Playa de Arinaga, a marine stage
Playa de Arinaga, in Gran Canaria, is an invitation to enjoy life by the always open stage of blue.
Years ago, the days in Arinaga started with the sound of the depths. Literally. Very early, sometimes just at dawn, fishermen announced their return to the shores blowing their bucios, the big sea shells so abundant on the surrounding sea bed. They did so hours after leaving on their rowing boats to try their luck on the crystal-clear and bountiful waters of this part of the coast of Gran Canaria.
The horn was the signal to let the village know of their return, and the sale of their catch was improvised, with the fish scales still shining under the sun. For over two decades, the last Friday in August the village celebrates the ‘Vará del pescao’, a marine pilgrimage and a communal meal of sardines, in memory of those vibrant, salty, resounding times.
Arinaga is tradition, coast, memory, present, and, most definitely, it is beach, especially cozy and tranquil during the winter months, where the winds calm down. A beach made of sand and memory. This is why one of its distinctive features is the sculpture of a child catching octopus on the rocks, or another one just bathing and having fun, works of art that recreate scenes seen one million times at this peculiar sea stage where the blue curtain never falls.
This fusion between yesterday and today continues along Avenida de los Pescadores, where many bars and restaurants offer their delicious product, a temptation present all around the village. At the old dock the silhouette of the sculpture of a fisherman catches our attention, as quiet as a real on, including the father of the artist, Paco Suárez, who swam these seas in his childhood days. Even now, the stone steps leading down to the sea are an invitation to dive into the Atlantic Ocean, difficult to resist
The third act of this play of light and vitality is performed at Zoco Negro, just before the coastal point of the same name. Here, time stops by the wooden solarium, public baths and ramp of access to a sky-clear natural lagoon. This is the place of choice for those seeking calmness and days falling like raindrops on a clean pure sea
Playa de Arinaga is a living painting, framed by milestones that tell us about a past that is still defining the present. If we follow the path to the North, we will get to Risco Verde cove, with wooden decks to sunbathe on. The path includes colorful large-sized sculptures of local fish, and ends at Museo de la Cal (Museum of Lime), with a restaurant inside. At the top of the viewpoint, rises the sculpture ‘Jugando con el viento’ (‘Playing with the Wind’), and a path unfolds leading to Faro de Arinaga (Arinaga Lighthouse), through a protected natural space. Going back South, retracing our own footsteps, we would find the salt marshes, declared Space of Cultural Interest, maybe because memories are well preserved in salt
