My last holidays
(Sent by Svitlana Golik, a student from Valencia, Spain)

It was a journey both of us longed for ever since I got to discover that Lanzarote island was situated in the Atlantic ocean. To see the ocean was my dream and we couldn't simply let escape that opportunity, having our vacation periods coincided.

So, the tour has been was bought, although the hotel was not that of 4 stars we first chose. But the one we could manage to get in the end was not bad, being next to the beach, while the other was rather far removed from the ocean.

The first impression I had when we had landed in the airport was the feeling of hot African air and strong wind that seemed to scratch our skin with the myriads of micro grains of sand. The sand was so white that sometimes it gave me the illusion of being in the middle of a snow desert, but soon the picture changed.

Further we got from the airport, weirder became the landscape. We were as if witnessing the creation of Earth at the beginning of times. Black giant rocks of petrified lava with no vegetation under the dazzling blue skies, lots of cacti, and impressive wildness of ocean waves caressing shapeless slippery stones - emotions were sparkling off me.

The only inconvenience was the incredible African heat which there was no way to bear since it. The temperature seemed to be even higher than it was in reality due to the constant wind. In comparison to mainly tender Mediterranean breeze, that wind was very aggressive and we spent most of the mornings laying down in the shade next to the pool.

But then I insisted on us taking a Grand Tour across the island with the rest of the tourists, because after all, I wanted to get acquainted with the island better. So first we went to Jameos de Agua, half-natural, half-crafted cave at the north of Lanzarote, then to the vineyards down to the centre, followed by riding the camel (our camel was the tallest in the coffle so we had the best panorama) and finally we reached the Volcanoes pathway - the most awesome image I have ever seen in my life.

After we got back to the hotel and before we went to bed, tired but happy, I thought: If I had had the opportunity to live a second time, I would have lived my life in this marvellous island.