Saturday, February 10, 2024

Today didn’t start out on the best note. Andi was up all night long with a stomach bug. I feel so badly for him — he can’t stop vomiting and was burning up all night. It’s hard being sick when you’re traveling. I didn’t have much here to give him but some bread and a banana, but maybe there’s nothing to do in those situations anyway except let the sickness run its course.

I got Tory and Aden cereal and yogurt for breakfast. They’re both perfectly content hanging out on their phones, so the fact that we were having a slow morning didn’t bother them.

Around 10:00am, Andi thought he was feeling a little better and suggested we go for a drive to check out the island. We arrived to Lanzarote in the dark on Thursday night and the kids & I only ventured around on foot yesterday, so we really hadn’t seen much of the landscape. Outside our neighborhood of San Bartolome, the landscape is stark and volcanic. It reminds me a lot of Hawaii except stark white buildings replace Hawaii’s aloha vibe.

We drove to the neighboring town of Costa Teguise, and found a spot along the rocky coastline to park the car. Andi was second-guessing his enthusiasm for venturing out so he sat in the rental car while Tory, Aden, and I walked over the volcanic lava rock and searched for sea creatures in its tide pools.

The landscape of Lanzarote is so rugged and peaceful; I liked it immediately. Nearby, a fisherman cast a line into the ocean. Otherwise, the three of us had the whole area to ourselves to explore.

There wasn’t a ton of sea life in the crevices of the rocks, but we did find several hermit crabs and a few tiny fish. After about 20 minutes of exploring, we returned to the car to join Andi who was resting in the driver’s seat.

We stopped by the grocery store on the way back to our airbnb and bought more bread, noodles, soap, and snacks. Andi was really struggling by this point, so we returned to our airbnb so he could rest. I made the kids and I some lunch — deli turkey and cheese on a baguette for Tory and I; ramen noodles for Aden.

After lunch, the kids and I decided to go back to the beach and let Andi rest. Aden swam, and Tory and I laid on the beach. Aden noticed the topless sunbathers this time, and both kids questioned why this is a “thing” here. I’m not sure really, but it seems like European men and women generally wear less clothing at the beach than Americans do. Most of the men are wearing Speedos.

If it’s possible, Andi ended the day feeling worse than how it started. He hasn’t been able to keep anything down and has had a fever all day. He is burning up, then the fever breaks and he’s freezing cold, then it spikes again. He’s absolutely miserable and exhausted.

I made the kids ravioli and leftover pizza for dinner at our airbnb, and then Tory and Aden spent the rest of the evening talking to their friends on Facebook Kids Messenger. If there’s been an upside to laying low at our airbnb this weekend, it’s that the kids have been able to connect with their friends. I know they’ve missed them. This airbnb is clean and comfortable, and there’s plenty of space for us all to spread out. I’ve been hanging out on the couch since Andi’s been sick in the master bedroom, and the kids each have their own bedrooms.

Really hoping Andi feels better tomorrow so we can explore more of the island.