Just a quick update on Arrecife and Santa Cruz
If this was your first ever trip to the Canaries, I think you would be disappointed by what you see on this cruise. Arrecife seems to be a fairly large town with over 200,000 inhabitants. When we got off the boat, it was a short walk into the town, and there is a pleasant area around a sort of tidal inland harbour with lots of local boats. The surrounding buildings are painted blue and white and it is an attractive area. We decided to walk past this relatively touristy part and not go in the first bar we came to, as they were bound to be full of other cruise ship people and probably sell expensive food and drink. So instead, we thought we would be clever and find a more authentic bar, and walked about half a mile right up to the top of what was described as the Main Street which had a bit of an incline. But not one local bar or restaurant did we find! Now, if this was Greece, there would be some sort of taverna every fifty paces! There were hardly any proper shops either, quite a few cycle shops, hairdressers, and a few local businesses. That'll teach us! We walked all the way back down to the seafront, and found quite an attractive area in a courtyard behind the bus station, where we did get a small beer, as by now we were hot and tired out. After a brief recovery, we walked back in the direction of the blue and white buildings at the harbour, and guess what, we ended up eating lunch very close to the first bar we had seen!
Santa Cruz on Tenerife was slightly nicer, and a much bigger place. From the boat the next morning, it looked a very busy town, spreading right back into the foothills. Mostly 1960s and 60s square blocks of apartments, with just a few much older buildings hiding between them. A short walk from the ship brought us to the main square, with a huge artificial lake and some interesting buildings. We walked up what was obviously the main shopping street, it was fairly busy. I didn't get to go into any shops.
Tim's idea of shopping is waiting outside for me, so I feel guilty at this, so I frantically rush in, have a quick look round and then out again, usually without buying anything. He hates shopping, so I don't bother either, I much prefer to wander round by myself and take as much time as I like. But that won't be happening on this trip. Then we found a cafe where we had a quick beer and a peruse of the map, and then continued our perambulations. We found a wonderful park, with amazing trees and plants, fountains and sculptures. There were also wide streets or 'Ramblas' like they have in Barcelona, with a wide pedestrian area with trees between the traffic.
Around the town there are many lovely statues and sculptures, ranging from classical to very modern. It gave the town quite a sophisticated feel. We explored some mega posh roads with amazing mansions with lovely ornate architecture and windows...... More news soon....
If this was your first ever trip to the Canaries, I think you would be disappointed by what you see on this cruise. Arrecife seems to be a fairly large town with over 200,000 inhabitants. When we got off the boat, it was a short walk into the town, and there is a pleasant area around a sort of tidal inland harbour with lots of local boats. The surrounding buildings are painted blue and white and it is an attractive area. We decided to walk past this relatively touristy part and not go in the first bar we came to, as they were bound to be full of other cruise ship people and probably sell expensive food and drink. So instead, we thought we would be clever and find a more authentic bar, and walked about half a mile right up to the top of what was described as the Main Street which had a bit of an incline. But not one local bar or restaurant did we find! Now, if this was Greece, there would be some sort of taverna every fifty paces! There were hardly any proper shops either, quite a few cycle shops, hairdressers, and a few local businesses. That'll teach us! We walked all the way back down to the seafront, and found quite an attractive area in a courtyard behind the bus station, where we did get a small beer, as by now we were hot and tired out. After a brief recovery, we walked back in the direction of the blue and white buildings at the harbour, and guess what, we ended up eating lunch very close to the first bar we had seen!
Santa Cruz on Tenerife was slightly nicer, and a much bigger place. From the boat the next morning, it looked a very busy town, spreading right back into the foothills. Mostly 1960s and 60s square blocks of apartments, with just a few much older buildings hiding between them. A short walk from the ship brought us to the main square, with a huge artificial lake and some interesting buildings. We walked up what was obviously the main shopping street, it was fairly busy. I didn't get to go into any shops.
Tim's idea of shopping is waiting outside for me, so I feel guilty at this, so I frantically rush in, have a quick look round and then out again, usually without buying anything. He hates shopping, so I don't bother either, I much prefer to wander round by myself and take as much time as I like. But that won't be happening on this trip. Then we found a cafe where we had a quick beer and a peruse of the map, and then continued our perambulations. We found a wonderful park, with amazing trees and plants, fountains and sculptures. There were also wide streets or 'Ramblas' like they have in Barcelona, with a wide pedestrian area with trees between the traffic.
Around the town there are many lovely statues and sculptures, ranging from classical to very modern. It gave the town quite a sophisticated feel. We explored some mega posh roads with amazing mansions with lovely ornate architecture and windows...... More news soon....
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