The Teide, Spain's highest mountain, proudly stretches its snow-covered peak into the air. And welcomes us as we approach the plane. As the doors open, we are greeted by a mild 24 degrees and the smell of the sea and salt. Wonderful! Welcome to Tenerife - many sights included!
Tenerife: swimming in the morning, snowball fight at lunchtime
On the Canary Island of Tenerife, you can go swimming on the beach in the morning, have a snowball fight on the volcano at lunchtime and sit outside barefoot in the evening. Because we are hungry for sun, we chose the south of the island as our main base for this vacation, as it can get cloudy in the north. A short time later, we are already sitting on the balcony of our apartment in Los Gigantes, with a cool beer in our hands and a view of the rock massif that majestically thrusts itself into the ocean.
After two wonderfully relaxing days of swimming in the bustling vacation town, we get adventurous and rent a car. At 83 kilometers long and 54 kilometers wide, the island is wonderfully compact and easy to explore. Our first trip takes us high up into the Teide National Park. At first we have to crank quite a bit on the serpentine road, but then the landscape flattens out and we drive through a pitch-black lunar landscape that couldn't be more beautiful in "Star Wars". Thesolidified lava from the volcano - which is only dormant, by the way - is forbiddingly jagged. Walking is out of the question. But it's also too cold for that. We postpone a visit to the crater by cable car until the summer. As if in agreement, the Teide emits a small cloud as a farewell.
Even Alexander von Humboldt raved about Tenerife
We drive into the fertile Orotava Valley, which is actually more of a large sloping plain that seems to be constantly in bloom and slopes gently into the sea. The naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, who has been respectfully memorialized on Tenerife, once enthused: "Nowhere in the world have I seen such an attractive, harmonious painting." Today, a whole host of vacation homes have been built into the painting, but the sea view remains magnificent.
We enjoy it in a small garden restaurant by the road, eat a pair of patatas bravas (salty potatoes) with various sauces (mojos), a tortilla in the style of the Guanches (the indigenous people) and are simply happy. Via Icod de los Vinos, where we visit the 1,000-year-old dragon tree, we head back to our vacation apartment in the south.
Strolling and shopping in Santa Cruz
The next day, we speed along the flat coastal highway to the capital and port city of Santa Cruz. For strolling, shopping and people-watching. The area around Avenida Tres de Mayo is excellent for this. Here we not only find our favorite Spanish department store El Corte Inglés, but also plenty of boutiques, stores, restaurants, bars and street cafés. In the side street Avda. Manuel Hermoso Rojas No 16, the huge Centro Comercial Meridiano shopping mall offers everything you could wish for. Tip: Shoes are a lot cheaper here than here. Another thing that is always worth doing in Tenerife: a walk in El Palmetum, a beautiful palm garden that was created on a former garbage tip in order to restore it to greenery. From here you have a wonderful view of the sea, the city and the nearby Anaga mountains.
Our last excursion on Tenerife takes us to the beach: Playa de las Américas. On this golden yellow beach (a natural beach is lava black), bathers will find a specially designed, long stretch of beach with all the services they need. The prices are keenly calculated and there is a large selection of apartments. Ideal for travelers who just want to enjoy the sun and have fun. If you are looking for authentic Spain, you won't find it here. Tenerife, with its climate of eternal spring, is simply a vacation island. And that's a good thing!