The Island of Tenerife, Spain
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Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures in travel, wellness, style, and being an American living abroad. Hope you find some inspiration!
Basilicas always catch my eye, even on distant islands such as the Spanish Canaries. Welcome to Candelaria, Tenerife.
This simple yet elegant church has undergone many sackings and damage over the years, though was finally redone and remained so since 1948. Every February 2nd and August 15th, the faithful flock here to honor the Virgin of Candelaria, named so after the image of the virgin reportedly found on this spot in 1390.
The gorgeous Teide dominates the middle of the island of Tenerife, becoming the centerpiece of Teide National Park and ranking as a Unesco World Heritage site. You can take a cable car up the Teide to take in the views from Spain's highest peak where, on a clear day, you can see out over the Canarian archipelago to which this beautiful island belongs. The journey lasts about an hour and runs around 27 Euro for an adult ticket.
It can be rather windy up there most days, so grab a windbreaker jacket alongside your camera for this adventure. If the wind is too strong, they will halt operations just to be safe (so you don't have to worry about swinging above a volcano). To see this and other things in the National Park, grab times, up to date pricing and check if it's running, visit their webpage.
If you're really feeling the island vibes in the Canaries and want to crank it up a notch, try taking the ferry over to the wilder island of La Gomera. Some travel bloggers tout it as the most beautiful of the Canary islands, though it does rank as one of the smallest.
With very few cars and development compared to the other islands, you will find yourself at home with your hiking boots wandering through the small villages to watch the making of baskets or taste the local wines.
Try going for a sunset and stargazing trip up this famous volcano in Tenerife, the Teide, with champagne and dinner served in the TUI Collection "Teide by Night." Or if you're more the daytime sightseeing type, I took part in an all-day tour of excursions around the island (wine and lunch included) with the "Masca and the King's Wine" tour. This was incredible, and the views like this one were just some of those captured by my lens and heart that day.
If you're in the mood for hiking and exploring the many trails through this sacred area, I loved 11 km climb we did with private guide Syliva from Wanderjule (for the German, Spanish or English speaking customers) through Los Órganos. She even provided a market-fresh, Spanish picnic at the summit which overlooked endless landscape nestled by an ocean of clouds.
One of the best parts of my excursion to the west of Tenerife happened just as we embarked with a full shuttle and began our ascent along the western coastline; Los Gigantes stood below us with a perfectly-timed rainbow shimmering along its edges.
The city is named after these rock formations which shoot out of the water to a height of over 2,600 ft (almost 800 meters), which is fitting as their Spanish name means "The Giants." The ability to explore the coasts and hear stories of the island's past and present definitely made this trip a great addition to the TUI Collection of unique travel experiences. However, I would've much appreciated getting off the shuttle more often to explore on foot, something that would've been included without the spontaneous showers we incurred. There's a sweet catamaran cruise around these gorgeous cliffs that hits my list of favorite adventures here.
As this was my first techincal arrival in Spain, I had to find some tapas to fufill all my expectations. This was just a portion of the massive array that came to my table when I asked for the local flavors. Any town you visit in the area will have some local food options, so long as you steer clear of the tourist traps on the coast. Climb upward away from the beach for a few streets and you'll find just what you're looking for, fresh and family-owned.
Looking for some real local flair? Ask for some "mojo" to accompany your dishes. This is the Canarian name for a very typical sauce, though it comes in different varieties. My favorite is mojo verde, which is a green sauce made with cilantro. Others, like the "colorado," are made with a lot of paprika and can be a very dominant flavor.
One of the best parts of travelling, besides the wonderful cultures you get to explore, is tasting the local cuisine. As Tenerife is an island in the Canary archipelago, it belong to Spain and has a lovely island version of Spanish flair.
Grab some local things from the market and head to the beach for the sunset like I did. You won't regret the peace and quiet combined with the delicious local flavors and sunset colors over the Atlantic.
One of the best moments of my time living and working on the Canary Island of Tenerife was went our tour guide Dominique took four of us out on a kayak tour with dolphins in the Atlantic ocean. We saw five in total, including a baby.
The incredible experience continued as the sun glistened off the rocky cliffs of Tenerife. We wandered closer to the cliffs to discover a slough of yellow crabs and even found a small cove that disappeared into a wide-mouthed cave just off the coastline of Los Christianos. I would do this tour again in a heartbeat.
The rain surprised the thirsty island of Tenerife today, drenching the small group of British travelers on their way to their three course meal in the Canarian-style mansion. My love and I had the pleasure to accompany the group as I check out the excursions in the TUI collection, focusing on elements of local culture and sustainability. This particular one was the Panoramic Teide tour and the lunch in the 18th century mansion was simply scrumptious.
According to the locals here, it only rains in the south of this particular Canary island about 4 times a year, leaving the rest in consistent, delicious sunshine.
