If all the Canary Islands could be seen as fairytale characters, then El Hierro would be Shrek!!

Shrek is very withdrawn, not out of maliciousness, not out of being a "monster" however green and "bulgy" he may be. As we all know, Shrek is a really nice personality however much he is "bullied" by others. Shrek just wants to find his place in this world, and he thought his place was far away from everyone else, way out in the forest, as all the other more or less weird creatures were being captured elsewhere.

El Hierro is Shrek, (still not having thought about the characters for the other islands, every single one has their own spirit...)
 
I arrived in El Hierro for the first time after having spent about seven years in the south of Tenerife. By "accident" years before I had landed myself a "dream job" in a five star hotel and continued with my life, not really noticing the years passing by. Coming from the hectic part of tourist life in the south of Tenerife, I came to visit El Hierro just out of curiosity. I had heard it was tranquil, just farms and fishing - no tourism - the only authentic Canary life left. I jumped on the boat and I sailed off, giving the whole "experiment" two days.
Shrek awaited me...with three taxis in the harbour and lots of people just evidently spending their time looking at the boat arriving, for lack of anything "better" to do.
I sincerely didn't know what to expect, but what I perceived was an air of total tranquility; people just smiling and mumbling amongst themselves and the air smelled distinct from the air of southern Tenerife. It was pitch black early morning, about four o'clock and I was left smiling to myself. I had not even booked a bed and breakfast for the night and I didn't care. I felt safe here immediately. This was now 14 years ago.
El Hierro is Shrek because of the "bulges" of nature it has. It is entirely different to any other scenery in the Canaries. Tenerife is majestetic and almighty in its landscapes, Gomera the one shrouded in mystery because of its forests, La Palma is La Isla Bonita, that everyone recognises, at least from the same title song by Madonna. Fuerteventura is beautiful beaches as fas as the eye can see, Lanzarote is a piece of National Art in Spain -  Lanzarote is the place of fire, the Island of the 'devil'. It is also the Island that Prime Minister of Spain, José Luis Rodriguez-Zapatero often visits as his 'summer' residence and who, by the way, is the first Prime Minister of Spain to visit the Forgotton Island ...the Island of El Hierro.  El Hierro, the Island of Tranquility where nearly all thing are as they used to be on the other Islands before mass tourism arrived. The Island of Tranquility is where you still take a step back in time and see 90 year-old people ride on donkeys through scenery that is so protected that you will never see a telephone pole passing through them. A place where you will see sheep walking in numerous meadows made for them; goats...horses...cows....even pigs running around wild and free.Where in the world do you see that kind of scenery any more? Well....calm....in El Hierro you will. Come and see for yourself why El Hierro is the special Hot Spot of the Canary Islands!
Photos are from my walks in the Canary Island  mountains over the past 17 years. Contact details: Helena Konster: e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it / Tel: (34)638 303393