Recce to Gran Canaria

Sunrise outside my hotel window in Gran Canaria

After Marseille was my ‘recce’ to Gran Canaria. It was tough, having to stay in a 5-star hotel and visit several others and go out dolphin-watching and trying out nice restaurants … I’d never been to the Canary Islands before and I didn’t really know what to expect, and I would like to have more time there to look around. It was quite lonely, really, and I did stick out like a sore thumb in the hotel dining room – the only woman on her own. It was funny how the waiters gave me a wide berth, obviously thinking I must be waiting for someone and therefore not ready to order! A friend of mine, in her early fifties, said that when you get to a certain age you become invisible. I don’t like that idea at all!

The conference itself commences 17 December. I still have so much to do! The hardest part is getting restaurants for the group in the evening: when I was out there for my 'inspection' tour I ate in the hotel restaurants every lunchtime except one day, and that restaurant is too far away to choose as an evening venue, so I'm booking based on internet reviews and just hoping that I can get through to them - so far no joy with emails and faxes, so I'm just going to have to pick up the 'phone and say 'hola' and hope to find someone on the other end who speaks English! I've booked myself a Reiki massage at the hotel the day after the conference, because I think I shall be in serious need of stress relief by the time it's over!