Pleasures of the Canary Islands: Wine, Food, Beauty, Mystery

This is the type of travel book that used to be written by Victorian gentlemen about the exotic places they found as soon as they stepped outside England. It feels more like a long letter from a dear friend than a short guide book; and even though it is 10 years old (published in 1992)it is a wonderful companion to have if you are to visit these islands. It complements well the second edition of "Canary Islands" published by Lonely Planet, which I have also reviewed.Its point of view is that the traveler should gain and explore the natural pleasures of the islands, in food, in wine, in scenery, in its inhabitants, and in the sheer joy of being there. Ann and Larry Walker run a restaurant in California (or did when they wrote this book) and they cannot shake the laid-back bonhomie that marks people with such a background. Of course, importing laid-back anything to the Canaries is like taking the proverbial coals to Newcastle, for this is the land of the slow, of the meditative, of the "aplatanado," a wonderful word that can be translated as "bananified," but which means to convey the state of being exquisitely beyond the reach of pressures of any kind.The Canaries consists of 7 inhabited islands, close to the coast of North Africa, and the book takes them one by one, in the order in which they were conquered by Spain. Because each island is so distinctly different from the others, each must be addresses separately. The Walkers write delightful essays about each, telling you where to stay, where to eat and what to do. They hold your hand, as it were, and urge you to look at the night sky in La Palma, or to dip the local fish into the mojo sauces that arrived at your table on the island of Hierro. These are wonderful companions with which to course over all the seven islands.The book, little as it is, has some spectacular pictures taken by the authors, a section containing local recipes, and fine discussions about the island wines. Can't ask for much more in so small a package.