I had a week off work so I used it to go back to Gran Canaria. I stole my dad's car for a day and, with a friend, I drove to the mountainous center and the windy south east of the island. Places I had never seen properly before.

Chess in San Mateo, a small village with a popular Sunday market.
A San Mateo house with the typical balconies in this region.
San Mateo has a local festival on.

After San Mateo we continued to drive up.

The Clouds below
Kilometer 0 with the Roque Nublo, a natural landmark, in the background.
Closeup of the Roque Nublo.

The Roque Nublo was our last stop before heading down South East.

Wind farm 1.
Wind farm 2, with the local flora in the foreground.
Where there's wind, there's windsurf. The sail numbers on the statue belong to Bjorn Dunkerbeck and twins Iballa and Daida Ruano Moreno, three local legends.
An abandoned bus I found when I took a wrong turn into a private farm.

I work in the UK but I'm from Gran Canaria, Spain. I go back every now and then to meet friends who live close to my old neighbourhood, and family. It's a cool island, with a busy city and small villages as well as the well-known beach resorts.

The tourism industry has brought about a construction boom, leading to many seaside shopping centers being built... and then left sort of abandoned.

Other places look better, like this open area next to the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium and the Las Palmas Philharmonic.

Because of work, my trips are frequent but short, so I spend a good chunk of my breaks at airports (Madrid Barajas). Here's a Ferrari at Gatwick airport.

And here's a panorama of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.