Day 2 9th November Las Palmas, Gran Canaria

Up bright and early the management was off to forage for breakfast. At first this was not very productive. The local shops were all closed but the streets were full of local life which entertained him until he got hungry. Returning to the hotel he wandered into the fruit market building next door. This was a revelation. It was packed full of fruit and veg and even to the colour blind it was a great sight. Some of the veg even he did not recognise. A few bananas later he was back at the hotel to wake the stoker.

Having breakfasted on the warm sunny balcony we were off on foot sightseeing. We crossed the footbridge over the busy coast road and walked across the immaculately coiffured beach. The sand was of course imported otherwise it would have been black. It was, however, so carefully racked that we felt guilty leaving our footprints.

We ambled along the prom before finding lunch. We were lucky to avoid tourist hot spots and hit upon a workers' café which is always the best place to eat in Spain. Good food, a three course meal with wine for about £5.

After lunch we made it to the old town and climbed the cathedral tower. It is just as nice as Prague here without being a tourist circus for stag and hen parties. We could, however, have done with a tram back to the hotel to collect the tandem.

Luggage loaded we were off to the ferry port for our overnight crossing to Arrecife on Lanzarote. Getting the tandem onto the large modern ship was the stoker's responsibility. The office bureaucrats trained in the Condor school of ferries were thrown into confusion. She solved the problem by ignoring the lot of them and cycling the tandem to the front of the vehicle queue. The working class loaders had no problem knowing what to do and the tandem was soon safely tied to a rail on the car deck.

We were surprised to be allocated a really big cabin with large windows right under the bridge. And all for the price of a steerage ticket on Condor. Having freshened up we went to eat. This was a mistake. As far as we could see this ship had only two crew on the public decks. One was the woman who had shown us to our cabin then disappeared and the other was the barman. A couple of beers and a sandwich and cake and we were back in our cabin, the management fast asleep.

Day 3 10th November Las Palmas, Gran Canaria to La Graciosa via Lanzarote

Being a bit bumpy on the sea the stoker took her sea sick pills. Unfortunately she ignored the wisdom of generations and took some new type which do not make you drowsy. If you are likely to be sea sick it is obviously much better to sleep through it. Anyway she was not sick but slept badly. This was not helped by the loud announcements and music when the ship put in for its scheduled stop in Tenerife. The management managed to sleep through it all and the stoker grumbled at him because his snoring kept her awake.

Disembarking at Arrecife was easy and we were soon on the coast road heading north. We breakfasted in one of those cafés frequented by the elderly confused from all over Europe who seem to have lost any real purpose in life. Still, it was nice in the sun and we would not have got scrambled egg anywhere ethnic.

Soon we were out in the volcanic countryside. At first we followed a route we had done on our folders from a cruise ship a couple of years ago. Then we were into new territory. The road was smooth, wide and empty but avoided villages. Getting off it onto the nice direct route included some unorthodox methods that would get you killed in the UK. Here the worst penalty for going the wrong way up a slip road was an extra bit on the distance.

We found a shady spot for lunch at a visitor attraction related to the late César Manrique at Los Jameos. We did not go in, being put off by the cost of €8 and the morbidly obese going in. This was a mistake. Apparently these tarted up natural lava caves are very well worth a visit or so the Rough Guide says.

We made it to Orzola in very good time for the large catamaran ferry to Isla Graciosa. We had time for a leisurely beer in the sun though it was a job to keep out of the wind which was now very strong.

Getting the tandem onto the ferry would have been easy had it not been for a rude, fat, stupid crew member. Fortunately for his own well being he did not understand the English visited upon him by the management. It needs to be said that everyone else we have spoken to has been helpful and friendly.

The short crossing was exciting. The ferry kept close under the 500 metre high cliffs but even so was assaulted by gusts of wind that took spray high into the air. She then ran across to the island harbour. We were met on the quay just as it got dark and followed a decrepit four wheel drive to our apartment. It was a job to stay upright on the tandem in the wind and impossible to ride through some of the sand which had blown onto the dirt roads.

Calleta del Sebo, cowboy town, on the Isle of Graciosa