Tenerife: Santa Cruz (4/8)

My Tenerife adventure continues with this short post about the capital of Tenerife, Santa Cruz. It's also the joint capital of the Canary Islands. I was unaware joint capitals were even a thing until I researched Santa Cruz.

This city is home to 500k people and has a mix of culture that is not entirely Spanish or African. It's Canarian, loosely described as mostly Spanish with some Guanches influence. The Guanches are the first known human inhabitants of the Canary Islands, around 1000 years ago.

The issue with busy itineraries like the one I was adhering to in Tenerife, is the lack of time to observe and absorb the culture. I only had a week and change on the island and was more focused on capturing 360 video than exploring local customs. Some might think of this as a shame, but I love filming!

I love the process of exploring and finding the shots that I want to share. I love editing the clips together and then taking Katie on a virtual adventure, as we narrate the videos for others to enjoy. I also know that this will paint a picture of Tenerife that my future self will appreciate as well! Hopefully others appreciate what we're trying to do with our 360 vlogs as well!

That's not to say I wouldn’t have loved to learn more about the culture. But as we say, always leave something undone so you have a reason to return. And in the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger… I'll be back.

The shopping and museums in Santa Cruz are a big reason tourists and islanders visit the capital. Neither enticed me there. I was going to see the architecture, principally the "Auditorio de Tenerife". This beautiful structure was built by Santiago Calatrava, the same man responsible for the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, as well as the Oculus World Trade Center in New York.

As you can see, this building is a work of art. It was simply incredible to walk around the auditorium and see the paintings on the rocks nearby of famous and mostly dead musicians. A stark reminder that even the greatest humans can't escape the ultimate fate.

The city didn't do too much for me but it was very much a flying visit. As I said earlier, I hope to return with my partner in crime and eat all the local delicacies. I barely ate out at all, favouring pack lunches. Part of the reason is cost, but also not having the excited and knowledgeable Katie whispering the culinary delights we have to try meant I missed out on the food. I'LL BE BACK.

Next week I'll tell you about a seaside town that impressed me with rock pools and grand plazas. For now, go watch our 360 video on Santa Cruz. We'll see you next week!

   

Tenerife: La Orotava (3/8)

I'm continuing my tales from Tenerife with a little bit about the town of La Orotava.

I remember getting back to my Uncle’s place after a long day of exploring and waxing lyrical about this town. There was something distinctive and prestigious about the feel of this town that seemed to permeate my time there.

Perhaps it was something to do with the history of writers and artists that have set up shop in La Orotava to create and explore their art in this island haven.

Perhaps it was the clash of this cultural epicentre with Tenerife’s extreme natural beauty.

Perhaps I just happened to be in a good mood due to a good night's sleep or having some food drugged by a friendly spiker…

Perhaps the town just emanates prestige… Who knows?

The big sights in this small town are the church, the main square, and some historic buildings. They were all beautiful in their own right and it was a welcome change to see some man-made beauty after already exploring Teide National Park and the mountainous region around Masca.

The architecture was fantastic to marvel at, especially against the backdrop of the non-man-made, natural beauty of Tenerife! I especially enjoyed my encounters with Dragon trees, which are huge and plentiful in this town.

If you’re close by, I’d take a few hours to check La Orotava out and explore the quaint streets.

As night fell on this town, I realised I was several hours from where I was staying and already worn out from a day of exploring. It was one of those realisations that makes you wonder why you ever leave your house… Or why they haven’t got round to inventing teleportation yet?

I kept myself awake by listening to obscene podcasts with fresh air blowing in my face while concentrating on the curvy mountain roads that made this such a driving challenge. It was a tough slog and I took refuge in the wise words of the many motivational speakers that I listen to on YouTube. This encouragement got me through, despite arriving back in a manic and unintelligible state.

Perhaps it was this mental state that had me singing La Orotava’s praises from the hilltops. The joy of being alive had transferred to the joy of seeing La Orotava.

Well that makes a bit more sense…

So enjoy the photos of the town and don’t forget to watch our 360 VR experience as well, to fully immerse yourself in this town. Ciao for now!

  

Tenerife: Masca and Punta de Teno (2/8)

Tenerife is a large island with a huge array of places to visit and things to see. Top of nearly every list though, is Masca -  a village nestled in a mountainous region. If you have a VR headset, you can explore Masca with Katie and me in our new style of 360 vlog.

Although Masca is delightful, the real sights to behold are on the drive to the village. There are countless miradors (viewpoints) and hairpin bends that get your blood pumping. The roads were pretty decent and I didn't understand all the internet rage about how scary they were. But maybe I just got lucky! Or maybe I am just used to narrow, winding roads now, after some of the crazy trips we've done in the last few years (Romania in particular springs to mind!)

That being said, I was in complete agreement with the internet about the views available on this drive. They are breathtaking.

It's an incredible feeling being in a car with a full tank of fuel and mountains to explore, with spectacular views being revealed around each corner.

Sometimes I forget that this isn't how the whole world lives. I forget how lucky I am to have engineered a lifestyle that means I am super accustomed to travelling regularly. But if you’re not careful, going on lots of holidays could easily become routine or even mundane… That's one reason why I love writing these blogs. It forces me to look at the world with fresh eyes and with the sense of wonder that a traveller ought to have. I also get to sit down and be grateful for everything that I have, and will experience.

I'm very grateful for Masca because this town and surrounding area was simply stunning and is a must see when you're exploring Tenerife in real life (or in VR!)

If you have a full day, then after seeing Masca, I recommend you drive to the western-most point of the island - Punta Teno.

You'll find a lighthouse along the beautiful, unspoilt coastline - home to a variety of trees and birds. The route to the lighthouse is closed on certain days so make sure you plan accordingly. I did not, but got lucky with my timings!

I don’t have too much else to say about this part of Tenerife so I'll leave you with photos and once again, a plug for our 360 VR experience.

Until next time.

Trujillo (Road Trip Day 7)

Welcome to Trujillo! This town is very close to Cáceres, which we told you about last week. If you're in the area, both towns can be seen in the same day and we highly recommend them, as does UNESCO.

Trujillo was the final stop on the road trip we did in December, which we've been writing about for the last few weeks, and it was the perfect way to end a fantastic holiday.

Much like Cáceres, Trujillo's wealth historically came from the conquistadors who first went to the Americas and brought back riches. The main town square has a beautiful church and a statue of one of the conquistadors on horseback. 

With its rich history, walking around this town is like a trip back in time. There are lots of old churches, surrounded by old cobbled streets and views of the surrounding fields and hills. There's a lot to see and explore in the town and we really enjoyed our time there. If you'd like to explore it with us, check out our 360 video and join us as we wander the streets!

The main attraction in Trujillo is the castle, Alcazaba, which is situated at the highest point in the town. It was built by the Moors between the ninth and twelfth century, and the striking structure is the first thing you see when driving into the town.

This Moorish stone fortress has eight towers and a horseshoe arch. It's a beautiful castle and although we didn't pay to go inside, we really enjoyed wandering round the outside and taking in the views.

As we've mentioned in previous posts, once again none of the Christmas lights were turned on! Electricity is expensive in Spain, but why have them if you're not going to turn them on? By this point it was 9th December, so what were they waiting for?

Lights or not, as the sun began to set at the end of another wonderful day of exploring, we contemplated our time on the road with James and Emily. We had a fantastic time visiting Toledo, Salamanca and Béjar. The historical towns of Cáceres and Trujillo exceeded our expectations. And of course, there was the craziness of Los Escobazos. This festival will stay with us for a long time, especially since the smell of smoke won't wash out of our clothes!

You can watch our 360 videos about all of these places and more on YouTube, Facebook, SamsungVR, Littlstar and VeeR.

And that brings us to the end of this trip. Thank you James and Emily for being brilliant travel companions, we had a wonderful time and we hope you did too!

The central plaza was pretty big and housed most of the (unilluminated) decorations!

Including this nativity scene that, to be fair, was more accurate without electric lighting!

Jamily leading the way as usual!

From the castle you could see more ruins below in the fields

Let's play "Spot the Posers"!

Can you see Emily?

James is a bit less subtle!