Gran Canaria: Vegueta, Las Palmas
I’ve been almost obsessively sticking to walking the coastline that resides outside my front door. I’ve hiked up and down this coastline every day and it never gets old. That’s the thing about the ocean and nature, it’s never the same and always a delight. Yet there is more to see and over the last couple of weeks I’ve started to take the time to stretch my legs and go a bit farther afield.
The first place on my list was taking a walk to the old town of Vegueta where all historical and architectural tales begin on the island. The Vegueta district is the birthplace of what is now Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the first Spanish settlement which began in 1478. With it’s quiet cobbled streets, old stone quarters, beautiful wooden balconies, and the Plaza de Santa Ana named for the Cathedral that started being built in 1497.
It was a fabulous day of exploring, including a yummy meal sitting out on the cobblestone streets. 10+ miles of walking, I feel like I’ve discovered a new place to love here on Gran Canaria.
Additionally, in the center of the Santa Ana Square looking at the catherdral is the famous statue of dogs. According to history, the indigenous people of the Canary Islands, the Guanches, had a rare breed of dog, called canem in Latin or Canarian hounds in English. They primarily used these dogs for hunting and were quite revered by the Gaunches and over time became the symbol of the Islands. When the Spanish arrived they were amazed by the amount of Canarian hounds and thus the islands were named for the dogs.
