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Jesus carrying the cross at the Vía Crucis in Adeje, Tenerife.With tomorrow being Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday), we start Semana Santa (Holy Week) and Easter Celebrations proper in Tenerife. There have been processions from last Friday, March 30, known as Viernes de Dolores and before, but the main events are on Jueves y Viernes Santo (Maunday Thursday and Good Friday, April 5th and 6th).

Whist most towns and villages have their own Easter processions, the main ones on the island are in La Laguna, La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz.

Vía Crucis reenactment in Adeje

However, for my money, the very best of the Easter events to see in Tenerife is the Vía Crucis in Adeje. This is held on Good Friday from 12:00 midday (which still gives you time to go to some of the other processions elsewhere in the evening), in the open air, in and around the main street in the town of Adeje.

Vía Crucis is a reenactment of the most relevant scenes from the last hours of the life of Jesus Christ. More than 300 amateur actors take part and, as a mark of how important this has become, the two hour event is transmitted live on TVCanaria.

Do not misunderstand the word amateur. In this case, it merely refers to the fact that actors are not being paid to partake - well, for this, you wouldn't expect them to be - because the performances are first rate, with operatic singing, superb costumes and realistic attention to detail, including an almost alarmingly convincing crucifixion!

Personally, I think some of the Roman soldiers cracking the whips might have been getting a little too enthusiastically into character, but I'm sure it is only red dye that provides the "blood stains". Various buildings, such as the town hall, take on new roles too, though we couldn't help but find a little amusement in the appearance of white lines for parking spaces painted near the bases of Biblical scenery.

View photos of Vía Crucis 2006

Easter processions

Festivals of a religious nature involving worship and processions take place. They are held in various districts all over the island, but some which deserve a special mention are: Santa Cruz, Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava, Los Realejos, Icod, Garachico, Arona, Adeje and in particular the ones in the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna.

PuntoInfo offer downloads (in Spanish) of the programs for Easter 2007 events in; La Laguna, Adeje, Güímar, Garachico, Los Realejos, La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz.

TenerifeCountryVillas.com describe the processions in La Laguna, with the Magna procession on Viernes Santo (Friday 6th April), starting at 17:00hrs from the Holy church of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, followed at 21:30hrs by the Silence procession, where all the city brotherhoods go with the Santísimo Cristo Difunto to the parish of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, and then every one of them return in silence to its corresponding church.

Semana Santa en La Orotava
2007 Easter in Tenerife

Cofradías - Brotherhoods

The most notable thing about these Easter processions is the Cofradías or Brotherhoods who dress in the Ku Klux Klan like garb with pointy hats. This is actually a throwback to the Inquisition, to hide the identity of an accuser. (In those days, probably not a bad idea, when the accusation was an unprovable offence, such as witchcraft, I guess.)

These brotherhoods are associations of faithful catholics who unite in devotion to a particular advocation of Christ, the Virgin or a particular Saint. Most of these Cofradías were formed in the 16th Century, at least as we know them today, as religious associations that make processions during Holy Week.

The youngest brotherhood on the island of La Palma is the Cofradía de La Piedad, founded in 2003, who have a website with lots of photos and videos.



Link to video for feed readers

Semana Santa in Tenerife Exhibition

There is an exhibition of Art, Tradition and Devotion in La Laguna until April 8th, organized by the town hall in conjunction with the various brotherhoods in the city.

The exhibition covers the Easter celebrations in all 31 districts of the island and is on display at the Ermita de San Miguel, next to the Plaza del Adelantado.

Viewing times are Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There will also be a permanent audiovisual display with close to one thousand photos of Holy Week in La Laguna, accompanied by sacred music.

La Laguna acoge una exposición sobre la Semana Santa en Tenerife

Traditional Food For Easter

Other than the tradition remaining in many households to eat fish on Good Friday, there don't seem to be any traditions for particular foodstuffs for Easter in Spain and the Canary Islands.

What, no Easter Eggs? No, they were not a tradition here, until very recently. Imported, boxed versions, have been creeping into shops in areas where there are expat communities and now, local Pastelería El Aderno makes its own delights; eggs and figurines in chocolate for the Santas Pascuas.

You probably won't find Hot Cross Buns either, except perhaps in the odd "foreign" (as in British) supermarket, but don't worry. Although not an Easter treat, I'd advise you to try the very similar tasting Bollo de Leche or Pan de Leche (Milk Bread), made with eggs, butter and yeast. Tasting more like the hot cross bun than the French Brioche, this comes in round rolls or even a sliced bread variety - the latter also with chocolate chips in. And, the best news is that they are available all year round!

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Book before April 3: Monarch Airlines is cutting the price on a range of its flights to sunshine destinations. Customers can get up to 50 per cent off two million seats to Almeria, Malaga, Alicante, Palma, Tenerife and other locations in Spain, Portugal and the Canaries. Travel must be completed by the end of March next year.

Monarch offers 50% off two million seats

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Easter festivities have not even started and Carnival has just passed, but the people of the biggest of the Canary Islands are getting ready for the next party. Tenerife has already started warming up for this year's Fiestas de Mayo. In 1999 this event won the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest number of alfresco diners. The day after the dinner Los Realejos, a municipality where there is a party every day of the year, will set off some of the most impressive fireworks in Europe.

Tenerife takes no time off

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ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents, is to hold its annual Travel Convention in Tenerife this year on November 28-30. The event, one of the biggest on the calendar for those work in the travel industry, will have a new look this year, with the 2007 convention taking place exactly ten years after Tenerife last hosted it.

Travel experts choose Tenerife

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ThisIsLondon say, "Sky-high holiday prices in summer are fuelling a massive surge to the sun this Easter with record numbers of Britons staging an overseas exodus to enjoy a welcome foreign break. The early dash to major airports and ferry terminals got underway yesterday as millions of children broke up from school for their Easter holiday fortnight. They are mainly flying out to sunny beauty spots such as the Algarve, Tunisia, Cyprus, Spain and Florida with the Canary Islands the top choice."

2.4 million Brits stage Easter holiday exodus overseas

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There's an exciting new silhouette on the horizon, Come April 2008, Britains' newest superliner will emerge, ready to sail the World's oceans, say Select World Travel. Ventura sets sail on 18th April 2008 for her Maiden cruise and, at the end of this article they include the full programme of cruises, many of which include visits to the Canary Islands of Tenerife, Lanzarote and La Palma. Here's a preview:



Link to video for feed readers | Britain's newest Superliner

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Paul and Freya ... Writing At The Kitchen Table, have enduring and ongoing love of anything written with Elisabeth Luard.

In A Tale of Two Mojos, they make Papas Arrugadas with two Mojos (the traditional sauces of these islands) - all beautifully illustrated, from recipes in Luard's book, The Food of Spain and Portugal, which I'm delighted to find, has a whole chapter on the food of the Canary Islands.

They say, "The dishes cooked in this book will help send you to warmer climes with dusty roads lined with orange trees and the scent of ripe figs in the air." How quickly one takes these things for granted, when they are around you every day!

A Tale of Two Mojos | The Food of Spain and Portugal

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Forest in La Gomera
BouganvillaOur new Tenerife calendar images - that are free to print off on your own printer - are available for the month of April 2007, with a choice of the two designs pictured left. They're also available as Windows Wallpaper or as online postcards that you can send to your family and friends.

Click on the individual images to open the full-size version (8" x 11") of the calendar of your choice in a new window. Save the image to your computer and print it off.

Pin up in your kitchen, your office for counting down to your next Tenerife holiday!

To make sure you get your new calendar page each month, subscribe to our newsletter, where we will remind you when they become available.

Free Tenerife Calendars to Download and Print

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Easter in the UK has typically been a time for catching up with family and dusting off the caravan, but new research suggests that Brits now have much more ambitious plans. The average Easter holiday will cost a staggering £2,376 this year, up from just £1,533 last year, suggesting Brits are keener than ever to enjoy a bit of springtime sunshine. As in 2006, the most popular destination among Easter travellers is the Canary Islands.

Brits Make Expensive Easter Travel Plans

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Think Spain report, "According to a forecast released by the National Meteorological Institute (INM) Thursday, a ridge of low pressure is forecast to continue to bring cold, wet conditions to the north and east coasts of Spain during this weekend and into the first half of next week although an improvement is expected from around Thursday onwards. Gale force winds are also forecast for the Cantabrian coast and the northeast of the Canary Islands archipelago."

You thought it was only in the UK that bad weather could pick Bank Holidays? :)

Storms threaten Holy Week parades

Labels: Tenerife Weather, Weather

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As El Guiri pointed out earlier in the week, "It was a bit of a shock to see Miss España on digital terrestrial television here last night. I'm pretty sure that sort of thing is buried deep on some satellite channel in the UK ..." Likewise, I ran into the spectacle on Telecinco, one of the "normal" TV channels.



Link to video for feed readers

It's all very odd really, because, yeah, sure Tenerife is proud to have come as high as second, but (though unconfirmed), it is possible that "our girl" and not the winner, will go on to represent Spain in Miss World. It's also interesting to note that, although Adriana Reverón Moreno was entered in Miss Spain as Miss Tenerife, she was, in fact only the 1st Runner-up in that event, held in Icod de los Vinos last September.

No doubt, someone will explain to me how this all works, one day.

But who says there are no prizes for coming second, eh?

Adriana Reverón, primera dama de Miss España, acaricia la gloria

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The Casa de Carta is to open it's drawers to discover the history of underwear, writes La Opinión, wittily. The museum is to exhibit lingerie that was in use in the Canary Islands between 1850 and 1950 at the Museo de Antropología de Tenerife (Tenerife Anthropology Museum), located at the Casa de Carta in the Valle de Guerra, La Laguna. Tenerife will have its knickers, corsets, petticoats, stockings, underpants and more on show until May 31st.

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 19:00. Mondays closed. Sundays entrance free.

La Casa de Carta abre sus gavetas para descubrir la historia de la ropa interior

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El Hierro, the smallest of Spain?s Canary Islands, is to receive 100 percent of its electricity supply from renewable energy sources. El Hierro will rely on a combination of hydroelectricity and wind power to generate its electricity. ?El Hierro will be the first island in the world totally supplied by renewable energy,? the ministry said. The technology associated with this task includes a system involving two reservoirs to power hydroelectric stations, a wind farm and a pumping system.

Island powered solely by Renewables Via: Kmareka.com

Kmareka.com also pointed to this video from Club Guelillas for a taste of the island:

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Jimmy Farrell, battling to win the biggest fight of his life after being diagnosed with stomach cancer, turns his attentions to helping the club by organising fundraisers and auctions to help raise money to send a team of fighters to a special training camp in Tenerife. Selling off donated gifts such as signed Arsenal and England shirts, Jim fulfilled his dream in September when the club took a squad of fighters to Spain just before the start of the amateur season. The retreat proved such a success, the team of fighters returned to Tenerife last week for more intense training.

?Heart and soul? of boxing club fights against cancer

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The Irish Times report that, "A man was arrested at Dublin airport last night for the alleged illegal importation of 26,160 cigarettes after he arrived on a flight from Tenerife." Well, that's a tad over the allowance of 200 cigarettes. :)

Man arrested over cigarette seizure

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This is a question a bit like, is the glass half full or half empty, but I think we are supposed to take this announcement from the regional government's Councillor for Economy and Tax as "good news." Of course, by simple deduction, the reality must be that current income per inhabitant, per year, in the Canary Islands is still lower than the EU average. Apparently, we are in a dynamic growth phase and the figure is no longer less than 75% of the average (which suggests that it was lower, not long ago.) And, if you ask me, the whole thing is relative, as I am sure prices will will continue rising too, so its acquisitive power remains much the same, or worse!

Canarias estará en tres años en la media de la UE de renta por habitante y año

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The president of Tenerife Island Corporation, Ricardo Melchior, speaking on Thursday at an international seminar on population growth in insular spaces, has said that the increase in inhabitants in recent years, "raises challenges in strategic planning."

Melchior outlined that, with an area of 2,034 square kilometers, 50% of which is protected space, means that Tenerife's current population of more than 800,000 inhabitants live in just half of that area. Also taking tourists into account, means that for some of the time, the number of people in Tenerife surpasses one million.

The seminar, which was organized by the Tenerife corporation, has gathered experts from many similar insular territories, such as the Balearic Islands, Hawaii, Madiera and Malta. Preliminary conclusions from a joint study over the effects of population growth in Tenerife should be concluded by the end of April.

Tenerife supera en algunos momentos el millón de personas en su territorio

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The Council for the Environment and Territory Management of the Canary Island Government are to begin a new campaign to control the species, Diadema antillarum (Long-spined sea urchin) on the islands of Tenerife and Lanzarote shortly.

It always slightly amuses me that the way these reports sound in Spanish: a campaign, sounds like a military one and that they are going to send the equivalent of the SBS down to route out the epidemic of these pests that have been doing serious damage the sea bed off the Canary Islands for several years now. Too many urchins screws up the equilibrium of the ecosystems and conservation of various marine habitats, indirectly allowing other exotic species to colonize those areas.

Ironic that the urchins on this side of the Atlantic escaped completely, the disease which killed 97% of their number throughout the Caribbean in 1983, causing coral reefs there to be overcome by micro-algae which stifles coral growth and, resulting in widespread coral disease. (Maybe we should offer them our excess urchins?)

It just goes to show you how important balance is, with the right number of the various members of the food chain hierarchy, each having their part in the "grand scheme" and, how important it is that we protect these marine areas and not keep overfishing them, nor tipping heaven knows what kinds of waste into them.

Medio Ambiente pone en marcha una campaña para el control del erizo de lima en Tenerife y Lanzarote

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Located on the center of the picture is Mesa Mota mountain, where yesterday, the monument in memory of all the victims of the accident was inaugurated.Yesterday, on the 30th Anniversary of the Tenerife Disaster on March 27th, 1977, Tenerife paid homage to the victims of the accident at Los Rodeos. Families of the those who died, as well as survivors of the tragedy and members of the island's authorities, celebrated a memorial service at the Auditorio de Tenerife. Karen Tafuri, who lost her mother, Jeanne Wilder, in the crash, spoke of her experience, in representation of victims from the United States. While, Jan Groenewoud, President of the Foundation for families of the victims, remembered the seven people - among them, both of his parents and two sisters - that he lost on that date.

La hija de una víctima de Los Rodeos: "La catástrofe nos ha unido y nos tendrá vinculados para siempre"
Tenerife conmemora la tragedia de Los Rodeos


The 583 victims now have their Stairway to Heaven

An emotional homage was paid to the 583 victims of the crash yesterday afternoon, when De Wenteltrap (Spiral Staircase) memorial was inaugurated on the Mesa Mota mountain in La Laguna, Tenerife, overlooking the airport and site of the disaster.

The various reports in the local press carry numerous photos from the day's events:
Las 583 víctimas del accidente de Los Rodeos ya tienen su escalera al cielo
Un acto de homenaje y esperanza une a familiares de víctimas de Los Rodeos
Penas compartidas en Los Rodeos

It was also revealed yesterday, that the Dutch artist, Rudi van de Wint, who designed the over 18 metres tall monument, sadly died shortly after completing it.


Air Traffic Controller speaks to the media for the first time

Fernando Azcúnaga, who was one of the three controllers on duty in the tower at Los Rodeos on that fateful day in 1977, has spoken to the media for the first time in these 30 years. Previously, he had refused to speak publicly, but finally conceded on the request of his wife. The full text of an interview appears (in Spanish) in La Opinión, where Azcúnaga talks of his frustration at not having been able to do anything.

Now 71 and retired in 2000, Azcúnaga is married and father of four children (one of whom died in a traffic accident). He now lives in Tegueste, in the north of Tenerife and runs a parquet flooring company. Although he considers himself a strong person, Azcúnaga tells how the disaster changed his character and how he felt very saddened. "It was not my fault, but I was implicated.", he says. The accident still moves him enormously and it is something he carries in his heart.

The insurance companies, he adds, harassed him a lot in the aftermath of the crash. "There were a load of insurance companies and the easiest for them would be to put the blame on the controller so that everything would be paid by the Spanish Government", he says. (In 1977, ATC was still handled by the military in Spain.)

He has also spoken out about the rumour, reported on various occasions and included in certain documentaries, that the controllers were listening to a football match on the radio. This, Azcúnaga considers absurd. For one thing, Air Traffic Controllers work with headphones on, secondly, there is the evidence that in none of the tapes is there any sound of a goal or anything of the like.

Fernando Azcúnaga Aaransay: "Fue muy frustrante no poder hacer nada"


Runway Safety Debated on Anniversary of Deadly Crash

Meanwhile yesterday, Robert Bragg, former Pan American World Airlines co-pilot, spoke to the National Transportation Safety Board Tuesday at a safety forum in Washington, D.C., to recall the moment when his 747 was taxiing at Los Rodeos Airport and a KLM jumbo jet came barreling down the runway for its takeoff.

Runway Safety Debated on Anniversary of Deadly Crash


Tenerife will certainly never forget this disaster. Yesterday alone, there were no less than two documentaries on the crash - with some gruesome footage I had not previously seen - shown on just one local TV station, TVCanaria, as well as news coverage of the memorial services in every news report and magazine program.

But I also understand that having all the information is one of the ways one can deal with this event and that many people are still looking for this information (more than 300 to this one page here yesterday, alone), therefore, here are some more items I have found in my recent searches and that may be of use of interest to you:


Documents from the Investigation

For those who read Spanish, Canarias24Horas are offering six PDF documents to download, which are all of the documents from the Spanish investigation into the accident, including; the analysis, diagrams, the investigators' conclusions, flight plans from both aircraft and the official meteorological report from 27 March 1977.

See the following report for downloads: 30 años después les mostramos los documentos de la investigación del accidente de Los Rodeos


Seconds From Disaster Crash of the Century

Three clips from National Geographic Channel's Seconds From Disaster series.



See also: Tenerife Disaster Part 1 and Tenerife Disaster Part 2

This episode in the series reenacts the Tenerife disaster that took place at 17:06 local time on March 27, 1977, when two Boeing 747 airliners collided at Los Rodeos Airport on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, killing 583 people.

Link to video for feed readers


NOVA: The Deadliest Plane Crash
This NOVA documentary covers the disaster on March 27, 1977, on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, when the two fully loaded 747 jumbo jets collided on a fogbound runway, killing 583 people in what is still the deadliest crash in aviation history.

More information on the feature can be found here and, you can read a transcript of the The Deadliest Plane Crash here.


Further related articles and links:
Frustration, fog and fire - how a terrorist bomb blast 100 kilometers away led to the greatest disaster in aviation history, taking the lives of 583 innocent people.
Bethene Miller Moore -- survived worst plane crash in history
History's worst aviation accident turned on twists of fate
'...What's he doing? He'll kill us all!' (Article from TIME, dated Monday, Apr. 11, 1977)
No Place for an Ego

Project-Tenerife.com
TenerifeCrash.com


Anecdote

Much has already been written about the entire chain of events and circumstances that added up to allow this accident to happen, any one of which, if it hadn't occurred might have helped to prevent it from doing so ... If only it hadn't been foggy, if only there had been lights on the runway, ground radar (which Los Rodeos does now have), if only there hadn't been a terrorist bomb in Gran Canaria ...

One could go back to "if only the Wright Brothers hadn't discovered flight."

Nevertheless, there is one further piece of anecdotal information that I found at the foot of this article about the crash. I have no point of reference to be able to confirm this information, but it is certainly ironic, if not a bit creepy, if it is indeed fact and, while it sounds like the kind of story that the English might tell about "Spanish builders", the thing is, I have only ever read this report in Spanish, it says:

During the Second World War, Hitler insisted to Franco's regime on the construction of an aerodrome in Tenerife to give cover for his troops in North Africa. German technicians were sent to initiate studies for the design of the airport, which were later presented to the Spanish authorities. These latter decided to postpone the construction, but they held onto the plans made by the Germans, who in those days were considered as the experts in airport design and construction.

Some years later, after the end of the war, the Spanish authorities decided that it was time to construct the airport in Tenerife, for which they decided to resort to the valuable documents provided by the Germans. Amongst these was a map of the area, on which was clearly marked a great big red cross. The Spanish "supposed" that this marked the ideal location for the airport and, commenced its construction based on the German maps. What they did not know, is that the big red cross indicated the area where an airport should never be built.

Labels: Tenerife Disaster

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Disneyland Paris and Tenerife are among Briton's most popular destinations for an Easter weekend break, new figures reveal. According to a Hitwise study, the French resort and "cheap flights to Tenerife" were the two overseas search terms British holidaymakers most entered into search engines on the week ending March 17th, reports Travel Daily News.

Brits look to Tenerife and Disneyland for Easter hols

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Interesting question and one, to which I will admit that I did not really know the answer. However, this answer will tell you all of the distances between the 14 UK airports that offer direct services between England and Tenerife, from the nearest (Bournemouth at 1,748 miles) to the farthest (Newcastle at 2,007 miles).

How many miles from England to Tenerife?

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This is one of the nicest videos of Tenerife I've seen, offering a sample of many of the different things the island has to offer from under the sea to the top of the mountains. There are also visits to some of the island's attractions, such as the Loro Parque, The Guimar Pyramids and some great footage of one of my favorites; Pueblo Chico.



Link to video for feed readers

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But that I prefer not to muse too long over exactly whom would open (or indeed wish to visit) a Museum of Torture, for those so inclined, now you know we have one and, as astute photographer Phil Dowsing, who discovered this sign, that you can find it right by the dentist! (In the Compostela Beach complex in Playa de las Americas.)

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Tenerife dolphins screensaver reveals dolphins in their natural habitat. This download will bring you closer to dolphins than you could ever imagine. High quality photos and some really amazing shots of dolphins on coasts of Tenerife have pushed this download on top of best screensavers charts. Tenerife dolphins screensaver features rare scenes of dolphins and brings their playful and intelligent nature directly to your screen. This is a free download.

Additionally, Tweak Your Windows guarantees that Tenerife Dolphins Screensaver 1 is 100% CLEAN, which means it does not contain any form of malware, including but not limited to: spyware, viruses, trojans and backdoors.

Tenerife Dolphins Screensaver

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The resorts on the south of Tenerife are, as everyone knows, full of British bars, with British names, run by Brits, serving the British clientele. In the island's capital, but that globalization in general has added sights like a McDonalds, a branch of The Body Shop and many other foreign businesses, Santa Cruz does still manage to put on a face of being a Spanish city port today.

Little more than a century previously, Santa Cruz had successfully repelled a British attack, but one hundred years ago (OK, 101, who's counting?) in 1906, Tenerife and, particularly Santa Cruz, may have seemed more British than it does now.

When King Alfonso XIII disembarked at the port of Santa Cruz on March 26th, 1906, for an 11 day stay, it was the first ever visit of a Spanish monarch to the archipelago.

Later in that same year, on May 31, 1906, King Alfonso XIII married British Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887-1969) - a wedding marred by an assassination attempt - grandmother of the present King of Spain, King Juan Carlos. Victoria Eugenie was a niece of King Edward VII and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, making King Juan Carlos a direct descendant of Queen Victoria.

Perhaps this British link was the motivation for a huge sign for King Alfonso XIII's November 1906 visit, proclaiming "God Save King Alfonso", in English, seen here in the Plaza de la Candelaria (opposite the current McDonalds, if I'm not mistaken). Look closely and you'll see that it was above a Cafe Belge (Belgian Cafe), premises named "The Standard" and, with a Union Jack draped over the top of the door.

Amazing! But this still seems rather a surprising sight in Santa Cruz of the 1900s.

In 1889, those "Brits abroad" - described as the British colony - in Tenerife had gathered to celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday. Colony is right: it's all "jolly afternoon tea and hats", but still looks uncomfortably just like the British Raj in India.

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Judging from the sound of the heavy rain outside the house tonight, I would wonder if perhaps they may have been a little premature, however, Canarias7 report that Security and Emergency Services on the island declared the end of the alert, declared at 23:00 on Sunday night, at 09:30 yesterday morning.

Finaliza la situación de alerta por lluvias en Santa Cruz de Tenerife

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It's reported that the Tenerife Island Corporation has recently initiated a study to draw up plans for a project to restore the singular, historic building the Casa Palacio de Los Marqueses de Adeje y Condes de La Gomera, popularly known as the Casa de Piedra (Stone House) - referring to the stonework on it's facade that was carried out by stonemasons from the neighbouring island of Gran Canaria - in Garachico, Tenerife.

The building, which dates from the end of the 16th Century, was originally owned by the Ponte family (founders of the town of Garachico) and, later came into the hands of the Counts of La Gomera, following a marriage between those two families. Casa de Piedra was significantly damaged in the 1706 eruption, which destroyed the town's port and today is in a preoccupying state of deterioration, both inside and out.

The restoration will be carried out by the Corporation, who are the building's current owners and the Government of the Canary Islands. It isn't said if the restoration will render the building available to the public, but it has been used in the past to house art exhibitions and similar events (one year the municipal Nativity was displayed inside the house), which leads one to hope that this will be the eventual case.

Restauración de la Casa de la Piedra

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So, these beautiful brightly colored fishing boats are moored off the neighbouring island of Gran Canaria, but I think they are so pretty and, you can still find similar boats at various little fishing ports all around the Canary Islands.

This image is, in fact, one of several that Lonely Planet have taken in the archipelago; in Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura. You can see more of their selection here.

Moored Fishing Boats, Puerto De Mogan, Canary Islands, Spain

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Swimming pools in the capital of Tenerife were left without power, after a robber walked off with 27 kilos of electrical cable. Police detained a 43 year old man, who allegedly stole the two rolls of cable from the Municipal Sports Palace in Santa Cruz, after the man, responding to descriptions given by witnesses, was located leaving a junk yard where he had just sold copper cable (coincidentally) weighing 27 kilos.

Dejan sin luz piscinas municipales Tenerife tras robo 27 kilos de cable

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The island was, once again, placed under a situation of alert late on Sunday night and a great quantity of rain and snow fell in Tenerife, particularly on the north of the island, causing rockfalls that closed roads (including the TF-5 highway), flooding, electricity cuts, left schools and colleges without classes and, at least, a dozen people had to be rescued on Teide. In some areas of the north of Tenerife, 200 liters per square meter of rain fell and there were delays at Tenerife's Los Rodeos airport.

Access roads to the mountain and the National Park remain closed and the weather alert remains active, although schools have re-opened today, but you can see a pretty picture of Teide, all snow covered, here (along with pictures of flooding.)

Go here and you can see the view, via webcam, from the residence building at the Teide Observatory at 2,400 meters. You can't see a fat lot right now, because Teide is in cloud, but you can see a lot of snow around and about the area.

Diario de Avisos call it "a spectacular storm" and, they're not wrong. This house has 18 inch thick walls, but the thunder was so intense that we all felt the ground and houses shake locally at one point, as if there had been an earthquake.

Yet, despite the situation suffered in the north and capital of the island, the beaches on the south of Tenerife were still full of sunbathers throughout the weekend.

Las intensas lluvias dejan carreteras cortadas, inundaciones, desprendimientos y un rescate

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