Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Before today, I knew only three things about Tenerife:
- It's one of the Canary Islands
- It is the site of the worst aviation accident in history
- Travelinging Brits love vacationing here.

Of course, there's a lot more to this Spanish island, located just three hundred kilometers from the coast of Morocco, than that.

The island was formed by volcanic activity, and the highest point in Spain is located at the peak of that inactive volcano, Mt. Teide, which is also the third largest volcano on Earth.

The Spanish conquered the island in the late 1490s, after a two year war with the aboriginal Guanche population. Records show that thousands of conquistadors perished in the war's many battles, despite their superior weapons. Those Guanches must have been some tuff mudders.

The architecture in our port of call, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, shows heavy Colonial influence, and Brenda and I were both struck by how clean and well-maintained the buildings in the downtown area are.

I read somewhere that Tenerife has one of the most liveable climates on the planet. Today, as we explored Centro, the temperature was a comfortable 20 degrees with some gusty winds and a partially overcast sky. We experienced a few drops of rain during our walk, but the skies opened up a little more as we waited to get back on board the ship.

Sadly, we had to be back on the Lirica by 2:30 pm, which made for a very short visit to this fascinating place.

When one travels to new places, some you like, some you love, some you forget as soon as you leave. And then there are those that call out to you, where you immediately feel comfortable and at home. Tenerife is one of those places for us.

We can't wait to spend more time here.Read more