Tenerife ,Canary Islands

Santa Cruz de, Tenerife, Canary Islands

This lovely place was occupied by the Berbers ,of Arabian descent ,fought for ,for 100 years , by the Spanish . As was the case in other parts of Spain , if they embraced Catholicism ,they could remain, if not.. gone.. Franco was exiled here, but played a part in organising various wars.
The birds, it seems, are not named after the Islands ,the other way around .Tenerife is simply lovely, volcanic, but dramatic, has a different landscape, to the South.
A clean, modern ,very pretty, place ,with amazing flora and fauna, still with the charm of old , many buildings of the older style remain, well kept. Very hilly ,in the North, more beaches and sun in the South. Very productive in what could be an arid landscape ,but “Gallerias”, as named, bring water from very deep underground ,within the volcanic hillsides, to water crops, in every available space. Vineyards that are very old, so low growing, as they are harvested by hand, on the slopes ,mainly. Banana plantations ,many. Potatoes, 3 crops a year, fruit so many kinds, green to the tops of the mountains.
In other parts cactus covered, many Agave ,not the tequila kind ,ice plants of all kinds, and the Prickly Pear cactus ,reminded of Malta.
Well cared for at every turn, so clean and tidy, huge contrast to Africa ,safe, warm and very interesting.
Botanical Gardens established in the 1700’s by a great Botanist ,the best ever seen, with plants from around the world .A beautiful space of huge trees ,orchids, ferns and rare treasures, even fruit, of many kinds ,in a clam oasis. The huge Palms of the Canaries are fire resistant as are their Pines. Huge figs. Maidenhair ferns growing out of the attractive pumice walls ,they use pumice for all sorts of things.
These gardens are in the Orotava Valley ,they have many valleys, separated by ravines.

A stop with time for a quick refreshment ,we had coffee to amaze and Cake, Strawberry Layer, and Chocolate Mousse Gateaux. Delectable..! Time to walk and see the coastline , very rugged ,but swimming, salt water pools ,adjacent .Not one piece of rubbish to be seen, white washed and spotless, a busy tourist enclave, well used by British holiday makers. Germans own Winter Houses here. This was a public Holiday , A religious Fiesta occasion.. little open in the city, and that is how it goes on this journey…never mind..
Jacaranda’s ,and other flowering trees ,grace the countryside.
The rough volcanic landscape has caves along the coast ,a few black sand beaches ,dramatic and stunning ,as I would not have imagined.
There is less tax than the mainland of Spain ,and is quite distant..Several Islands make up the chain, Las Palmas, and Grand Canaria ,all served with frequent, large ferries, from where we were .
Small hamlets of the brightly coloured houses, high up ,reminiscent of the Berbers villages in Spain..this is somewhere to consider for your next vacation.! Temperatures of 22/24, year round with just 20 days average of rain a year.
Some volcano's are dormant, but there are many and eruptions do happen ,but not considered dangerous.
Our 4 ½ hour tour today was an included one [ one allowed in every Port] then others are offered extra ,this was excellent , as any we have taken, have been .So much to reflect on, that was lovely and interesting, we so enjoyed today..
Big news this evening as our Captain announced a very large storm in the Bay of Biscay ,connected to our traverse of that part of the ocean, so Morocco has to be cancelled, as he heads for Vigo, in Spain to keep ahead of it all, we will have a day in Portsmouth instead ,which we so loved last year .To keep us on track for our entry to the Thames on time.
Just one of those things, entirely in his hands to make the right decisions. We had big plans to see Rabat and Casablanca ,but will just have to come again…!
Today ,Saturday we have has a Lobster lunch, to make everyone happy.!
Bye from us heading for mainland Spain.Read more