After enduring lockdowns and other travel restrictions for two long years, we finally made it outside Scandinavia last March. Those were two tough years in all aspects of our lives, especially with my work. We were very excited, although a bit hesitant, to book a 1-week holiday because even though Norway had lifted its travel restrictions and nation-wide infection control measures, other countries had not (yet) at that time. We chose a country that did not require PCR test, and tried to make the trip as bearable as possible. So, here’s day 1 of our 1 week trip to the beautiful volcanic island of Lanzarote, Canary Islands!
As we did in the previous winters, we booked our trip via Apollo.no, including the transfer to and from the airport. Last March, Spain had no special covid-19 related entry requirements for travelers from other countries in Europe, except for the barcode which was generated by registering in their electronic health information form (available online). It was a requirement to wear facemask on SAS flights in March (except when eating), and Spain required facemasks as well in public transportation and indoor attractions. (Note: This information was for March 2022. This might not be the case now.)
We were asked about our coronapasses upon check in at Gardermoen Oslo Airport, and we had to show and have the barcodes from the Spanish registration form scanned upon entry at César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport. Apart from that, the trip went smoothly. It felt ecstatic to be traveling again!
The trip to “anywhere sunny” was much needed on my part. I like the changing seasons in Norway, but winter had taken most of my positive outlook and motivation. I have started to dread winter, to be honest, with two consecutive years of vitamin D-deficiency. I had to take 4000IE (100µg) vitamin D3 during winter, and commit myself to biannual bloodtests. In short, after almost 7 years in Norway, I have come to accept that summer is my favorite season — no matter how hot it can get! 🙂
Carl and I have visited Tenerife and Fuerteventura (of the 8 main islands in the Canarias). And now, it was time to explore and see what Lanzarote had to offer. Carl had actually been there before, but I hoped that the trip with ‘me’ was better and more memorable. 😉 According to wikipedia, Lanzarote is the 4th largest and northernmost Canarian island. It has about 152,000 inhabitants in 2019, and was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1993.
The plane left Oslo at 08:30 am, and we arrived ca 1pm on the island. We then took the bus to Puerto del Carmen, where our apartment for the week was waiting for us. Labranda El Dorado was nicely situated in the the city, with the beach, shopping streets, and restaurants within walking distance. It was also near the C.C. Biosfera shopping center.
And here’s our apartment for the stay:
We enjoyed relaxing nights in the living room, watching movies and series.
Breakfasts in the kitchen were lovely. We toasted bread and enjoyed Spanish delicacies, ham, and cream cheese!
Photos of the apartment bring back good memories. 🙂 There were pools right outside our apartment, and we actually tried swimming, but the water was 200% cold for us! So we ran back again and never mentioned dipping in the pool again for the rest of the stay. 😀
Tired and hungry from the flight, we immediately looked for a place to eat after settling down in the apartment. The craving for paella was real, and I had no problem waiting 20 minutes for it!
Seriously, with all the pandemic and wars and other problems bugging us in the world right now, plus our own personal problems, we should all not forget to actually “live”. I refuse to be overcome by my problems and the world’s problems, no matter how difficult the circumstances can be. I hope you do, too. 🙂
This is all for now. I’m excited to write about the rest of the trip in the next entries! #spreadloveandpositivevibes
ALL PHOTOS AND VIDEOS ON THIS BLOG ARE MINE.
PinayOdyssey 