I was awake at 6am this morning. I didn’t have to meet my tour at the Stardust
Theatre till 9.30am. So I decided to get
some underwear washing done. There had
been a washing bag left on my bed last night that you could get done for
25USD. It’s actually not too bad a
price, but I only had a few shirts, a skirt and undies to wash and didn’t seem
worth that. So I washed my undies and I’ll
save my washing for when I get to Kenya.
I can’t remember the last time I actually hand washed any clothes; I
have always paid to get them done as the pricing hasn’t been too bad. Sorry to my steward Linda when she walks into
my bathroom this morning…… I am still
sleeping with a light on in the cabin as I am afraid if I turn the light off I
will just sleep through and miss the next day all together. It really is pitch black in an inside cabin
at any time of the day-black-the darkest of darkness and perfect sleeping
conditions with the hum of the ships engine and a roll of the ocean to rock you
to sle……….snore….snore….snore… Yeah I think I will keep that light on-I
certainly didn’t want to sleep in today.
I had a full day tour booked of the island of Santa Cruz.
The great thing of a later tour is that sunrise was at
8am and I was at breakfast at 8.30am, so I got to see the beginning of a new
day. Tenerife looked bigger than what I
had imagined and as I ate my breakfast on the back deck of the ship I got a
bird’s eye view of us coming into port, following another ship and the new days
light hitting the very green slopes of the island as the city comes to
life. There were 3 other ships in port,
there were 2 from the German company Aida and a ship called the Saga Sapphire
which I have never heard of. Plus us
made 4. It was going to be a busy day on
the island. I wonder where Costa has
cruised to?
The buffet breakfast is starting to take its toll on me
and not food wise, even though that is getting to me but people just don’t
watch where they are going. They just
pull out without checking, people bang into you as they try and pass without
saying excuse me and not to mention old people that take 10 hours to put some
fruit on their plate. In my head
everyone is Pops and Grandma and I have been very patient for the whole cruise,
but today just seemed more pronounced than any other day. Maybe they are getting cabin fever-hell maybe
I am getting cabin fever? I do suck it
all up and smile as I know that one day that will be me. I did discover something awesome at breakfast
today and that is fresh pancakes which I hear you say no big deal, but I also
found the fresh blackberry jam that goes with them and for the piece de resistance-
the FRESH cream…. Oh yes-no pancake is complete without fresh cream on a fresh
pancake. It couldn’t have come at a
better time when I was getting sick of the bacon and scrambled eggs that I have
had every morning so far.
Welcome to
Tenerife-Santa Cruz-Canary Islands
Tenerife
is an island created volcanically, building up from the ocean floor 20–50
million years ago.
We arrived
on time after yesterday’s 1 hour late arrival and we were just as swiftly
deployed from the theatre to our waiting coaches for our day tour. We had a few early hick-ups before we even
left the port. The air-conditioning was
working, so we spent a few minutes waiting as the driver fixed that and then
the microphone wasn’t working but a few more minutes and this was also
sorted. The coach looks brand new
actually-it still smells like a brand new car and was a lap of luxury with full
leather seats and clean windows. I did
the right thing again and took the back seat and again I was rewarded with
being the only person to sit there and with the seats in front of me also
spare. It was a perfect photo taking position
from the coach. Our guide must have been
65+ and I had to really concentrate on his English but he knew what he was
talking about as he had lived on the island his whole life. He said we were lucky with the weather as it
had been raining all week and was due to rain again tomorrow.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital (jointly
with Las Palmas) of the Canary Islands located about 210 kilometres off the north western
coast of Africa within the Atlantic Ocean. Between
the 1833
territorial division of Spain and 1927 Santa Cruz de Tenerife was the sole
capital of the Canary Islands, until 1927 when a decree ordered that the
capital of the Canary Islands be shared, as it remains at present. The port is of great importance and is the
communications hub between Europe, Africa and Americas, with cruise ships arriving from many
nations. Its harbour is one of Spain's
busiest; it comprises three sectors. It is important for commercial and
passenger traffic, as well as for being a major stopover for cruisers en route
from Europe to the Caribbean. The city also has one of the world's
largest carnivals. The Carnival
of Santa Cruz de Tenerife now aspires to become a World Heritage Site, and is the most
important of Spain and the second largest in the world.
The area on which now stands the city and the municipality of Santa Cruz
de Tenerife has been the subject of human occupation since the time of the Guanches,
approximately 2000 years ago, as attested by the archaeological sites found.
The area was known to the Guanches, the first inhabitants of the
island, as Añazo. Later,
it became one of the most important ports of the Atlantic and the Canary
Islands, a status it retains to this day. This former fishermen's village rose
to prominence after a Volcano destroyed the port of Garachico in the 18th century. Santa Cruz became the major port on the
Island. It first won its independence from La Laguna and, in the 19th century,
was awarded the status of Capital of the Canary Islands province by King Ferdinand VII. Between 1833 and 1927 Santa Cruz de Tenerife
was the sole capital of the Canary Islands. In 1927 a Royal decree ordered that
the status of capital city of the Canary Islands would be shared with Las
Palmas in Gran Canaria. This arrangement remains in place today. The Santa Cruz de Tenerife-La Laguna
Metropolitan Area forms the second largest city and metropolitan area of
the European Union outside Europe.
The first thing we notice when we pull away from the port is the Opera
House. It is an interesting building
that resembles slightly of the Sydney Opera House in its unusual shape. It is an emblematic building of Spanish architecture. The building has
an organic and famous structure in the shape of 'sails' with white blue rollers
and has become a symbol of the city, island and archipelago. Designed
by Santiago Calatrava, the Auditorium
of Tenerife was constructed in 2003. It
is one of the main attractions of Tenerife and the Canary Islands. From here we started our ascent up to the
centre of the island and what was going to be the highlight of the day Teide
National Park. But first we had to pass
through a part of the island, The Esperanza Forest. Not only were there hundreds of massive green
pines, but the views and the landscape we followed along the mountain ridge
that runs through the north east of the island was INCREDIBLE. Not only pine trees but you could also see cypresses,
eucalyptus trees and a lot of other interesting plants. Apparently is often
foggy in the forest because it is located in the zone where the clouds of the
trade wind stick which in turn makes the forest so green-but we had a glorious
day and even Carlos our guide, said that it was unusual to have such a clear
day this time of year. I couldn’t stop
taking photos and I know I will have a lot to delete when I get home
tonight. We also got our first glimpse
of Mt Teide which is not only the highest mountain on the island but also of
Spain. It was a magical view and Carlos
stopped the coach twice for us to get off and be able to get some photos and
then he also stopped a few times for us to take photos from the coach. What a good man. The forests of Canary Island Pine occur from
1000–2100 m, covering the middle slopes of the volcano.
We stopped for a coffee break and blue loo as Carlos like to call
it. He said that you don’t need to pay
for toilets on the island. The Canarians
see it as a human right to go to the toilet and don’t believe in charging you
for it. Nice sentiment I guess. The restaurant we stopped at was busy. There were another 3 coaches in plus
motorbike riders and day trippers. It
was after all a Saturday and there were hikers and walkers also out and
about. There was one smart business
woman selling chocolate coated almonds which don’t sound that amazing-until you
ate one and they were just delicious.
Her try before you buy theory worked on me and before I knew it I had
paid 11EUR for 2 small bags gift boxed.
I mean there weren’t even cashews which are always more expensive than
almonds and I am just grateful that she didn’t have them as they would have
been more expensive to buy. I justified
the cost as I haven’t really spent anything on this section, which is a GREAT
thing but one little splurge, well 2, I also bought a beautiful small ceramic
plate that I will be able to use for my jewellery or for nuts or something. It hit me that I can really buy up if I want
because my next stop is Kenya-Home. I
just have to carry the stuff, but what are a few souvenirs when I have 60kg of
luggage already? Pfffff a walk in the
park. For the record the plate only cost
10EUR-my almonds were more expensive than that!
But they were good and locally produced, so I was giving back to the
community!
After a 30 minute stop here it was time to head into the park. Teide
National Park is centred around 3718 m Mount Teide,
the highest mountain of Spain and the islands of the Atlantic (it is the third
largest volcano in the world from its base). It was declared a national park on
22 January 1954, making it one of the oldest national parks in Spain. It is
also the largest national park in Spain and an important part of the Canary
Islands. Another volcano located in the park (next to the Teide) is the Pico Viejo. It is the second largest volcano in the Canary
Islands with its 3,135 m peak. The park
has an area of 18,990 hectares and was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on June 29,
2007. Since the end of 2007, it has also
been one of the 12 Treasures of Spain. Midway up the
mountain are the telescopes of the Observatorio del Teide.
Territorially, it belongs to the municipality of La Orotava. Teide is
the most visited national park in Spain, with a total of 2.8 million visitors. The Teide in 2010 became the most visited
national park in Europe. The Teide is
the most famous natural icon not only of Tenerife but also of all the Canary
Islands. The Teide National Park has a
large historical value. This place had an important spiritual significance to
aboriginal Guanches in the park where important archaeological sites
have been discovered. For the Guanches the Teide was a place of worship,
thought it was the gate of hell. The
Teide National Park contains a huge range of invertebrate fauna, over 40% of
which are endemic species, with 70 species only being found in the National
Park. The invertebrate fauna include spiders, beetles, dipterans, hemipterans, and hymenopterae. In
contrast, Teide National Park has only a limited variety of vertebrate fauna.
Ten species of bird nest in the park. Three endemic reptile species are also found in the park. The only mammals native to the park are bats and other mammals
such as the mouflon, the rabbit, the house mouse, the black rat, the feral cat, and the Algerian Hedgehog have all been introduced to the park.
The minute we entered the park you could see the trees disappear and
what Carlos like to call the ‘lunar’ escarpments started and he was right. There wasn’t really a tree in sight the
further into the park we drove. There
seemed to be a lot of green tumble weed looking plants and a lot of rock
formations left from millions of years ago and old eruptions. With just the one road in and out and at
times tight on the side of small mountains traffic was a little congested at
times-nothing to disrupt the tour, but someone would have to back up to let the
coaches through and we also had week-end traffic that was on the road. On the straights of the roads and cars behind
us with the starkness of the landscape you did feel like you were on another
planet. Which seems to prove a little
realistic apparently. The similarity
between environmental conditions and geological that Teide National Park and
the planet Mars have turned this spot volcanic reference
point for studies related to the red planet.
The analogies between the red planet and parts of Tenerife make the island
the ideal place for testing instruments that will travel to Mars and reveal
past or present life on Mars. In 2010 a research team tested at Las Cañadas del
Teide, the Raman instrument to be sent in the next expedition
to Mars, ESA-NASA ExoMars from 2016-2018.
In 2011 a team of United Kingdom researchers visited the National Park in June to
test a method for finding life on Mars and finding places to try in 2012, new
robotic vehicles.
My
question was when had the volcanos last erupted? Well Tenerife is a rugged and volcanic island
sculpted by successive eruptions throughout its history. There are four
historically recorded volcanic eruptions, none of which has led to casualties.
The first occurred in 1704, when the Arafo, Fasnia and Siete Fuentes volcanoes
erupted simultaneously. Two years later, in 1706, the greatest eruption
occurred at Trevejo. This volcano produced great quantities of lava which buried the city and port of Garachico.
The last eruption of the 18th century happened in 1798 at Cañadas de Teide, in Chahorra. Finally, and most
recently, in 1909 that formed the Chinyero cinder cone, in the municipality of Santiago del Teide, erupted. About
800,000 years ago, two gravitational landslides occurred, giving rise to the
present-day valleys of La Orotava and Güímar.
Finally, around 200,000 years ago, eruptions started that raised the Pico Viejo-Teide area in the centre of the island, over the Las Cañadas caldera.
Carlos was saying they are due for an eruption! Hopefully not today.
The lava
plains were surrounding is and it was a surreal feeling. The Teide–Pico Viejo complex and the Las Cañadas areas are the most prominent. It comprises a
semi-caldera of about 130 km2 in area, originated by several geological processes. There was view point in the park where every
man and his dog go to can see the crater, get to climb some stairs to get a
higher view of the surrounds and it is also the start of hiking trails as well. There were some clusters of volcanic lava
‘statues’ made millions of years ago that made for some great photography. Considering how many people were here,
surprisingly you get photos without too much fuss. I climbed the stairs as far as they went
before you had to walk on the rock face and then I was out. No need killing myself for a photo of a view
I had already taken 20m below. We were
given 30 minutes here and even though we were at an altitude of 2100m above sea
level with the sun high in the sky it made for a great day of 20C, quite
pleasant if nothing a little hot but I could see how it could get cold up here
and known for snow in the winter months which is definitely hard to
picture.
We now had
to make the 1.5 hour journey back to sea level.
I had my IPod so it was wonderful to just kick back, listen to some
tunes and watch this amazing scenery pass me by. Both Madeira and Santa Cruz have surprised
me-I’m not sure what I expected but they are both stunningly gorgeous islands
and I am looking forward to seeing what Lanzarote has to offer tomorrow. We were now heading to the seaside town of Puerto de la Cruz which located on the north coast of Tenerife Island, in the Orotava Valley. The coasts of Tenerife are typically
rugged and steep and we saw this as we came back down the valley. It really was stunning
scenery-MAGNIFICENT. We arrived into
Puerto de la Cruz at 2pm for a late lunch and a look around this beachside
resort. Prior to the development of
hotels and buildings, much of the area consisted of agricultural land.
Considerable fiscal pressure led to land development, which saw the character
shift from rural/agricultural to urban/tourism-based. Valle de La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz
were the first holiday resorts on the Canary Islands. Puerto de la Cruz occupies a prominent place
in the history of tourism of the islands.
Before mass tourism existed in Puerto de la Cruz, minority tourism
catered for privileged elites who were interested in climatology, botany and
the tranquillity of the location. The proximity of the Canary Islands to Europe meant that
travel for health reasons was a primary driver for launching modern tourism
here. At the beginning of the 19th century, the
environment of Puerto de la Cruz meant that it attracted many researchers and
exclusive high-class groups from Europe. At this stage Puerto de la Cruz was a
leading cultural centre accommodating many travellers and writers,
including William Wilde and Alexander
von Humboldt. Puerto de
la Cruz therefore gained an illustrious reputation in Europe, and when it came
to the subsequent advent of modern tourism, the city was at an advantage
compared with other tourist sites. Tourism
began to have an important role in the local economy in the late 19th century.
It was in those years that the Grand Hotel Taoro was built and that old
family houses began to be remodelled, for example as Marquesa or Monopol,
transforming them into the first hotels in the city centre. Finally, the real
tourism boom came in the 1950s, when the city began its transformation into the
tourist reference point of the island and of the archipelago.
I have to admit that I was hungry and after nearly a week of buffet food
I wanted something ‘normal’ and I had McDonalds and it was delicious. I would have loved to have done a little
Tapa’s but we were only given 1 hour and 15 minutes here, so I decided to hoe
into lunch, use the free Wi-Fi (welcome back) and then hit the streets to have
a look around. It was quite and I don’t
mean people wise, there were people everywhere and I would hate to imagine what
this place looks like in summer. I am
not sure I would want to be here in summer but I would expect music to be
playing from somewhere. There was one
guy on a guitar and people peddling bags and necklaces and the restaurants were
busy, but it was quite. The main part of
the promenade overlooks the Parque Marítimo César Manrique which is
basically an entertainment complex, designed by architect César
Manrique. It contains a set
of pools (with water drawn from the sea), hot
springs jacuzzi,
children's play areas and a sports facility.
There were deck chairs all around the 3 pools and a lot of sunburned
looking British people sunning themselves.
I walked the length of the promenade as far as time would permit and
then turned around to walk the other side which was also the beach side of the
area. The island has 67.14 kilometres of beaches. There are many black sand pebble beaches on
the northern coast, while on the south and south-west coast of the island, the
beaches have typically much finer and clearer sand with lighter tones. I was standing on a black beach with the
white of the waves breaking on the sand it made for a great photo. There was a guy there selling rocks that he
painted faces on and I instantly saw one that made me smile and after asking
him how much they were I paid my 4EUR-I know you may think I got ripped off
paying that for a rick I could pick up myself, but the face was well painted
and it made me smile. 4 EUR well spent I
say. He signed the rock, dated it and
put the place on the reverse side of it and I was now the happy owner of a pet
rock. Wait till you see the photos-you’ll
see. It was also a great opportunity to
see the steep mastiffs of the coast-aka the steep cliff faces.
It was time for me to high tail it back to the coach for our last stop
of the day at a small village called La Orotava located within the Orotava Valley. It is only 5 km E of Puerto de la Cruz
and about 33 km from the island's capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. La Orotava has a rich land for cultivation
and its economy was based on agriculture for centuries, with products such as
wine, tomatoes, bananas and others that were exported mainly to Europe and the
UK. It was not until beginning of
century XIX when the tourism industry began. The environment of La Orotava
meant that it attracted many researchers and exclusive high-class groups from
Europe. At this stage La Orotava was a leading cultural centre accommodating
many travellers and writers, among others William Wilde and Alexander von Humboldt. Currently, La Orotava is frequented all year
by Northern Europeans, especially during the winter months, due to its mild climate. This section was a walking tour and t was
nice to get off and stretch the legs.
The architecture has been looked after here and the buildings reflected
that. Main points of interest included Casa
Molina, Plaza de San Francisco La Casa de los Balcones and a few of the
majestic homes still in the centre of town.
We left Orotava at 5pm to head back to the ship. It took just under 45 minutes and with an all
aboard call at 6.30pm we had made perfect timing the whole day. High five to Carlos and our driver Roger to
sticking to the plan and all the oldies that had also kept up all day and what
a great day it had been.. One of the benefits of being on a lower deck is that
the gangway is always from deck 4 or 5-so no waiting for lifts when I get back
from tours. I only had an hour till I
had to get ready for my show at 7pm (7.30pm show-but need to get my seat) so I
switched on the TV and started watching Hunger Games. I pretty much mossed all the hype when this
movie came out but I was really getting into it when I had to leave for the
show. Even then I was 5 minutes late and
my German couple were already in place.
Since the second night the 3 of us have sat in the same seats. He reads his book, she has her IPad and I am
on my IPod playing solitaire till the show starts. I am in row 6 and the 6th seat in. There is no particular reason for me, it just
happens to be a good seat. I didn’t bother
to go on deck when we left at 7pm as it was totally dark and you wouldn’t have
been able to see anything anyway.
Tonight’s show as was Broadway with the Norwegian Dancers. They had picked 6 big shows and then did
around 5-10 minutes from each one. It
was pretty good. There was some cheesy
dancing but overall I enjoyed the show.
The costumes were pretty impressive, so I guess that is a plus. You could after the show, go and meet the dancers
and get a photo taken if you wanted to, but they all seem pretty stuck up and don’t
talk to the passengers when you see them around the ship. No thanks.
A great day and looking forward to tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment