Lanzarote. My second visit. Part 3.

Observations from a naturist lady.

naturist lady

On one of the days in Charco del Palo I talked to a German lady who was in apartment close to mine.She said she and her husband were there for the second time. Like me. They had been to Tenerife (another Canary Island) before finding Charco. Her biggest gripe against the clothed community on Tenerife was the snooping of people regarding clothes. She said, “What hindered me at some point was that people were staring at me to see if I was wearing something I might have worn before during that vacation.” She really looked disgusted as she told me this. Being in a naturist village was so much easier. “You’re always dressed well here,” she said and smiled big.

She and her husband had tried naturism before and one day had decided to come to Charco del Palo and find out what true nude life would be. She told me that they had decided to come back to Charco del Palo every year. That realisation took them about two minutes. They, like so many others there, love the freedom and the absence of clothes. She really looked relieved when she told me she was glad to be rid of all that “putting on clothes”, as she called it (‘Angekleide‘ was the German word she used.)

what-will-i-wear

We talked about our experiences and feelings towards going back to the overdressed world, and how great it was to be able to go out walking along the beach or in the Cocoteros hills close to the village.

It was very nice to talk with her. A conversation between two like-minded people, sitting in the sun, dressed in SPF30. (Her husband was helping someone rebuild part of their house. She told me that he didn’t know how to relax.)

As we sat there talking, several dressed ones passed us. None of them dared to look over, the way proper prudes are. The German lady remarked at some point that she’d seen weird things at the beach, like dressed people getting themselves into trouble, unable to climb out of a cave, because of their restricting clothing. Makes you wonder why they didn’t simply take the stuff off and get themselves into safety instead of having to rely on other people.

Stupid is as stupid does, I guess.

Lanzarote. My second visit. Part 2.

A nude dinner.

Yup. It happened. I didn’t know it happened every Thursday evening. A restaurant here, the Jardin Tropical, hosts a naturist dinner every week on Thursday. You have to book it in advance so they can set the right amount of tables, the price is nothing but reasonable (I paid €16,90 plus drinks) and the food is very good.

jardintropical_charco

If you’re a vegetarian you can say so when you book your seat and all will be taken care of.

Nude group.

It was an amazing experience to join 19 others for dinner in the nude. That evening there were 20 people which, according to the waitress, was a new record. There was a nice mix of people there. Some from Sweden, some from Germany (there are many Germans in Charco del Palo), British and French, and a few Dutch people like me. Save 1 Swedish man everyone knew English so that made talking with everyone quite easy. Note that some people had ‘interesting’ accents, but that was fine and fun.

nude in the streetIt’s really a fabulous feeling to shower and after drying off you’re ready to go out to dinner. The whole experience of walking around nude here, all through the small town, is one I can’t get enough of, and meeting other nude people out there, in the streets, is a kick. As was this nude dinner I was part of.

Something really funny happened while we were eating: two people came in. Dressed. They had more than a bit of surprise seeing the restaurant loaded with naked folks having a good time! They took it well though. They had something to drink at the bar and then left quickly. I still grin when I think of it.

Lanzarote. Voor de tweede keer.

Charco del Palo. Alweer.

Absoluut. Dit jaar bezocht ik Lanzarote alwer. Charco del Palo heeft een bijzondere aantrekkingskracht omdat het een naturistenplaatsje is. Het voelde een beetje als thuiskomen. Ik kwam aan in het appartement, deed mijn kleren uit en dat was het. Charco del Palo is een unieke plek voor mij. Er zullen best nog andere plaatsen zijn die eenzelfde ervaring bieden maar die ken ik (nog) niet.

lanza2016hike

Het duurde niet lang voordat ik de eerste, blote wandeling achter de rug had. In totaal heb ik zo’n goede 32 kilometer gewandeld in die week. En geen enkele kilometer werd ik aangestaard. Iedereen in en rond Charco begrijpt of accepteert dat er verschillende gradaties van vrijheid zijn. De plaatselijke, geklede bevolking is er al lang aan gewend, die kijken niet meer op van een bloot lichaam.

Geklede bevolking?

Jazeker. Niet iedereen loopt daar in zijn of haar nakie rond. In feite is kleding optioneel in het dorp en dat werkt goed. Een trieste ontwikkeling is helaas wel dat veel van de oudere inwoners die continu naakt waren zich meer en meer aankleden. Dat is ‘dank zij’ de moderne reclames. Die rommel boort zich in alle hoofden en heeft een groot aantal van hen al overtuigd dat we fit en mooi en strak en 22 jaar jong moeten zijn. Ik vind dat de grootste bagger maar de schade is er al. Hopelijk kunnen we het tij nog keren.

Winkelen.

Nude shoppingVorig jaar had Charco geen supermarkt. Dat was wel jammer. Dit jaar, sinds januari, heeft een echtpaar de plaatselijke ‘supermercado‘ weer nieuw leven ingeblazen. Dat is goed. Het assortiment verraste me plezierig en de prijzen zijn alleszins in orde. Het beste van de winkel: ook hier is kleding optioneel. Ik had nog nooit eerder bloot boodschappen gedaan. Deze ronde dus wel. En ik kan je vertellen: het is net als boodschappen doen. Maar dan zonder de noodzaak van kleren.

 

Lanzarote. My second visit. Part 1.

Charco del Palo again.

Yes. This year I visited Lanzarote again. Charco del Palo has a strange attraction, being a naturist village. In a way it was like coming home. I got to the apartment,took off my clothes and that was it. Charco del Palo is a unique place for me. There could be other villages out in the world that offer a similar experience but I haven’t found those yet.

lanza2016hike

It didn’t take me long to get the first nude hikes behind me. In total I walked over 32 km (that is about 20 miles I think) during my stay, and all of them unhindered by looks of people who don’t understand what is is to be free. The clothed local population is used to it since long. They don’t blink at a naked body.

Clothed population?

Yes. Not everyone there walks around in the nude. The village is technically clothing optional, which works for everyone involved. A sad development is that many of the older residents who used to be naked all the time lately are wearing more clothes. We have to ‘thank’ modern advertising for that. That crap spoiled their minds by telling the world we all have to look fit and pretty and trim and 22 years old. I can only call massive and loud bullshit on that, but the damage is already done. Let’s hope we can still turn the tide.

Shopping.

Nude shoppingLast year Charco didn’t have a supermarket. That was a pity. This year however, since January to be precise, a couple opened up the local ‘supermercado‘. It’s good because they have lots of things and it’s also surprisingly cheap. Best of all: clothing optional. I never went shopping in the nude before. This trip I did it and let me tell you: it’s exactly like shopping. Just without coverings.

Vacation report – Lanzarote – 1

As you may have picked up here and there, I’ve been on vacation. It was a veritable nakation, a vacation as naked as possible. Where?

map-canary-islandsIn a small town called Charco del Palo on Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands. (It’s on the right at the top in this map.)

Charco del Palo is about 25 minutes driving north of Arrecife, the capital of the island. It’s gorgeous.

I had booked an apartment at Casa del Sol Siempre, which is run by a Belgian lady and her team. No worries, all languages are supported. It’s a beautiful place to spend time, and they haven’t seen the last of me there.

The views are stunning, the apartments are clean and very well furnished. If the staff there can do anything to help you or make your stay more fun, they will jump through a burning hoop to make it happen. I strongly recommend Casa del Sol Siempre (which mean ‘House of eternal sun’, by the way.)

From the apartment complex you can walk onto the rocky coastline immediately, and walk for miles to either side if you want. And all of that undressed, because Spanish beaches are all clothing optional unless marked differently.

Make sure you wear something decent on your feet when you take a hike there. The rocks are many and most of them are very sharp; they will go through your thin slippers like a sharp knife through warm butter. And your feet will be the butter. Be warned.

 

Here is a video that I made during a few of my walks along the coastline, to give you an impression of this amazing place:

Next week I’ll try to post some more about my vacation.