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Island hopping with P and O cruises: Lanzarote

April 30, 2018 8 Comments Filed Under: Travel, Uncategorized

Foundation Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Lanzarote is the most deserted and on the face of it, barren, of the Canary Islands. In previous times, people used to travel across it on camels. But this doesn’t make it any less interesting. I took one of the P and O ship’s excursions to find out about the art of Cesar Manrique.

Manrique was born in 1919 into a well-off family of traders from Lanzarote. At school he was exceptionally good at drawing and painting. He asked his family to send him to Madrid to study fine art. 

But his father said: ‘No, I can’t afford it.’
Instead he insisted: ‘You will go to Tenerife and study architecture there at university.’

Manrique tried it but left in the second year. 

It’s not for me.

He managed to get a scholarship to study in Madrid where he eventually became a professor. He met the love of his life, Pepi Gomez, who died of cancer very young. Cesar was destroyed and decided to move to New York to get away from the memories. He never married.

After a few years, he returned to Lanzarote. Unlike New York, there was no artistic scene  at all. 

In fact Lanzarote has the reputation as the ugliest of the Canary Islands, with no green spaces, no trees, and no water. 
But Manrique could see the beauty in the rocks.

 If you could see Lanzarote through my eyes, you would see the beauty even in the tiniest stone.

He decided to create art within the natural structures of Lanzarote, such as the Jameos del Agua, which is a hollowed out tube of lava. Inside there is a natural amphitheatre for concerts, a blinding white swimming pool, bars and cafes made from recycled old boats. It’s also famous for a species of blind lobster.  

Cesar Manrique was mates with the governor of the island at the time and developed urban planning to bring in tourism but avoiding high rise hotels. No building was allowed to be taller than three stories.

I visited his home which was built mostly underground in the black lava rock, to shelter from the heat. There was a red room, a yellow room and a black room. His goal was to create a harmony between the interior and the stark exterior. 

The plants in particular looked extraordinary against the black lava earth: pinks, yellows and greens carving geometric, almost day-glo patterns. Lanzarote farmers use the lava to farm: it shields from the heat and retains moisture, avoiding the need for irrigation.

Manrique was killed in a car crash in 1992. You could say he was the saviour of Lanzarote, preventing the overt commercialisation of the island whilst highlighting its unusual beauty.

Jameos del agua, Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Jameos del agua, Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Jameos del agua, Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Foundation Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Foundation Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Foundation Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Foundation Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Foundation Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Foundation Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
 Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Foundation Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Foundation Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Foundation Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
 Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Foundation Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
blind lobster, Jameos del agua, Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Jameos del agua, Cesar Manrique, Lanzarote, Pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
I was invited as a guest of P and O cruises to Madeira and the Canary Islands.

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Previous Post: « Island hopping with P and O cruises: Gran Canaria
Next Post: Last stop on P and O cruise: Lisbon »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alison Cross

    April 30, 2018 at 11:03 am

    I love it! I am in awe of artists who have their vision and never stop striving towards it <3

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover

      May 1, 2018 at 1:47 pm

      Me too. Alison. He made sure Lanzarote wasn't a Benidorm like destination.

      Reply
  2. Pasta Bites

    April 30, 2018 at 2:39 pm

    I spent a week in Lanzarote in January, although on a different 'proposition' http://blog.pastabites.co.uk/2018/02/travel-bites-lanzarote-as-a-family-holiday-destination.html)

    I thought it was a beautiful and fascinating island. Sadly I missed out on the Manrique foundation as too far to drive with the little one 🙁

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover

      May 1, 2018 at 1:46 pm

      I love the photo on your post, you've really captured the black landscape.

      Reply
  3. Chloe King

    April 30, 2018 at 3:53 pm

    Wow! What an amazing place. I really want to go on a cruise now. (Never thought I'd write that!) I'll be dropping hints with my mother in law!

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover

      May 1, 2018 at 1:40 pm

      I know. You think it's naff but actually it's probably the only truly relaxing holiday (especially with children).

      Reply
  4. Miss Brodie

    May 2, 2018 at 4:36 pm

    The Manrique pictures are nothing less than amazing. You have inspired me to want to visit there.

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover

      May 2, 2018 at 4:45 pm

      Thanks Miss B x

      Reply

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MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

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msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
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Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I get up later and later every day. I’m living in a twilight world- dim skies, getting nothing done. Next week it’s my birthday and every year I’m at my lowest ebb just before my birthday. Lockdown on your own is tough. My motivation, my mojo has disappeared. #lockdown3 #coronaloner #pastadinner #nofilter #january2021 #januarychallenge #selfemployedwomen #single #aquarius #0degrees
On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronal On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronaloner
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Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Mi Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Minus Crown and king as I cannot find either. This one is made with Tonka bean. Plus homemade puff pastry (well worth the effort). According to ike delorenzo at The Atlantic:  The tonka bean, a flat, wrinkled legume from South America with an outsize flavor that the US government has declared illegal. Nonetheless, it proliferates on elite American menus. The tiniest shavings erupt in a Broceliande of transporting, mystical aromas.
The taste of the tonka bean is linked strongly to its scent. "Scents," I should say, as the tonka bean has many at once. I register the aromas of vanilla, cherry, almond, and something spicy—a bit like cinnamon. When served cold—say, in tonka bean ice cream—the taste is like a vanilla caramel with dark honey. When warm, perhaps shaved over scallops, it moves toward spiced vanilla. Additionally, the aroma of the tonka bean shavings (it's almost always shaved) is so affecting that it seems like an actual taste in the way that opium, which has no taste in the traditional sense, "tastes" like its rich, flowery smoke.  Here is the recipe: 

Tonka bean galette des rois

Serves 8
Ingredients
* 140 g caster sugar
* 125 g salted butter, softened
* 100 g ground almonds
* 2 eggs, medium
* 1 tonka bean, grated
* 2 packs ready made butter puff pastry on a roll
* 1 yolk for brushing the pastry
Instructions
* Preheat your oven to 200c.

* Blend the butter with the sugar then add the almonds. Make sure it’s well mixed. Add in the 2 eggs one at a time, then add the tonka bean.

* If using a block: divide the puff pastry into two and roll out to 5mm thick. 
* Make two circles about 15 cm’s each in diameter. Lay one circle on a silicone mat/parchment paper on a baking tray and fill with the almond cream leaving a 3 cm border around the edge. 
* Paint the border with the egg yolk. Then lay the other circle on top, sealing the edges with a fork. 
* You could then carve designs into the top. Make a little slit in the middle to let steam escape then brush the top with the egg yolk
Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. T Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. This is a vegan version. ***

Ingredients:
- 400 g box of soft tofu not silken
- 5 soaked dried shiitake mushrooms, diced, keep water
- 1 red bell pepper, finely sliced
- 400 g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced thinly
- 400 ml vegetable stock
- 1 thumb fresh ginger, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 tbsps groundnut or vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp fermented bean paste
- 1 or 2 small red chillies, minced or a spoonful of Chinese chilli paste
- 1 tsp heaped sichuan peppercorns, finely ground
- 2 tbsps soy or tamari sauce
- 2 tbsp cornflour in 3 tbsps water, mixed into a slurry
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- large pinch fresh coriander leaves

Prepare the tofu by cutting it into one inch cubes and soaking it in hot but not boiling salted water. Drain after 15 minutes.
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms, covering them in boiling water. Leave until soft, then dice the mushrooms. Retain the mushroom soaking water and add to the vegetable stock water.
Prepare the other ingredients so they are ready to stir-fry: red bell pepper, fresh mushrooms, ginger, garlic.

Using a wok or deep frying pan, add the oil and heat to frying temperature. Add the bell peppers,fry for a couple of minutes, then add fermented bean paste, chilli paste or chillies, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sichuan pepper.
Add the mushroom/vegetable broth and simmer on high for a couple of minutes.
Carefully add the cubes of tofu, taking care not to break them too much.
Add the cornflour slurry, stirring for a couple of minutes.
Serve with rice or noodles, garnishing with spring onions or chives and or coriander leaves.  #veganuary #mapotofu #sichuanfood #tofu  #shitakemushrooms #supperclub #londonchef #msmarmitelover #ham&highcolumn #eatplants #lockdown3 #selfisolation #coronaloner #cooking #recipe #cookingfromscratch
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#happynewyear #happynewyear2021 #supperclub #hootenanny
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#christmasdinner #vegetarianchristmas #vegetarianchristmasdinner #supperclub #londonchristmas #liqueurs #christmasspread #grazing #cheeseboard #port #pavlova
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