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 aroundSee the cable car stanchions running up the right side of the peak? That’s where we’re headed!Back on the bus we continued to climb……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.A view from the cable car as we ascendLooking 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…Are we almost there?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.Beautiful!Then it was time to get back on the cable cars. We’d spent over two hours at the top.Down we goMore strange formations seen on the bus ride homeFor our celebration supper, we had local specialties. I had Rancho Canario, a wonderful hearty soup with, chickpeas, pasta, pork and chicken brothJim 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!
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 timesThe roads aren’t wide enough to allow two way trafficEven though it’s a bit chilly, there are lots of flowers in bloomWe 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?Here’s the rocky trail – up we go!Pretty in a dry way…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.Vilaflor ahead!An orange tree with fruit in February!Vibrant flowers growing beside the trailWe celebrated a successful day with Jim’s yummy potato vegetable soup. A fine day!
Taking Our Time 