You'd almost think that nothing much was going on in Tenerife, but I'm sure it is. It's just that I've been caught up with other matters (and am likely to be for some time), so this is the "hit and run edition" of some of the more strange and (potentially) interesting things to have happened on this island lately ...

Amy Winehouse' Dad in Tenerife

The latest in the turbulent life of who the Daily Star calls a "pop wreck" - never in a million years thought I'd be citing them for accuracy - Amy Winehouse, is that her dad, Mitch, 57, who is a cabbie, had to cut short his holiday in Tenerife to go and scream asterisks at his daughter. Escaping our heatwave, for yet more heat, eh?


San Marcos Church in Tegueste, dressed up for the Romería. Photo: Juantf74Romería de Tegueste

This Sunday just gone, though the news was slightly overshadowed by the La Gomera fire and the heatwave, heralded the first of the summer season of romerías, the colorful fiestas where people and animals dress up in their finest traditional costumes and take to the streets to make music, eat, drink and generally be merry.

The Pilgrimage of Tegueste

Modelling for Mexico

The model village in the Ototava valley that recreates many emblematic Canary Islands' sites and buildings in miniature has branched out internationally. Pueblo Chico's model makers have been busy making models of Mexican wonders for, Discover Mexico, in Cozumel. The new park cost 6 million dollars to develop and Canarian investors hold 30% of its capital.

Midnight Train to Güímar

Three geologists say yes a north-south tunnel in Tenerife is viable. (The cynic in us observes that it's amazing what geologists will say for money, but actually, we are in favor of more public transport and less cars.) The intention is for a train to link the Güímar valley with the La Orotava valley. President of the Tenerife Corporation, Ricardo Melchior's vision is not just for north and south trains, but for a a whole round the island train layout. Choo choo!

Pyrotechnic Potato Prices

We all know that the price of food is rising sharply everywhere, but here on the island of Tenerife, the price of the 'umble spud, has "exploded" over the last few months, to put them at over 1 euro (83 pence) a kilo. In the four months of the year to date, potato prices have risen by 7.2% in the Canary Islands, while in Spain as a whole, the rise was only 0.9%.

Tenerife international film festival

Did you know that there had been a Tenerife international film festival on April 25th? No, nor did we, which has to mean this is one of Tenerife's best kept secrets to date. We cannot imagine why, nor why they would not be interested in international entrants, as Lisa Marks discovered when her "repeated requests to speak to their festival coordinator and press contact fell on deaf ears."

Tenerife Aeorbus Airport Bus route

Titsa (the Tenerife Bus Service) recently announced a new bus service from the Tenerife Sur Airport through Los Cristianos, Playa de Las Americas and onto La Caletta, offering possible savings on taxi prices. More info and map ...

Three Palms in Santa Cruz R.I.P.

Frankly, we weren't quite sure what to make of this solemn piece of news, written in the style of an obituary, which says that personnel from the Parks and Gardens Department of Santa Cruz town hall had to retire three palm trees that had perished.

Prepare to weep, as we read on to discover that the reason for their elimination (OMG, the poor things were "put out of their misery"), was because they had not survived after being subjected to being transplanted.

They were of the species, Phoenix canariensis (Canary Island Date Palm). Each left a widow and several cuttings (OK, I made that up) and will soon be replaced with three other examples of the same species. It'll never be quite the same!

Meanwhile, La Hijuela del Botánico de La Orotava: the botanical garden behind the town hall in La Orotava and that was once the market garden for the former convent of San José, has been declared as a Bien de Interés Cultural (of Cultural Interest) in the category of Artistic Garden. This Historical Garden oasis was created in 1788 on the initiative of the VI Marqués de Villanueva.

More than 20% of visitors to Tenerife are Canarian

More than 20% of visitors to Tenerife are Canarian, according to this report. That is, people who live on one of the other 6 Canary Islands, come here to Tenerife for their holidays. Can't be that bad then, can it? :)

For their benefit (and everyone else's I should think), the island is considering an all encompassing transport card, similar to the BONO bus (that already covers the tram and gets museum discounts), but that would also cover inter-island public services, the cable car, discounts in crafts shops, etc.

Nevertheless, it was tourists from the Spanish mainland who "saved" the statistics in March. Tenerife put up 506,572 guests in that month, an increase of 3.6% over the corresponding month in 2007, but the increase in the Spanish market was 21.8%, with Easter holidays falling in March.

Still 390,054 of that total were foreign visitors, although (translating literally), Brits and Germans "registered negative behavior". Yes, they probably did, and the numbers of you lot were lower (10.7% and 8.7% respectively) too!

Happily, foreign tourists spent 8.9% more in the first quarter of this year.

El Palmar church reopens

Last Saturday we missed the reopening of the little church, Iglesia de la Consolación, in El Palmar that had been undergoing extensive renovations (and they sent us such a nice printed invitation too), thereby passing up the golden opportunity to rub shoulders with the outspoken and controversial Bishop of Tenerife, Bernardo Álvarez; the President of the Tenerife Island Corporation, Ricardo Melchior and Aurelio Abreu, the mayor of Buenavista, among other "personalities." So bishops and politicians are personalities now?

Puticlubs y Putas de Tenerife

From vicars to tarts. Warning: Not safe for work link Puticlubs y Putas de Tenerife. Alterning.com - a guide to "nocturnal clubs" - provide a short list of whores and whorehouses in Tenerife, but they're star rated (on girls and price)! We feel sure that readers could add a few clubs and ratings to the list. :)

Very Slow Exposure

Once again, Grafcan, the public company that has supplied images to Google, is being criticized because the photos in the new version of Google Earth, are from December 2006 and, the question is asked, do they want to hide something?

Air Europa pilots to strike

It's been announced that the 527 pilots of Air Europa, which operates inclusive tour services between northern and western Europe and holiday resorts in the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands, are to park up their planes on the tarmac immediately after the puente de mayo (May bank holiday), partly in protest against the creation of new airline, Universal Airlines. Strike action is planned for Monday to Friday, 5 to 9 May, and will be repeated weekly, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, indefinitely, from June 1st, if they fail to reach an agreement.

Holiday Extras' Nick Purdom, writing about Low fare flights for winter (I know, it's hardly summer yet), says "Thomsonfly claims to offer the most comprehensive range of flights from UK airports to winter sun favourite the Canary Islands, with flights starting from £54.99 one way."

You'll find extra snippets of Tenerife news here ...

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Starting from tomorrow, May 1st, new rules come into force in Spain that make it a proper offence (punishable by 3-6 months in prison, or a 12-24 month ban and 31 to 90 days community service), to drive without a driving licence, with one that has run out of points, been suspended, etc.

Until today, believe it or not, this was a relatively minor "administrative infraction", which probably explains why so many people just don't bother with the inconvenience of licence getting here.

In 2007, 25,000 were caught driving without ever having obtained a licence.

Whilst I'm sure things have changed a bit in the interim, a decade and a half ago, you could be almost certain that if a man on this island had a driving licence at all, then he probably paid a cousin in Santa Cruz to take the test for him.

Meanwhile, even when you drive perfectly legally in Spain, do be careful how you park, because as Colin in Galicia says, "I learned yesterday it's the law in Spain that you must leave 30cm [1 foot] between you and the next car when you park. I had thought the rule was 2cm in town and at least 2 metres where it's slightly less difficult to park. In what might be a typical Spanish approach to the application of a law, the police in Pontevedra say they're now going to fine anyone who leaves less than 20cm. So I guess both men and women will now be asking what 8 inches looks like." (It's probably an inch less in the Canaries! :)

But, if you just want guidance for where to drive to on this island, I highly recommend Real Tenerife Island Drives. Get the real printed book to keep, or you can buy single routes that you can download, print off and off you go ...

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On Tuesday evening, the fire that had been raging since Saturday on the neighbouring island of La Gomera, had been brought under control (after a drop in both the temperature and wind speed). Meanwhile, in La Orotava, Tenerife on Tuesday afternoon, some 2,500 square meters of land had been burnt, after another fire was started by someone burning off stubble on farmland.

Some 800 hectares of land were affected by the La Gomera fire finally, which is a big enough ecological disaster that will, of course, take time to recover.

That's as well as losses to agriculture, farming, livestock and livelihoods ...

It is sad for visitors too who actually care about the beauty, nature and ecology of these fragile islands, that they will have to witness yet more palm trees with charred black trunks and "army regulation" haircuts, while they grown back.

A couple of reports suggest that the fire in Hermigua, Gomera was started by someone burning stubble / scrub and, that there has been an arrest. For what purpose, I have no idea, since despite the weather (which should logically have told anyone it was not a great idea), there had been no prohibition decreed and it is the season for it, probably has been since medieval times.

It just isn't the season for this kind of record heatwave.

Just to confuse matters, however, an earlier report had said that the fire in Hermigua was started by a spark from someone doing some welding.

Whichever, one Gomera resident echoed what I had said earlier: that much of the reason these fires spread is the amount of abandoned agricultural land, overgrown with easy burning dry scrub that surrounds rural homes.

In Vallehermoso, the fire had been caused by friction between electrical cables and, in response, President of La Gomera's Island Corporation, Casimiro Curbelo, says he will require electricity company, UNELCO, to substitute all of the above ground cables on the island. It was high time someone stood up to UNELCO over this and I wish him luck, because UNELCO won't want to spend the money.

President of Tenerife's Island Corporation, Ricardo Melchior, meanwhile says that in more than half the cases - where fires are started intentionally, like the fire in Tenerife last year - they know who did it, but they have to catch them red handed, because the legislation does not permit them to act against them.

As Francisco says here, islands like these, with so much similar forestry reserve, need many more permanent resources to combat things like this.

If you ask me, I think it needs a whole new approach.

At least temperatures have gone back to normal for the time of year today.

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Value It, the Santa Ursula based publisher of The Tenerife Property Price Guide, recently released the results of its survey of Tenerife property prices, showing falls in prices for the three regions of Tenerife, (the South and South East, the North, and the Metropolitan region).

During the last six months, property prices have fallen by 3,48% in the South and South East (from Candelaria around the coast to Santiago del Teide). In the North, prices have fallen the least, by 2,64%, and in the Metropolitan region (Santa Cruz, La Laguna, El Rosario and Tegueste) prices have fallen by 3,27%. When general inflation is taken into account (2,1% over the last six months) the real falls are 5.6% in the South, 4,7% in the North and 5,4% in the Metropolitan region.

John Gardner of Value It commented: ?These are averages for these regions, and are based upon a survey of 6250 properties for sale. Within each region there have been greater falls in some areas and for certain property types, and a few areas are level with inflation or still seeing prices rise. Puerto de la Cruz has seen falls below the average for example, while the falls in Adeje are consistent with the southern region as a whole. The answer for people looking to buy in Tenerife is thorough research and knowing the pricing trends in the areas and for the property types. There is no substitute if you want to buy well and protect your investment. For those thinking of selling they can work out what would be a good or competitive price to ensure that they attract serious buyers?.

For more information please go to www.value-it.net

Value It España SL is based in Tenerife and has produced a property price guide, designed to help both buyers know the market pricing for all the types of properties and areas in Tenerife, and for sellers so that they can have the detailed market pricing in order to price their properties to attract buyers.

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The latest count of the evacuated stands at over 1,000, according to Canarias7, who show a poignant photo of terraces burning almost right alongside the church in the center of a village, this morning. Around 500 residents of Vallehermoso, Hermigua and Agulo, in the north of La Gomera, spent the night away from their homes in various centers, including an old banana packing plant and even the beach.

Homes have been burnt and, reports are that a number of people have needed to be treated for inhalation of smoke. Evacuation had been that bit more difficult, because evacuees include the residents of a Hermigua old folks home.

Recent reports say the fire remains active in the Liria gorge in the district of Agulo, but had not reached Aceviños adjacent to the national park, meaning that the fire has not (yet) affected the Garajonay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the last refuges of Laurisilva (subtropical laurel forest).

The fire is still considered to be a threat there and other reports suggest that fire had reached the vicinity of the park.

While the president of the Canarian Government claims that "we have the necessary resources and the coordination" - the government, rather than the local authorities, has now assumed control of operations for the extinction of the fire because of its magnitude and are sending 50 soldiers - it is clear that the high winds, low humidity, high temperatures are, once again, proving to be a challenge for the 7 helicopters, 3 hydroplanes and countless firefighters on the ground. Copious smoke, in particular, is hampering operations in the air.

The fire in Vallehermoso appears to have been brought under control today, while in the upper reaches of Hermigua, the fire remains a serious preoccupation .

Some of the evacuees have now been able to return to their homes, but the area of Vallehermoso still remains incommunicado as telephone repeater towers and fiber optic lines have been damaged by the fire.

La Gomera's island council has so far estimated the area that has been burnt as being more than 700 hectares (7,000,000 square meters, 1729.7 acres or 647.8 soccer pitches), mostly agricultural land and low level forest.

(Probably, because more and more of this land is being abandoned on these islands, to overgrow, dry out and provide excellent fast burning tinder.)

How will his affect visitors to this Canary Island?

(La Gomera Hotels and Apartments)

Absolutely not at all if they're in La Gomera's capital, San Sebastian, or cocooned in hotels at sea level in centers such as Valle Gran Rey or Playa Santiago.

Others who may have wanted to venture out around the island on buses, tours, on foot or by car, will probably find some routes blocked by the fire or to allow access to emergency services. Reports say the area of Las Rosas is affected.

La Gomera, a paradise for walkers, attracts a more adventurous and independent type of traveller - among them Christopher Columbus after all. The Garajonay National Park and its magical rain forest attract around 450,000, mostly day visitors, each year. Many walkers start at the Juego de Bolas Visitor Centre in the district of Agulo in north of La Gomera. Although not in the area affected by fire, the center was used to house some of the evacuees last night.

Just as I had to do concerning the fire in Tenerife last year, I will point out that La Gomera is an island with real people, towns and everything. La Gomera is not, as one report I read in English claimed this morning, a "tourist resort."

But, while the English language coverage is a disgrace - to be fair that report is the only one I've seen, but I don't have great hopes for any others who pick up on it, hence I'm attempting to publish the truth before it gets more distorted - I have to agree with Miguel at Canarias Bruta that, in contrast to last year when their coverage of the fire was far too slow and worse than lacking, TV Canaria have obviously taken notice and are redeeming themselves by staying right on top of this one. Particular kudos is due to news anchor, Miguel Ángel Daswani.

Links to more coverage of the Gomera fires (in Spanish). More images

La Gomera. The Island | Gomera Travel Guide



Canary Islands weather continues hot and dry

Temperatures, which had increased by 14 degrees centigrade in less than 48 hours in the Canary Islands, are today, forecast to drop, though they were still expected to reach 31 degrees (currently, they're being reported at 97°F / 36°C in South Tenerife), with a force 4 or 5 wind and high seas around the westerly isles. The calima will continue, with its resultant dust and haze.

The forecast shows temperatures dropping a couple of degrees each on Monday and Tuesday, returning to normal levels for the time of year by Wednesday.

Meanwhile, high temperatures have also caused a dozen fires on Gran Canaria.

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The Tenerife Island Corporation is asking for extreme caution this weekend, as a dusty calima and a heatwave inundate the Tenerife capital and take temperatures up to 40 degrees centigrade in some parts of Tenerife and in Gran Canaria.

Two fires were declared on the island of La Gomera this afternoon, one requiring the evacuation of homes in Vallehermoso, while the other threatening to reach the national park Parque Nacional de Garajonay.

Meanwhile, in Tenerife, the Island Corporation have stepped in with preventative measures, declaring a prohibition on barbecue fires.

Barbecues are to be cordoned off in the forest areas around Teide, Anaga and in Teno, which is a hardly surprising reaction after the forest fires that destroyed around a quarter of the island's forests during the heatwave at the end of last July.

It is, however, unusual to have this extreme heat, this early in the year.

Health recommendations are to drink lots of liquids (but not alcohol, sorry), avoid severe physical exercise (we're happy to comply) and, if you suffer from ashma or cardiovascular problems, you'd be better off indoors, with the windows shut.

Forecasters predict more of the same until at least Sunday.

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Last month's continuing growth of the Euro is very good news for anyone who has a holiday home here, but to the millions of Brits who are planning to travel to Tenerife on holiday this year it means higher prices and tighter belts.

That's particularly bad news for those who want to spend all their days around their hotel or in their resort.

A survey of 2,053 Brits on behalf of Halifax Travel Insurance last month revealed that, when they get to their exotic holiday location, Brits spend on average less than 7 hours in total away from the 'bubble' of their resort.

The report went on to find that almost three quarters of package holiday Brits never visit modern tourist attractions such as water or theme parks. All they want is a long day at the same pool followed by a long evening in the comforts of the same bar and they even prefer eating in the resort rather than sampling local cuisine. All of which may prove to be bad news for a wallet full of currency that's struggling to carry its suitcase.

So, how do you make your weak sterling go further when you come to Tenerife? It's easy; take it by the hand, buck the survey results, and give it some exercise.

Firstly, avoid the places where prices are at their highest, that is, the Brit resorts of the south coast. You'll pay substantially higher prices for meals, drinks and snacks in Playa de las Américas, Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos than you will virtually anywhere else on the island. Opt instead for locations such as Puerto de la Cruz, Playa San Juan and El Médano where Canarios and Spanish mainlanders also holiday; you won't find them paying the sorts of prices being charged on the south coast, they're notoriously canny when it comes to value for money and you'll do well to follow in their footsteps.

Regular contributors to the popular on-line holiday planning resource of TripAdvisor are complaining about the prices of drinks in the southern resorts where many of the bars are charging €6 (£4.80) for a spirit and mixer. Prices are even higher in hotel bars. Although prices vary hugely, the TripAdvisor regulars are quoting an average of €25 (£ 20) per person just for standard restaurant meals, many of which are of the micro-waved 'chips with everything' variety, and as much as €50 (£40) for up-market French restaurants such as El Roque and Bistro D'Alain.

Last time I was in Playa del Duque, I was amazed to see that restaurants were charging €16 (£13) for 'Cherne', a white, meaty Grouper commonly caught in these seas and very popular on traditional Canarian menus. In Puerto de la Cruz you'll pay €7 (£5.60) for Cherne.

Move away from the resort areas of the south and you'll pay €2 (£1.61) for a pint of Dorada, €3.50 (£2.82) for a 'combinado' (spirit and mixer) and €4.50 (£3.62) for a cocktail. For top notch dining in Puerto de la Cruz you can expect to pay around €30 (£24) per person including wine, and in most of its 300 or more restaurants you're more likely to be faced with a bill of under €18 (£14.50) and an average of €9 (£7) for the menu del dia. You'll also find that chips are almost always passed over for 'papas arrugadas con mojo' (small, salty boiled potatoes with spicy sauces).

Secondly, even if you can't possibly consider staying anywhere other than Costa Adeje or Playa de la Américas, get out of the hotel or resort and explore. You can pick up a BONO bus card for either €12 (£9.67) or €30 (£24) at kiosks, shops and bus stations displaying the green 'BONO Bus' sign which will get you half price travel on the extensive network of buses that will take you all over the island.

The Titsa bus service is clean, efficient and (mostly) reliable and it's a great way to see the island as you travel. Lunches, drinks, ice cream and snacks will all cost you a fraction of the price outside of your resort or hotel and you'll gather a stock of experiences and memories to take back home with your suntan.

It's ironic that most of the trips offered by travel reps, (Loro Parque, Masca, La Orotava, Garachico) are in fact in the north, centre or west of the island which means those staying in the south are travelling further and paying more for the privilege of visiting the less expensive locations.

If you prefer to have complete independence over your travel arrangements, you can hire a car on Tenerife for very reasonable prices with a one week rental falling mainly in the €150 (£121) to €200 (£161) range but can be for as little as €102 (£82). Petrol is also cheaper here than in the UK.

Finally, if you really can't be crow-barred away from a day by the pool, discover some of the island's wonderful swimming pool complexes. Some, like the ones in Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz, have been designed by the Lanzarote born architect and designer César Manrique and offer tropical landscaping, comfort and beautiful design alongside aqua waters, restaurants and bars for just €3.80 (£3) for the price of your sun lounger and mattress for the day and you'll still be saving money on your drinks, snacks and Piz Buin.

If there's to be a silver lining to the strength of the Euro for holidaying Brits, it's the opportunity to get out and experience some of the real Tenerife and to go home feeling like they've actually been abroad; you never know, it may just catch on!


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.

Labels: Real Tenerife Island Drives

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Safety in the desert: Captured on Gran Canaria, Playa de Ingles, Maspalomas. Photo: sundstrom.

43% of the archipelago's surface suffers an intense process of erosion from the rain and wind and has a high risk of desertification. Though, as the photo shows, curious things like finding a lifebuoy in the middle of sand dunes are already the norm.With the forecast for a more tropical-style summer in the UK this year (don't guffaw, because though that translates to warmer - always uncomfortable in British humidity - it also means wetter than usual and even more unsettled).

Everyone, I think, gets confused between the terms climate change and global warming and it certainly seems more like "global freezing" when the UK has April Snow and Britain is colder than Alaska.

Whilst I can't even pretend to understand, what I know is that the weather is "messed up" (for want of a polite term) here also. So what can you expect if you decide to escape to Tenerife instead?

We mentioned before that the *winter* rain arrived just as we changed the clocks to *summer* and, that it had seemed quite chilly - for Tenerife. Since then, we had a day or so that were hot for the time of year, with calima.

Then on Sunday, the weather did another 180 turn and the islands were put on alert for high winds and rain again. (The alert, it seems, has been prolonged and is now expected to end on Wednesday, April 9th. Some flights between islands have been cancelled because of the winds, gusting up to 120 kmph.)

The weather in Tenerife, in recent years, I've noticed, is becoming almost like the Climate of the United Kingdom, about which Wikipedia states the obvious:

"The weather can be notoriously changeable from one day to the next."

Wikipedia also tells us that "The boundary of convergence between the warm tropical air and the cold polar air lies over the United Kingdom." In other words, when the hot air and cold air collides over Britain, it causes "weather" (of one sort or another, depending on which one is prevailing at the time.)

The forecast for the British summer of 2008, according to the Met Office, "We think it's likely to be a case of a few fine days and then there's a band of rain, perhaps some thunderstorms and then it warms up again."

And that is what has been happening here in the Canary Islands too, because we seem to be stuck in a "rinse cycle" of hot air causing more calimas that bump into cooler air that causes more storms that causes more calimas ...

... resulting in more swift changes from one extreme to the other.

What goes up, must come down

Laughable, if you know British weather, you might think to read that the Gulf Stream is the reason why the British Isles are much warmer than they would be at that latitude, without it. The Gulf Stream (on the downstroke, along with the Trade Winds), is the reason the Canary Islands have been much cooler, milder and devoid of extreme weather, than they would be at this latitude too.

Any failure or weakening of the Gulf Stream would affect us at both ends. Britain would get colder [1], while we get hotter and more unpredictable weather.

Is what we are seeing now part of that pattern, I wonder?

My non-scientific definition of climate change, therefore, is "climate changeable"; more abrupt changes and more extremes. (In fact, this article on the effects of global warming appears to bear out what I'm noticing; i.e. more extreme weather and the destabilization of local climates.)

And certainly, if this pattern persists, then I think the unsettled, rotating forecast of "three fine days and a thunder storm" will apply equally.

Down here, we should simply learn not to be surprised: it won't change any habits, because it's always too windy to carry an umbrella. And all it will mean to visitors is that nobody will be able to tell you what clothing to pack! :)


[1] Shutdown of thermohaline circulation would trigger localized cooling or without the Gulf Stream, the UK would be as cold as Canada in winter. That article also advises that, "An armada of robot submarines and marine sensors are to be deployed across the Atlantic, from Florida to the Canary Islands, to provide early warning that the Gulf Stream might be failing, an event that would trigger cataclysmic freezing in Britain for decades." This article, "... warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a 'Siberian' climate by 2020."

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Agustín de Betancourt y Molina (1758-1824), whose 250th Anniversary is being celebrated throughout the year in Puerto de la Cruz.You don't need to spend very long in the Canary Islands before you'll, undoubtedly, see or hear a reference to the name of Betancourt.

There's Tenerife and Guatemala's shared Saint, Hermano Pedro de San José Betancurt who was born in Vilaflor, back in 1626, while prominent engineer, Agustín de Betancourt (Biografía), was born in Puerto de la Cruz, on the north of the island, 250 years ago, on February 1st, 1758.

Both of these famous men, among other folk of Canary Island descent, still bearing the surname, can trace their ancestry to the French explorer and conqueror of the islands of Fuerteventura and Hierro, Jean de Béthencourt, who had first landed on the island of Lanzarote in 1402.

Anniversary to be marked by King's visit

The King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, who has accepted the Presidency of the Committee of Honour for the commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of Betancourt's birth, is to visit Puerto de la Cruz for the celebrations, it has been confirmed, in a letter from the head of the King's household, Alberto Aza, to Puerto de la Cruz' mayoress, Lola Padrón.

For Puerto de la Cruz, where 2008 has been declared the Year of Agustín de Betancourt, the King's visit will also be an opportunity to rekindle old ties between the monarch and the city, to which he presented a Gold Medal in 1985, as well giving as just recognition to such an important, local figure.

Meanwhile, among the various events to mark the occasion in St Petersburg, was the issuing of a Russian postage stamp dedicated to the Tenerife born engineer.

Father of Modern Engineering

Agustín de Betancourt y Molina is considered to be "the father of modern engineering" in both Spain and Russia, with work that ranged from steam engines and balloons to structural engineering and urban planning. (An Iberian Isambard Kingdom Brunel if you will (and indeed their life spans partially overlap.)

Betancourt, who supervised planning and construction in Saint Petersburg and was involved in other significant projects, including the Moscow Manege and The Saviour Cathedral in Nizhny Novgorod and, works in other Russian cities, reached the rank of General in the Russian army of Tsar Alexander I and was the first director of the Madrid School of Civil Engineering, also visited England where he met Scottish steam engine pioneer, James Watt.

Curious then, that whilst Puerto de la Cruz and Betancourt are good enough for a King and, the engineer was also good enough for one of Russia's Tsars, that there seems to have been some bickering at Puerto town hall when opposition Coalición Canaria party didn't want to see Betancourt's name replacing that of former dictator, Franco, for one of the town's main streets.

Holidays for Modern Engineers


Bust of Agustín de Betancourt outside the church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia, in Puerto de la Cruz.On the north side of the Plaza de la Iglesia (church square) alongside the church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia , is a bust of Agustín de Betancourt .

You can actually stay on the spot where Agustín de Betancourt was born, because the Hotel Monopol, opposite the bust, is built on the site of his birthplace.

(The hotel is in the Calle Quintana, which runs at right angles to the Calle Agustín de Betancourt. Both are pedestrianized streets in the center of the town.)

As well as being in this delightful setting and offering a superb family style service, the Hotel Monopol has "typical Canarian style wooden balconies and an internal glass atrium", it is said, "filled with palms and other exotic plants"!

And if you want to know more about Puerto de la Cruz, start with the Visitors' guide to Puerto de la Cruz, written by people who actually live in the town.

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Here's another handy PDF map download for you. This time, it's a street map of the Costa Adeje - Playa de las Américas - Los Cristianos resort area.

(Well, you have to stay somewhere, but do take the time to venture outside of this area, which is such a small part of this island. It won't bite!)

Marked on the map are, street names, names of landmarks like plazas and shopping centers and the key to the symbols is in both Spanish and English.

Right click and Save Link As ... to download the map.

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Church of San Pedro, Vilaflor.Anyone who's up for a nice little downhill stroll, should mark Saturday, April 19th, 2008 in their diary, which is the date of the III Ruta del Camino del Hermano Pedro, the 3rd edition of the now annual pilgrimage down the Camino del Hermano Pedro (Brother Peter's Way): the route that was taken by the Tenerife born Saint, Hermano Pedro de San José Betancurt, when he made his way from his native village of Vilaflor (Tenerife's highest village, up in the mountains), down to his cave near the coast at El Médano.


Statue of Hermano Pedro in the village of Vilaflor.Last year, apparently around 1,000 people took part in the guided walk, which began at 7 a.m. from the center of Vilaflor, to reach the cave, which is now a shrine dedicated to the saint, at around 1 p.m.

Starting at an altitude of around 1,400 meters, the route descends to the cave, at a mere 64 m / 209 ft above sea level, by the Tenerife South Airport.

The Hotel Spa Villalba, which is in Vilaflor, is listed as being 14.4 km (about 9 miles) from the airport - as the crow files. Don't forget that not even main roads go in straight lines here! Your mileage may vary, but the walking distance will be longer.

Hermano Pedro's cave is on land owned by the Spanish Airports Authority, AENA and, is right next to the end of the airport runway. (Location) Jack Montgomery informs me, that there are landing lights right by it too!

Hermano Pedro, of course, did the route regularly with his goats and, walked across Central America to La Antigua, Guatemala, where he lived and died, is buried, illuminates and, if not landing lights, keeps the candle industry going.

This video, by José Juan Cano Delgado, geographer at the University of La Laguna, condenses the 6 hour walk down to just over 3 minutes, but it gives you a good idea of the terrain and the contrasts in scenery along the way.

Maybe faith does help keep people going until the end, but I doubt it is entirely necessary to enjoy the exercise, the convivial company and the landscape.

And as this article by José Juan Cano Delgado points out, the Camino del Hermano Pedro is, by far, not the only one of these traditional old footpaths or rights of way on the island. He lists numerous others and suggests the possibility of rediscovering the south of Tenerife along these routes, if the authorities and, above all, local population work to conserve them (and visitors use them.)


Interior of Hermano Pedro's cave.
Exterior of Hermano Pedro's cave.


Another image of the area outside the cave and a collection of images of both outside and inside More: See Tenerife The Saintly Way

Map showing the route, roughly as the crow flies:



Larger map

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You'd be forgiven for thinking that every month is wine month in Tenerife - the quality here really is superb - but April is, officially, wine month in Tegueste on the north of the island.

And they're celebrating it with gusto including; visits to bodegas, theme nights, a tapas bar crawl in Tegueste, cinema, live gastronomical demonstrations, photographic exhibition, other entertainments, and, of course, wine tasting.

Throughout the whole of the month, you can join the Ruta de la tapa y del vino de Tegueste (Route / crawl of tapas and wine bars) that passes through various establishments in the town. Shouldn't be too difficult to find ones with some sort of poster or leaflet, bearing the wine stain logo of the current promotion.

For more details of individual events, download the PDF program or visit Tegueste town hall website, Abril, Mes del Vino en Tegueste 2008 (in Spanish).

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"Big Brother" is going to be watching your road movements from now on!

The Intercambiador (aka Tenerifean Transport Interchange, or bus and tram depot) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is to get a new traffic control room within the next six months to monitor the Avenida Tres de Mayo and it's tunnel, as well as the south and north motorways (TF1 and TF5): the latter as far as the upcoming El Guincho tunnel in Garachico.

The purpose of this 2.4 million euro project, says this report in La Opinión, is so the authorities can control the traffic, determine where black spots are and always know the reasons for traffic congestion, where accidents are, etc.

Currently, the Santa Cruz traffic is watched from the traffic office at the town hall. You can watch it too, if you like, because here's the link to four live traffic cameras. It's riveting stuff, I tell you! Well, watching the cars go by is more interesting than translating the bit about the failure of agreement between the corporation and the town hall over who gets to do this exciting job! :)

There's also an interesting map of Tenerife you can download (PDF) here, which territoriosred list as a Plan of Tenerife's Roadways. However, please don't try to drive down the cyan blue ones, because those are barrancos (gorges) and, though the way down might be fast, it will be a tad steep and bumpy. :)

All joking aside, it's a pretty good, clean map, with all levels of roads, towns, villages and, even names of mountains marked on it that you might even like to print off. The pink flags on the main roads, purport to be kilometer markers.

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A fiesta, not in the Canary Islands, but by and for descendants of Canary Islanders - the Festival Isleños 2008 - will be taking place this weekend, April 5th and 6th, at the Islenos Museum Complex in St. Bernard, Louisiana, United States.

This is the 32nd annual Isleños Fiesta, celebrating the Canary Islanders who settled in St. Bernard beginning in 1778 and presented by the parish's Los Isleños Heritage and Cultural Society.

Political performers: The blurb says, "About 35 singers, dancers and government officials from the Canary Islands will attend."

... and we just can't bite our tongue. Wonder what kind of "entertaining performance" the third group will be putting on for them? :)

History of the Canary Islands Colonizers

Between 1778 and 1783, the King of Spain (Charles III 1759-1788), sent Canary Islanders, known as Isleños, to colonize Louisiana. After colonizing previously uninhabited areas of New Orleans, the Isleños raised a great deal of the vegetable crops and poultry that were consumed in the city.

The Isleños came to Louisiana as soldier-farmers. The tradition of farming is deeply rooted in the history of the Canary Islands. Later, after selling their original land grants to French sugar planters many Isleños became hunters, trappers and fishermen. Isleños fought in the American Revolution, the Battle of New Orleans and every war in which the United States has been involved.

The Canary Islands, the first colony of the Spanish Empire, became the gateway to the New World. Christopher Columbus established the precedent of sailing across the Atlantic to the Americas from the Canaries in 1482. Sugarcane cultivation was introduced to the Americas through the Canary Islands. Large communities of Canary and descendents, known as Isleños exist today in Cuba, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and other countries throughout Central and South America. Colonists, largely from the islands of Lanzarote and Gran Canaria established the government of the city of San Antonio, Texas, in 1731.

The descendants of these soldier-farmers, have maintained their linguistic and ethnic identity and are the last living vestige of Spanish Colonial Louisiana. This festival began in 1976 and is held yearly to promote the Spanish heritage

Both St. Bernard Parish and the Isleños Museum sustained damage during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but they are determined to rebuild their community.

The 32nd annual Isleños Fiesta
Canary Islanders Heritage Society of Louisiana
Los Isleños Heritage & Cultural Society

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