This was another excursion booked independently with Spain Day Tours. A couple on the social media site Cruise Critic organized our small (12-15
person) private tour for our final port of Tenerife. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour and are appreciative of the efforts made to put this one together.
Our journey took us from the cruise port of Santa Cruz through the dense pine forest to an elevation above the clouds. At the
Pico del Inglés Viewpoint, we looked out over the vast "sea of clouds." It truly looked like the ocean before us!
As we left the forest and headed on into the Teide National Park, the landscape around us changed to a more baron field of lava flows with sparse vegetation. The photos in the collage at the top of this post are from the Roques de Garcia viewpoint and walking trail near the base of Mount Teide. The volcanic rock formations were stunning. Our guide Elizabeth allowed us approximately an hour to explore this area. Many in our group did a portion of the 3.5 km trail in the time we had there.
We then headed back toward the city, making our next stop at La Laguna, the former capital of Tenerife (1496-1803). Given its historical significance, UNESCO has designated it as a World Heritage Site (1999).Our guide led us from the motor coach parking area into the historical district. We stopped and visited the Alvarado Bracamonte Mansion. Built in the 17th century, today it serves as a city museum and tourist office. From there, we were encouraged to explore the area on our own. There were several streets with shops and cafes, as well as a monastery and convent also dating back to the 1600's. Pam & I opted for a quick sandwich at a local bakery while walking around. Our "croissant pollo especial" was a remarkable 3.50€ or about $4 and was plenty for us to share . . . just enough to knock off the hunger until we got back to the ship for dinner a couple of hours later.
Back at the meeting point for the bus, I saw a small group of well dressed people making their way down the street. I was of course curious. A few moments later, I caught a glimpse of a bride and groom, along with what appeared to be a professional photographer. I immediately went into stealth stalker mode, snapping a few of my own images with my cell phone. (This was not the first time I've played incidental and unofficial wedding photographer!)
With our tour wrapped up, our cultural and sightseeing experiences in Spain were over. Given we only had 4 port days, I felt it was a wonderful sampling of this region of Europe. I would like to think I will return one day . . . but who knows?
When we departed Tenerife later that night, we would begin our 7 day
crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Ahead waiting for us, was Hurricane
Melissa. Our ship's captain and crew were already planning the
navigation plan to avoid her path. We all knew we were in capable hands, but
also recognized there would be some rough sailing ahead. SPOILER ALERT
. . . it was all fine! More to come in a later post.
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