Secret Tenerife: A somewhat damp close to 2008 in Tenerife

A somewhat damp close to 2008 in Tenerife

As the weather alert in the Canary Islands is declared over, it's been a case of "lovely weather for ducks" to end the year in Tenerife. Following the orange weather alert which advised people on the island to stay indoors, gales and heavy rains caused the closure of a few roads, including one carriageway of the Tenerife south highway and, airports on the island also suffered some important delays due to the bad weather. Here are images of the rainy day on December 28th, in gorges around Santa Cruz. (The beautiful mountain landscape is indeed a bit damp, but so very, very green.)

Lots of people, both tourists and locals, watch to see if Tenerife's Mount Teide has snow on it for a White Christmas excursion up the mountain. This year, it seems there was, although it was also reported that mountain access roads were closed on Christmas Day because of sheets of ice, while La Gomera had tornados! It's good news for agriculture - and there's an old saying on the island about a good harvest to come - if there's snow on the mountain at New Year. As this image shows, there was a light covering of snow on December 28th. No doubt, with more having been left by the heavy rains in the last couple of days. (Photo: Jøran Pecher.)

The official weather man is forecasting a colder start to the New Year than is usual in the Canary Islands and 2008 has already been declared "the least warm year of the 21st Century." Don't forget that what's called "cold" in Tenerife is not cold as you and I know it. Last report had rated 19.9ºC as "extremely cold".

But, while rain might close the odd road, it wont wash out a party and, in any case, the good news is that fine, clear weather is now expected for the 31st.

San Silvestre Lagunera

I'd wondered what it was when I saw that archway go up in La Laguna last year, now the "mystery" is solved with the news that the annual San Silvestre Lagunera (Saint Silvester's Day Roadrace) has beaten it's own record with some 1,200 runners participating in the twenty-seventh edition of the race around the principal streets of the historic centre of the town on Wednesday, December 31st.

Where to find New Year's Eve Parties ...

Parties will be held in just about every venue and town square across the island - it might be easier to tell you where they won't be - so just follow the crowds, the noise and the fireworks. If you're on the south of the island, the party in the church square in Los Cristianos is usually rockin' ...

Described as Gran Fiesta de Fin de Año, the fun starts in the plaza in Los Cristianos from 11 p.m. (until dawn), with two orchestras; "Sensación Gomera" and "Corinto Band", party bags, fireworks and more surprises.

Meanwhile, Televisión Española will be bringing in the New Year from the area around the Ermita de San Sebastián in Adeje and that's Costa Adeje (the posh way of saying it's up the better end of Playa de las Américas, so you won't have far to go (map).

In Santa Cruz, television channel Televisión Canaria will be broadcasting the chimes from the emblematic Iglesia de la Concepción in Santa Cruz.

The customs at New Year are to wear your very best, new clothes and to eat 12 "lucky" grapes (Uvas de la Suerte), one grape on each stroke of the clock.

And, as we mentioned earlier, there will be be uninterrupted bus and tram services right through the night of New Years Eve for revelers.

Other year-end news in Tenerife

If you missed it earlier, Ricardo Melchior, the President of the Tenerife Island Corporation recorded a Christmas and Happy New Year message in three languages this year. Here's the English version and a transcript.

Numbers of tourists visiting Tenerife were down 6.46% during November, bringing figures to the end of the 11th month to 0.78% more than in 2007. Bad news if you were looking for growth, not so bad when you see that numbers have still more than equalized those of last year. The Canary Islands have launched a £1.26 million European promotional campaign to entice more visitors and prove the islands have more to offer than just sun, sea and sand …

Sail on the last working Royal Mail ship in the world, the RMS St Helena, which sails from Portland UK to Cape Town and back, via Tenerife. Once St Helena Airport on the south Atlantic island of Saint Helena - most widely known as the original resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte - opens (originally due to be completed by 2010, but is now expected to be completed by 2012/2013), the RMS St Helena will have reached the end of its working life. Saharan Vibe blog has a great post about both the island and the ship.

The population of Spain at January 1st, 2008 was 46,063,511, over 5 million of whom were foreigners. In the Canary Islands the total population had reached 2,075,968, 50,017 (2.47%) more than the 2007 figure.

Give With One Hand, Take Away With the Other:

The relevant ministry is increasing the minimum salary in Spain to 621 euros a month in 2009 (yeah, not a lot is it?) But, water, energy, transport and telephone are all going up in the Canary Islands from January 2009.

Duty free allowances changed on December 1st and from 1 January 2009, the other goods allowance will increase again from £300 to £340.

Iberia are launching special tariffs for flights between the Canary Islands and Madrid, from 71 euros.

Flu has reached epidemic proportions in 7 Spanish communities, among them the Canary Islands.

ChargeBox mobile phone charging units come to the Canary Islands in January. Distributor, Avances Tecnologicos (A&T), will deploy 25 units across the archipelago in the new year, and hopes to install 100 by the end of 2009.

newyearbaby And heath services have activated their plan to give press coverage to the first babies born in Canarian hospitals in 2009. (Assuming that those first New Year babies are born in hospitals and not in the streets like the Christmas ones were!)

And that just leaves me to wish you all a Feliz Año Nuevo

... and remind you to write / pronounce that with the ~ tilde (squiggle), lest your greeting be misunderstood as having to do with this impolite fighting talk.

(Año, "year" in Spanish, ano, "anus" in Spanish.)