The ironman of travel Yoshimasa Ikeuchi

In front of La Orotava City Hall, open space area 950㎡.

Sand painting area 880㎡, amount of sand 1,350kg, length 44m x 20m In the hills at the foot of Mt. Teide

there is a festival of flowers and a carpet of flowers in a lush city.
The plan from three years ago finally came true, and I was able to stand in front of the venue on June 13th, the night before.
A festival of sand art and flower carpets that has continued since 1920.
Flower festivals are held in various parts of Europe, but the flower carpets held in Orotaba have a long history, and sand paintings are drawn using 21 kinds of natural colored sand collected from Mount Teide.
The scale is getting bigger year by year and it is registered in Guinness.






The beautifully drawn sand painting has a white dove, a symbol of peace, and God is looking up at the heavens.
It doesn't look like a piece of sand and seems to have been painted with paint.
From a month ago, they will set up a tent at the venue and finish it little by little.
I was impressed because some of them had children.
Producer Domingo took the final command and lined up on the stairs in front of the city hall.
The moment it was completed, a big applause broke out from the venue.
I was delighted with the good luck of being there at this moment.
On the eve of the flower carpet starting tomorrow, a large number of spectators have already arrived.






Photographer Salvatore is also close to local photographers and Domingo, and goes up from the back stairs to the rooftop.
From there, Domingo climbs to the top along the roof ridge.
Due to the weight limit on the roof, I leaned out from the roof and was surprised at the sand painting that spreads underneath, so I started shooting desperately.
I fixed my elbows on the concrete roof to prevent camera shake, when the sun was about to set after 9 o'clock.
It was past 10 o'clock when I entered the restaurant after taking a satisfactory picture of the setting sun.
I returned to the hotel after a late dinner before 12:00 am.
I fell into bed with a pleasant tiredness, and on the morning of a deep sleep, I couldn't forget last night and was excited.









From the Church of Concepcion (Iglesia de la Concepcion), children dressed in white costumes surround the area and a religious procession begins.
The beautiful floral pattern breaks without a shadow to see, but it is a festival for only one day.
What was made by concentrating a lot of labor is scattered without any regrets.
Isn't it good to be Spanish? The European Cup of soccer has started yesterday, but I feel that the enthusiastic support is understandable.
The final ritual is held on the sand painting in front of the city hall, and the ones that have been completed in a month are scattered.
In the greeting of the long pastor, the words "Thank you for this moment when you are alive touched my heart.






I am grateful for the help of many traveling acquaintances for the long-awaited flower carpet festival.
The local photographers spoke to me from Japan in a friendly and incomprehensible Spanish language.
It may be that everyone had a camera made in Japan that guided me to places that only the press could enter.
I haven't met any tourists from Japan on my trip to the Canary Islands, which is about to be nearly a month old.
Information on Atlantic Islands that are too far away cannot be seen on the Internet.
The four-day flower festival is about to reach its finale.
All information lacks accuracy.
It ends at 13:30.
It ends at 14:00.
I rushed to the site at 12:30, but it was held from 13:00.
From 14:00.
It seems that the procession was actually held from 14:00 to 19:00.






Boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, popcorn, bananas, etc.
were served to the spectators from the loading platform pulled by the ox cart.
Behind the loading platform, chicken or pork is skewered and served.
I picked only one, but the taste is quite good and I can drink all you can drink wine.
Men and women of all ages dressed in canary costumes sing and dance while playing the guitar.
Some have already made it with wine and beer, but the spectators will join us to celebrate the final day of the flower festival.
The Canary Islands, which has the best climate in the Atlantic Ocean.
A volcanic Island made up of seven Islands has made a lot of travelers.
It is an Island that I would like to visit again if I have a chance.
Viva! Canary Islands. Thank you. June 14-17, 2012

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