Tenerife - The Grand Finale

Anxious not to waste a single moment of our last day on Tenerife, we were up & out bright and early, climbing one of the many stairways built into the slopes of Mount Teide to reach our first destination, the leafy Parque Taoro district. 

We stopped off to admire the view. Puerto de la Cruz isn't a purpose-built tourist resort, its a vibrant Spanish city with a population of over 30,000. 

A few weeks previously we'd seen a car boot advertised on one of the Facebook pages we follow. We didn't expect much, perhaps a few elderly ex-pats from the congregation of the Anglican church where it was being held, selling their odds and ends to a handful of tourists, but were curious to take a look.

What we didn't expect was a huge queue snaking its way halfway down the road, mostly consisting of Spanish residents jingling their change, impatiently awaiting the gates opening. The air of excited expectancy reminded us of the good old days, when we'd queue to get into jumble sales on a Saturday morning, barely able to stand still wondering what treasures were inside.

The lady in front of us asked if it was okay if her friend jumped the queue to stand next to her...how very polite!  The friend in question, dressed in chartreuse, had just taken off a fabulous vintage purple Chinese jacket which I admired....seda, del rastro (silk, from the flea market) she said with a wink. 

We handed over our 50 C admission fee  and explored the many, well-curated stalls. From pretty young Spanish women selling last season's Zara and artists displaying their paintings, hobby bakers with homemade cakes and pastries, baskets of home-grown produce & eggs to a writer promoting his latest thriller. There was a young Spanish hipster selling some fantastic vintage at great prices but with just a carry-on to get it home, I restrained myself

We spotted West German Fat Lava vases, Murano glass and some amazing vintage lighting and I was very tempted with a 1960s malachite & copper pendant but in the end we only spent €2 on coffee from the on-site cafe - there was even a bar doing a roaring trade in wine despite the early hour.

The car boot is held year round on the first Saturday of every month. 

The church, Iglesia Anglicana de Todos Los Santos (The Anglican Church of All Saints) built in the gothic revival style, opened in 1890 and was built with money donated by visitors and British residents living in the city. 

 

We didn't venture inside, descending the steps back into town and enjoying an ice cold Dorada in the sun, outside Ebano, the prettiest bar in Puerto de la Cruz.

I had to laugh at the slogan on a tote bag carried by someone walking past... Sex is good but Putin's death is better.

And the interior makes me go weak at the knees!

We'd not seen this vintage market last year, it was beautifully laid out and the prices were amazing  although most of the stock was second hand as opposed to vintage.

 

The charity market had moved from its previous location, you may remember Jon buying a 1960s wool coat and me finding a vintage embroidered maxi dress from here last year. Again the prices were fantastic and the quality of the stock far superior to the average UK chazza (no Primarni or supermarket brands) There were some fabulously kitsch plaster saints on the bric-a-brac shelf but they wouldn't have fitted in our cabin bags! 

It was time to make our way back up the steps ...

The La Orotava Botanical Gardens are, after Madrid's, the second oldest gardens in Spain. They were created by Royal Order of Carlos III in 1788 in order to cultivate species from the tropics somewhere in Spain with a suitable climate. 

Back in town we sat on San Telmo beach with beers and a bowl of what the menu described as local creamed cheese with crackers - spicy and very tasty.

It was another record-breaking hot day so we headed back to Florida Plaza's rooftop for some swimming (me) and sunbathing, not leaving until sunset...who knows when we'll see the sun again ? 

Our last night in Puerto de la Cruz! 

We'd enjoyed my birthday lunch at El Patio so much, we decided to have dinner there. 

I'm not usually a fan of risotto, finding it a bit slimy and over rich. The wheat risotto made with gofio and bulgur with roast vegetables and drizzled with mojo sauce blew me away.

Jon ordered pork rib, stuffed with aubergine (which he claims to hate) and served on a bed of ratatouille and loved it.

As I mentioned previously, there's always something going on in Puerto de la Cruz and a night out feels like being at a festival. 

These three videos are just a few of the musicians and bands we encountered in one evening.

And the wonky mirror selfie back at the Florida Plaza shows that we ended the evening with a couple more of those infamous €5 mojitos!

And so ends our five night trip to Puerto de la Cruz and the last of our overseas adventures for 2024. Fuerteventura, Kefalonia, Kos, Corfu and Tenerife, you've all been fabulous. I wonder where we'll go next year? Let the flight search commence!

Thanks for reading!