Sunday, March 30, 2008
La Laguna - What a Cool Place
On Good Friday, or Viernes Santo as it's known on Tenerife, I travelled to the Island's former capital, La Laguna, to watch the Silent Procession. I deliberately bypassed the gridlocked traffic vying for spaces around Plaza del Adelantado on the edge of the old quarter, so that I had to crisscross the old town's atmospheric streets to get to where the procession was taking place.
It was no hardship; I could happily stroll along La Laguna's cobbles for hours, soaking up the sense of history that oozes from every unevenly plastered old cottage and smooth basalt stone façade of aristocratic mansions. 
The policy of having street lighting designed to reduce light pollution means that you don't get 'bright lights, big city' on Tenerife. Streets are dimly lit at best, bathed in soft, golden hues reminiscent of cinema's numerous depictions of Victorian London. In most European cities, the dim lighting would have had me quickening my step and glancing around nervously for danger lurking in the shadows, but not here. On these streets and alleys, it only enhanced the notion that I was somewhere else in time. If I had passed Harry Lime lighting up in a doorway, I wouldn't have looked twice. Every so often the darkness was broken by the inviting glow radiating from tascas whose modern chic interiors somehow complimented their colonial exteriors.
It's one of the things I like about La Laguna; although the old quarter is a wonderfully preserved treasure chest of old townhouses and mysterious convents with latticed balconies; an open air living museum, if you wish, it also has a modern underbelly which borders on bohemian.
The mix of old and new was evident all around. An abstract sardine tin doorframe fronted an 18th century townhouse; intricately carved wooden balconies from the 17th century were reflected in shop windows displaying the latest fashions. In Plaza del Adelantado old guys in fedoras shared benches with ultra modish students from the city's university.
The sky was clear and a bright full moon cast a silvery glow on the darkened streets, but a vindictive northern wind was racing through the streets doing a passable impression of 'The Day After Tomorrow' and the warm ambience of a tasca seemed a more inviting prospect than waiting on exposed streets which would have a brass monkey gulping nervously. However, I resisted their lure and took my place, folding my arms against the cold.
When the first of the hooded brotherhoods emerged from the darkness and passed silently in front of me, all thoughts of feeling cold dissipated; I was transfixed. For just under an hour, the hooded figures flowed silently by. The scene was almost medieval and yet around me, stylishly dressed Laguneros looked as though they could have just stepped from the pages of Vogue.
That's La Laguna. I think it's fair to say that, whichever way you look at it, it's definitely one of the coolest places to visit on Tenerife.
Copyright © 2008 Real Tenerife Island Drives. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be copied or reproduced without the written permission of Real Tenerife Island Drives.
- Lying on a beach all day every day might make for a relaxing holiday, but memories of it fade as quickly as your sun tan. Island Drives is aimed at travellers who want to experience the real essence of Tenerife, not just its pools and beaches. If you want an unforgettable holiday as opposed to a good one, Real Tenerife Island Drives will make the difference.
Add our updates to My Yahoo!, Bloglines, Feedster, Google Reader or More options ...
loved your atmospheric tale
For some reason all your apostrophes have changed to question marks - I'm currently using Firefox instead of IE7 - dunno if that makes the difference.