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These postcards were bought in Las Palmas in 1968 but the photographs may have been taken well before then. The text following the images is that from the postcard, unless otherwise indicated.
La Luz Harbour, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
[We visited Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (the Canary Islands) briefly en route Fremantle-London in January 1968 on board the SS Himalaya. Islas Canarias means Island of Dogs, possibly because someone around 0BC noticed many dogs there—or perhaps seals.]
[The Himalaya was a P&O ship launched 1948 and scrapped 1975. This is not a postcard; I found the image on the Web somewhere.]
Parador Nacional de Tejeda. Situated near the small town of Tejeda about 35km from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
[A parador is a luxury hotel, a 'country inn'. We went on a day trip by bus up there, and had lunch in the parador. Fantastic view to Tenerife, with snow. Sumptuous meal with Canary Wine!]
Parador de la Cruz de Tejeda, Gran Canaria. Of recent construction in traditional style, it is 40 km from Las Palmas in the centre of the island and greatly favoured by tourists.
[My memoranda of the trip up to Tejeda: Countryside: banana plantation, walls, irrigation, fantastic views, hairpin bends, eucalypts, vegetation everywhere, deep gorges, houses, stables in caves, channels along hillsides, women washing in them, plastic aprons and rubber gloves, terraces to cultivate tiny little plots. You could fall out your front door. Ploughing the fields with cows and Roman ploughs. Villages built right on road with long doors, double, beautiful wood with brass handles, often no [glass] windows, no shop windows, Spanish tiles, shutters inside the glass, carpenter's shop width of door. Toilet in the corner of a bar, barberia with just chair, men getting shaved.]
Artenara. Panorama of the peaks of Gran Canaria from a typical restaurant in the town of Artenara 48 km from Las Palmas.
[We intentionally had no camera, and instead bought postcards whenever possible. This postcard gives no idea of why this place is important, and you'll have to follow the link to Wikipedia to find out.]
Garry Gillard | New: 21 June, 2013 | Now: 13 September, 2021