Car Hire Misadventures – Gran Canaria, 1988

In the 1980s I used to like to go away for a few days with my brother.  In 1988 we had a short holiday in Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands.  Naturally we hired a car.

It was the cheapest that we could find and was a clapped out old white Renault.  We did a bit of driving but I remember most going to visit the sand dunes at Maspalomas.  After we had parked the car and walked across the sand to the sea it was time for a beer so we found a beach side bar and wandered in.  We sat at the bar and ordered our drinks.

The Spanish barman gave us a nervous look and asked “Eenglish?”, we replied in the affirmative and he pointed to a sign behind the bar which said “German’s only” – we were outraged, what a bloody cheek, we were in Spain for goodness sake.  Anyway, he put his finger to his lips as though to say don’t speak and he served our beers.  We drank them in silence, rather quickly I seem to remember, and then left and took the drive back to the hotel.