Tenerife
Travelogue: TENERIFE FOR 1 DAY
From 'Transantlantic Cruise from Europe to the Caribbean'
МАРШРУТА НА ЦЕЛИЯ КРУИЗ, КАКТО И ОТДЕЛНИТЕ ПЪТЕПИСИ
ЗА ВСИЧКИ СПИРКИ ПО МАРШРУТА, може да видите ТУК.
Previous stop of the CRUISE: MADEIRA – Read the travelogue for Madeira
What is it like to lounge on a beach with sand brought from the Sahara and feel the Spanish-African atmosphere of the Canary Islands – these are just part of the experiences we had during our Transatlantic cruise from Europe to the Caribbean.
We arrived at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife on December 11th.
Tenerife is the largest among all 7 islands of the Canary archipelago. The climate there is very pleasant year-round – average temperatures from 20 to 27 degrees. The water temperature reaches up to 24 degrees. It is considered that the ports of the Canary Islands are among the deepest in the world.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is located in the northeastern part of the beautiful Canary island of Tenerife. The city with a population of 223,000 is also the capital of the island.
As soon as we stepped off the ship, we were greeted by local musicians playing traditional instruments, while others danced typical Spanish dances.
We wondered a lot about where to head during our single day on the island. It was impossible to climb the Teide volcano, 3,718 m, which is the highest point in Spain and the highest volcano on the European continent.
Another option that I thought about for quite a long time was to go to Loro Park, where the dolphin and killer whale shows seemed most attractive to us, along with the huge variety of parrots, other birds, and animals. But we gave up due to lack of time.
In the end, we decided that we would go to Teresitas beach and then take a walk around the city.
Unfortunately, after a good first impression, thanks to the warm welcome at the port, a real shock followed once we entered the city. It seemed quite dirty and poorly maintained. The bus stop where we were waiting for the bus to Teresitas beach was literally buried in garbage. How can such a world-famous destination welcome its guests this way!
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Undoubtedly the most beautiful and famous beach in Tenerife is Playa de las Teresitas.
The interesting thing about it is that the sand was brought by ships from the Sahara desert, since most beaches in Tenerife are black due to their volcanic origin.
It is said to be the most beautiful artificially created beach in all of Europe.
The weather was more than wonderful.
The beach is located near the northern suburb of San Andrés, about 8 kilometers from the city center, and on weekends it becomes the most visited and loved place of the port city. It can be reached by several public transport lines. The panoramic road climbing the mountain slopes north of Las Teresitas offers a view that will literally make your heart skip a beat.
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Our first beach visit of our early December cruise was precisely to Tenerife. The beach was clean and exceptionally well-equipped – there were changing rooms, toilets, showers, a cafe, and a special place for people in wheelchairs. This is the best-equipped beach I have visited so far.
Around noon, we returned to Santa Cruz by bus. We walked through the central streets where some places were very pleasant, while others simply did not live up to such a popular destination.
We walked from north to south along the seafront promenade, passing by the city's port amidst palms and other tropical trees, and found ourselves at Plaza de España – a spacious square surrounded by beautiful buildings, considered the largest in Santa Cruz.
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In its middle is located a large artificial lake. According to locals, the place is the most central in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Right next to the lake stands the Spanish Civil War memorial "Monumento a los Caídos". Just a few steps from there in a southern direction stands one of the most famous churches of the Canary Islands – Iglesia de la Concepción. The Catholic church with its impressive tower rising imposingly above the surrounding buildings dates back to the distant year of 1500, just a few years after the founding of the city, but was rebuilt later in 1653.
From there we walked along the main street Rambla del General Franco. This is a large street that features a wide and shady pedestrian alley between the two roadways. The street passes through one of the most beautiful parts of the city.
We reached the so-called African Market – Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África, where there was a huge variety of fruits and vegetables. On its outskirts, locals had spread out sheets and were selling all sorts of cheap things, even second-hand goods. 12 pairs of earrings for 1 E or shoes for 5 E.
After that, we continued a little further south to the most famous modern building of the Canary Islands – the Tenerife Auditorium. Completed in 2003, it is one of the strangest structures in all of Spain. Often likened to the Sydney Opera House, the auditorium is a concert hall with an area of 23,000 square meters and is the work of the eccentric architect Santiago Calatrava.
And so... Tenerife sent us off with rather mixed feelings – there were wonderful places, but there was also squalor.