On my last visit to Lanzarote I discovered a book called “Cuando ardieron los Volcanes”, or “When the Volcanoes spewed Fire” as it is called in English.

Published on the island itself, it is only a small book – 32 pages long and available in Spanish, English and German.

It contains the notes written by one Don Andrés Lorenzo Curbelo who was a priest on Lanzarote during the volcanic eruptions between 1730 and 1736.

His chronicle includes details of where on the island volcanoes were erupting and when, along with other seismic events and even which direction the lava was flowing and the villages that it had reached.  Later he also talks about how the inhabitants took shelter on Gran Canaria.

The book contains some stunning aerial photos of Lanzarote’s volcanoes, but also drawings of the island made to document the volcanic eruptions.  These not only bring home the scale of the disaster, but are also of interest to linguists.  In 1730 the island’s name was spelt “Lansarote” and one of the volcanoes was called “Chimanfaya”.

I have been unable to find the book on Amazon, but I did find a website on Tenerife listing the Spanish and English editions – albeit currently out of stock.  I picked up my copy for 5EUR at the Librería España in Arrecife.

ISBN Numbers
Spanish: 978-84-89023-29-1
English: 978-84-89023-30-7
German: 978-84-89023-31-4

With Lanzarote Guidebook & Lanzarote1

by Nick Ball

The Spring edition of Lanzarote Guidebook, the in-depth island information guide, is out now, and to mark the occasion readers can enter a competition to win a villa holiday on Lanzarote, worth over £650, courtesy of the island holiday specialists www.lanzarote1.com.

©LanzaroteGuidebook.com

Lanzarote Guidebook is the comprehensive guide to the popular holiday island of Lanzarote. The small Canary Island that is a hot favourite with British and Irish tourists who last year collectively accounted for over 50% of the islands 1.37 million foreign tourist arrivals.

The Spring 2010 edition is packed with all of the information tourists need to make the most of their holiday on the Island of Fire, encompassing in depth guides to all of Lanzarote’s resorts, beaches, museums and attractions, island maps, an introduction to the work of the famous local artist César Manrique and a handy Essentials section covering all of the holiday basics, such as shop and bank opening hours and emergency telephone numbers.

Copies of the Spring edition of Lanzarote Guidebook can be downloaded free of charge by visiting www.lanzaroteguidebook.com. Whilst a further 10,000 copies are distributed direct to holidaymakers on the island entirely free of charge via car hire companies, private villas, hotels and official tourist information offices.

This indispensable, 96 page guide is published quarterly so all of the information is up to date and is researched and written by locals, so providing tourists with the inside track to the real Lanzarote. Featuring some fantastic pictures of the islands dramatic scenery courtesy of photographer James Mitchell.

The Spring edition also offers readers the chance to win a fantastic holiday at Villa Mirador in Matagorda – a prize provided by the island villa specialists Lanzarote1, who offer a range of top quality rental properties in key locations across the island, such as the most popular resort of Puerto del Carmen.

The competition can also be entered online by visiting the Lanzarote Guidebook website where visitors will find a wealth of information about the island, interactive maps, the latest weather reports and a wide array of flight, car hire and accommodation options.

Please visit the Lanzarote Guidebook website for the competition terms and conditions.

This weekend I have been reading “Living in Lanzarote” – a book from Mike Cliffe-Jones who not only lives on the island, but also blogs about it on his site Mike’s Life.

His book starts with a family holiday to Lanzarote, and how the idea to move there permanently developed – something many ex-pats on the island will no doubt be familiar with.  From this point on it is a tale of making plans, selling up in the UK, and starting a new life in the sun.

He continues by describing how he and his wife Julie went about finding somewhere to live, buying a car and starting their own business.  Indeed, much of the second half of the book revolves around the business and how much it developed and adapted over several years, dropping some ideas and picking up new ones – something I can certainly relate to!

Having watched Mike’s videos before reading the book was definitely an advantage for me, as it I could visualise him telling me his story in his own words.  Being reasonably familiar with Lanzarote also helped, as the places he talks about were not completely unknown to me.

I think that if you are considering following in Mike’s footsteps and moving to Lanzarote then the book is definitely worth reading, but be aware that it will not replace a lot of other research necessary, as it is a personal account of the family’s experiences, and not a reference book on “how to do it” or of the Lanzarotean way of life.  If, having read the book, you are still convinced that your future lies in the Canary Islands, you might want to consider applying for the ¡Estupendo! Relocation Pack – another of Mike’s productions.

To buy your copy of “Living in Lanzarote”, visit Amazon.com.