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In the Northern part of the island you can follow the traces of the most famous local artist.
- I'm in the Cesar Manrique Foundation, this person is one of the most famous individuals of the island.
In Tahiche, just north of capital Arrecife, in direction Teguise you can find the house-museum of César Manrique:
painter, architect, artist and Lanzarote lover.
Born in 1919 he set the guidelines for sustainable development in Lanzarote,
in a time when mass tourist development was the norm.
- This house is like a labyrinth, and you will find a lot of these stone caves.
The museum is located in what was his actual house, built in 1968.
- It's full of vegetation from this island, especially cactuses, palm trees and also, covered with volcanic stone.
It is an example of harmony with the environment with the basement constructed into 5 volcanic bubbles underground.
- These holes they are volcanic bubbles!
He loved the peculiar environment of Lanzarote and he thought that its inhabitants could live in a better harmony with it.
Driving up to Famara cliffs you will find the most remarkable work by the Lanzarotian artist.
Manrique created different facilities for people to access and to feel closer to nature,
among which the most spectacular one is Mirador del Rio in Northern Lanzarote.
From 600 metres of height you can admire Graciosa and Alegranza, the little islands known as Chinijo Archipelago.
Mirador del Rio also includes a café carved in the rock with this very nice view.
In Cueva de los Verdes, which originally was adapted by other artist you can see a real lava pipe.
- I'm going in into Cueva de los Verdes.
The acoustics and the lighting make it for a great experience, even concerts are held here.
The experience continues in Jameos del Agua nearby.
A Jameo is a lava pipe of which the ceiling has fallen and so it's open.
- Few years ago, Claudia Schiffer was also posing here on this palm like this.
In this you can find a swimming pool and a science museum focused on volcanos and reflections
to help you understand what you're seeing.
And the Manrique Route is complete with a visit to the cactus garden, in Guatiza.
The garden occupies the area of an old quarry that has been embellished with samples of cactuses from the Canary Islands
as well as from other parts of the world.
Cactuses played a key role in the economy of the Canaries, since the cochineal, an animal used for the production
of a red dye called carmine, is a parasite of them.
You can still see fields of cactuses in Northern Lanzarote�