Greetings Steemians!
One of my favorite holiday destinations is Fuerteventura, the second largest of the Canary Islands. It is a place where you can leave all distraction behind. Nature is largely reduced to wind, stone, sand and sea. For me, the perfect place to really pause and get away from workaday life. 1-2 weeks in this special scantiness and I feel ready to tackle the daily grind again.
And what makes it so appealing to me, the Island really has two faces. There is the gentle lee side with long sandy beaches and calm sea and, in harsh contrast, the exposed luv side with rocks, wind and spray.
At the island's wasp tail, the Istmo de la Pared, both sides are merely 5 km away from eachother. So you can enjoy easy beachlife in the morning and then switch sides for a walk along crashing waves in the afternoon:
Playa de Sotavento (lee side)
Playa de Sotavento (lee side)
La Pared (windward)
Imagine yourself sitting on the plateau to the right, enjoying a 🍹during 🌅...
I just feel about ripe getting back there.
I hope these photos convey a sense for the gentle and the rough beauty of this island. Thanks for watching!
Shaka
All photos were shot by myself with an iPhone 6S during August 2017
Oh, memories arising!
I visited the Canary Islands in the late 80s and the early 90s quite some time. First visit was Lanzarote and while the plane was circulating above the island my first eerie thought was: "Oh, my God. That is a desert! No green whatsoever!I don't want to go there. That is depressing!" As I had no chance we landed and I got later on fascinated by the minimalism of the Canary Islands. Never will forget the "Cueva de los Verdes" on Lanzarote and the contrasts of Fuerteventura you speak of.
We spent our time on the rough side and I cursed the wind more than once. But admiring the brave surfers (of which I thought being insane).
Here I share with you two pictures which encapsule those stoney wind shields and the massive sand dunes we made fun to take pictures from (taking a bed sheet from the hotel:)
Meeting a local dog:
Dune more from the far:
Sorry for the quality. I just photographed the prints with an old i-phone.
I hope the landscapes are still intact and tourism hadn't have that bad influences like at the Spanish coast. Can you say something about it?
P.S. Finally, you are blogging again. Me tuning more out, you tuning in:)
Hi @erh.germany, what a nice surprise!
Thanks for these awesome shots. I think they capture Fuerte's spirit very well.
I started travelling to Fuerte in the early 90s and as far as I perceive it, the landscapes and the beaches have not been impaired by the tourism since then. I can't judge though how the impact on less visible aspects like groundwater, sea pollution, endemic fauna and flora has been.
The minimalism, as you describe it, is indeed what makes this Island so special. But only to those who are able to respond to it. Because only then one is able to see the incredible diversity within this scarcity. All these colours, textures, niche plants, rock sculptures and so on...
And true, I also wouldn't mind if the wind would pause from time to time. It just doesn't ;)
Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers!
"to see the incredible diversity within this scarcity" - yes, that is the beauty. Couldn't have said it better.
I hope, their politics haven't changed since the early 90s and they still restrict to build infrastructure and housing like crazy. At least on Lanzarote, there was a law not to build more than two or three story buildings (can't remember the exact number).
Oh, and look who was visiting me in time and space:
The fledgling of the flying lizard from your Alpine hike. And I haven't spotted it! Damn!
:))
:D
Wollte schon immer mal nach feuerte... tolle Bilder mit dem iPhone 👍
Danke!
Now i understand what's the fascination of Fuerteventura! These photos represent very beautiful motifs and colors 🌊 to get the right mood for your description. Many years ago i worked together with someone who talked also about the main reason for travelling there, the silence, inner peace.
Recently someone presented me some not so well photography of the island and i said to myself.. "Why on earth should i lose my precious vacation time 🕙 in no man's land?!".. but now i think different.
Thank you!
Great to hear, that I could alter your initial impression of this Island. Outside the urbanizations it can seem like no man's land indeed, but that is part of it's unique attraction.
Thanks for your comment!
Have you spent much time at Tenerife? Someday I want to get over to see the Canary Islands, in particular, get up to see Tiede Observatory. Btw I was going to say I'm jealous of those glorious beaches you've photographed, but we have some pretty decent beaches here :) What would be nice though is some decent mountains to hike!
Btw @shaka thanks for all your voting support on my posts (as well as many of my other stem colleges). It is a real morale boost!
Thanks @terrylovejoy, I'm glad to hear that my curation is perceived that way.
I haven't yet been to Tenerife but was considering going there already a few times. Not least because of the Teide, I would love hiking up there. However, since I read the postLa Gomera next. Must be a true hiking paradise. from @obvious a couple of days ago, I'm seriously considering to check
Cheers!
It looks really interesting, La Gomera reminds me a bit of the island of Kauai in Hawaii (haven't been to either, just judging it based on the pictures).
btw have you ever travelled to New Zealand? There is some really amazing scenery and hikes there.
No, unfortunately I haven't made it to NZ so far. Must be impressive there from what I heard and saw (e.g. in the LOTR- movies ;) ).
Considering the distance, I would need to plan for 3-4 weeks - and that's quite difficult for me to accomodate.
crazy how awesome the shots are from a phone! My last post, some of the shots were taken with my phone, and I was super amazed by the quality. Sometimes they looked even better than my real camera.
I've been wanting to visit Canary Islands! Do you know @surfermarly? She lives there!
Also, super excited to see you posting! I've always wanted to say thank you for all of your support. I just didn't know how to reach you! EKK! So THANK YOU! hugs
Hi @karensuestudios, a pleasure to welcome you here :)
It's true, photographing with current phones can give you great results. At least if the light conditions are decent - and if you haven't forgotten to wipe your lens as it happens to me from time to time ;)
All the best!
ahahah! :) Story of my life when I wear glasses... hehe I have a small nose, so my glasses always get sqooshed against my face!
Ahh, I wanted to go there for a surfing trip but my friends ended up picking a different destination. Having looked at these pictures - now I really want to go :-)
Hi @ingaaa, thanks for stopping by! Now I'm curious which other place you finally went. As a surfer, I assume you would love it in Fuerte. Wind non-stop :)
Cheers!
I will keep that in mind! We went to Taghazout in Morocco but I've already been there so my preference always lied with a new place. Oh well, next time! ;-)
From mountains to the beach :)
Thats the way to go.
Haha, indeed. When I'm in the mountains I'm missing the beach and vice versa :)
hahaha, same here :)
No dinosaurs here? :D
Actually, I spotted a huge one in a canyon there:
I just wasn't sure, whether this was interesting enough to share.
:P
Well spotted. I would not even have noticed it ^^
Freut mich, dass du die Lust am Posten wieder gefunden hast - ein klasse Beitrag mit Fotos die beweisen, dass die iPhones gerade bei gutem Licht echt tolle Urlaubsbilder machen können :)
Absolut, wenn die Lichtbedingungen stimmen sind die Resultate sehr ordentlich. Ich habe daher auch schon länger keine Kompaktkamera mehr. Die wird durch das iPhone im Grunde überflüssig.
Grüsse!
Na dann hoffe ich mal, du hast beim Wandern jetzt dann auch gutes Licht! Viel Spaß ;)
Das hoffe ich auch. Allerdings werde ich die Grosse dabeihaben, da gehts dann auch mal unter suboptimalen Bedingungen.
Ich werde berichten ;)
Meine Eltern und deren Freunde schwärmen allesamt von Gran Canaria.
Ich war noch auf keiner Insel der Kanaren.
Aber auch Deine Bilder lassen nur den Schluß zu, daß ich auch dort mal hin sollte...
Es ist wie gesagt sehr karg dort und ich habe schon von manchen gehört die enttäuscht waren. Die Farbe grün kommt dort nur wenig vor.. Aber ich finde es herrlich dort und kann auf dieser Insel auftanken wie an kaum einem anderen Ort.
Hello, excellent photos I had the opportunity to visit, Madrid and Tenerife, it is really living in another world, of course I am Venezuelan and each country has its natural charm, seeing the photos so spectacular, I relax and admire your skill to get those beautiful shots I love beaches, here we have beautiful beaches. @shaka
You must have wonderful beaches in Venezuela, too. Hopefully, your country can become a popular destination for beach and sun seekers in the not too far future. All the best!
I am from the Canary Islands and I have to say that it has nothing to do with Madrid or Tenerife.
There are kilometric beaches of sand almost deserted. Without the hustle and bustle of big cities.
I think, do not explain me well, When I was in Tenerife and Madrid, they talked a lot about the beaches of Fuente ventura, Barlovento and told me about the extensive beaches that exist in the Canary Islands.
And yes, I actually felt in another world, thanks for correcting my ignorance on the subject.
@jramirezviera
Fuerteventura, strong wind or Great adventure !!.I actually love those pictures. You must have enter the place through Spain I guess.
Yeah, this island has an appealing name. In fact, the Canary Islands belong to Spain.
Woa, mega schöne Bilder, da krieg ich direkt fernweh <3
Beautiful scenery of beautiful results. photo the natural beauty that has brought you to get a beautiful dream every night.You are a very lucky person, because you have seen what I can not see in my life.I have never seen this scene it's amazing. Thank you guys for sharing, I hope someday to visit such a beautiful place even if it is not possible for me.
Thanks for this @shaka
Richtig tolle Fotos! Und diese Insel ist atemberaubend schön, war vor 4 Jahren auch schon mal! Überhaupt alle Inseln in der Gegend ;)
Du musst dir unbedingt mal ne Drohne holen, macht super Fotos und ein tolles Hobby. Bist ja auch andauernd unterwegs da lohnt sich ne Drohne ;)
Danke, das freut mich!
In punkto Fotografie bin ich von Drohnen nicht so überzeugt. Ich finde, dass mithilfe von Drohnen spannende Filme/Filmsequenzen aufgenommen werden können, aber Filmen ist nicht so mein Metier.
This Island is very great, I went there too many times. The sea and the Nature, there are many places, which are no tourist, that is what I love there. The island have so many places which is still like before. Great post @shaka
This is a beach that is so sweet. The beach looks so clean, cool, of course this is a form of government care in guarding your local tourist destination. always successful greetings.
You are right, governments need to care but even more so the tourists to keep nature and the beaches preserved and unimpaired. On Fuerteventura it seems to work quite well as far as I can judge.
That's an interesting contrast of landscape :D
The lee ward side looks like an oasis of a desert, while the view at the windward side looks similar with what Iceland have. Both view have a unique amazing qualities and it looks undisturbed as well :)
By the way, is it an open resort? Or your hotel is far away from that area?
All these shots were made in the public open. I had a little apartment in that area. Resorts are not quite my thing :)
So that explains why it look so natural. That's even better, and by "a little appartment" means mansion is it? :D your living the life! Enjoy it :)
Spending even a week in that place would easily energize me as well.
P.s. thanks for the kind gesture you did in my post, really appreciate it :)
Your welcome :)
And no, if I say "little appartment" it means "little appartment" ;)
Cheers!
I had a feeling that it's a "grand appartment" because you sound humble about it :D
You have a nice place, it looks perfect for sunset or dawn photos :)
Was du auch noch für Fotos mit deinem Handy hinkriegst...beeindruckend! Da frag ich mich glatt, wieso ich mir ein neues gekauft habe wenn du das trotzdem besser hinkriegst. haha
Danke, Danke, alles Übungssache :) Ausserdem siehst Du hier ja nur die Bilder, die auch was geworden sind :)
Stimmt, im Internet zeigt man ja meist nur die besten Seiten was ja in solch einen Post ja auch rein soll, nur entsteht dann die Illusion - zumindest manchmal- dass derjenige alles perfekt macht haha :D Aber ja ich kenn' das, von 100 Fotos nehme ich vielleicht 5? Maximal 10
Wow this contrast are really beautifuf. but mostly i m imprest of this dept blue sea as we have it here in Santo Domingo. I love this windy, rough coast. Thanks for sharing
I love this island!
I was there last year as well.
Beautiful beaches, only a bit too windy hehe
Yeah, the wind never sleeps there. It can sometimes be annoying, especially when you try to mount your beach tent ;)
Ever been to La Gomera?
No, haven't yet been to any other of the Canary Islands? I heard La Gomera is great for hiking, right?
I was there last year and it was breathtaking. The landscape is very varied and with about 900 kilometres of hiking trails, which are extraordinarily well signposted. November is the perfect time for hiking, as it is a constant 20 degrees. The probability of precipitation is only a few millimetres per month. Black sandy beaches, cactuses and the world's largest laurel forest form a wonderful contrast. In short: A dream island. Maybe I'll write a Post about it. Then you would have something to look at;)
Wow, that sounds highly attractive. In case you make a post about it, let me know, I don't want to miss it!
Yeah, sure, I will. I wanted to summarize my experiences anyway. This is a good opportunity. I'll let you know;) Have a nice day
La Gomera is awesome. A paradise for hiking.
If you want to see some photos I write a post about Garajonay.
https://steemit.com/photography/@jramirezviera/places-to-see-garajonay
I have more but I don't upload them yet.
Hello @shaka, I am new to your blog and I have observed several of your publications and I liked them a lot, I liked your blog a lot because you publish beautiful photographs and interesting things. This particular beautiful pictures really is a perfect place to go and share with the family, a place like this is perfect to clear the mind and forget about all the bad things that may be happening to us, because with wonderful things like this is We have to say that life is one and we have to enjoy it, a place I need at that moment. I will follow you and I will be aware of your next publication, greetings and support from Venezuela.
I think it's what I need to be there to fill up with good vibes, beautiful place I like those panoramic photos @shaka
Thank you! Glad the vibes of this place got conveyed :)
This is how you do a good job with the photographs so that it is so and more with that place with such beautiful colors
Fuerteventura look amazing👍 I've never been there, but i think i should go there soon. The beach look beautiful. When i see this nice pictures, my mind says: YOU NEED HOLIDAYS 🤗
My mind is saying exactly the same thing :D
Beautiful photos @shaka, especially photo number three and seven capturing the suns beams... Well captured indeed! :)
Thank you!
I think, that place look very nice to swim and sunbathe. whether a rocky place can be used for fishing? it is really fun if that place can fishing. Because my hobby is fishing. Regards.
In fact, you can often see fishermen standing between these rocks. It seems to be a good spot for fishing.
Awesome! Especially love the "La Pared (windward)" shots, the lighting is so dramatic.
Thanks! The windward side is my preferred one, too.
Beautiful, and well captured. Looks like a good place to be, unless it is too full of tourists.
Thanks! There are tourists but you can easily escape them. The beaches are miles long and if you just walk a bit you can enjoy complete solitude. Especially on the windward side.
In Jandia are kilometers of beach when you found nobody
Amazing calm seashore..!!
Being raised in southern Italy, i always had close connection with beaches..!!!
Here we spend most of our vacation time by the sea..! 🙌
Good to see u also enjoyed ur time in Fuerteventura..!
U may plan a trip to southern Italy..! Positano has one of the best seashore packed with historical residents..!!!
Stay blessed..!
~ Tennis Girl 🎾🎾
wow
this is a very beautiful sight.
you are a great photographer @shaka .
Thanks!
You welcome
The beach and sand are a bit like the ones in my country, the atmosphere is so comfortable. you can see ** sabang island aceh **
The landscapes are wonderful, I miss the sun, the sea and the beach. As you said, it's the perfect place to relax. Have a nice weekend! :D
I hope by doing this vocation you can get rid of tired and stress ini work. Hopefully you are excited for the next. Do you do a holiday every week?
Every week? That would be something :) Twice a year at best.
The island of Kontras is amazing. All stretched beautifully. But your capability in outstanding photography has been framing in one sumptuous content. Thanks @shaka has shared.
Have a nice day!
Beautiful place, I love the beach, it's a good place to be, it's so relaxing. By the way I'm looking forward to another of your contests
How are you today @shaka? I think it's great to just be there in that magical place, with those blue waters, I loved these photos really, if you cheer my afternoon
Thank you :)
This is for sure earthly paradise!
@eurogee
It's lovely there, indeed.
Wow, a pride to visit this beautiful beach, its sand looks very smooth. Beautiful landscapes.
wow, a very beautiful island, thanks for sharing
Beautiful beach... Good shot!
Thanks!
Woow! It's great to enjoy this beauty. You are photographing very skillfully. All look so real and very fascinating. Thank you @shaka for sharing the beauty. Regards!
I'm really impressed from your photography
Thanks!
Really great photography
Wow amazing place with such beautiful views this is really fascinating to see thanks for sharing the pics :)
Really making sense
Vacation on my mind
A very nice place. Nature, landscape, calm and serenity. I need such a place and time. silence and rest ... taste it! !!
The view of the beach is very beautiful. Many visitors will come to this place.
Photography a very beautiful beach.