Chugging steadily through a roadwork bottle neck at La Zamora, my Titsa bus from Puerto de la Cruz was full of happy faces. Given the stiffling combination of Tenerife heat alert and anti Covid masks, a few frowns could have been expected. Breaking the 20 minute journey at La Montañeta, to admire a very distinctive church, had already given me a glimpse of a hard working but upbeat commmunity.

It was not just that friday feeling, the tightly coiled heart of Los Realejos Alto was busy and packed plenty into the steep labyrinth of shops, bars, and cafes. It was quite a contrast to the stretch of neglected commerce around Playa de Los Roques a month earlier. Civic pride was well covered, the two most famous sons were immortalised by the modern hand of Matias Mata (AKA Sabotaje Al Montaje). Antonio Gonzalez Gonzalez, an award winning chemist, and Jose Antonio de Viera de Clavijo, historian, priest, and naturalist shone their smiles (right to left) down at a key corner of the inner town.

It wasn´t all about the formal and famous, Matias Matia gave a nod to the digital age, beaming down from on shoppers. The bubbling fountains of Fuente de los Remedios were another lovingly crafted, corner to catch my eye. The local traders were banging their drum to supprt  the towns business folk in these troubled times. Posters stressed the need  to visit your local shop keper, and taxi drivers were lending their support to 3 euros tapas and wine thursday promotion nighrs at 9 nearby establishments up to 17 September.

Piercing the skylinr, the tower of Matriz Santiago Apostol church was a memorable landmark. Even with part of its plaza being rebuilt, it couldn´t fail to impress. The Ayuntamiento (council) building was also defying the builders intrusion but a side step still offered rewarding views down into the barranco (ravine). Bucking the current trend to shout its name via a hideous silver spell out of its name, Los Realejos took the natural, green approach. So much more in fitting with this stylish part of the island.