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
El Mirador was a bit busier for breakfast this morning; was still a solid experience, but the today's table lacked the impressive view of the day before. Hard to complain about, I know. #firstworldproblems Then back to the airport and the nearly 8 hour return flight back to New York. Some great views of the much less touristy El Hiero right after take-off; for those who want to avoid crowds and take advantage of nature at your doorstep, El Hiero or La Gomera might be the thing to do over Lanzarote and Gran Canaria.
Lunch of halibut and a cauliflower-grape salad was better than the slop that United used to serve before in business class, although it's still short of what many of their competitors serve. The dessert, particularly the local cheeses sourced from the Canary Islands, were surprisingly high in quality despite being serve with saltines (really, United??). 6 hours later, the pre-arrival meal of veggies was tastier than it looked (looks = gross), and the fruit plate was fresh and tasty.
Managed some great views of Manhattan on final approach, re-entry was lighting quick, then a quick stop in the shiny new United Club at EWR before the next flight. The slightly long(er than usual) EWR-TFS flight was balanced out by a quick return to Los Angeles at barely 5 hours' flying time. Combined with the supplemental breakfast of sausage and eggs at the club and a bulkhead seat in economy, the extremely full flight back was surprisingly tolerable.
Have to say I was glad I made it to the Canary Islands, even if they were a bit underwhelming in the end. Europe's version of Hawaii is an apt description, and one I wish I had realized before I left.