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The landscape surrounding the LZ-35 was a vast plain of brown lava covered by a blanket of shrubs, their dull green contrasting with the brilliant blue sky, which was made even brighter by heavy clouds that seemed to hold all the ocean’ s water in their massive form. The smooth, straight road would allow for a bit of speeding, but we preferred the relaxed pace of those who don’ t want to miss a single detail of this strange landscape that evokes a Martian scene after human colonisation.
The key word in Lanzarote is“ biosphere,” which here is more than a vague tourist marketing concept, it’ s the very philosophy behind human settlements. The prophet of this concept was César Manrique, whose home-studio, now the headquarters of the foundation bearing his name, is located in Tahiche. The house is a true manifesto of his thinking: five lava bubbles formed during the eruption of 1730 correspond to five separate rooms, false basalt domes where zenithal light pours in through natural openings, crossed by tall plants that symbolize the bond between earth and sky. The upper floor, inspired by the essential
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