The Military Museum, Tenerife

February 22, 2025Tenerife, TravelAdmiral Horatio Nelson, Ferdinand Magellan, Hercules cannon, Juan Sebastian Elcano, Museo de Militar Almeyda, Santa Cruzkarenfranza

Feb 18 – For our last day in Santa Cruz, we walked up into the hills to get an overview of the city. It was a beautiful, crystal clear morning.

How would you like to have to climb these steps every day to get to your house?

The ocean and the city stretch out below.

Then we sallied forth to see the Museo Militar de Almeyda, a huge building not too far from our apartment. We met some Brits who said they visit this museum every time they come to Tenerife and that it’s the very best. We shall see!

The handles on the cannon are described as dolphins, but they look like dragons to me

The Hercules cannon is huge! I was impressed with the intricate decorations on every piece

Lots of ship models from Spain’s illustrious naval history

Scale models of la Niña, la Pinta y la Santa Maria

Scale model of the Victoria, the first ship to circumnavigate the globe in 1522. I remember from school that this feat was credited to Portugal’s Ferdinand Magellan, the original captain, but he didn’t make it all the way around. Magellan was killed in the Philippines, and the voyage was completed by Spaniard Juan Sebastian Elcano.

Some of the many uniforms sported by the Spanish military over the years

This suit of armor seems a bit too old for the Canaries, but here it is!

Much of the museum is focused on the famous battle in 1797 where the islanders defeated British Admiral Horatio Nelson and his fleet. His wounded arm had to be amputated. After the battle, Nelson was invited onto Tenerife to recuperate before sailing home. This was definitely the biggest event in Canary Island history.

…and here we are, in the midst of the battle! Thanks to some friendly Nigerians for snapping our pic. A great way to end our stay in Santa Cruz!

The Palmetum, Tenerife

February 21, 2025Tenerife, Travelpalm trees, Palmetum, Santa Cruzkarenfranza

Feb 17 – There is a special botanical garden here in Santa Cruz, called the Palmetum. At the edge of the city, it was once the municipal rubbish dump, a huge mountain of smelly decay. In the 1980s the dump was closed, and in the 1990s the conversion began.

Terraforming, nurturing seeds and importing species of palm trees from all over the world took an additional twenty years, and the park was opened to the public in 2014. We are going to visit it today.

We took a bus across town, then walked to the outskirts. We climbs up several stories to get to the entrance of the Palmetum.

Climbing the steps to the entrance, we can see the modern arena / opera house nearby.

The park is divided into geographic zones, displaying specimens from Madagascar in one area, and the Caribbean in another

Each specimen has a plaque that names the palm and shows a map of where it is from

The Atlantic is in view throughout most of the park

Back on ground level for the walk home – another lovely day!

Museo de Belles Artes, Tenerife

February 19, 2025Tenerife, TravelMuseo de Belles Artes, rainbow, Santa Cruz, sculpturekarenfranza

Feb 15 – Another beautiful sunrise heralding another fine day. Ideal weather around 70 degrees every day. We could get used to this!

Today we ventured forth to see the Fine Arts Museum. As usual, when I am faced with too much art, I focus on one thing. Today, it was sculpture.

Back on the street, we contemplated which cuisine we’d like for our midday meal

How about Chinese? This classic restaurant served everything family style, and we enjoyed every bite.

When we got home, we found it was misting gently, even though the sun was still shining. This resulted in as bright a rainbow as we’ve ever seen. A lovely day!

A Day in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

February 18, 2025Tenerife, TravelAtlas, Castillo de San Cristobal, doner kebab, Santa Cruzkarenfranza

Feb 14 – this morning’s sunrise from our terrace did not disappoint! Thank you Jim, for getting up early to capture these beautiful shots.

Our plan for the day was to check out the port area. As we walked, we saw lots of nautical artifacts.

Here is an anchor from the HMS Theseus, part of Admiral Nelson’s fleet in 1797

We visited the church of St.Francis of Assisi. Quiet and pretty.

“Would you like to borrow my royal ear warmers?”

Forget the frankincense – eggs are the most precious gift!

This is the oldest marble statue in Santa Cruz

A beautiful wide esplanade with stately palms

The inscription on this shiny statue says “we are all Atlas, carrying a world of thoughts on our shoulders”

Jim always gives money to the buskers on the street. This guy didn’t have anything but a mask – not even a hat to collect tips in. He sat still until tourists walked by, then yelled, “Boo!”

We went underground to see remnants of the castle of San Cristobal that was recently discovered when the land was being prepared for new construction

There is a fine example of a cannon displayed here. In all the battle stories, the Brits are the bad guys and the Spanish are the good guys. Admiral Nelson got his arm shot off near here.

Now that we’re in a big city, we have a wealth of cuisines to choose from, so we headed right to the Turkish takeout for the world’s best doner kebab durum (wrap). Soooo good!

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

February 17, 2025Tenerife, TravelAfrican Market, Atlantic Ocean, buses, Santa Cruz, statue honoring General Franco, Tribute to the Chicharrero, wall artkarenfranza

Feb 13 – today was a hassle-free travel day. We had a lucky breakfast (with two double yoked eggs!), locked up our very nice apartment in Vilaflor and strode confidently to the bus stop.

How often have you cracked three eggs and gotten five yolks? It’s gonna be a lucky day, for sure!

We rode without incident an hour back to Los Christianos, then pushed our way through a crowd onto the next bus (not everybody made it on, but being a New Yorker had advantages here). An hour of traveling north, with the Atlantic in view for the whole trip, brought us to the city of Santa Cruz.

The bus let us off in the heart of the bustling seaside tourist zone. This is the African Market, which sells, food, meat, and all manner of trinkets.

Tribute to the Chicharrero, the native fishermen of Santa Cruz, is right outside the African Market

How the Chicharrero dressed, back in the day

We strolled down the busy streets toward our new apartment. Lots of restaurants and statues and flowers.

These have leaves like geraniums but flowers like tulips? If Eliese was here, she’d tell me what they are!

An old advert for Cod Liver Oil – a universal remedy!

Santa Cruz is a major shipping port, and also hosts German and English cruise ships

This monument to General Franco is impressive

So here we are in our new, very modern apartment, on the sixth floor overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. There is a big supermarket and lots of restaurants nearby. Jim is making us a pot of chicken vegetable soup. Our terrace faces east, so we will wait for the morning for a view of the sunrise. I think we’re going to like it here!

More from Vilaflor, Tenerife

February 14, 2025Tenerife, TravelCasa Pana, flowers, Hermano Pedro de Vilaflor, Pino de las dos Pernadas, Pino Gordo, Vilaflorkarenfranza

Feb 12 – now that we’ve got all that climbing and hiking out of the way, we can relax and check out the sights of the tiny village of Vilaflor.

A short walk showed us more interesting rock formations. We are on our way to see…(wait for it)…

El Pino Gordo , the widest pine tree in Tenerife! This 800 year old Canary Island pine isn’t the tallest or the oldest, but it is pretty wide. You’d need at least six Jims to reach all the way around it.

Tourists came by in a steady stream to take a pic in front of the tree and then move on. We didn’t want to miss that opportunity!

I think this bump on the trunk looks like a lion’s profile – what do you think?

Right across the street is another sign for a pine that is not quite as old or wide, but actually a bit taller. It is called… (wait for it again)… the Tree of Two Legs! So much culture here.

Back in town we looked at Casa de los Soler, a fine example of Canarian architecture that was the home of the area’s richest family until the locals drove them out in the 1600s. There was also a murder here in the 1800s. Not sure if the house will be renovated.

We went back to the church to find out more about the local saint. While there we spied this statue of a seated Jesus – something we don’t often see.

Santo Hermano Pedro de Vilaflor was born right in this village in 1626. He traveled to Antigua, Guatemala to become a missionary in his 20s, and served there until he died in his 40s.

Every morning he rang a bell to call people to Mass, hence the imagery of the hand and the bell.

He was canonized in 2002 and is the first saint ever from the Canary Islands. Hometown boy makes good!

Jim is a satisfied man after our dinner. A half chicken, roasted outdoors on a wooden fire, and a green salad were just what we needed. Simple, and so delicious.

A view from the top of the village. Thanks for the memories Vilaflor – it’s been grand!

El Teide, Tenerife

February 13, 2025Tenerife, Travelcable car, El Teide, papas arrugadas, rabbit, rancho Canario, Vilaflor, volcano, Walking on the Moonkarenfranza

Feb 10 – this morning we got up early and prepared for our journey to visit the highest mountain in Spain and the third largest volcano in the world: El Teide!

Here in Vilaflor we are at an altitude of 3400 feet, but El Teide is 12,100 feet. Here it is chilly, but up there it will be cold! We dressed appropriately, meaning I put on a tee shirt, a long sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt, a fleece jacket, a scarf, a floppy hat, and two pairs of pants. That’s all the clothes I’ve got, so it will have to do!

We caught the only bus of the day without any problems, and rode for an hour – up, up, and up some more! Our ears were popping away. Lots of excited chatter in many languages as we ascended.

Wall art at the bus stop – the image of the hand with the bell is the same as the statue we saw on the first day. We’ll have to find out what it means.

Unusual rock formations seen through the bus window. They do look like what you might see on the moon.

Our first view of El Teide – the original inhabitants believed that El Teide was the god that held up the sky. It last erupted in 1909 – please behave today!

The bus stopped at the park’s visitor center, so we got out and looked around

See the cable car stanchions running up the right side of the peak? That’s where we’re headed!

…until we reached the cable cars. There are two cars, running every 10 minutes throughout the day. We were told that the maximum time to stay on the summit was one hour.

Looking down into the crater. The air is thin up here, and we pant as we walk.

As we climb, my personal soundtrack cues up, “Giant steps are what we take, walking on the moon. I hope my legs don’t break, walking on the moon.” Thanks, Sting!

There is a rocky path across the ridge to an eventual view of the ocean. See the people heading up and over?

I’m proceeding v e r y slowly, slipping and sliding as we climb. This country doesn’t know that safety rails and non-slippery footpaths have been invented…

We’ve arrived! The ocean below, the sky above.

We are not at the tippy-top, which can only be climbed with a special permit, but we are high enough!

As we started our descent, we watched the clouds roll toward us.

Then it was time to get back on the cable cars. We’d spent over two hours at the top.

More strange formations seen on the bus ride home

For our celebration supper, we had local specialties.
I had Rancho Canario, a wonderful hearty soup with, chickpeas, pasta, pork and chicken broth

Jim had the stewed rabbit – served with all the bones and some of the organs. Very tasty, once you figure out where the bones are!

All restaurants here are very proud of their papas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes), which are locally grown small potatoes boiled in seawater. They have a salty crust on the outside and are creamy inside. They are served with mojo rojo and mojo verde for dipping. What a day!

Walking on the Moon, Tenerife

February 12, 2025Tenerife, Travelpotato soup, Vilaflor, Walking on the Moonkarenfranza

Feb 9 – so why are we in Vilaflor? 1) It is the closest village to Mt. Teide, the highest peak in Spain and third biggest volcano in the world, and 2) it’s a place of many mountain hikes. Guess who’s going hiking today?

This little village reminds us of San Francisco or Lisbon in that you are either walking uphill or downhill at all times

The roads aren’t wide enough to allow two way traffic

Even though it’s a bit chilly, there are lots of flowers in bloom

We walked out of town to find the start of the trail. See how the land has been terraced for farming? Look in the foreground – are those grapevines?

We’re not the only ones out walking this morning

Our trail marker – the name of this trail is Walking on the Moon for its aridity and the odd formations of volcanic rock. At the summit, there is no vegetation.

Lots of dry gravel for slipping and sliding – not my favorite kind of trail!

Jim, on the other hand, is smiling from ear to ear!

We continue to gain elevation throughout the morning. The culmination of the trail, at the top, is said to provide a view of Mt. Teide, but unfortunately we will not get to the top today.

We sat on a rock and ate our jamon and Camembert sandwiches, then turned around for the trek back down.

Vibrant flowers growing beside the trail

We celebrated a successful day with Jim’s yummy potato vegetable soup. A fine day!

Vilaflor, Tenerife

February 10, 2025Tenerife, TravelNice Person of Tenerife, Santo Hermano Pedro, Vilaflorkarenfranza

Feb 8 – today is a travel day, which is always its own kind of adventure. We had our last breakfast in our super modern apartment, and set out to catch the 9:15 bus. The bus stop was right where Google said it would be, clearly marked with the Titsa bus company logo and our bus number.

Because it is Saturday, the buses run less frequently. Note to self: don’t schedule travel days on the weekend! We have to catch two buses today, the first to Los Christianos, then about an hour’s wait for the bus to Vilaflor. Easy peasy.

We were chatting and waiting when a homeless (or maybe just a very dirty) man came up and told us that if we wanted to catch a bus, we should go around the corner. Sure enough, there were lots of people around the corner, as well as a big green bus! Nice person of Tenerife!

The bus left on time, but it was a local, and every stop added additional minutes to our ETA. Before too long, it seemed we would just make the connecting bus, and after a while we were absolutely certain we would miss it. When was the next bus? Not ‘til 5:30 this evening, or maybe not ‘til tomorrow. Cue the tense music!

Then we got to a stop where lots of people got on at once, and the driver declared the bus full, passing by the rest of the stops. We pulled in to Los Christianos with 5 minutes to spare! Cue “O Happy Day!”

We bought tickets to Vilaflor, jumped on the new bus and were stopped by the driver, who said our tickets were short by €1.25. We just purchased the tickets! How could this be? The driver was adamant, so Jim coughed up the extra euro and change. We couldn’t risk not getting on this bus!

We headed north and gained elevation ‘til our ears popped. The countryside was dry and brown and reminiscent of Arizona – cacti growing but not much else.

Although we had typed Vilaflor into Google Maps to track our progress, the destination automatically changed to Santa Catalina, and the bus was indeed heading to Santa Catalina, which had a T for terminal. Sure enough, at Santa Catalina everybody else got off the bus. Jim thought maybe there was one more stop, but Google said “You have arrived”. We pushed the stop button on the bus, but were a split second too late, and the bus took off again, careening up the mountain and up some more. Oh no! How long would it take us to walk back to town?

Well dear friends, the bus did have one more stop, with no big town, just a church and a sign that said Vilaflor.

We got off and checked the distance to our new apartment. A six minute walk! Jim was right as usual. Google let us down again…

There was a strange statue of a solitary arm holding a bell, with no signage to explain what it meant. We’ll have to see if we can find out more about it.

The church was open, and had a pretty altar. It is dedicated to Santo Hermano Pedro, the only saint from the Canary Islands, who was born right in this town!

And now we are in our new super modern apartment in Vilaflor, the smallest municipality in Tenerife, with the highest altitude of 4600 feet. Instead of 70 degree beach weather, the high expected here is 50F. It is chilly. I hope I brought enough clothes…

Montaña Bocinegro, Tenerife

February 8, 2025Tenerife, Travelbuskers, El Médano, kite surfing, Montaña Bocinegro, Sunset, WWII bunkerkarenfranza

Feb 7 – can we top yesterday’s adventure for sheer excitement? I don’t think so, nor do I want to! Today we are walking up the teeny weeny elevation next to yesterday’s Montaña Roja. It is also called a mountain, but it’s just a bump in the landscape. The sign tells us it is called Montaña Bocinegro, literally the Black Horn, also the local name for the sea bream, a popular and plentiful Atlantic fish.