As we landed in Fuerteventura, a grumpy sky hovered above our heads. This was our pre-honeymoon trip, and optimism was in the air. So we ignored the undecided weather, and sailed off to our hotel Melia in Jandía, located on the southernmost tip of the 100km long Canary Island.
The bus made its way through sandy hills, saltbushes and sweet tabaibas. Suddenly the sky was metamorphosing: the wind seemed to spread its wings and to shoo away the grey clouds. Just like Emily Brontë once put it: “And from the midst of cheerless gloom I passed to bright unclouded day.”
By the time we arrived at the hotel, the sun finally emerged. We started to happy dance out of sheer joy, ignoring the hotel receptionist’s gaze. Our simple delight and excitement seemed to disturb her. Or was it because we pointed out that we really wanted a double bed? Same-sex marriage is legal in Spain since 2005. So we knew that she wouldn’t dare saying anything homophobic.
Once in our room, we quickly changed clothes, and off we ran to the beach. We raced through rays of light, listening to the whooshing sound of the waves ringing in our heart. The winds stroke our cheeks and bare legs.
The closer we came to the shoreline, the stronger the wind gusts. We closed our eyes, spread our arms, and tagged along, letting them push us towards the sea. Every now and then we took a stand against the blows, pretending that we could defeat the blasts.
Nearby wind- and kitesurfers were riding the frantic swells, their boards soaring through the air. They were probably getting ready to compete at the International Windsurfing and Kiteboarding Championship, held at Playas de Sotavento since 1985.
We slowly moved towards the surfers, but soon realized that the ocean was still far beyond and that we would have to cross a huge lagoon before reaching the sea. The lagoon looked so perfect that we got rid of our sandals, and jumped into its crystal clear water. Warm water and even warmer sand soaked us in. We stayed there for a long time, feeling the sand between our toes, and watching a swarm of baby fishes cruising around us.
Time was forgotten, time had become irrelevant. We kissed. We were being silly. Enjoying the simple pleasure of being together. Of being, instead of doing.
Time was forgotten… Until something very basic torn us back to reality: the lagoon and ocean might be beautiful, but not drinkable. It was time for us to head back to our hotel.
On our return towards the inland, wind squalls made our hair twist and twirl. We had walked a bigger distance than initially thought. All around, sandy mountains kept changing their shapes. And time after time we thought we glimpsed our hotel, but it always turned out to be a mirage.
When we finally got back to our room, we both dropped dead on our King-size bed. There is a reason why this island is called « Strong Wind » !
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19 Responses
Jennifer
Interested to hear more about Fuerteventura. We weren’t the most impressed with Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Wondering if the other islands are worth visiting.
Kristína Danková
Beautiful! According to this Fuerteventura looks way cooler than her neighbours.
Kim
Happy pre-honeymoon trip! Beautifully written post. Fuerteventura’s beach is unlike any other I’ve seen, I would’ve thought it was a desert if I hadn’t read it was a beach. How far was the hotel from the beach?
Mei and Kerstin
Thank you Kim! But actually that was 2 years ago. 🙂 Our hotel has its own private beach, so the beach was just right behind the hotel. But the shore was about 500 meters away.
Nancy
Your visit to ” Strong Wind” island sounds like an incredible experience. From grumpy skies to glorious wind-swept beaches – wow! I felt like I was there too.
Mei and Kerstin
Haha! Glad that our choice of words and photos made you feel like you were in Fuerteventura. But we hope that you get to experience it on site someday. 🙂
Jenna Kvidt
What a beautiful first day in Fuerteventura—the beach and sky are so pretty and vibrant and it would be fun to watch the kiteboarding! I can see why the island is called Strong Wind, definitely looks like it was a windy day, lol! Sounds like the perfect adventure for a pre-honeymoon trip!
Mei and Kerstin
Yep, it was a perfect first day in Fuerteventura. And the rest of our time on this windy island was as wonderful too: it was a truly relaxing vacation, something that we rarely do since we usually prefer off-the-beaten-track travels. 🙂
Elaine Masters
Sounds like fate was on your side from the king sized bed to sun breaking through to a kind wind. Wonderful day.
Koen
Great post on Fuerteventura. I think its the perfect place to spend time during European autumn, when it gets much colder and rainy in Belgium/Lux. Also great for hikes.
Mei and Kerstin
Thank you! Yes, Fuerteventura has lots of hiking trails. And the weather is great all year round. We actually went there during February and it was quite warm. 🙂
Jenn and Ed Coleman
I love your choice of words – grumpy sky. I can totally picture that in my mind’s eye. Your pictures capture the wind very well. I can see the wind sculpting the sand into ripples and your hair is always wind blown. This seems like a windy place indeed.
Mei and Kerstin
Thanks guys! It was actually quite easy to capture the wind with our camera, since it wasn’t easy to avoid the wind anyway. haha…
Tamara Elliott
I can see why from your photos- so cool when the wind makes those divots in the sand!
stephaniebatz
Wow, it looks incredible there! Love those fun jumping pics you captured. What an experience!
Annemarie
You’ve written such a poetic post. Fuerteventura sounds similar but still different to Gran Canaria. I was just there. I miss it now.
Mei and Kerstin
Thank you Annemarie! Gran Canaria is larger and has more to offer. But we felt like the beaches in Fuerteventura are cleaner. You should definitely go there too someday!
Sara Broers
I would love to attend an International Windsurfing and Kiteboarding Festival, have you been? This location looks amazing for something like that. With a beach like that, it’s understandable how time would get away for the day.
Mei and Kerstin
No we didn’t attend the kiteboarding festival, because it was not the right time when we were there in February. But it would have been awesome!