325 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
325 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
sponsored
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travel
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spanish_tourist_board
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canaryislands
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7091935
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# Lanzarote: a blast from the past illuminates the present
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## The volcanic landscapes of Lanzarote have been inspiring visitors and
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locals for hundreds of years - including the Canary Islands' most famous
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artist, Cesar Manrique.
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![Canary Islands: steamed up - Timanfaya visitor centre, Lanzarote][1]
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Image 1 of 5
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Canary Islands: steamed up - Timanfaya visitor centre, Lanzarote
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![Canary Islands: Lanzarote - water poured down a pipe explodes to the surface
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due to the volcanic heat below][2]
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Image 1 of 5
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Canary Islands: Lanzarote - water poured down a pipe explodes to the surface
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due to the volcanic heat below
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![Canary Islands: Museo del Campesino, Lanzarote][3]
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Image 1 of 5
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Canary Islands: Museo del Campesino, Lanzarote
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![Canary Islands: Lanzarote-El Golfo-Laguna verde][4]
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Image 1 of 5
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Canary Islands: El Golfo Green Lagoon, the crater of an extinct volcano in
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Lanzarote
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![Canary Islands: volcanic rocks border on sculpted pools in Lanzarote][5]
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Image 1 of 5
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Canary Islands: volcanic rocks border on sculpted pools in Lanzarote
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12:23PM GMT 28 Jan 2010
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The landscape - or should that be moonscape? - of Lanzarote is its defining
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glory. This is where the volcanic landscapes of the Canaries are at their most
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surreal.
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In geological terms, one of its most violent eruptions - in what is now the
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Timanfaya National Park - is a very recent event. Describing the cataclysm,
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the priest of the nearby town of Yaiza, Don Lorenzo Curbelo, wrote: 'On
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September 1, 1730, between nine and 10 at night, the ground opened in
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Timanfaya, two leagues from Yaiza… and an enormous mountain rose from the
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bosom of the earth.'
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The resulting 'lava sea' covered a quarter of the island and blotted out the
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sun for six years. This area, now dubbed Las Montañas del Fuego, is one of the
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island's most important attractions.
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They were also the inspiration for Cesar Manrique, the Canary Islands' most
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important painter, sculptor, architect, ecologist, landscape designer and all-
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round guru. His epic works complement and include the textures, shapes and
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colours of the volcanic landscape, revealing and even magnifying the harsh
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beauty of nature's most violent creations.
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A native of Lanzarote, Manrique left behind a legacy that stretches far beyond
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the physical artefacts he created. The island's reputation for high-quality,
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sustainable tourism stems from his influence and his aesthetic sense for the
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built environment has permeated the culture.
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## Related Articles
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* [Fuerteventura: a little reserve amid all the action][6]
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28 Jan 2010
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* [Canary Islands: sun, sea and truly stunning skylines][7]
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26 Jan 2010
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* [Tenerife: an elegant land erupting with nature and history][8]
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26 Jan 2010
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* [La Palma: sitting pretty in starlight][9]
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26 Jan 2010
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* [Gran Canaria: an exotic blend of ancient and modern][10]
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28 Jan 2010
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* [La Gomera: a small corner of whistles and love][11]
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26 Jan 2010
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Buildings higher than two storeys are no longer allowed and the tradition of
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painting window frames green in the interior of the island, while those around
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the coast are blue, is fiercely upheld.
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Particularly in Lanzarote, people are more aware of the extraordinary
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environment and the impact it has had on the lives of the many different
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peoples, tribes and nationalities who have passed through here. It is no
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coincidence that Manrique's most famous monument commemorates the Spanish
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artisanes (farm workers) who ground out a desperately hard life for centuries
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right up until the time of Manrique's youth.
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Prosperity, once unimagined, has arrived in recent decades through tourism but
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the manner in which development has been so sensibly controlled suggests that
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the islanders instinctively recognised that ultimately it is their unique
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environment that has made them rich, just as it was once what kept them poor.
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And what an environment it is. True, there are fewer beaches than on the other
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islands but they are among the best in the Canaries. And for those who love
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volcanic landscapes but draw the line at black-sand beaches, the shores around
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Punta del Papagayo in the far south provide a welcome contrast.
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In the north, there is also a renowned, very windy, three-mile golden surf
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beach near Caleta de Famara. No sane person comes to Lanzarote without heading
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to the lava fields of the Timanfaya National Park. It's a hugely sensitive
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environment where a single footprint can last for years.
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Walking trails in the lava flows are carefully controlled, but are all the
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better for that. The best is the two-mile Ruta de Tremesana, but if you're not
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feeling energetic the half-hour bus tour along the Ruta de los Volcanes,
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designed by Manrique, is a fascinating ride.
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The visitor centre is worth exploring, both for its panoramic views and a
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demonstration of the power of the volcano. Outside at regular intervals, a
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guide pours a bucket of water down a pipe into the ground, which explodes back
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out again in a fine spray after encountering 400F (200C) temperatures just
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20ft below the surface.
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The accommodation and eating options are another aspect of island life that
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complement the stylish way in which the Lanzaroteños approach life.
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Playa Blanca in the south is the most glamorous of the resorts, with low-key
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developments including the five-star Suite Hotel Princesa Yaiza. Most have
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extensive pool areas as the beach area is not huge but the strands of Punta
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del Papagayo are close by.
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**Key Facts**
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* Capital: Arrecife
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* Size: 327 sq miles
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* Population: 132,400
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* Highest point: Peñas del Chache at 2,200ft
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* Protected nature reserves: 13
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* Website: [www.turismolanzarote.com][12]
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**Island Highlights **
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_**Cesar Manrique**_
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The great artist, sculptor, architect and landscape designer created the
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majority of his most famous creations on his home island. These include the
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Jameos del Agua, a lava tube with a tidal lake, which is home to an endangered
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species of miniature white crab and whose caverns have been converted into a
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trademark Manrique experience.
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He also designed the Ruta de los Volcanes and in the far north his Mirador del
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Rio, built into the volcanic mountainside, has fine views over the
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neighbouring island of La Graciosa and the Chinijo archipelago.
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Manrique's most famous sculpture is the centrepiece of the Museo del
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Campesino, which celebrates rural history, while the Jardin de Cactus has more
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than 1,500 species of cactus.
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Finally, don't miss his house in Tahiche, built into bubbles in the lava
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field. As well as being an art gallery, it also the home of the Cesar Manrique
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Foundation.
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_**Cueva de Los Verdes **_
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Created from the same fourmile lava tube that houses Manrique's Jameos del
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Agua, these extensive caverns are a geological marvel whose colours, relief
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and textures were enhanced by the sound and light show designed by local
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artist, Jesus Soto.
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The caves are also part of Lanzarote's history, protecting the islanders
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against devastating pirate raids in the 16th and 17th centuries.
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_**Timanfaya National Park**_
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The Timanfaya eruptions of 1730-36 buried several villages as well as the most
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fertile areas of the island.
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Today, the volcano itself and the 'lava sea' that surrounds it dominate the
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west of the island with some of the most surreal landscapes in the Canaries.
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It was designated a National Park in 1974.
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The Ruta de los Volcanes is a bus tour through the lava flows.
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_**Museo Agricola El Patio **_
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A recreation of the traditional life of the island's artisans as it was for
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almost 500 years from the arrival of the Spanish to the modern era.
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Complete with animals, windmill, workshops, chapel and wine press, the overall
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impression may be idealised but it is also highly informative.
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[X][13] Share & bookmark
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[What are these?][14]
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* Share: [Share][13] [ ][15] [ ][16]
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[Tweet][17]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryisland
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s/7091935/Lanzarote-a-blast-from-the-past-illuminates-the-present.html
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Telegraph
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## [Canary Islands][18]
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* ### [Sponsored »][19]
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* ### [Travel »][20]
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* ### [Spanish Tourist Board »][21]
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[X][13] Share & bookmark
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][14]
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Share:
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* [ ][13]
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* [ ][15]
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* [ ][16]
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* [Tweet][17]
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* [![Canary Islands holidays][22]][18]
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[1]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01567/CANARY_P13-15_RM_0_1
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567845a.jpg
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[2]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01567/CANARY_P13-15_RM_0_1
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567844a.jpg
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[3]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01567/CANARY_P13-15_RM_1_1
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567843c.jpg
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[4]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01567/El_Golfo_Green_Lag_1
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567841c.jpg
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[5]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01567/CANARY_P13-15_STB__1
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567842c.jpg
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[6]:
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/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7091725/Fuerteventura-a
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-little-reserve-amid-all-the-action.html
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[7]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079816/Canary-
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Islands-sun-sea-and-truly-stunning-skylines.html
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[8]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079200
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/Tenerife-an-elegant-land-erupting-with-nature-and-history.html
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[9]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079397/La-
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Palma-sitting-pretty-in-starlight.html
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[10]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7080193/Gran-
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Canaria-an-exotic-blend-of-ancient-and-modern.html
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[11]: /sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canaryislands/7079510/La-
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Gomera-a-small-corner-of-whistles-and-love.html
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[12]: http://www.turismolanzarote.com
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[13]: #
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[14]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/4590190/Share-this-
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article-What-are-these.html
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[15]: mailto:?subject=A Telegraph reader thought you would be interested in
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this article&body=Depending on your email program, you may be able to click on
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the link in the email. Alternatively, you may have to open a web browser, such
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as Firefox or Internet Explorer, and copy the link over into the address bar.
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%0A%0Ahttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/canary
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islands/7091935/Lanzarote-a-blast-from-the-past-illuminates-the-present.html
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%0A%0AFor the best content online, visit www.telegraph.co.uk
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[16]: javascript:print()
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[17]: http://twitter.com/share?via=Telegraph
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[18]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/can
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aryislands/
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[19]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/
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[20]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/
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[21]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/
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[22]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01569/sponsor_canaryisla_
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1569739a.jpg
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