Index
Day 1 - Inaugural
Day 2 - Arrival
Day 3 - Lanzarote
Day 4 - Island hopping
Day 5 - Island hopping
Day 6 - Tenerife
Day 7 - Return
Canary Islands
The pre-arrival meal was decidedly worse than dinner a few hours ago, maybe it was because the protein portion seemed pretty half-assed with just one strip of bacon. Was nice to get some shuteye even if the flight was a bit short for that at just over 6 hours... and of course, everyone woke up as we flew over the cloud tops surrounding La Gomera and the west coast of Tenerife on final approach-- made for dramatic pictures.
Most of the employees looked very happy for us to be there, let alone the dignataries and the media. United made sure to use one of the special livery planes in their fleet, the New York-themed Her Art Here, to take full advantae of the media attention. They efficiently herded us down the stairs and on to the tarmac, then swiftly into buses to the terminal, where locals in traditional dress awaited with more inaugural flight swag. Spanish press were in the terminal too, interviewing dozens of passengers as we waited for our bags.
Ended up enjoying a pleasant cafe outside the airport for a few hours while waiting for the next flights. Binter Canarias, the local airline, flies old ATR 72-600's between the seven islands at very regular frequencies. They're cramped and noisy but they do the job, and the flights are short. Managed to escape the invasion of loud British tourists at Tenerife South Airport for a more mixed crowd at Gran Canaria airport, had a disgusting salad (airport food...), then another very short flight to Lanzarote.
Had hoped to see some wineries and whatnot, but instead after more than 36 hours in transit, opted to look for dinner and the hotel. Turns out most of the beach towns are all tourist traps (as the crowd of obnoxious Brits earlier should have forwarned me), with menus in Spanish/English/German even when you get off the main drag. Was able to find something edible enough for dinner, enjoyed a stroll from the tiny harbor to the waterfront to a further marina, and then back to the car for the drive to the very very touristy resort hotel. To be fair to the hotel, they cater to the type who want a big pool and a windy beach, so I clearly was not the target audience.