Today saw the Gorse Fox and Silver Vixen head for the lush northern part of the island. Our destination was the picturesque town of La Orotava, just outside Puerto de la Cruz. La Orotava is one of the historic masterpieces of the island, having survived many changes of fortune caused by fluctuations in trade for sugar cane, wine, cochineal, and now bananas.
The past 200 years have seen some spectacular houses built to celebrate the wealth of their owners. Often palin from the outside, they conceal intricate courtyards where the family can reamin cool in the incessant sun. The courtyards are ringed by balconies connecting the rooms, which all open onto the centarl courtyard. The plain outsides of these houses are decorated with beautifully carved balconies draped in geraniums and trailing flowers of every hue.
Scattered intermittently around the town are pretty squares and gardens. The most astonishing of these is the "Jardins del Marquesada de la Quinta Rojo" at the centre of which lies the Mausoleum of the Marquess.
All in all it was a round trip of about 200km, but well worth the drive. And.... parking in the newer part of town the Gorse Fox used his GPS to record where he'd left the car, then had fun using it to track back to the car. Successfully, he might add.
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