Tenerife is just a 180-mile stepping stone away from the coast of Africa, and the largest of the Canary Islands of Spain at 790 square miles with a population of 700,000. Santa Cruz is the capital, administration and commercial center, and a busy port with large cruise ships lined up the day we arrived. The main attractions are said to be the dramatic diversity of the island’s climate, and beautiful landscape of the interior and coastline, with natural places of interest. But, we found the city to be interesting and clean, with a blend of modern and colonial architecture.
The Mercado de Nuestra Señora de Africa, or “Our Lady of Africa Market”, is a lovely, tidy, two-story shopping area with a variety of stalls around an open atrium featuring fresh flowers, herbs, meats, cheeses, olive oils, local Tenerife and Spanish wines, and a selection of crafts and jewelry, with helpful and friendly vendors.
At the seaside Plaza España, I found the reliable Hop-On/Hop-Off bus and bought a ticket for a leisurely tour of the city from the sunny upper deck. We drove past the “Las Ramblas” of Santa Cruz, a mini-version of Barcelona’s famous wide, strolling avenue, and the opulent villas of the nearby wealthy neighborhoods. Contemporary architecture is showcased in Santa Cruz’s sweeping convention center, the Museum of Fine Arts, and most notably, the performing arts center’s unmistakable futuristic roofline towering above the harbor. Built in 2003 by noted Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, it is now regarded as the city’s symbol.
Since classical antiquity, the Canary Islands have been a land of legends, and remained only a myth and a mystery until after the middle ages. Their first inhabitants, the Guanches, who arrived in the 1st or 2nd century B.C., were believed to be a tall, primitive society related to North Africa’s Cro-Magnon man. By the end of the 15th century, the Spanish had conquered all seven islands after overcoming resistance from the Portuguese. During the time of the early discoverers, the Canaries became the world’s most westerly charted point, and the last known stopping place for the explorations of Christopher Columbus before venturing into the unknown, and for the next several centuries, the islands became a bridge between the Old and New World. Straddling continents, and swept by the winds from Africa, the Canaries still seem to balance a bit on the edge of two worlds.
Looking forward to visiting the Canary Islands in 2018. Thank you again for your insightful posts. Wishing you both a unique Happy Thanksgiving!