MY CANARY ISLAND ADVENTURE!

In December 2022 I flew to the Canary Islands as a gift from my daughter, who is living there. She is the Director of the American School in Las Palmas. Following are my journal notes from my month there.

Day 1

Sat Dec 6, 2022, 5am London Time\

Wow! My seat is one away from first class! Made a mistake by eating a hamburger at the airport. The airplane meal was good, but i was full! And I had real dishes and silverware! Thank you Shannon! My time in Seattle with Heather and John was great! Lunch at Place Pigalle. Walked through Pikes Place Market. Bought a bag for Shannon. Made a big mistake with my carryon. Too heavy. A man offered to carry it and I was grateful. Also brought too much in it. Need to sleep. Will take my medicine and sleep.

Dary 2

Fri Dec 9, 2022. Las Palmas. 4:35pm

Shannon and Rick met me in Madrid. We stayed overnight in a small hotel after having soup and salad for dinner at a local restaurant. Raining. Up at 7am and back to the airport to get the plane to Las Palmas. Thank the goddess for wheelchairs! I wouldn’t have been able to do it otherwise. To get to Shannon and Rick myself and another wheelchair lady and myself were put on a special van and hurtled through the underbelly of the airport to baggage claim where I picked up my suitcase. Meeting Shannon and Rick was a most happy event!! With hugs of love and delight. It was another 3 hour flight to Las Palmas. The last. I saw the Volcanic island floating in the Atlantic ocean! Then it became real! Landed in Las Palmas. Another wheelchair took me to the car park. they have a grey Renault which came with the job, as did the apartment that rents for $700 a month. Dinner for 3 was $21. Spain is really cheap. The ocean is about 100 feet from the apartment. The Playa de Canaria. The ocean is filled with surfers. Apparently this is one of the best surfing spots in Europe. The outdoor cafe was a few steps from their front door. During dinner Rick got a call from his father, Bill, who moved to Las Palmas about 3 months ago. Bill had fallen and was at the hospital. Rick hurried there. The doctors checked him out and other than bruises, he was okay. I was amazed how skinny he had gotten. Grief at his wife’s passing and not eating enough have had their toll. Still an interesting guy. Jet lag hit me in the night. Awoke every hour! Felt like the walking dead when I arose. Moving painfully slowly. Made myself some tea and toast and then Muesuli for breakfast. Checked my phone and answered people. Rick went for his hour long run while I showered and dressed. When he returned he showered and we went for a walk and visited Bill at his small, but nice apartment not far from Rick and Shannon. He pays $900 a month rent plus antoerh $700 a month for a woman to come in 5 days a week to clean and cook. Everything here seems cheap.