You won't need to spend much time on Tenerife, before noticing the wooden balconies that hang off so many the island's houses. These "Canarian Balconies" are a famous architectural trademark of the archipelago. To learn more about them, we visited the Casa de los Balcones in Orotava.
Both the valley and the city of La Orotava are blessed with the ability to grow apparently anything. Walking through town, we marveled at the variety of plants, flowers and trees sprouting from every garden, yard, or crack in the ground. But two parks adjacent to one another bear special mention: the Jardines del Marquesado de la Quinta Roja, and the Hijuela del Botánico.
La Orotava is located midway up the valley, overlooking the coastal town of Puerto de la Cruz. Because it's not right on the ocean, it manages to largely avoid tourism -- Europeans visit Tenerife for the beach, and not much else. The elevated position also provides the town with an amazing view, and abundant access to water. There are gardens everywhere in Orotava; in yards, parks, plazas… even the weeds blossom with exuberance.
Despite all the hiking we were doing, we definitely weren't losing any weight here in Tenerife. And that didn't surprise me, considering the hearty food, and the outsized portions in which they serve it. But we loved the island's cuisine, which is quite distinct from that of the Spanish mainland.
This is the most historic and culturally significant of any city on Tenerife, and its casco antiguo, or old town, is replete in majestic palaces.
Generally, any whale-watching trip comes with a massive disclaimer: there's no guarantee that you're going to see whales. But the guys from Third Element were either recklessly confident, or the sightings between La Gomera and Tenerife are just that dependable, because they said we'd "definitely" spot some pilot whales, along with bottlenose dolphins.
A time-worn path brought us from the village of Afur, along the coastline to Taganana, and then back to Afur through the forests and hills of the Anaga natural reserve. With perfect weather, a well-marked trail, glorious coastal views, an evocative forest, the surprise kindness of strangers, and just the right amount of challenge, it was one of the best hikes we've ever done.
The history of Tenerife is tied closely to that of the entire Canary Islands. This is the largest of the seven islands in the archipelago, and has assumed the cultural and political lead throughout the years. Let's take a quick look at the most important events in Tenerife's history.
Jürgen and I are definitive city guys. We met in Boston and lived for years in Berlin, before moving to Valencia. We ride bikes, use public transport, and don't even own a car. But for whatever reason, we wanted our stay in Tenerife to be more rural, so chose a house in a small village. Las Mercedes: are you ready to entertain us?
The Casa Lercaro is just one of many historic homes found in the old quarter of La Laguna, though it might be the largest. The palace was built in the late sixteenth century for a powerful family of commercial magnates from Genoa, and a visit to the museum is almost as fascinating for the tour of this ancient home, as it is for the exhibitions themselves.
