Tuesday, March 29, 2011
We woke up early enough to watch the lights of the harbor of Santa Cruz grow brighter from our verandah. We had set our alarm for 6:30 and ordered breakfast in the cabin because we were scheduled for a shore excursion at 8:00. Santa Cruz is a wonderful city nestled between a range of mountains and the beautiful sea. We have a perfect spot on the dock within walking distance of all the sights of downtown Santa Cruz. Having just left two ports which failed miserably to meet our expectations it was nice to find that this port greatly exceeds what we expected. And we get to stay here for two days!
We have been doing most ports on our own (or at least attempting to), however we signed on for a ship’s shore excursion as it covered all the areas we wanted to experience. We did luck out! The highlight of our tour was the drive through lush vegetation and three different ecosystems up to Mount Teide, a 12,270 foot dormant volcano. As the bus driver skirted the peak, many times having to back up for oncoming traffic, we wound through unusual landscapes including a huge volcanic crater the size of Haleakala. Barney was chomping at the bit to tighten his shoe laces and take a hike. The volcanic rocks found here are in striking contrast to those in Maui. The area was covered with black obsidian, red magma, and white pumice. There was also a lot of plant growth throughout the Canadas National Park. Many movies have been filmed in these unusual areas. The peak of Mount Teide was snow covered and the temperature was a comfortable 60 degrees.
The hillsides are covered in forest consisting of eucalyptus trees, the native Canadas pine, which survives the harsh winds of winter storms, while more typical pines bend and break. We saw evidence of this devastation with tree tops sheared and entire areas of the forest wiped out.
The rolling fields are planted to bananas, oranges, tomatoes, potatoes and grape vines. We were served most of these during the lunch stop. The wine may have received the best reviews. The Spanish cuisine here on the canary islands certainly isn’t based on the low carb diet.
The drive back to the beautiful Atlantic coast line included a stop at the Orotava Valley Botanical Gardens. The garden was founded in 1788 as an acclamation garden for plants and trees gather worldwide to be later transferred to mainland Spain. Spain’s harsh climate was responsible for the failure of this project. However, mainland Spain’s loss is certainly Tenerife’s gain. The garden consisted of a huge variety of palms and many tropical flowers and bromeliads. The centerpiece of the garden is the massive South American fig tree. Once we were shown photos of the destruction of the garden from the 170 km winds (per our guide) in November, 2010 we were in even more awe.
Our tour returned to the ship late, but no one was complaining. We stopped by Dorothy’s cabin only to learn that the insurance carrier wanted to arrange for Dorothy to have a “nurse assist” on the flight home. The only problem is the nurse assist can’t get here until tomorrow afternoon which means the flight home is delayed until Thursday morning. They are arranging for a hotel tomorrow night for Dorothy and the nurse and all transportation to the airport, along with an upgrade to business class. Dorothy is rolling with the changes, but we know that she will be glad to get to her home, her family and her doctor.
The ship turned the Lido deck into a Tapas Bar and offered tasty (not low carb) Spanish fare. The crew was all decked out in costumes and the band was playing. Seems like everyone enjoys a night in port. A local folkloric carnival show is scheduled for 9:30 tonight, but they will have to entertain a crowd minus two.
Yes, Tenerife is a visitor’s paradise. You can sunbathe in the morning and trek in snow in the afternoon. Last year over 5 million visitors enjoyed this “island for all”. And to think we have another day here.
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