Just finding and entering the parking for our AirBnB is an adventure. First our GPS is routing us to go left assuming we can do that while we are in a tunnel, somehow it assumes we are on top where actually the roads are closed. Somehow we make it via one way roads until finally reaching the parking. Which is twice secured, luckily the AirBnB host waits for us but you have to use a remote to open the door to the garage, then another remote to open the door at the level you have your spot. Oh and then you have to use another card to use the elevator to go to your room, we feel like we are in secured VIP military base.
The apartment is nice though with four rooms and a living room, more than enough for two groups of people. And two bathrooms and a small kitchen.
It has views on two sides of the apartment building, it feels like we are looking in other people homes when we glance outside, that is how close we feel we are to the other buildings.
After resting a short while it is time to exit to buy provisions and also to find something to eat. Crepes, yum yum!
In fact we like the variety and choice of desserts in the city, a different day we buy fancy ice creams, one with Baileys, both of them being really good.
With our relative being tired and returning to the AirBnB we decide to explore the city a bit more until it gets dark or the stores close.
First we go to Plaza de Espana, through which our GPS was routing us. We now see a path that would have been possible but now it is blocked by police. Plaza de Espana is built on top of the historic Castillo de San Cristóbal, a bastion for defending the island of piracy and now is anchored by an artificial lake in the middle. While admiring the views we see a large crowd of people further away and put two and two together, there is something going on and that is why the police closed the area.
We are curious and try to understand what is happening, it seems that a procession is leaving from the street and walking towards the seashore protected by military and police. People are dressed to the nines and it seems it is a religious procession. Later checking online we find we are correct, it is the Virgen del Carmen festival, a celebration of the patron saint of fishermen, which is very popular here as expected.
We then continue exploring the town stopping in open shops as possible and admiring impressive buildings, some renovated, some less so.
Some of the streets are quite scenic, at least to us but in the end we use the up-down street, Calle de Castillo to move around as it has the most shops. It also passes near the Parliament of Canarias, not something that can be visited but interesting to see from the outside.
We then return home tired via the Plaza del Príncipe de Asturias, another main Plaza that we are going to pass often in the next days that is anchored by the Museum de Bellas Artes on one side and other impressive buildings on the other sides. Home we eat from the new provisions and then it is time to sleep as tomorrow we have a full day planned in San Cristobal de la Laguna.
On the last full day in Santa Cruz de Tenerife we spend the morning and the evening further exploring the streets and the museums. We start with the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Concepción a major church that we assume is closed. To our surprise as we walk around it we find an open entrance into the opulent interior.
We explore it for some time, there are some interesting icons and beautiful carvings inside but then it is time to exit and visit the nearby museums before returning to our AirBnB.
One of the things which is unexpected to us is that the canal which seems so seriously built up is actually dry and even has some cars accessing the dry riverbed for fun we guess?
While most of the downtown buildings are renovated, not all of them are and some can be quite scenic. And for sale if you want a delapidated building close to the downtown area of the capital.
Before returning to the AirBnB and meeting with our relative who has to leave today we stop to eat a few tapas as we are quite hungry. And they are really good and hit the spot and refreshed we are ready to go.
In the evening we plan to explore further inland the downtown area, stop at stores and then eat at a Michelin restaurant if posssible. In the meantime we are also listening for updates on our relative who is in the airport waiting for the plane.
This time we actually see the Parliament sign and a TV presenting happenings inside the Parliament, last time as we passed the building somehow we missed both.
As we go up the main pedestrian passage we enter shops and admire the beautiful buildings, here they are well restored and impressive.
At the end of Calle del Castillo, or at least the pedestrian area, is the Palacio de Capitanía General de Canarias, the headquarters of the military presence in the Canary Islands anchoring Plaza Weyler. And from here we are changing direction we are now going towards Parque García Sanabria and the restaurant we want to visit which is nearby.
The park itself is quite large and very popular and it has some scenic spots which are very popular with tourists and locals alike. The greenery tunnel is especially popular with couples but we find a few seconds it is empty to take photos of it.
However the most famous attraction in the park is the flower clock, somehow we miss it at first but then we find the right path to it and there it is, quite similar to a flower clock in my hometown actually.
And then we arrive at our chosen restaurant, Etéreo by Pedro Nel. It is a Michelin star restaurant, it is the weekend and we really do not expect to find a table however they offer as a sit outside and as it is evening it is not that hot. We order wine, apperitives and main course and as we start eating and drinking we get increasingly bad news from our relative from the airport. The plane got cancelled and now she has to find a hotel and we assume that should be relatively easy in such a touristy area.
However as we eat the main courses and the dessert, which are really yummy, we find out that even a hotel is unlikely so we decide to drive the hour to the airport, pick our relative and return to the AirBnB so she can spend the night in a room and not the airport. So we arrive at 1AM at the AirBnB and then in the morning we have to leave to go back to the airport and with a bit lof luck in a Kafka-esque situation she is able to leave. Kafka Situation: Airline request to arrive at 11AM, at 11 AM the check in is closed even though the plane leave at 2PM and you cannot get a boarding pass to get inside the secure area, everyone is shouting at everyone but somehow someone at the airport takes pity and we get a boarding pass so she can enter.
