Life with the sun in the heart

“The fruit ripens thanks to the sun, to people thanks to love …”

This quote from Goerg Langbehn is like a stitch for Gran Canaria. Gran Canaria is almost covered with sun all year round and ripens the plants that have an exceptional flavor. Perhaps that is why people are so mature. And where people are maturing, according to the quote, love must be too.
“We are incredibly proud to be Canaries”

Alfredo told me once during a visit to Gran Canaria, the owner of a small restaurant in Playa del Inglés.

“There are the most beautiful beaches where you will find the most beautiful sand with the most beautiful waves. On the shore are the most beautiful hotels, promenades and cafes. The most hospitable people live on the island. They grow the most delicious tomatoes, the sweetest bananas, the richest roses. Here we obtain the best wines, and the cuisine is the best ”. Thats not all. Each native can keep you in the next hundred. This is one of the forms of love, love of the country.

Alfredo was not the only canary I met on the way to Gran Canaria. In one, they were all the same.

An endless smile, a sparkle in the eyes, and a sweet word to everyone. Do you have a problem, need to help or just chat with someone? Everything will always find a solution.

Why canaries are what they are.

Perhaps it is a difficult environment in which you have to respect every plowed soil, every drop of water.

The canaries themselves are considered descendants of the Guanches and are pleased to say that the islands are remnants of the legendary Atlantis, which did not sink because the best people lived here. Maybe there will be some truth. Historians themselves admit that there are no records of some great wars on the island until the time of colonization. Even despite the harsh patriarchy, the women enjoyed her respect.

When we sum it up, the weather is so beautiful, the beautiful beaches, the interesting landscapes, and the nice people, who bring joy and love around you, all are prerequisites for the best vacations. People have known this for a long time, and Gran Canaria has become a place of recreation for a growing

The beginning of mass tourism is considered Christmas in 1957, when the plane of the Swedish airline Transair AB with 54 passengers on board landed for the first time at Gando airport.

The chills of hospitality quickly spread and the island began to fill with tourists.

“We like foreigners”

Alfredo continues in the conversation. “They will bring us money and we will give them a part of our sun.” Looking at it, it is clear to you that I was not only thinking about the Sun in the sky, but also the sun in each canary.

That is why the island loved other incomprehensible groups of the population.
At the time the United States was living with Woodstock, Europeans discovered Gran Canaria. Smaller colonies of Hippies can be found here today. Hand in hand with the Hippies they began to discover European homosexuals in Gran Canaria.

They found that domestic residents did not care about their orientation and did not differentiate between visitors.

The LGBTI clientele has been enjoying the island today, and the canaries have not changed today. Just for sightseeing, both in a religious area and in a small town like Tejeda, high in the mountains, there may be a restaurant owned by two gay men.

All the inhabitants know their relationship, local on Sundays, going from the church, they stop at their restaurant for lunch or a coffee.

I try to get a little closer to the mentality of the canaries, the people who were born here, grew up and live for generations. But whoever experiences this on their own skin will understand what it’s like to get a little sunlight from someone else. Get something from someone who doesn’t have much, but what you have to give is love and joy of life.

Finally, a few words about me

My name is Martin Smolen, born 1969 in Bratisalva, Slovakia.

I spent most of my working life in the tourism industry. For several years I worked as a manager of a small hotel in Bratislava. I will gradually associate my love of travel and knowledge with work. I have been working in tourism since 2014 in my travel agency.

I first visited the Canary Islands when I was 20 years old. Since then they have become my great adventure, especially on the island of Gran Canaria.

The best thing is if their work is at the same time your hobby. And so I founded the blog www.canaria.guide, in which I want to get closer to the Canary Islands: the pearl of the Atlantic Ocean by the inhabitants of Slovakia in their mother tongue.

Why I fell in love with the Canary Islands I tried to summarize is this article. The title of the article “Life with the Sun in the Heart” became the basis for the title of my book. In 2017, I published my own book, “Life with the sun in the heart, or why Gran Canaria is so incredible”.

Of course, life will give you many surprises many times and it will take you to paths that you have never known before. And so in 2018, the small town of Juan Grande in Gran Canaria becomes my home.

I work in Gran Canaria as an excursion seller and tourist intermediary under the Gran Canaria Travel brand. Also, I keep writing this blog. I regularly spend my free time going around the island and getting to know a new one.

I wish you a pleasant reading of this blog. I think you will learn a lot of interesting and maybe new things.