have lots of material to write up for the Canary Islands chapter of the Friendly Planet Guide. 

Back soon, 

Love George, Yorkie and Pedro xxx