Take a rest Rambo, your battle is over. Make way for Marvel´s new intergalactic super heroes The Eternals, now filming, and George Clooneys post apocalyptic flick, Good Morning Midnight, due to see action in February 2020.
Stallone´s fifth instalment of the war veteran saga pitched camp in the Tenerife capital Santa Cruz earlier this year and has just hit the big screen. The Eternals have headed over to Fuerteventura and Lanzarote as Angelina Jolie and her alien friends set out to fill the void left by the demise of The Avengers. The former Tomb Raider had been spotted in filming at a London park wearing a white full length gown, topped with a cascade of long white hair. It was back to its natural look when she landed at Fuerteventura airport.

The busiest of the big screen icons will be George Clooney who is directing as well as starring in the big screen adaptation of an award winning novel by Lily Brooks – Dalton. George will be leading a rag tag band of survivors to a spaceship that will rescue them from a dying Earth. Birmingham born actress Felicity Jones will play the main female character.
This latest batch of movies follow Tenerife based blockbusters like Clash Of The Titans, and Bourne. Other worldly landscapes are the big draw for fantasy movies but the tax breaks offered by the Canarian Film Commission, and resident hi tech support companies have smoothed the way for the film industry.
The first set for The Eternals was built at Buen Paso, Puerto del Rosario in Fuerteventura. They were to have shot key scenes at Teide National Park in Tenerife but despite many concessions made for them to use the protected area, the ban on the use of drones was unmovable. Angelina endeared herself to Fuerteventura locals by coming down to earth for some supermarket shopping on the island, and even an unexploded WW2 bomb found on set did little more than delay filming. Now the lens has turned its focus on Lanzarote for the next stage of filming. Actress Salma Hayek is already under its spell and has been proclaiming her love of the island across social media.

La Palma maybe one of the smaller Canary Islands but it´s already showing why it´s known as La Isla Bonita in the new trailer for Netflix series, The Witcher, ahead of the 20th December debut. It features two weeks of Canarian shooting from March, with ex Superman Henry Cavill heading the cast at locations such as Elano de Los Bruja, and La Colmbrecita. The island peak of Roque de Los Muchachos, also grabs the spotlight in several scenes. Wonder Woman 2 has also released its first trailer, giving glimpses of the scenic delights of Fuerteventura.
It’s a tough call trying to squeeze the full splendour of the Canary Islands onto the small screen but it hasn’t stopped a trail of TV productions from heading our way. Sky Rojo is a much anticipated follow up from Alex Pina, the creator of the blockbuster Spanish crime series La Casa de Papel . Extras have been hired and stages set up at San Andres, just beyond Santa Cruz and Guimar. Netflix headed for Tenerife in mid November for filming at Santa Cruz Auditorium, and the Almaciga and Taganana beaches of Anaga for The One. Based on John Marrs best seller, it´s set in the near future when all partners are selected by DNA – but don’t expect many happy ever afters by the end of the 10 episodes. You can certainly expect many happy returns though as future dramas and adverts beat a path to our volcanic shores.

Out of despair, conflict, and uncertainty, CD Tenerife produced a remarkable display of solidarity and stubborn defiance to snatch a 0-2 win at Sporting Gijon. The sacking of coach Aritz Lopez Garai had exposed old wounds at the club and sown new doubts about the remainder of the season. Forget flowing football, the torrential rain scuppered that, caretaker coach Sesé Rivero made bold decisions that paid off, and the team huddle at the full whistle showed was brimming with pride in a job well done.
There were no drastic changes in the starting line up, Javi Alonso continued his progress from the B team with a starting midfield slot for the suspended Alberto, and he had a fine full game. Early play was always going to be tense, Ortola calmed nerves with a couple of solid stops in goal, and Javi cleaned up after the Tenerife defence got in a mix and nearly let the home side in. There was a scare when an aerial duel saw the ball canon at the away goal from the head of Munoz, Ortola was coolness itself as he snuffed out the ricochet.

Medina was the play maker for Gijon and Aitor the buzzing forward waiting to snap up any openings. Luis Perez was at his sharpest to poke away a shot after Aitor has burst past three defenders. The Tenerife team were struggling at times to adjust from the old coaches tactics to the new boss´s input, but they worked at it. Aitor threatened again after cutting the ball back from the byline but Ortola was on the case. Borja Lasso was playing a more advanced role with Malbasic offering very little in a deep position, Nahuel and Shaq Moore gradually found an understanding as they interchanged on the left.
Medina beat Carlos Ruiz to post a header at the visitors goal, Ortola had it covered. The Tenerife keeper did even better just before the break to stand tall to a Djuka break and a fierce shot that winded him but didn´t beat him. A storm had been weathered and it was a sunnier Tenerife that emerged for the second half, especially with Dani Gomez taking over from the invisible Malbasic. Passes were getting crisper, and pressure was growing on the Gijon goal. When Valiente fouled Nahuel on the edge of the home box after 54 minutes, VAR was awoken and awarded a Tenerife penalty. Captain Suso took a few deep breaths to calm the nerves and placed the ball in the roof of the net to take the lead. It could have been short lived, Djuka beat a clutch of Tenerife defenders before unloading his shot, Ortola dived and turned it aside with ease.

The pitch was breaking up in the downpour but Dani Gomez was the lawn master as he side stepped his marker and picked his shot to perfection to double the lead. If anyone though that Rivero would play safe, that was soon dispelled when he took off Nahuel and brought on defender Dos Santos, discarded for so long he was covered in cobwebs. Gomez is a real prospect, the 20 year old loanee from Real Madrid held up the ball well and passed to Borja who shot wide. Rivero has poured years into the youth coaching set up at Tenerife and drew on his knowledge to give a sub debut to Elliot Gomez as Suso departed. The 20 year old player made an immediate impact with an impressive cross into the path of Dani Gomez who was clattered by a home defender. Ortola capped a great evenings work with a late save from a strong header, and Elliot powered down the right to force a corner just before the teams played out the added time. What a tonic this was for Tenerife´s ills, but there are still many things to be resolved.

Aritz Garai Lopez was shocked to be sacked after his patched up CD Tenerife side ground out a 1-1 home draw with Cadiz, the nine points clear top team. Alvaro Cervera, the visiting coach probably wasn´t, he was sacked four years ago after rescuing Tenerife from the doldrums of Segunda B. That´s 18 coaches in 14 years.

Injuries decimated the Tenerife line up. Luis Milla, Luis Perez, and Alex Bermejo, the best players at the club, led the injury parade. Shaq Moore, a left sided defender struggled at right back but even so, veteran captain Suso gave Tenerife a shock 11th minute lead from a Mierez set up. Just before that, home goalie Ortola had saved from Sanchez. Carlos Ruiz, another veteran was at the heart of the home defence, he had been pressed into service due to the poor displays of Sipcic. The Serbian was warming the bench along with Dos Santos, an equally poor defender brought in a year before by the Sporting Director. I´m not trying to make you weep for the departed coach, just enlighten you to why the Tenerife coaching job chews them up and spits them out.

Back at the game, hope was springing eternal, even the return of Honduras striker Choco Lozano, this time in a yellow shirt, wasn´t offering as much threat as was expected. Cadiz did rattle the home crossbar but the midfield pairing of Undabarrena and Alberto slowed their progress and Munoz was playing well alongside Ruiz. Borja was the spark going forward and had two decent strikes at goal. Mierez was picked ahead of Malbasic, he did well holding up the ball but he doesn´t shoot enough and the lack of goals has been one of the main causes of Tenerife´s slump. Just after the half hour Moore was exposed at the post and the ball came loose for Mauro to pop in for the equaliser.
Tenerife didn´t drop their heads, they came out for the second half eager to get at Cadiz. Nahuel looked tired with his socks at half mast but still made his powerful charges like a rhino answering the dinner gong.

Suso was fired up, he roasted his marker and took the ball to the line before hooking it back to Mierez, but he reacted slowly and a defender cleared the danger. Nano, another former Tenerife player came on as sub but didn´t offer much. Negative substitutions is one charge levelled at Lopez, the coach showed ambition this week by adding Dani Gomez for Borja. Alberto picked up a booking, totting him up to a suspension next game, a nice welcome for the new boss. Javi Alonso took over from Undabarrena, and Malbasic entered the attack in place of Suso. Mierez squandered two late chances with a header and a wide strike. In the end a valiant point looked like some sort of platform for the coach to build from. There were no calls for the coach to go from the 9,860 crowd but he had been warned that a defeat would see the end of him, it turned out a few hours later that even a draw couldn´t save him. Terrace calls for the club President to go have been a feature all season, a new takeover bid for the club is gathering momentum and may have played a part in the sacking but patience has never been a virtue at CD Tenerife.

There’s just no stopping dynamic forwards, Zeben Buades and Nami. A goal each steered CD Marino through a niggling game at home to CD Vera for a 2-0 win to open a four point lead in their Tercera Division group.
For much of the first half Marino were frustrated by the disjointed pattern of the game, thanks to a weak ref and some exaggerated reactions to tackles by both sets of players. The yellows from the north of Tenerife favoured a big punt of the ball but their accuracy left their front men chasing lost causes. Nami´s early long ball was more tempting for Marino as it fell just in front of inrushing Zeben, but he sliced it over the Vera bar.

Zeben and Makana tussled for a loose ball that brought a free kick for the yellows, an easy take for David in goal. Meshack was ready to use his size to pressure the home defence but another wide ball only brought a corner. Mechi took it short and set Barcos up for a shot that missed the post. Charni was strong in the centre of defence for Marino, when Meshack shaped up for a shot, the defender played the ball out calmly to diffuse the danger.

Marino worked hard to take control of the action, Stephane offered good options on the left wing and towards the end of the half he swapped to the right to keep the visiting defence off guard. Nami snapped a low shot in which found Alibey alert between the posts. The half ended with a confident penalty shout from Vera for pulling when Meshack went down in the box. The ref just waved their demands away. Simon tested David with a neat shot as the second half started but it soon switched to the other end where Alberto slipped the ball through. Nami turned on the spot and swung a boot at the ball but it lacked power and Alibey had it covered.

An hour gone and Marino made the breakthrough. Alberto made good progress down the right and put in a tempting low cross, Zeben cruised in and tapped the ball past the keeper to make it 1-0. The goal maker departed soon after as last seasons top scorer Ahmed returned from a spell in Belgium. The striker looked a bit rusty but it´s a frightening thought for the rest of the league to know Marino are going to increase their goal threat. There was still a lot of work to do to ensure the win. Meshack broke clear and only had David to beat but the goalie came out and narrowed the angle before blocking his attempt.

Home coach Kiko de Diego, encourages his players to be versatile and support each other. Antonio Samuel demonstrated that well as the left back overlapped and made a great pass into the path of Nami who buried the ball in the back of the net for the second goal with just under 20 minutes to play. Nami went close to adding a third goal, his shot was only half saved but scrambled away. Vera were still hoping for a way back, when Diego lost the ball in defence they were ready to pounce before Charni made a saving tackle. This wasn´t Marino on top form but their work rate and self belief served them well.

When elephants mix with monster speedboats, and Spiderman poses next to a red faced god, artistic creations can slip in nicely among shops, cafes, and restaurants. This was the setting for paintings and photos to form part of the Cuidado Con La Tierra (take care with the earth) season at the Siam Mall commercial centre in Adeje, Tenerife.

It had been a long time since my last visit, probably for the pre event gathering for the Walk For Life, so it was also an opportunity for a little scout around the two floors of big name, trendy stores and eateries. Four free bus routes converge on the centre, I took the Los Cristianos option and after a few pick up points, I was dropped at the main entrance where Spidey looked ready to sling his web over the collection of large speedboats on display in the car park, next to the main TF1 motorway. On the lower level the coffee bars were doing a brisk pre noon trade and in the shadow of the moving stairway I found the painting exposition from the pupils of Wingate School.

To be precise, the paintings were GCSE exam pieces submitted by 15 and 16 year olds, and all those on show had achieved between level 5 and 8, which translates to A Plus to B. They all showed vibrant use of colours and plenty of imagination. This was the second time in a few days I had got good vibes about Wingate, they sent a choir along to the Remembrance Sunday outdoor service at Costa del Silencio and made a big impression.

Around the other side of the entrance lobby, six pillars displayed photos from the Fototierra (Earth Photo) collection by Tenerife based photographers. These also explored the green theme, with snaps from places like Poris de Abona, and Playa de la Tejita, both have been fighting their own recent battles against threats to their immediate environment. The Cuidado Con La Tierra season runs from 10th to 30th November 2019 and includes several specialist events such as sculpting, and rapid painting.

The dancing fountains continually make their colourful contribution to the Siam Mall experience, and the big outdoor stage on the top floor includes live music, dance, and fashion among its attractions, but hopefully more art exhibitions will follow, the paintings and photos were drawing plenty of interest from the visiting shoppers.

Pocket Calculator
After grappling with the bizarre and cumbersome slide rule, the pocket calculator was a joy to behold. The originals had big clunky keypads, and even the most basic models had functions that might as well have been a Martian code. Those who had them, would always ask those who hadn´t, to give them some figures to add or subtract before quickly stunning them with the correct answer. The obvious flaw in this operation was, the person without the calculator couldn´t check the accuracy, they just had to applaud the amazing speed and clear bold figures that appeared in the display screen
Meant as a helpful tool for school pupils, shoppers, and aspiring mad scientists, it soon found other uses. There were a few books produced to show how to play maths games which sometimes involved a pack of cards. Of course the neat trick to win friends and influence people was entering numbers and showing the calculator upside down as it miraculously displayed words like “hello” “shell oil” or the outrageous “boobs”.

Walkman
What kind of witchcraft was this box? Just flip the front compartment open and slide your cassette within the guiding raised lines, snap it shut, and press the play button to instantly depress all within a 300 mile radius with an annoying tinny rattling as you sang an out of tune version of a pop song.
They had notoriously difficult volume adjustment slides with no half way between silent and ear wax blasting ferocity. Battery life got consumed at an alarming rate, especially if you used fast forward or rewind. Never mind you could be well prepared if you had a bag the size of Santa´s sack to take extra batteries, and a choice of other cassettes. Oh don´t forget that cassette cases didn´t click closed, they slipped open very easily, providing you with hours of amusement fishing around for the correct case for each free roaming cassette.
At least they looked cool,well sort of. The earphone halo would never push together with ease, they either slipped down your face or squeezed your brain into submission. When someone motioned to you to remove the headphones, they soon got all tangled, another chore to delay you inside your front door before you could stride down the street.

Compilation LP
Maybe the mildly erotic young lady on the LP cover could tempt you to buy the Top Of The Pops compilation. The downside was the cover versions of recent hits that sounded like the performances in the musical romp at the end of Crackerjack.
20 Fantastic Hits heralded a new age. What a great band “Original Artists” were, they sounded just like the real singers. Someone always jumps on the band wagon, soon 20 Dynamic Hits muscled in, and even Ronco joined the compilation club. We were further amazed that this company could also solve domestic problems with gadgets like a combined onion chopper and belly button fluff remover. I always had an image of the 20 bands and singers on each LP meeting up in a car park to share out the proceeds from giant bags of loose change. The advent of these collections tolled the bell on many budding music producers who had spent Sunday afternoons illegally recording the Top 40 radio run down whilst shouting shush at anyone in a 5 mile radius.

Bicycle
Cow horns, monkey hangers, or short, sharp, trendy steering controls, how I longed for them. My elderly aunt bought me my first bike and it was sensible, safe, and a dull bottle green colour. As my mates stood up and swagger peddled to get up the steep hill to school, I was rooted to my wide saddle, red in the face as I tried to force the pedals to move with a gear choice of stiff or steadfast refusal.
I didn´t know what a wheel looked like, the long mud guards covered the black, chunky tyres. Sometimes roque tufts of grass would jam in the metal and David Attenborough yearned to investigate the insect life forms wedged between the grip of my sturdy forks. Not for me the cheeky shrill ping of a bicycle bell, I had a horn with a deep baritone that sounded like a demented seal. Schoolboy swag like football cards and marbles didn´t frequent my saddlebag, the tyre repair kit took pride of place, complete with a small spanner and an instruction leaflet.
Despite all this, I loved my bike, after a couple of years it gained its own grudging admiration as a retro model. It didn´t get coveted by thieves like my friends steeds, and it wasn´t squeamish about powering through a small stream, or over chunky stones.

Mobile Phone
I gave her my heart, she gave me my first mobile. The size of a half pound slab of Cadburys finest, it wouldn´t fit any of my pockets, and cost a fortune to run. Popping in the pub on the way home, I always stood at the far end of the bar where there was no signal, to save an ear bashing. It was a bad omen about the relationship.
Jumping forward several years and a couple of oceans, I bought a chunky but smaller mobile that had a habit of working when it felt like it, at least it kept me linked to Blighty. Problems started when it wouldn´t charge when resting in its cradle. The salesman kept insisting I must have got it wet, my assurance that it always wore its cover and lived in my pocket made him tighten his get out clause. Any moisture would upset it he insisted as we sat in the shop just across from a large beach with sea spray filling the air.
I have never recovered from those setbacks, phones tolerate me at best. Funny, Captain Kirk and his mates never had signal problems with that powder compact they spoke into, and they never got constant PPI pitches or viagra offers. Beam me up Busby!

Camera
Take a bow the Kodak 110 Pocket Instamatic. What a piece of kit that was, it made me feel like Russian spy Ilyia Kuriakin, well he was the blonde one in UNCLE. Very angular, with no obvious lens, you could almost play it as a mouth organ. The dinky clip in double spool film cartridge had to be liberated from a box and a tight fitting sachet. In later years condom packets made me think of loading that first camera – except this time I was hoping that nothing would develop.
The four flash cube was a very odd thing, it ruined the whole look of the camera and almost exploded when it went off. The standard film had 12 shots, so three of the cubes in my pocket ruined the smooth look of my brushed denim Oxford bags. Future cameras paled in comparison, those awful flat disc cameras had no style and didn´t even have the nice plastic storage box of my instamatic friend.

Getting to the top of the table is only half the battle. CD Marino are a prized scalp now for every opponent and sometimes they will have to grind out results if they want to win the big prize. A sixth minute penalty goal conceded showed that second from bottom AU Guimar hadn´t travelled down the Tenerife motorway just to be the supporting act. Discipline, hard work, and character were the ingredients that enabled the blues to reel in the points to remain three points clear of the chasing pack.

Samuel´s rash tackle on Esau was converted by Pablo and Guimar were fired up. Andy was popping up all across the front line, he fed the ball to Ethan, David made sure he gathered the shot. Marino took a breath and built from the back, Nami got into his stride and coasted past Pablo, his cross was met by incoming Zeben whose offside shot went straight at goalie Hernandez. Zeben had locked onto his target now, even a shot on the turn after being knocked to the ground, was only just wide. Alberto from the left stung Hernandez hands, he made it safe with the second grab. Kike and Nata were formidable in the centre of the Guimar defence but Juanito was struggling to cope with the pace of Nami who left him chasing shadows time and time again.

Zeben timed his bursts through the middle expertly, Guimar could sense him coming but couldn´t stop him. Diego showed he had his shooting boots on too, a rocket shot from deep only veered off the target at the last moment. Just after the half hour the breakthrough came. It was the Nami, Zeben combination again, the finish from Zeben gave Hernandez no chance. Jaime tried to follow up to take the lead, he was through on the right before a Kike challenge denied him a shot. Half time was fast approaching when home captain Saavedra ran onto a though ball and buried it with a powerful header. The blues looked mightily relieved to go off with their noses in front.

Credit to Guimar, they came back out with positive intentions, a Kike free kick kept David alert in goal and the arrival of sub Jesua added to the physical side of their game. Marino pressed forward, Zeben saw his shot heading for goal before Hernandez made a fine one handed save. Jesua was strong in the air, it took a well timed headed clearance from Nikki to to prevent him getting a clear aim. Nami tried to catch Hernandez unaware with a low drive, the keeper got his body behind it for a safe block. It was still a wide open game and two penalty claims added to the drama. Roy was a constant threat to Guimar, as he ran through a cluster of defenders, Pablo closed in and made a lunging tackle in the box. The ref waved away the Marino penalty claims. At the other end the Guimar defenders were supporting the attack, Juanito came in on the left and went down tackled by Nikki. The Guimar bench rose in protest but the ref still wasn’t tempted to give another spot kick.

It was a nervous finish to the game, Jaime tried to chip Hernandez and just cleared the bar, and when Nami had a clear sight of goal for Marino, his strike was wild and high. The final minutes ticked away and the final whistle was a welcome sound for Marino.

No win in six games, no goals scored in four of those last six games. Home form is woeful, more like an allotment shed than a fortress. The good news is the defence has tightened up and combined well to blunt 4th place Huesca for a 0-0 home draw. CD Tenerife played reasonably in the first half but despite making 10 summer signings, the squad hasn´t got enough depth, especially in the firing line. A sending off for left back Mazan will stretch things further, and every injury or booking must send spasms of despair through coach Aritz Lopez Garai.

Missing midfield kingpin Aitor Sanz, suspended, and live wire left sided forward Alex Bermejo, injured, ripped the heart out of the home side. Dani Gomez started as the central striker, he showed his pace, cutting in from the right and beating the Huesca defender, but his finish into the side netting showed his lack of maturity. Local youth product, Cristo Gonzalez was back in town via Real Madrid B and a summer transfer to Udinese in Serie A, he joined former Leicester City player Okazaki, and Mikel Rico in a three pronged Huesca attack. Luis Perez marked Cristo´s card, robbing him of the ball in his first surge, and saw off another ex home player, Juan Carlos Real a few minutes later.

Malbasic had a home try at goal, he found goalie Fernandez waiting with a helping hand to flick the ball away. A soft header from Sipcic at a corner did little more than tickle the keepers gloves. Huesca looked the more dangerous team, Alberto was back to something like his best form in the midfield holding role, his cool interception on Rico drew an appreciative response from the 9,686 crowd. The best chance of the first half belonged to full back Miguelon for the away side, his long curling strike just cleared the join of the post and bar.

Tenerife fans were hoping for a concerted assault on Huesca after the break but it didn´t come. Ortola was down quickly to save on the floor when the visitors threatened, the ball rebounded out to Okazaki whose hard drive was blocked by the Tenerife centre backs, Sipcic and Munoz. Nahuel was having a quiet game, he managed to make an encouraging opening for Gomez but the ball raced ahead of the young striker. The Tenerife squad has a shortage of home grown talent so it was pleasing to see Adeje 21 year old Javi Alonso take over Alberto´s role after 70 minutes. Hopes of a grandstand finish were crushed when Mazan fouled Miguelon, the ref brandished a second yellow card and he was off. American defender Shaq Moore got a run out for Gomez, that signalled an acceptance to hunker down for the draw. Just into November and frustrated supporters sights are already on the January transfer window as the team stagnates in 17th position.

Brolly shaped Christmas lights, and roast chestnut stalls bore witness to the fast fading year, but a whopping 31 degrees of bright sun greeted me as I arrived in La Laguna. Normally it’s a good few degrees below the Tenerife capital of Santa Cruz, where I had swapped my Titsa public service bus from Los Cristianos for the smooth glide of the tram.

After a few months of neglecting my travels, it was good to see the UNESCO Heritage Site city bustling with people. The Palacio Nava looked resplendent with its balconies, balustrades, and columned tower. The Plaza del Adelantado opposite was a leafy oasis, scrubbed clean in recent years and a popular meeting place. A wide circular walk around the city centre brought me into the Plaza de la Concepcion and the church tower with its distinctive bell chimes. All life was converging in the pedestrianised streets below, a few unusual vehicles lurked on the edges, as their owners took coffee and snacks in the thriving cafes and bars.

Ending up back at the La Trinidad tram terminus, I was lured down track by the wonderful murals painted on the buildings, and was lucky enough to catch one being created. He was quiet happy to be kept in shot, a Policia Local copper walked past us and just smiled. La Laguna was the temporary home of famous painter Oscar Dominguez , and the University has a large fine arts faculty. I followed the road down to the roundabout, where Padre Anchieta’s statue stands vigil on a grassy island. Planes were coming in low from the coast for Tenerife North (Los Rodeos) airport. It´s quite a traffic hub there, The modern Titsa bus station stands opposite, and down below, the tram line stop is handy for the University.

My only real interaction with the University campus came around 10 years ago when seeing Echo & The Bunnymen playing part way down a free line up for an outside concert. It was time to update my education, so I wandered through the grounds of the modern part of the campus, an inspiring mix of ancient and modern. The large attached garden boasted a statue of a very learned looking founding father. The tram is a wonderful, cheap way to link Santa Cruz with La Laguna in just over 30 minutes, and the views as your carriages snake their way upwards, or now on my return, downwards, adds to the journey.

The harp like herald of the tram announcements signalled my return to the Santa Cruz terminus, just outside the bus station, and opposite the Auditorium. The hook nose always beckons me across, a walk around the perimeter concourse is always a 360 degree education for the view out to sea, the port, and inward to the capital city as it rises into the mountains. The cafe bar open to the ocean side has made it a popular stop off for many visitors, and the ticket office has now expanded into selling merchandise featuring the distinctive hook nosed building.

One of my main calls in Santa Cruz was to see the completed look of the long delayed opening up of the port approach into Plaza de España. This final stage has taken 16 months, 3.5 million euros, and covers 18,400 square metres from the Cabildo HQ on the south side, to the ferry port, basically the area that the coast road now runs under. There is a cycle lane, exercise area, large circular pergolas, benches, and flower beds. It looks loads better for the thousands of cruise ship visitors that arrive weekly, and is a restful place to contemplate Tenerife´s relationship with the ocean and the lands beyond. There was a nice scattering of admirers taking the late afternoon air, stretching their muscles, and even a few young couples having a romantic canoodle.

A few more calls had slipped from my list, but there would be other opportunities, and there´s always something new to see. It was good to be wandering again, I could feel my old bounce coming back. Hopefully my final stop, CD Tenerife v SD Huesca, wouldn´t puncture the mood.