While on Lanzarote I bought a study on the geology, flora and fauna of the island titled 'Blind crabs, Hoopoes and Volcanoes'.
The heading on the Timanfaya National Park chapter: 'a Moonscape comes to life'.
Spot on.
The eruption of the Timanfaya volcano is the most spectacular the island ever witnessed.
The outburst started in 1730 and ended a whopping six years later in 1736, by then 1.3 km3 (!) of magma had been emitted. An eyewitness saw 'a huge mountain arise in one night', and for two and a half weeks after the top of the mountain was ablaze with fire.
In the end 200 square kilometres of the western and north western part of the island (before the eruptions a very fertile region) was covered in a couple of metres of lava.
All this lava is still there.
Whenever you want to study the various forms of lava: seek no further, go to Lanza. From large chunks of ragged rock - impossible to walk on - to long, curvy streams of sleek, shiny, melted stone and everything in between. It's fascinating.
And not lifeless.
On these lava rocks we saw bright yellow lichens and at some places even bits of green.
But when for the first time you clap eyes on the vast stretches of the Timanfaya NP it's totally barren - and of a stunning beauty.
The park is very fragile and tourists can come into it for a couple of miles, driving along a small road, after which tours take over. But at the end of these first miles is another of Manrique's marvels.
A restaurant.
A round, one floor building, made from volcanic rocks, with huge curved windows so you have an unobstructed view of the moonscape before you.
Unfortunately they served very (verrry) mediocre food. It was the first and last time we ate less than extremely good food on the island. A pity: stunning views plus stunning food would have been a Michelin star combination.
Since the restaurant is situated on dangerous ground on an around the restaurant are sensors stuck in the volcanic rock that alert when the earth starts to tremble.
The main - no, there are two main attractions. The first is a grill. A well, some 10 metres deep, two metres wide with a grillrack on top upon which your food is prepared. No, you cannot even put your hand near the grillrack. It's too hot. Fierce volcanic heat a couple of metres below the surface.
The second attraction is a couple of funnels near the restaurant, always surrounded by eagerly waiting tourists: every once in a while hot white steam whistles through the funnels high into the air.
The heading on the Timanfaya National Park chapter: 'a Moonscape comes to life'.
Spot on.
The eruption of the Timanfaya volcano is the most spectacular the island ever witnessed.
The outburst started in 1730 and ended a whopping six years later in 1736, by then 1.3 km3 (!) of magma had been emitted. An eyewitness saw 'a huge mountain arise in one night', and for two and a half weeks after the top of the mountain was ablaze with fire.
In the end 200 square kilometres of the western and north western part of the island (before the eruptions a very fertile region) was covered in a couple of metres of lava.
All this lava is still there.
Whenever you want to study the various forms of lava: seek no further, go to Lanza. From large chunks of ragged rock - impossible to walk on - to long, curvy streams of sleek, shiny, melted stone and everything in between. It's fascinating.
And not lifeless.
On these lava rocks we saw bright yellow lichens and at some places even bits of green.
But when for the first time you clap eyes on the vast stretches of the Timanfaya NP it's totally barren - and of a stunning beauty.
The park is very fragile and tourists can come into it for a couple of miles, driving along a small road, after which tours take over. But at the end of these first miles is another of Manrique's marvels.
A restaurant.
A round, one floor building, made from volcanic rocks, with huge curved windows so you have an unobstructed view of the moonscape before you.
Unfortunately they served very (verrry) mediocre food. It was the first and last time we ate less than extremely good food on the island. A pity: stunning views plus stunning food would have been a Michelin star combination.
Since the restaurant is situated on dangerous ground on an around the restaurant are sensors stuck in the volcanic rock that alert when the earth starts to tremble.
The main - no, there are two main attractions. The first is a grill. A well, some 10 metres deep, two metres wide with a grillrack on top upon which your food is prepared. No, you cannot even put your hand near the grillrack. It's too hot. Fierce volcanic heat a couple of metres below the surface.
The second attraction is a couple of funnels near the restaurant, always surrounded by eagerly waiting tourists: every once in a while hot white steam whistles through the funnels high into the air.
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