Candelaria and Abades

The following morning we get a first taste of the “Belgian Invasion” of Tenerife. Upon waking up we’re welcomed by “pistolets” from a Belgian bakery in town. After the tasty breakfast we head out to Candelaria, a city a bit south of Santa Cruz known for its basilica and statues near the coast. Moreover, we’ve read that there would be an artisanal labour market on Sundays. Perfect!

We stroll through the cosy city and admire the impressive statues and basilica at the coastline. Near the parking area we spot a huge miniature artwork of the city of Candelaria and the birth of Jesus Christ. It has an impressive amount of detail and some of the figures are even moving.
Having no sight of the market yet, we look for more details online. Apparently, it should take place on the other side of the parking lot… alas, not today.

On the way back to Palm Mar, we stop at Abades, nowadays a little white town home for many Germans. Just next to the new town are ruins from an older era when Tenerife was suffering from a high number of lepra infections. In order to prevent a further spread of the disease, an entire town was being constructed to quarantine the infected patients. Construction never finished as a cure was developed before. The unfinished buildings held up well against the test of time. It’s a very nice place for urban photography as there are also a lot of graffiti paintings on the walls. We walk through this desolate landscape and are impressed by the scale of it all. They really planned things big here. A good thing it never had to be put in use.
Today, the whole area is owned by an Italian so nobody really knows how long it will last. Maybe one day all will have to make room for new hotels and apartments.

In the evening we take the car to the neighbouring city of Los Cristianos for dinner at The Mongolian. An all-you-can-eat-restaurant where you select all you meat and vegetables in a bowl and hand them to a chef who cooks everything on one very big circular stove. Quite a show sometimes as they add flames every now and then.Read more