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| I was quite excited to see my first glimpse of Mt. Teilde, the volcano at the center of the island, and all the lush banana plantations, that I was snapping pictures right out of the airport bus window! |
The last destination on my 6 week trip to Spain/Portugal is: Tenerife, Canary Islands. I must admit that I haven't heard great things about Tenerife over the years, mostly that it was a package tourist type of place, but I needed some place to go for my last few days and as a place to relax after my taxing (lol!) scholarly endeavors I thought a holiday island would fit the bill nicely. I learned in my research that the arid South was where the sun was most guaranteed to shine and therefore it was there that the big pre-planned tourist developments were; all-inclusives, mega-resorts, mile-upon-mile of bars/restaurants/trinket shops. So I booked a hotel in the tropical North, where it was cooler, cloudier, and where the locals lived. A bonus for me is that the Canaries are Spanish, so I'll try to utilize my new Spanish-speaking skills here!
Puerto de la Cruz, my base for the next 4 nights. Cosmopolitan, local, touristy, proud - all rolled into one seaside town. Add in the warm, tropical breeze with the salty tang of the ocean - I'm in love!
A panorama from my 11th floor balcony. Initially I was disappointed not to have an oceanview but I ended up loving looking at the mountain with its ever changing mantle of clouds and mist. The wind traveling over the cold ocean meets the warm land at the base of Mt. Teilde creating the ever-present marine layer. I think it's rare to be able to see the mountain all day long....
There's some history here! Forts, battlements and cannons are still dotted along the seafront.
My first full day of 'vacation' I just wanted to stay in town and wander around. I was super tired my arrival day, getting few hours of sleep when I had to be at the airport at 5am, so I wanted to be able to head home easily for a siesta if the need struck. Luckily there's lots to see in Puerto so I headed up to the Botanical Gardens first.
In the mid-1700's botany was all the rage amongst the elite and any monarch worth his salt had a garden of wonderous acquisitions from far and wide. The problem for Carlos III was that the climate of Madrid was not really suited for the quick transplantation of tropical species so a "half-way house" garden was created on Tenerife so the poor little seedlings could spend a little time adapting to drier conditions. And ever since 1759, there's been a wonderful botanical garden here full of plants and trees from all over the globe.
Next I wandered down the steep hill back to town and strolled along the seafront enjoying the sun, breeze and wonderful views. Puerto is extremely well-kept, with landscaped public gardens full of exotic (to me) dragon trees, cacti, and unknown flowering trees and shrubs. Being the weekend the black sand beaches were full of sun-worshippers and a few hardy souls braving the sea. I had lunch alfresco, and people-watched & window-shopped for the rest of the afternoon.
