Updated: May 29, 2023
We had a leisurely start to the day as I wanted to try and book some tickets for the Theatre Royal when they were released at 10am today. We still both really enjoy the Theatre but only if we can get hold of the few cheap £10 tickets available for each performance. Getting hold of them for the popular shows can be hit and miss though as lots of other people want the same thing. Normally we are successful and its only occasionally we have to resort to buying the more expensive tickets for shows we really want to see.
The forecast for today was not good and so we were not too surprised that it was cloudy as we pulled back the patio door curtains to have our breakfast whilst we waited.
Typically, the Wifi let me down trying to access the Theatre website and so I had to resort to using my phone to login. By the time I did so I was number 532 in a queue and so we only managed to get 1 of the 2 shows we wanted. The other show (Romesh) had sold out completely of all tickets by the time I navigated to it.
We decided to wander down to Dos Mil to get Karen a coffee. We saw Sharon & Iain waving and then pointing frantically at the Coffee Shop. Karen interpreted that correctly as there being a free table which she marched ahead and secured. We sat for the best part of an hour watching the people walk past. Karen had two coffees as they were only ‘small’.
To finish the morning, we decided to continue walking down to the new big supermarket to buy some rolls for lunch. We thought it would be good for our step count. On the way back I realised I needed a toilet stop and should have found one. Instead as Karen put it, my walking speed just kept gradually increasing until she claimed we were quick marching. She was not best pleased when she found out why.
After having our rolls for lunch, we went and met Sharon & Iain in Reception to walk to the mini golf for this year’s Lanzarote Open Championship. The rule is that it can only be played for if the current holder is present. Sharon was the current holder of the prestigious multi coloured Egg Cup having won it last year from Glenn when we were not here.
The course was very busy and must be a real money spinner at 7 Euros per round. That is only just less than what I pay for 9 holes on a proper course at home.
I had been banned from using my own ball. I had brought one last time that was painted like a basketball but was considered it might be given me an advantage as it was a proper ball. This time though Sharon accidentally took a proper ball from the dispenser and went back and changed it after 5 holes as she thought it was actually a disadvantage.
The course was tricky and despite having a couple of dodgy holes at the end I won by 4 shots and regained the coveted trophy. This was despite both Karen and Sharon getting holes in one. Karen was not impressed that it was another thing we had to take home.
As tradition dictates, we celebrated my win with a litre of Sangria, this time at the roof top bar at Lani’s we had discovered the previous night. It was really lovely sitting there and the weather was sunny and warm as we put the world to rights.
After an hour or so basking in the sun back on the balcony we headed out again for dinner. Tonight, we chose the refurbished ‘Black Buffalo’ restaurant. The food was fine but not as good as Pinocchio’s. I had a Sirloin Steak which was OK but needed seasoning but Karen really enjoyed her Alfredo Pasta with Chicken.
Sharon & Iain then headed off into the night to Old Town whilst we headed in back in search of an Irish Coffee for Karen. We had intended to go to an old favourite – La Ola, but Karen feared it might be chilly at the sea edge and so we just called into Pinocchio’s where she knew the Irish Coffee was good. We stayed for a while before wandering back in high spirits to the Villa where we watched the News before retiring.
It had been another good day.
This place feels like putting on a familiar comfy pair of slippers. A week though once a year is enough for me as already it starting to feel a bit samey. There are somethings here I love and somethings I love to moan about.
I always say to people despite some of the tat shops, tacky catwalk bars (as I call them), tacky live music bars and many tacky fellow holidaymakers, there are still enough here to bring me back. Pleasingly the more up market places are increasing. Interestingly the President of Lanzarote wants fewer British tourists (and by British I assume he includes the Irish). It is because they don’t spend enough money here just frequenting the tacky places selling large beers for 1.5 Euros each and not really contributing much income to the island. I think that is behind the gentrification of much of Puerto Del Carmen and I whole heartedly approve. For us the real draw is the weather out of season and the lovely paved long walks in either direction.
The following morning, I had to wake Karen up at 9am as she was still snoring away. Once awake I was allowed to pull back the curtains in the Lounge area and was greeted by a lovely bright day.
I ate my porridge whilst sitting in the sun on the balcony reading.
At 10.20am we set off for our daily constitutional walk this time again left to Matagorda. The weather was perfect although we were both finding the walk hard work today as different parts of our bodies were aching. Signs of being old, over weight and unfit.
On the way we passed the usual sand sculpture guy on the beach who as ever didn’t seem to be raising much money into his hat. I didn’t think this year’s effort was as good as previous ones which had included The Last Supper scene. I am still not convinced that he just doesn’t turn up in the middle of the night with a big plastic mould that he fills with sand and turns over like you would with a bucket.
This year he also had competition from a bohemian looking couple further along who had created a much smaller creation of a Buddha type figure sitting on a volcano. Their selling point though was they had real fire coming out of the volcano obviously from some gas bottles they had buried in the sand. They weren’t getting much cash being thrown their way either and certainly none from me as I thought to myself, they should just get a proper job.
After walking 2.3 miles we came to O’Sheas where we planned to have brunch again. It was closed, as was everything in the little complex. We were not happy after all that effort of getting there. So, we immediately turned round and headed back arguing why it was closed. It turned out they always close on a Saturday for some reason.
I then wanted to stop at ‘Aussie’s Bar’ instead for brunch. It is a bit of a shack but has been there all the time we have been coming here. But as I always say I am allowed to have my own thoughts and wishes just as long as Karen agrees with them. She didn’t approve and so we didn’t stop.
At the first semi decent looking place serving coffee we did stop. It was fine but just not what we really wanted and the staff were a bit grumpy especially as we didn’t order food as they only served Pizza or Pasta dishes.
We then carried on the walk back chuckling to ourselves about O’Sheas being closed and what a probably fortunate near miss we’d probably had in not going to Aussies Bar.
By the time we almost got back to La Penita we were both quite hungry. We didn’t know whether to go to ‘Spa’ to get some fresh rolls or to try ‘Spoons’ for brunch above it. I was sent up to investigate. We actually went in The White Lion which was the other side at the top of the stairs as they had a table in the shade which Karen wanted.
The food we ordered wasn’t great. It was fresh and edible though but we won’t be rushing back.
Finally, we got back to the apartment where I read a while before trying to find a stream to watch City play Cardiff at Carrow Road, yet another match I was missing whilst away. Today the stream worked fine and I watched the whole game with Radio Norfolk commentary on the balcony (apart from a strange 10 minutes when it switched over to the QPR match for no reason). A solid 2 nil victory had me wondering about the play offs again. At half time a friendly parakeet came by to ask Karen to score.
Just as the match ended, we could hear the yearly carnival procession start on the main strip. It was a Samba band playing. For 10 minutes it was loud and jolly. For the next 30 minutes it started to get on my nerves as the procession seemed to stationary and not moving out of earshot just to annoy me. Neither of us had the inclination to go and watch. Apparently, Sharon & Iain did and said it was as bad as it sounded.
At 7pm we met them both in Reception for dinner. We decided to turn left to find someone for dinner as the procession was still proceeding to our right. We ended up at Napolenta again where the food was excellent again. I tried to order a large carafe of wine. Despite the waiter teaching me how to correctly pronounce carafe in Italian we still ended up with a bottle which confused us all.
To finish the evening, we had a couple of drinks in The Diamond Bar which was rather nice despite another table’s drinks being added to our bill which we had to get sorted out.
The evening ended with Karen & I having a cuppa watching the News back in the apartment.
