Hobble free in Tenerife, dry as well!!

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Distance travellled since Santos 4160 nautical miles


As mentioned in the previous entry we lost all TV and internet reception during our Atlantic crossing. As we enter the waters around the Canary Islands we have just received a shit load of new TV channels to the delight of most of the men on board but much to the disgust of the women!!

The last time we were in Tenerife I was hobbling on one foot and we arrived shortly before a tropical storm hit. We have already checked the weather for Tenerife and there are no tropical storms due. I have walked across the length of our cabin and I am hobble free, so we are good to go!!

We knew exactly where we needed to go. The ship docked just before 11am and we disembarked about 11:30 together with most of the other passengers. There is a free shuttle that takes passengers around the quay to the port entrance but as there is no restriction with walking quayside, we followed the masses around the dock, up the ramp and toward Plaza de la España. Although we started out as if we were lining up for the London marathon, the mass soon thinned out as some crowded around the tourist information kiosk whilst others headed straight for a coffee where they could log on to free Wi-Fi. Another group were queued at the hop on-hop off bus stop. We carried on walking cutting across the plaza and through a side street that took us to the tram stop. Tickets were purchased at the tram stop for €1.35 and at this time of day run every 4 minutes. We were off to San Cristóbal de la Laguna. La Laguna is Tenerife's second most important city and until 1723 was the capital of the island. Due to the historic importance San Cristóbal de la Laguna was declared a world heritage site in 1999. The tram journey takes about 40 minutes. After reaching the tram station of Puente Zurita some 7 minutes in to our journey we were in new territory. This was as far as we reached last time before the torrential rain cut all the power to the main line and we were stranded in this suburb of Santa Cruz, Tenerife's current capital city.

During our trip to La Laguna, we noticed several people get on the tram and then took, what appeared to be a 'selfie'. Holding a camera phone above their head, pointing then shooting. Very strange, but popular. It wasn't until we looked in the direct eye line to one of the travellers that we noticed above every door of the tram could be found a square bar code. We then realised that rather than paying by conventional means, these people were paying using their smart phones! Very smart phones!!

The end of the line, La Trinidad, so called because the tram terminated in Avenida de la Trinidad. This was the town of La Laguna. We stopped at the public map that one can find adjacent to every tram stop to get our bearings. A short walk ahead then we took a left up Calle Herradores. This is a pedestrianised road that led straight to Our Lady of the Conception Church with its very prominent bell tower. This church is the oldest parish church in Tenerife. The original temple was adjacent to the lagoon after which this town is named but due to its small size, in 1515 moved to this site. The church has undergone some modifications over the centuries and is a mix of 16^th and 17^th century architecture.

There is a statue of some bloke called Juan Pedro II in the grounds of the church who I know believe to be Pope John Paul II (the hat should have given it away!!)

For a small fee, I climbed to the top of the church bell tower (99 steps) which provided me with excellent views of the surrounding area and the streets below. We then headed across the Plaza de la Conception and down the rather grandiose name (well, long anyway) Calle Obispo Rey Redondo (Antigua calle La Carrera) stopping briefly at Our Lady of Los Remedios Church/Cathedral. As this is the biggest religious structure in the town I would have safely assumed that this is the cathedral but the local council can't seem to make up its mind!

The town of La Laguna is almost built on the grid system and there seems much more that could be explored if we had time. Although 90%!o(MISSING)f historic buildings seemed either to be a church/chapel, a convent or the house of someone with religious ties (i.e. the bishop or a Jesuit) I did spot a house on the map belonging to a Bigot but on closer inspection, it was owned by a Señor Bigot, a wealthy landowner who just happens to have inherited an unfortunate surname!!

Heading back to the tram stop we passed a burger bar that advertised, not beef burgers, not hamburgers but ‘dolly' burgers. These delicacies take their name from Dolly the sheep and although a sheep burger may sound odd, and something the majority would turn their nose up at, especially when the logo looks like something from a Nick Parkes animation, when you consider that the burgers are only made from lamb instead of beef, they don't sound so bad. As it turns out, it was siesta time and most of the shops close their doors between 1.30pm and 4:30. A 3 hour lunch?? I wouldn't mind being a shop assistant in the Canary Islands for those kind of perks. Then I realised, I work for the Civil Service!!!

The journey back to the port was uneventful except for a ticket inspector joining us half way through the journey who moved down the carriage scanning all tickets to ensure everyone had paid for the ride. All those who had paid using their smart phone, showed something on the screen that satisfied the ticket inspector. I have never before seen this at any time I have used trams or public transport abroad as the practice of self-validating tickets is somewhat based on trust. This is something that is unlikely to work in the UK!!

Walking back across Plaza de España I saw another good photo opportunity and the rear end of 10 foot naked guards or knights holding a sword came in to view. These formed part of the memorial, Monumento a los Caidos, erected as a centre piece in the Plaza dedicated to fallen Nationalists in the Civil War. However, if Roisin thought I was going to drop my trousers just so I could mimic a pose alongside these giant statues she was going to be sorely disappointed!

Giving Tenerife one last look from our balcony, as I looked down from deck 11 I noticed a gang way protruding from the ship. I thought walking the plank was abolished with the demise of Blue Beard and Captain Kidd then I thought that maybe MSC are acting on my feedback after all regarding Derek our cabin steward as a suggested possible option to improve his attitude and work rate! Unfortunately, the gangway shortly retracted back in to the hull of the ship and we were on our way. Derek was still our cabin steward.

This evening the crossing toward Madeira is a little bumpy. The winds on the info TV are only showing as 21 knots but the sea state seems to be fiercer. This may be due to the storm we are circumnavigating. The storm is heading toward Lanzarote and the winds are too strong to make navigation in to Arrecife safe hence why the captain has decided to switch ports and head for Madeira first.

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