So they were knocking on a bit, and had probably been touched up quite regularly in their lives, but as the sun shone on their sleek firm forms, men drooled and longed to run their hands over their body work. No, I’m not talking about the beach, these grand old ladies were a dozen antique classic cars, on parade in Avenida Venezuela, Puerto de la Cruz. It was the first of a 3 day festival, Puerto in Bloom, which very handily, started on the International Day of the Tourist.
Arriving on the outskirts of the city at La Paz, I cast a quick eye over the mirador (viewpoint) at the calm sea below and the clear sky, a perfect day. The Gobierno (Canaries government) has just approved a 500,000 euro injection to spruce up the mirador with new paving and surrounds, but the view is priceless. Turning to go down the walkway into the city, a large billboard bordered the path with full details of the 3 days events (download a copy from the website ) but basically there will be song, dance, talks by botanical experts and floral displays. The boards and the smaller leaflets, also show where Puertos parks, gardens and fountains can be found.
Seeing the display of antique cars was due soon, I hurried on to see the magnificent beasts arrive and take up their positions. Great names like Ford, Chevrolet and Morris jostled for attention and revived memories for many old drivers. The green Morris 8 caught my eye, as many of their cars were made at Abingdon, near my home city of Oxford, and I was surprised to see that the silver lady was missing above the grill on the Rolls Royce and a shiny gold screw cap covered the base where she can presumably be removed or added as required.
Leaving the motors, I made a detour to the information centre to pick up some leaflets and made a nice discovery nearby in the Calle Agustin de Bethencourt, just behind the fishermans beach. A new shop specialising in Belguim beers has opened, and it beckoned me in. La Maison Belge is crammed full of some fine strong beers like Leffe, Duval and Kwak, all complete with their own special serving glasses, the assistant also told me they would soon be adding Belguim cheeses, and chocolates.
Prising myself out of the shop, I headed back to the seafront by the Lago de Martianez to see the 16 marquees that were selling flowers, plants, water gardens and much more. The Avenida Colon is a popular walkway at the best of times, but the prescence of so much floral colour and scents attracted even more people, and the strolling Dixieland Jazz Band put a spring in everyones step.
This is the first Puerto in Bloom but the signs are good that it will become a regular fixture on the calender. It’s on till Monday night so you can still catch up with the fun and treat your senses to their own special day.
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