Canary Islands

If you want to escape the European winter there is a place that offers decent temperatures and very pleasant climate throughout the season. I am speaking about the Canary Islands. This beautiful spot sits right in the Atlantic not too far from Africa. The various islands owe their existence to a series of very active volcanoes. The landscapes range from luscious greens to dark lava fields and picturesque towns. Just a few days ago, I had the opportunity to travel to some of these gems on board the new German cruise ship ‘Mein Schiff 3’. Here is a small collection of photographs from that trip. Once again, the fabulous Fuji X-T1 acted as my trusted travel companion.

La Palma

Our first stop was the island of La Palma. It’s a fairly quiet place that has not been fully opened up to large scale tourism. As a matter of fact, getting there is a bit challenging. You will either have to take a ferry from one of the larger islands such as Tenerife/ Gran Canaria or catch one of the ten daily flights that land on the tiny airport. One of the main attractions is the set of volcanos in the Southern part of the island. Hiking around the Caldera de Taburiente National Park is an amazing experience. We spent a few hours hiking from the top of the park (605 m) all the way down to the sea. I can highly recommend spending some time in this area.

Madeira

Our tour included a stop on the island of Madeira (Portugal). It does not belong to the Canary Islands but shares some of the common geographical traits. We rented a taxi to take us to some of the amazing spots. Let me just say one thing: this island is magical. We are definitely going to spend more time there.

Other adventures

We also stopped on the islands of Tenerife and La Gomera. Those places are ideal for hiking and biking. My friend Bernhard and I took advantage of that and joined a guided bike tour. My Garmin Virb and  GoPro came in handy to capture the fun.

Live on board

Taking a vacation on a cruise ship is an excellent opportunity to see a number of places within a very short amount of time. We certainly enjoyed our holiday on the brand-new Mein Schiff 3.

 Cruising & Photography

Just a final word about photography and cruising. It’s a difficult relationship. You get to see a lot of great stuff within a very short amount of time but you typically arrive at a scene when the light is not the best. Most boats dock around 8am and stay for 8-12 hours. There is no way to take advantage of the preferred photography times such as the golden or blue hour. But that leaves more time for other fun things such as spending time with your family and friends.

Thanks for reading!