After the “vino blanco” sprinkled over the bream (la dorada) I have yet again appetite enough to go for another exploration trip. To find this, I do not need to go far away: the jewel is at the port city. Before me appears the oldest surviving mansion of Puerto de la Cruz, the building “Casa de la Aduana”. This custom-house was built in 1620, where the incoming ships had to pay the arranged custom. Of course, today the harbor duty is no longer levied, but tourists can spend some of their extra money in beautiful and good-quality artworks and bring home a nice canarian souvenir.

Passing the “Lonjas”, earlier known as “stock exchange” for fish and other market items we come to the “Plaza de Europa”. This spacious square is dominated by the presence of the Town Hall, the “Ayuntamiento”, proudly wearing the coat of arms at the entrance portal. It is questionable whether if the six black, cast iron cannons from the 18th century served to give the “Plaza de Europa” -newly created in 1992- the aura of a fortress that could give the “alcalde” (the mayor of the city) protection at a covering fire emergency.

Hustle and bustle in the old city

After such a long hike along the roaring sea we now turn our steps a few hundred meters away from the sea towards the old town. Here, life is even more lively and colorful than at the port. In addition to the great number of people and sellers there are, above all, stylish old Canarian manor houses with their wide overhanging wooden balconies and the intimate courtyards that grab the attention of the tourists.

It should not be overlooked the old pedestrian zone of the “Hotel Marquesa”, which I inspected briefly. I liked it, especially the courtyard with colored tiles on them (called “azulejos”) and flower pots sweeping fan palms. Around the courtyard runs a wooden beam, from which the solid and comfortable rooms are reached. The Count of the city built this palace in 1712 for a noble family, and later in 1884 opened as a hotel for tourists.

Worth-seeing mansions and palaces

In the “Calle Quintana”, the old manor houses have been reclassified today as shops and restaurants. Next to it, we reach to “Inglesia de San Francisco”, which contrasts with the green square. After all, this is not a surprise, since the church of St. Francis was built in 1599-1608, being the oldest religious building in the city. However, only a few minutes away is located the “Inglesia de la Señora de la Peña de Francia”, considered significant art history. The church of “Nuestra Señora de los Dolores”, built from 1681 to 1687, has inside an impressive baroque altarpiece made by Luis de la Cruz which occupies the entire front part of the altar to the ceiling. In addition, there are two more statues, the “Virgen de los Dolores”, and “Santo Domingo”, both by Luján Pérez.

We allow ourselves to continue with the group of visitors to the front of “Casa Iriarte”. This is the mansion where Tomás Iriarte was born in 1751, one of the most respected poets of the 18th century in Spain. With the publication of his “Fábulas Literarias” he attempted to help the Spanish countrymen to acquire a better literary taste in the style of the Enlightenment. As a playwright he wrote plays in which the idle nobility blamed and praised the hardworking citizens. Today you can enjoy the mansion’s architecture, Canarian style, of carved wooden balconies and patio. Those who enjoy embroidery, oil paintings and pastel colored paintings, can indulge in retail therapy here.

Directly opposite to it stands the “Torre Ventoso” in the heights, belonging to the same Palace. In this “Windy Tower” formerly wealthy nobles and merchants watched from here the incoming goods and the ships in the harbor. These towers or fortifications that rise above from the myriad of noble houses belonged to families such as Gimignano from Tuscany and the old imperial city of Regensburg.

But now in the late afternoon, and after having seen so many attractions, the mind relaxes and the body will be refreshed. This is possible thanks to an espresso in one of the cafeterias found in the centre of the old town on “Plaza del Charco”. With a coffee and the sounds of street musicians playing a bolero I’m on my way to spot other attractions of the city.

On the way back to the beach promenade, I arrive to the Chapel of San Telmo. From the outside it is seen a whitewashed, inconspicuous chapel, one that enjoys great reputation among sailors and fishermen, since the figure of “San Pedro Gonzalez Telmo” helps people on the high seas and wild storms. The German people of Puerto de la Cruz do an spiritual speech on Sunday in the sermon of comfort and confidence.

Further along the beach promenade to the sea extends the real main attraction of the city, the “Costa de Martiánez”. A native of Lanzarote, internationally praised architect César Manrique created a bathing paradise. Between Indian laurel trees, Mediterranean palm trees and exotic plants, an acuatic park with artificial lakes, islands of black lava and green resplendent parking zone extends.

Green oasis in Puerto de la Cruz

I walk a little along the lava coast of Playa de Martiánez, where some daring young boys dive into the sea spray. I must hurry, in order to get a lift in taxi to the famous “Jardín Botánico” before its closure at 19:00. The Spanish King Charles III made the Botanical Garden here, to accustum the tropical plants to the Spanish climate. However, this test shall be regarded as a failure for the mainland Spain. With the Canary Islands climate and the botanical garden well maintained, there you can see tropical plants like orchids and coffee plants, and exotic tree species such as pepper and mango trees and tulips. An enjoyable walk on a gravel shore with fountains and flower beds makes your time fly away.

So today I did not manage to see the main attraction of the island, the most visited zoo in Spain, the “Loro Parque”. The parrots, dolphins, sea lions, orcas, killer whales, and the monkeys, they all have to wait for me until tomorrow, when I’ll pay a visit. Once there I will applaud to them and their art pieces in the amphitheater.

Winter has a firm grip on Europe. All of Europe? No, not in a few islands that belong to Europe, according to what we’ve been told. Therefore, we have to help a little in the Canaries, we want to express our solidarity with all the freezing people.

Yes, something is happening now, in the very heart of Tenerife’s capital, Santa Cruz: in the Plaza de España our popular artificial lake at times changes a little and opens the way…

… to skating under the sun!

Well, not quite. Because this is something special, when after a stroll through the city or visiting one of the many attractions still present on the islands of eternal spring, and somehow it becomes part of ourselves for Christmas and winter.

Opening of the ice rink

The opening of the ice rink was due to the 3rd December 2010. But since a severe storm struck the island at the beginning of the week, it wasn’t. However, that did not diminish the excitement, right? And even this storm had a good side: el Teide shines again in a white robe.

Up to 10 January 2011, each woman and man present on the 30 by 20-foot ice rink, which will be housed in a 7.5 meter high tent.

The price for 1 hour skating with skate rental is 4.50€ for children and 6€ for adults. There are discounts for groups. The tram service is open every day from 10-22 clock.

Tenerife, but also La Palma, El Hierro, La Gomera and all the other islands of the Canary Islands have much to offer. Enchanting natural beauty, a rich culture, a lot of space for sports and recreation and all this embedded with many beaches in the Atlantic Ocean.

Islands of Eternal Spring

The special attraction arises by means of the “eternal spring” in the Canary Islands, perceived by many as an ideal climate that provides pleasant conditions for all kinds of activities and rarely uncomfortable oppressive heat or cool all year round.

The structure of the mountainous islands often increases the diversity and beauty once more and creates many nuances within this paradise in the sea.

Tenerife – beach weather and high mountain climate

Tenerife, for example, has the picturesque Mount Teide as a “control element”. This huge mountain, the third highest volcano in the world after the Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa in Hawaii, has something to do with the design of the weather and climate on Tenerife. Because of its existence, we have a distinct fauna and flora and a diverse selection: from the summer weather of the waves of the Atlantic up to the high mountain climate of the Teide summit

The Teide as a meteorological divide

Apart from the volcano, there are also the clouds and the wind. Since the South has a rather dry landscape, is often the first choice for sun worshipers. However, as you can see in the image, the sun is almost always shining everywhere. This happens because of most of the blow from the northeast trade winds and the clouds that are in the ascent on the north side of the island. So there is in Adeje, Playa de Las Americas, Los Cristianos and all the other sunny places around the south airport Reina Sofia, where most visitors arrive Tenerife, often “pure sunshine”.

The north is lush, fantastic for walking through the magnificent landscapes and natural scenery. Lush green … does that mean that the clouds and the rain dominate here? Some reports in this direction have made plans of vacation be cancelled. Others make their own measurements, as here, to the temperature.

Many hours of sunshine in Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife’s northern coast and in the south

In Germany envious feelings can arise just because of knowing about the sunniest areas of the country such as the North Sea, Freiburg or islands. Compared with average sunshine places, which are provided with 1550 hours of sunshine, Sylt and Freiburg have in fact appreciably more, around 1700 hours of sunshine. The difference is not found in these figures, but rather on the quantity of raining: while there it is always raining, the Canary Islands are just on a completely different level.

The tourist resorts in Tenerife in the area of Arona, Granadilla de Abona San Miguel or be pampered by about 3000 hours of sunshine annually.

Puerto de la Cruz as the most important center of the north is in the range where the trade winds to the Teide. There as well as in neighboring Los Realejos or in Icod de los Vinos with its magnificent villas and the famous Drago Millenario, it is the statistical average, but still about 2600 hours of sunshine a year. The sunniest part of the north coast is Santa Ursula, La Victoria, La Matanza, El Sauzal and Tacoronte that lead the way to Santa Cruz, also located on the northeast corner of Tenerife: all of them with about 2900 hours of sunshine.

The housing developments in the northern coast include exclusive villas, beautiful houses in Canarian style, but also many homes, apartments and townhouses in a successful architectural design. Examples of urbanizations like this are Puntillo del Sol, La Palmita or Jardin del Sol. How come?

The cool water comes from the mountains

The trade wind clouds often only form in the higher elevations of the mountain slopes and the rain goes on there, which supplies the recovered water as the landscape down to the wild cliffs and beautiful beach coves.

This has provided a long tradition of cultivation of bananas, flowers of all kinds and of course the wine. The clouds down at times to the coast (without clouds there would be about 4500 hours of sunshine in complete dryness) so this may be a welcome even a very romantic look, whether in the north or in the south.

How much sun’ll it be?

In your private terrace or at the pool in Tenerife, whether as a holiday home or permanent home, is therefore the only question: what should we choose? Dear picturesque barrancos (gully) with lush vegetation at 1000 hours of sunshine –much more than at home, in Germany-, or the best beaches for surfing just a few metres away from the house’ door and a few hundred more hours of sunshine per year?

Difficult to answer right? Similarly, on the “Isla Bonita” La Palma (here the Roque de los Muchachos, the role of the Teide), say between Breña Alta or Puntallana and Los Llanos or Tazacorte. Or maybe more individually to La Gomera Vallehermoso or Valle Gran Rey on the one side and Playa de Santiago and San Sebastián on the other …

What are your experiences? What you have experienced yourself and what “they say”? Which place is your favorite climate? We look forward to responses.