The Road from Santiago

  We are out and about in the stretches between communities and are dropping 183m.  Below us is the motorway, hurtling south, while we have a hairpin bend to turn round.  We will also pass the Finca Don Manuel bus stop.  As it has no reviews we will move on. Eventually we will move into civilisation. Bar Agricola https://consolepsp.com/bar-agricola   The top review comments are bocadillos 42, cycling 19, parking 18, goat meat 16, arepas 13 and economy 13.  Two days ago Vanessa was short and sweet. ‘ We really liked the food, good service, we will definitely repeat 👏🏼 …’   Cristina added ‘Despite the heat, we survived with the fans. 😉 Very good homemade dishes. The staff was very attentive. We'll be back 😉👍🏼 The Imprenta Candelaria printing shop is shown as being over the road on the map but has the same address as the bar.  Dazman was not happy ten months ago. ‘A clear lack of professionalism. They forget things and don't care about their c...

  We are going up and passed the TF-1. To that end we are going back on ourselves and over the motorway. Tenerife mostly consists of inclines which have roads snaking up them and houses limpiting themselves on to any less than vertical slope.  It is surprising what suburbia can offer.  In this case, it is Drante Tatau tattoo shop. 38 reviews give 4.9 stars, so this is clearly a well liked inking joint,  Swantje said ‘ We are very satisfied. Ana was always very friendly and open to suggestions for changes. The atmosphere was very nice and clean. The prior communication went smoothly and the three of us got an appointment very quickly. We are completely happy, not to mention the wonderful results. We would recommend Ana to anyone and would be happy to come back.’ As we climb we pass the local Guardia Civil post [8 reviews, 4 stars,]. Davina was impressed ‘Unbeatable treatment, friendly and attentive. Thank you for assisting me in these difficult times, it is nice to kn...

There is a thing about being on an island that makes you a bit reflective.  The unkind may point out that Britain is, more or less, one - however that would only count if Europe clearly was ‘off-shore.’  Tenerife is so alien and yet so familiar.  The streets are so Spanish, the resorts could be Benidorm but the rocks are harsh and the sea is everywhere. Look, the weather is nice.  Just look at the pictures [which appear in reverse order] and enjoy.

Another day around the sprawl of houses, individual and developed,and are going to pop into the Mercadona. It has 4.2 stars from 2284 reviewers.   Steven wrote a love letter to the place a year ago. ‘ Loved Mercadona in Vallencia.  Same here.   Stores are bright, clean, aisles amazingly broad, items can be seen.  The floor is flat, smooth, and clean.  There is no line at checkout (but still no self checkout, sadly).  Parking lot right at the exit.   The lot is small, though. Lots of carts, and most of them work (all plastic, light, no rust).  Prices are generally good.   Vegetables and fruits are in good shape, not old and dirty.  The meat section is not so good, only packaged meats.  It is best to use a local charcuterie. Traffic around this store is terrible.  It's slightly more terrible than the rest of the town.  Narrow, tight, fast lakes and competitive drivers. The Anaza vets clinic can be found on Facebook.  Th...

  Once we are out of the market we are following the less travelled and more Spanish suburbs of Santa Cruz.  I expect it is because it is ‘foreign’ you notice more but the variety of different houses, snuck into odd corners, is remarkable.  I am remarking on it here.  It could almost be Cromer. .We really are on the path less travelled.  We do pass a bridge over the TF-5, the Puente peatonal Nuevo Obrero,  Juan gives us a review and a reason. ‘ I live in this area and the truth is, we really needed the bridge, since there's a highway there and several neighbors died before this bridge was built, so I give this bridge a thumbs up.’ We are near La Cueva Caprichosa, a Spanish eatery, of almost 5000 reviews and 4.1 stars.  https://guachinchesmodernos.com/ https://www.facebook.com/guachinchesmodernos/?locale=es_ES It has that rarest of things, an up-to-date Facebook pages.  It opens at 1pm and closes at 11pm, 12 on Friday and Saturday.  Five hou...

  Well, after days of urban splendour and museums by the score we are going along big roads out of town and industrial subunits - which are by the sea. First let us pop into the Centro Internacional de Ferias y Congresos de Tenerife.   https://recintoferialdetenerife.com/   We are here during Adimaker.  https://adimaker.es/   Adimaker´25, feria de impresión 3D, dirigida al público y profesionales del sector the website says. Cosplayers will be there. Time to party like is it is 1917.  Well, like 2025 - 1917 are the number of reviews Bambu Lounge Bar Tenerife.  It has a ‘fashionable rooftop terrace’, according to Google. Plus a karaoke room and VIP area.   http://www.bambulounge.es/   Yesterday Nikole was impressed ‘ Spectacular!! Aima, Verónica, and Jason, brilliant!!! The security staff were extremely polite, and the music... fantastic DJ!! We'll definitely come back!!! We came from Bilbao, the best club on the island so far.’ Where does Te...