I hate small talk, and I always have. Sure, I love to talk about the weather and I actually find it quite interesting. The Weather Channel app is one of my most frequented and I thoroughly enjoy the little videos they feature. But, meeting new people and engaging in small talk has always been a point of contention for me. However, I am coming to realize as an adult, if you want to make friends, you’re going to have to engage in small talk. “Where are you from?” Or “what brings you here?” Or my LEAST favorite “so, what do you do for work?”
I think what I find most frustrating about it is that it rarely gives me a sense of WHO the person is. I want to know what frustrates you, what you’ve been trying to accomplish personally in the past year, or if you think you could land a plane if the pilot was incapacitated and you were the last resort.
During our recent trip to Gran Canaria, Spain, we met group of people in which we were quickly able to move from “small talk” to “we are going hiking, wanna join??” And I didn’t realize until that invitation how lonely I had been feeling in Madrid! Long distance friendships have become more strained and more difficult to maintain and I have been missing the familiarity of the people I’ve grown to know and love over the years. My Charleston community particularly. Also, I have yet to see a sunset that compares to those in the Lowcountry.
Thank goodness for hostels.
Day 1
I learned a big lesson when preparing for this trip: don’t procrastinate packing. Our flight to Gran Canaria, which is located about 90 miles from the western coast of Africa, departed at 7 am. However, the Metro in Madrid stops service between 1:30 AM and 6:00 AM, meaning that we would need to walk about 20-30 minutes to the airport bus and then account for the time it took for the bus to get to the airport. Christian and I are both early-arrivers for flights because we all know the airport is full of unexpected and usually unwanted surprises. This meant we woke up at 3:30 AM to depart the house by 4:00 AM to begin our trek to the airport bus. I got sucked into watching One Day on Netflix and chose not to pack before going out for dinner with our friends, and as per usual we ended up getting home later than anticipated. After hurriedly packing when we got home, I started our first day of travel with about 1.5 hours of sleep – not a great choice.
After making our way through security, we found the departures and arrivals information which indicated that our plane would not have a designated terminal until 5:55 AM. So, we decided to make the most of our wait and take a quick nap on the benches. We set an alarm and both of us quickly found sleep. I am sure I got a few weird looks for wearing my sleep mask but I was too tired to care and too asleep to notice. Once we received our gate information we made our way over where both of us took another brief nap before boarding. Once boarded, I put my sleep mask back on and slept almost the entirety of the 3 hour flight. Thankfully, the flight itself was uneventful, except for the cute family I had the pleasure of sitting next to. It was a mom and dad and their young baby. Both parents were so attentive and made sure their child was entertained the whole flight. She received many smiles and waves from strangers, including myself. Near the end of the flight, once I was awake, she even laid her head back into my lap. It definitely made me miss my littlest friends in Charleston and my sweet niece, Grace.
Once we arrived, we took a bus to the capital of Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, since we weren’t yet able to check into our hostel. Here, we found a cute cafe to grab breakfast in that overlooked the beach. There were numerous people sunbathing, and a few people in the water, it was a bit chilly for myself. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and Christian began his working day as I worked on my blog. Once he came to a good stopping point, we bussed over to the hostel to inquire about dropping our bags off until our spot in the mixed dorm was available. They were incredibly accommodating and stashed our bags as we ventured out to explore the town. Unfortunately, Christian still had to work the remainder of the day so we repacked his backpack with the essentials we would need.
We set off from our hostel to find another cafe with wifi (or wee-fee, as many people in Spain call it), and a comfortable working environment. We ended up in a cafe called Cool Beans, which also happens to be the name of one of my favorite bars in Knoxville and the name of my previous Tuesday night Trivia Gang in Charleston (RIP, but I hope you’re still going in my honor). With such an apt name, I knew it had to be good. We each ordered a matcha and got back to our respective projects.
Once I had finished my post, I decided to set out on my own adventure as Christian wrapped up his work day. Upon leaving Cool Beans, within the first block of walking, I stumbled upon one of the most beautiful trees I have ever seen. It was braced in the corner of two buildings, almost swallowing both of them whole with its beautiful pink blooms that swayed in the wind. There were even some shop owners that were admiring the enchanting tree. I snapped a few pictures and began walking again, however, it wasn’t long before I came upon something else equally as awe inspiring – the Santa Ana Cathedral. The front of the cathedral overlooks Las Palmas’ Plaza Mayor, which at the time of my arrival, was peppered with people having lunch in the surrounding cafes and children playing soccer. The entry fee for the cathedral was 3 Euros, and despite arriving close to closing time, 5:30 PM, I decided to go in.
This Roman Catholic church was built in the 1500’s and much of the architecture resembles the island itself, as the piers on the inside of the church resemble the countless palm trees located in Gran Canaria. On either side of the magnificent sanctuary were small rooms filled with their own pews, and several notable deities. Outside each of these rooms was an ofrenda, where you could make a small offering and light a candle. After doing so, I ventured up the 142 steps to the top of one of the campaniles, or bell towers, to a spectacular view of the city. Since I arrived so close to closing time, I was able to witness the view alone. It was definitely one of those moments where you think “I can’t believe this is my life!!”. The tower had a walkway that allowed me to see the entire city which featured houses of every color, the aforementioned Plaza Mayor and the large cargo ships that were anchored off the coast. I was once again taken back to my time in Charleston when I was able to view similar ships from my apartment window. After taking a few pictures and videos, I quickly made my way back down, noticing that I had slightly overstayed my welcome and was ushered out, nicely, by one of the attendants.
Since the sun was setting, I made my way back to Christian at Cool Beans to see how work was going. I arrived just as he was finishing up, so I took him on my mini tour. I only made it a few blocks from Las Palmas. We then set off towards the hostel, looking for dinner along the way. We stumbled upon an enticing sushi restaurant, and despite the fact that it was 8:30 PM, we were the only guests inside. The staff and the food were equally wonderful. We then picked up a bottle of wine to, hopefully, share with our other hostel mates upon arrival.
After a mostly uphill walk, we arrived at the hostel around 10 PM to find that several people were finishing up their dinners and chatting around a few of the tables in the common area. We opened the wine and offered a glass to anyone who was interested. This allowed us to quickly make a friend to chat with, Michel. We breezed through the small talk, learning that he is from Germany, and moved into discussing the architecture of Las Palmas. During this conversation, one of the other girls staying at the hostel popped in and eagerly said “are you new???”. She introduced herself as Kez, and quickly made her way up to the dorm. Through this we learned that both of them were staying in the same room as us, we had already succeeded in our plan. Happy that we had made a few connections, we all headed up shortly after Kez to get some much needed rest.
Day 2
I began day 2 in Gran Canaria with a horrendous run. Somehow, I had forgotten all about the numerous hills I had walked up the previous day and ended up walking for a good bit of my run. However, I still ended up going about 4.5 miles and it proved to be a great way to see intricate parts of the city. I spotted a few chickens, a cat, and witnessed the morning commute to school. Many of the families walk together and stand outside the school building chatting long after they had dropped off their children, the sense of community was so apparent.
Once I had completed my brutal run, I returned to the hostel just in time for breakfast. I made myself a bowl of yogurt and a few pieces of toast and found a spot next to Kez, who was chatting with a handful of other girls. We completely bypassed the small talk and discussed the struggles of working and the wonders of traveling. By the end of breakfast, I was still unsure of many names but I had been invited to karaoke that night and hike that morning! Christian had a half day of work to do so I ventured out with the hiking crew on my own.
The hiking crew convened on the porch before all hoping on the bus that would take us to the main terminal, where we would catch a second bus to take us to the hike. Truthfully, the hike itself may have taken less time than the commute there. However, the commute was not wasted time as we were all able to learn about one another. Almost everyone that joined this journey was from a different country, Georgia (now living in Belgium), Great Britain (specifically London), Germany (Berlin), two gentlemen from Finland, and myself representing the U.S. We talked about likes, dislikes, our various travels, psychedelics, our families, our aspirations, our previous relationships, and so much more. My heart was already feeling so full and I hadn’t even been on the island for a full 24 hours. After the hike, we returned to the hostel for some down time and a much needed shower.
Thankfully, Christian had finished working by the time we returned, he had also picked up the moped we would be using for the next few days to traverse the island. We decided to drive up towards the northern part of the island with only the name of a town in mind. We came upon some natural swimming pools where a barrier wall had been built behind the rocky shore, allowing the waves to crash over, filling the pools. I can only imagine how packed it is during the summer as it was such a beautiful place. We grabbed some dinner, chicken nuggets, pizza and a bag of salad, at the mercado on the way back to the hostel and began getting ready for our karaoke night. Christian showed everyone his “hand salad,” which if you are unfamiliar with the concept is literally just eating the greens straight from the bag, no dressing or other extra toppings – efficiency at its finest.
Narrowly making the bus, except for Eliel, one of our Finnish friends, we made it to the bar for karaoke. Eliel ended up taxing to the bar after a very kind man on the bus saw our distress about him not making it and informed us that it was the last bus for the evening. Unfortunately, shortly after arriving we learned that there wouldn’t be karaoke as the DJ had family matters to attend to. However, we didn’t let this dampen our spirits and we were able to find a space big enough for our crew to sit and chat. We sat and talked for a few hours before people began to head home. I was still itching to go to karaoke so Marta, a Barcelona native who was relocating to Gran Canaria, informed us that there was another bar just down the block that also had karaoke. I will tell you, a secondary location during a night of drinking is always a recipe for a hangover. We stayed out much too late but had such a good time. Christian sang Hips Don’t Lie and we ended the night with a walk on the brief walk on the beach before taxing home.
Day 3
We groggily awoke the next morning and thankfully already had our plan for the day. Some of us were little worse for wear. Michel had twisted his ankle the previous night but insisted on continuing his journey noting that “it’s more of a challenge now.” We had compiled a crew to head down to the Maspalomas dunes on the southern part of the island and to see a rock formation similar to those found in Utah or Arizona. Sadly, this bussing commute would not be as brief as all of our other ones. We bussed to the small town outside of where the rock formation was and taxied up to it, having to take two different taxis to accommodate the size of our party. This wasn’t originally one of the sights I had planned on seeing when coming to Gran Canaria but I had pinky promised Bella, one of the previously unnamed girls from the previous day’s breakfast and hike, that I would go if she came to the hike with us.
We decided to enjoy the sun and walk back down the mountain to the town in order to catch the next bus to the dunes. Before getting on the bus we stopped by a previously spotted kebap shop, something the U.S. is missing, to fuel up. Kebaps are like gyro burritos, equally if not more delicious, and much more transportable. Once we departed the bus, we walked about half an hour to the dunes. Spirits were running a little low, but we all knew that something wonderful was in store.
When we finally arrived, I was truly astonished by the view, one of the handful of things that actually fits the definition of “awesome.” The sand dunes act as a barrier between the unending ocean and the town. From the top you are able to see people traversing from one end to the other, sliding, jumping, rolling, and attempting to climb as fast as possible from the bottom to the top. We took our shoes off and were immediately greeted by the soft and smooth sand that had been warmed by the sun. We slowly made our way through the dunes to the edge of the water, enjoying the refreshing coolness on our feet and legs. It was too chilly for anyone to venture all the way in, and I don’t think anyone had a towel, so it would have been a long damp bus ride home. We stayed for quite a while, running and doing cartwheels on the beach before heading up to find a spot to watch the sunset.
The air quickly cooled off as we watched the sun go down behind a cathedral located to the right of the dunes. The small plaza at the top of the dunes was packed with people who had a similar idea. There was a man playing guitar, another man creating large bubbles with a special homemade tool. The bubbles floated along the cool breeze waiting for children to run after and pop them, this made for the most magical ending to a long long day of walking and bussing around the city.
Day 4
Originally, this was supposed to be our last day on the island. However, since we had made such fast friends, and I have Mondays off, we were easily convinced to stay another day and push back our flight. We weren’t able to stay at the hostel but instead booked a hotel room with points that Christian had previously accumulated. I was very thankful because even though the hostel was nice, it was still incredibly warm at night under the polyester comforter in a room without central AC, making for restless sleep.
Additionally, with all the bussing we did to Maspalomas for the dunes, we didn’t end up using the moped as much as we had hoped, so staying an extra day allowed Christian and I to venture out on our own. Following our breakfast, we headed towards the center of the island to a lookout where we would be able to view Roque Noble. On our journey up there we passed through several small towns that mimicked the colorful houses found down in Las Palmas and in many of the yard were lemon and orange trees. I was astounded to see so many! At the top we enjoyed some much needed sun, as it had been raining most of our time on the island. We were also able to see Tenerife, one of the other islands, from the top!
After walking back down to the moped, we ventured back down the mountain to grab lunch in Teror, one of the smaller towns on Gran Canaria. They were having a Sunday market full of food and clothing vendors, and the streets were packed with tourists and families all eager to be in the sun. Following our lunch, we drove back to the hostel to prepare for beach volleyball!
We bussed from our hotel down to the beach, where we joined our hostel crew we had amassed over the past few days for some beach volleyball. During this time, I also caught up with my beloved Cheyenne on the phone. It’s been so hard to find decent times to talk to one another so when I saw she was calling I HAD to answer. We stayed on the beach admiring the glorious sunset peppered with parasailers on the mountain and then decided it was time for some food. This may have been the only sunset I’ve seen that has rivaled those found in Charleston.
We left the beach with a group of about 10 people and grabbed dinner, pulling together a few tables outside of the restaurant. We sat and chatted for a while and ended up witnessing a street fight (!) but no one was seriously injured. Once the fight and dinner had concluded we walked over to a sports bar and where we remained until it was time to say our goodbyes. It was hard to leave knowing that it was either going to be an extremely long time before I saw these people again or that I may, in fact, never see them again.
Day 5
Christian and I checked out of the hotel after grabbing breakfast and returning the moped. He remained in the lobby for the entirety of the day working, and I ventured out on my own again to explore some of the remaining museums. I was extended an offer to visit the dunes again in Maspalomas but didn’t want to have to stress about making it back to the airport in time for our flight that evening, so I opted out. The 3 hours of bussing I would have had to do to make the trip was a little too much.
With my last day on the island I visited Casa del Colón, which was frequented by Christopher Columbus during his many journeys to the America’s. We all have mixed emotions about this now but walking through the same spaces that a prominent, good or bad, figure of history visited is very emotional.
One specific highlight of the museum was the two parrots they had living inside! I spent a good portion of my time there admiring the birds until they started shrieking.
Feeling rather hungry, I left the museum in search of a late lunch and came upon an Italian restaurant with some of the freshest pasta I’ve ever had. I ordered a glass of wine and their gnocchi. I could’ve eaten at least two bowls of it, it was so soft and delicious! I remained at the restaurant reading and people watching until they closed around 5 to prepare for dinner service.
From here, I walked back to the hotel where Christian and I prepared to start our journey to the airport. We walked to the main bus station to catch the airport bus, arriving with a few hours to spare. We went glided through security – one of the least stressful airport security experiences I’ve ever had. They had a simple metal detector, we weren’t required to take off our shoes and there were no TSA agents yelling over everyone, honestly such a relief.
After seeing that our flight did not yet have gate information we decided to exit the airport and get a much cheaper dinner in the market located below the airport. We then returned with enough time to eat and take care of all our necessities before boarding. We arrived very late in Madrid, taking the bus back to the station where we began our trip and then decided to taxi home from there, saving our very tired selves the extra walking.
I went to work the next day business as usual very much still wishing I was still on the island or at the very least still in my bed. However, all the late nights and early mornings were worth the memories that will last a lifetime.
Thank you Gran Canaria for an unforgettable visit! I am so thankful that I have been able to push myself outside of my comfort zone to connect with people and create memories that last a lifetime. While I wish the sun would have graced us with its presence more, we still made the absolute most of our time in Gran Canaria. For anyone planning a trip to any of the Canary Islands in the future, I would wholeheartedly recommend renting a car as many of the islands points of interest are far from the capital.
MGD Overseas 