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The atmosphere, due to the loud modern disco music, is somewhat horrible

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I would like to say that the attempt to keep this real - in a pottering forward with no great idea of where we are going next - reaches its zenith this day.  Not only do we start in a dead end but, by the end of it, the great decision to head for coast turns out to be misguided as the walkable road runs out and we are having to head back inland.  A lot of the start and end of the day will be spent in 2008 but we will pass, briefly, through 2025. Lets nip over the fence and breakfast in the motorway service cafe, Restaurante Mundo.  It opens at 6am and closes at 10pm [7am on Mondays] https://consolepsp.com/restaurante-mundo It gets a solid 4 stars from over 2000 reviewers.   A week ago Alan wrote ‘Foods fine reasonably priced plenty of parking space.’  Felix gave a heartfelt three stars. ‘Restaurant Cafeteria EL MUNDO in Fasnia, Tenerife, offers quite good quality with a varied menu, good prices, and excellent service with very friendly staff. The atmosphere, d...
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He doesn't respond to messages

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  Well, nicely recovered we are heading down with a capital Deeeeh!  Time to lose 412 of those metres in a single day - with a wrong turn at the end of it.  We will walk past the Cyclist Rest, a 4.8 star 5-reviewed sort of a gaff.  JF said, two years ago ‘ I was with my bike by the zone and sadly my wheel broke, they fixed the problem there, they were very kind with me when I arrived honestly, thanks Cyclist Rest!’  More recently Luigo added ‘A basic stop with a great vibe, they have basic tools and spare parts in case you need them, as well as drinks and bars. 100% recommended for road, enduro, or downhill biking. Rosmen is a great instructor and guide. Ask about more accommodation services and recommendations.’ We may need a quick trim.  Barberia Jonay’s hair joint attracted my attention mainly because he said ‘Arrived at 5pm,only one customer and the barber said he couldn't give me a haircut because he closes at 7pm !!!!’  Somehow, you can’t help bu...
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People from a foriegn land - but less than you might imagine.

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  Still here. Back to the past. From 1833 to 1927, Santa Cruz de Tenerife was the sole capital of the Canary Islands. In 1927, the government ordered that the capital be shared with Las Palmas - which is what happens today,  This change in status has encouraged development in Las Palmas. Tourists began visiting Tenerife from Spain, the United Kingdom, and northern Europe in large numbers in the 1890s - although obviously not the hoi polloi   The northern towns of Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Did well out of it.  Independent shipping business, such as the Yeoward Brothers Shipping Line, helped boost the tourist industry during this time, adding to ships that carried passengers. The naturalist Alexander von Humboldt toddled up to the peak of Mount Teide and remarked on the beauty of the island - which helped. One of the titles Francisco Franco didn’t have put on his ‘I’m a big boy’ Valle de los Caídos tomb was Miss Canary Islands.  It was awarded ...
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We are here!

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  We are here!  And we are going to stay here for the next two days as life has go a bit complicated.  I regret to inform you the nail bar at the end of the bridge doesn’t exist so it is time to look out at the world and think of history. The advert for, possibly cars, possibly coffee, I can’t remember, had Sting singing ‘I’m an Englishman Abroad’.  It started, properly, with a fade in of some excellent cricketing triumph.  This was later replaced by some footballing moment because of market research I’ll be bound.  The British are coming and they came for Tenerife.  Tenerife saw the arrival of the First Fleet to Botany Bay in June 1787 - I expect you weren’t expecting that.  The Fleet consisted of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict ships carrying between 1,000 and 1,500 convicts, marines, seamen, civil officers and free people (accounts differ on the numbers), and a vast quantity of stores. On 3rd June 1787, the fleet ancho...
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Authentic, affordable, and full of charm

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  We are 500m above the sea, which is a little under 4km away.  The average temperature is 21oC - so it is not surprising northern Europeans have flocked here. The average high is 24oC and the record low is a chilly 12oC. This is taken from the Southern Airport, so is sea level figures.  We are in the rainy season, with 2.6cm of rain falling on two days.  Thank the lord we won’t be here next month.  3cm of rain falls in December over three and a half days. We are wandering amid the houses.  Some are those traditional single storey blocky cottages found across Spain.  Some are slowly dissolving back into nature and some have been modernised. We are passing the farmacia, El Escobonal. Ten reviews give 4.9 stars. 6 months ago Carlos declared ‘The attention is unique, there is always a smile that makes you feel confident. In addition, they help you and suggest the most suitable medications. They are the best’ The Parish church of St John’s https://www.obis...
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We will repeat

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  Spain bought many things to Tenerife in the 1490s, including flu and smallpox, doing what they do to the previously unexposed.  Sugar cane was brought to the isles in the 1520s, as were grape vines.  Cochineal arrived in the 1820s.  Trade with the Americas boomed, with Tenerife dominating that commerce as far as the Canary Islands were concerned. Today is a lot of wiggling round the edges of landmasses, which turn inward to find a convenient crossing point of yet another usually dry river bed, cut into the rocks.  Houses will cling above and below us en route. Bar Barranaco Hondo will do for a pick me up.  It opens from 11am to 6.30, 10am at weekends.  Reviews are not frequent. Mercedes reckoned ‘Good food..good service..we will repeat, we all liked it very much..terrace and dining room’   Carmen added ‘It is a guachinche type, it has few dishes, but very good, it is a nice place and the food is good.’  It appears to have changed hands abou...
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Perilous Activity and men of honour

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So, how safe is it to go to Tenerife I hear you ask. Well, last month the island had its biggest drill in case bits of the island decided to go for a walk.  At 9am on 26th September an alert was sent and thousands in the northern town of Garachico were evacuated.  Recently Mount Tedie has had a bit of a rumble which has caused concerns. There have been a confirmed 42 eruptions in the last 10,000 years.  Apparently some Biscayan sailors recorded one in 1341 but some people doubt them as reliable.   The most recent one was in 1909, when Chinyero had three days of explosive outpourings and then another seven days of less energetic stuff.  On the anniversary each year, after a mass, locals take images of Santa Ana de Tamaimo , Santo Domingo de Guzmán and the Virgin of El Pilar de Las Manchas , to the place where the eruption began: the place known as El Calvario , where the residents in 1909, fearing being swept away by the lava, carried the image of Santa Ana in ...
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