Friday, 1 February 2013

Mirador

At the north end of the island of Lanzarote, there is a tourist attraction which takes the breath away.  Called the Mirador del Rio, this is a viewpoint built on a cliff-top over 1500 ft above the sea.  Originally it was a defensive battery with guards watching over the straits between Lanzarote and the island of La Graciosa.
The cliff escarpment is called Risco de Famara.
The visitor's centre, built by the famous local artist César Manrique has walkways which cling to the cliff face and give a vertiginous view straight down to the beach and the salt-flats below.
La Graciosa, the island across the strait is a volcanic piece of land rising to 873 ft ad looks like an idyllic desert island.  No motors are allowed (except very few vehicles allowed for special purposes).  What few roads there are, are not good and vehicles needing repair have to be ferried across to Lanzarote.
The view from where one can sit with a coffee, is as I said, breathtaking.

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