On March 22 we docked in Europe by way of Gran Canaria, one of the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands are part of Spain even though they are only a few hundred miles from the coast of West Africa. And it shows. The towns are clean and elegant and they definitely have a European vibe. 

We went on a tour that brought us to the towns of Arucas and Teror. One of the first things we saw upon arriving in Arucas was the Church of St Jean the Baptiste (San Juan Bautista). Begun in 1909 it opened for worship in 1917 and was finally completed in 1977. 

After that, we bumped into a town square in the Old Section with its beautiful traditional European architecture. 

The next town we visited was Teror. 

Among other things, the town looks like it was almost designed for tourism. Not for tourists dragging a crew of 8 year-olds around mind you, but for tourists who really want to see some old world elegance. 

As if they wished to emphasize the point, a few of the shops had flower petals strewn about on the street in front of them.

A bit of the modern world invaded though as the photo below shows a young man wearing headphones while he sits on a bench in town.

That said, it was good to be back in Europe and Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands certainly fit the bill. 

JFB