Winter sun

I’d never ever thought of going to the Canary Islands – too hot, I reckoned, and probably filled with crowds of people, not for me really!  However, some friends from the Petanque group go out to Tenerife for the winter, and Peter was going out for a couple of months to avoid the cold over here, and to up his petanque game in the warmth of a Tenerifian winter.  We began emailing each other and sometimes talking on Facetime.  It all sounded really good there so when Peter suggested I go out to visit, I was very tempted.  Trouble was, I didn’t have a current passport!  It expired a couple of years ago, and I didn’t think I would need one for a while.  I explained the situation to Peter and said I would pass on a visit, but looking at websites and continuing our conversations, I was really quite keen to go – the weather sounded great, and there were sights to see and tours to go on, games of petanque to play too of course – so I decided to go ahead and fill in an application for the new passport.  If it came in time I would ask Peter if his offer still stood.  He was only going to be out there till the end of February, so there might not be time, but hope springs eternal, as they say, and sure enough, the passport arrived in good time.

Peter seemed pleased that I could go after all, so we fixed on a week, Wednesday to Wednesday, and in a week or so I was off on the plane direct from Edinburgh to Tenerife South.  It’s a four and a half hour flight, and no time change either.  Suddenly we were getting out first view of the island, with the volcanic peak of Teide (rhymes with lady!) looming above the clouds, sporting a bit of a snow cap. on the north facing side.  We skirted round to the south west and flying over the two tourist cities of Las Americas and Los Christianos, we came in to land just past Galletas, and Costa del Silencio.  Tommy and Sandra met me and soon we were on the road back to Silencio.  The views of the mountains were incredible, including Teide at almost 13,000 feet, the highest spot in Spain.

From Peter’s apartment balcony I admired the view of the mountain and the surrounding buildings.  How different for me to see all the houses brightly painted, the sky to be so blue and there to be palm trees!  I was already very taken with the place!   We had a walk around the area later and I began to get my bearings.  The concrete bathers in their raised pool were amusing, heads lifted to the sun.  Later I would see them twirling round and round on the spot.  Such fun! 

Then we took a look in at the petanque pistes.  Still a few players about, in the afternoon sunshine. Peter and I played here  often throughout the coming week.

Continuing our walk we passed this beautiful specimen of bougainvillea growing rampant on the wooden colonnade.  It’s a bit of a sad run down area, that might have been a great recreational parkland once.

Down towards the coast we passed a couple of old fishermen’s houses, almost lost in the crowd of modern blocks, then on to the seashore with its black rocky beach,

 

the harbour with boats of all sizes and style,

and the pier, with its blue painted restaurant at the furthest end

 

 

and more old cottages and fishermen’s stores on the far side.

A lone fisherman was silhouetted against the sun,

 

and although there are modern apartment blocks here now, the sculpture of fishermen mending their nets evoked a memory of the place it had once been.

 

More next time.  Talk again soon.