Fish – Travels with Ali

This week for one word Sunday, Debbie at Travel with Intent has chosen “Pond or Ponder”. I’ve found a few with quotes to go with my photos. Stay a while and ponder.

It is better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a mighty ocean

Our little fish pond, built in 2012. Different fish and some more plants, but still going strong. DH’s (Dear Hubby) hobby.

“I have found it a singular luxury to talk across the pond to a companion on the opposite side”
~ Henry David Thoreau ~

A Koi Pond in Sengan-En Gardens, Kagoshima, Japan

“Remain in the world, act in the world, do whatsoever is needful, and yet remain transcendental, aloof, detached, a lotus flower in the pond.”
― Osho, The Secret of Secrets

It’s the smallest fish in the pond that has the most room to swim – or the smallest cow!

One of my very dear friends lives on the island of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands. Whilst I was in the UK visiting my parents I decided to take a trip out to see her and also celebrate my birthday! I was there for four days, plenty of time to see the island and eat in the great fish restaurants that it’s known for.

Fuerteventura the second largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, sits in the Atlantic Ocean 100km off the north coast of Africa. It’s known mostly as a holiday destination due to its white-sand beaches and year-round warmth cooled by constant winds. It is the oldest island in the Canary Islands dating back 20 million years due to a volcanic eruption. It was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in May 2009.

As the first night was my birthday, Lorraine had booked a fabulous restaurant called La Playita overlooking the bay of Corralejo. What a fantastic night with the table decorated with balloons and banners and then the whole restaurant singing happy birthday to me.

Walking through the beautiful town of Corralejo

One of the many statues of fishermen’s wives looking out to sea, waiting for their husbands to come home

Waking up the next morning I wandered into the garden to take some photos. Lorraine lives at the end of a residential street overlooking the sand dunes. You can see Tenerife in the distance from the garden. I was hoping the sun would break through as it wasn’t as warm as I had thought!

Sun rise with the sand dunes in the far distance

The next day Lorraine took me into Corralejo again and have lunch. Fuerteventura is a very barren island due to the lack of rain and volcanic landscape. Nothing really grows here and most of the food is imported. There are many aloe vera plants scattered around and this is one plant that does grow well.

Enjoying the beautiful view with a glass of Spanish wine

Typical Canarian fish dish cooked in wine, tomatoes and olives

The car ferry to and from Lanzarote in the background

The next day I booked an excursion to go around the island – I will be writing another post separately about this.

Before we set out for my last day on the island we had to walk Rocky and Poppy her two little dogs. We walked just up the path from where she lives so I could feed the chipmunks, which run wild throughout the island.

Rocky surveying his domain

Rocky and Poppy in their favourite position on the couch

El Cotillo

After our walk Lorraine and I drove to El Cotillo, a small coastal town on the Northern side of the island. It has a lovely harbour and beautiful scenery with plenty of restaurants and bars. El Cotillo is home to El Toston Tower built in the 1700’s to defend the village from pirates. We had lunch in El Mirador overlooking the bay. I loved all the murals and paintings that you see dotted around and also the way they use old rowing boats as decorations.

Lunch at El Mirador

Speciality salad with the local delicacy of fish pate

Exploring the town after lunch

Some of the murals and mosaics found around the town

Resting in the shade

For our last night we ended up eating in the beautiful El Marquesina and of course because it’s a speciality seafood restaurant I had the fish of the day.