La Coruña, Tenerife, and Gran Canaria

We always enjoy visiting Spain, and this cruise has offered a taste of three new to us parts of the country: La Coruña, on Spain’s north coast, and Tenerife and Gran Canaria, far to the south, in the Canary Islands.

Our experience of Coruña was rather chilly. Other than a kind and friendly couple staffing a cafe near the port, the locals we encountered didn’t return smiles or proffered “buenos días.” Maybe it was the weather, maybe they are sick of cruise ship tourists. Whatever the cause, it’s a once and done destination for us.

Santa Cruz in Tenerife, on the other hand, was warm and welcoming. We thoroughly enjoyed our day exploring the city and would be happy to return and spend more time exploring the city and the volcanic island. Everyone we interacted with was gracious and friendly, and the city has interesting architecture, a lovely library and art space, and a terrific market chockfull of flowers, fresh meats, vegetables, and beautiful crafts.

We opted to spend our day in Gran Canaria on Las Canteras, a beautiful 2 kilometer long beach in the city of Las Palmas. We rented lounge chairs and and an umbrella from a kind vendor, and enjoyed coffees and lunch at cafes along the beachside promenade.

Tomorrow, we’ll visit Madeira, a Portuguese island 250 miles north of the Canaries, before sailing on to Lisbon.Read more