We covered about 117 nautical miles overnight from La Palma to Tenerife. We looped around the northern part of the island, and at 6 o’clock this morning, we docked in Santa Cruz.
Jane and Trevor were up early. They had an excursion across the northern side of the island, but as we know Tenerife so well, we didn’t really bother with an excursion for today. We had a leisurely breakfast and slowly got ourselves together, ready to have a wander around Santa Cruz.
Leaving the ship, we walked along the promenade towards the auditorium, then crossed into the city and started to zig and zag through the walkways and streets. It was while we were walking this first stretch that Diane realised she had left the ship without her hat or her sunglasses. I volunteered to go back, but said we could just pick up a cheap pair of shades or a wide-brimmed hat. This gave us an objective— we needed to find suitable shops.
We headed for the Mercado Municipal Nuestra Señora de África. It was 2006, the last time we had been there, and we couldn’t remember what we would find. Well, it wasn’t sunglasses.
There were ceramics, there was a vast fruit and vegetable market, and there was meat and poultry. As tempting as it all looked, I wasn’t convinced that they would enhance Diane’s looks. We marched on. The next stop was El Corte Inglés. They sold everything. At a price. We wandered around but couldn’t find anything at a price we were willing to pay (given that these would just be a stop-gap).
We left and crossed the road to a shopping mall called Nivaria (the ancient name of Tenerife). There we did find some suitable sunglasses, and after stopping for a delicious coffee, we headed back.
Our target was the older part of town and specifically the Teatro Guider. There was a wonderful bronze face mask that I had remembered from the last visit. (This is more than the girl in the coffee shop, who didn’t recognise the photo, and tried to send us entirely to the wrong place.) We stopped at the Teatro and took some photos, then moved on to Iglesia de la Concepción.
The church is regarded as the mother church (parroquia matriz) of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and is often called “la Catedral de Santa Cruz” even though it is not a cathedral. The original chapel on this site was built by the Spanish conquerors shortly after they arrived. The construction of what became the church began around 1500 under Father Juan Guerra. The architectural style is Canarian Baroque, with elements typical of colonial architecture in the islands.
We went inside and wandered around, marvelling at the incredible statuary in the side chapels and the stained glass. At 13:00 we were all turfed out and the church was closed (Our Lord was having lunch, apparently).
We walked from there to the Plaza de España. Plaza de España is the main square in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and one of the most emblematic places in the city. Its significance is historical, cultural, and civic. The square was built in 1929 on the site of the Castillo de San Cristóbal, a fortress that had defended the port since the 16th century. The castle is notable because from there, the defenders of Tenerife repelled Admiral Horatio Nelson’s attack in 1797, during which Nelson lost his right arm. The current look of Plaza de España comes from a major redevelopment in 2008 by the famous Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron (who also designed the Tate Modern in London). At the heart of the square is a large artificial lake/pool, symbolising the Atlantic Ocean and designed as a calm reflective space. Scattered around the square are a number of incredible statues representing fallen soldiers: the statues stand as sentinels, holding swords, symbolising both military valor and civic duty.
We left the square and headed back to the ship. Trevor and Jane had returned from their excursion, but we didn’t get time to chat as they were heading off for a walk. We grabbed a cold beer and sat in the buffet with a snack. We got talking to a couple from Cardiff about travel, photography, photo books, backups, family, and heaven’s knows what else. We headed back to our cabin for some Kindle time and a rest on the balcony (though it got too hot for me, so I went inside).
We have been tracking Zoe throughout the day as she drove from home across to Ottery St Mary to pick up a new car. It's good to that 280 miles later, she's virtually home. We had also monitored Kim, and she seemed to be stuck in traffic on the Chichester bypass, when we looked.
We met up for dinner. We were surprised that, though we went down to the restaurant early (it doesn't open until 18:30), it was already filling up. We suspected that this was because the headliners were putting on a brand new show this evening, and everyone wanted to get across to the area to ensure they got a seat. (We had a plan for that.) Diane had some melon as a starter, and then chose Traditional Beer-Battered Haddock Fillet (Jane and Trevor also selected the haddock). I started with Hot Crispy Pulled Pork and Apple Bonbon. I followed this with Char Siu Pork Fillet Medallions with Japanese Ponzu Dressing. This was absolutely delightful.
This was where our plan kicked in. I am not a great one for desserts, so I left the others to choose their sweets while I nipped to the other end of the ship and snaffled four excellent seats in the Arena. The Arena was filling up fast and there were ushers spotting the odd vacant seats with more than 20 minutes to go. Di, Trevor and Jane arrived and took their seats. (I was told that I had chosen well.) The new show was called "Beyond Reality" and was sensational. It was a backdrop of digital life, with lasers, VR headsets, suits with lights that changed colour and each part could be switched on and off in time with the music and action. We were told specifically that we were not allowed to take any photos or use any recording devices (hence no images for the blog). Apparently, they are so paranoid about the copyright that they are not even allowed to send images to other headliner troupes in the fleet. As I said, it really was sensational but almost impossible to describe.
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