Linking over 300 years of classic Canarian architecture with modern tourism needs has given a new purpose to the three storey basalt stonework and large courtyard of Palacio de Carta in Santa Cruz. The newly re-opened building is now a tourism hub complete with interactive screens, a video wall, and personal advice and help for those intending to explore the Tenerife capital and all points beyond.

The location is very appropriate, Plaza de La Candelaria throbs with Carnaval and other celebrations throughout the year, and is at the port end of the busiest shopping street in the city. The classic grey building has seen it all down the years since the Carta family of the first mayor of Santa Cruz drew up the plans in 1721.

The recent reserection to glory was lovingly chronicled step by step and is displayed in Spanish and English, and illustrated with samples of original stone work, and even ancient keys with sturdy and ornate covers. All the space was gets a chance to tell its historic tale, a vertical garden feature draws attention to the wooden balconies that framed them.

It´s a living space with three exhibition halls, and staff to steer visitors to history around Tenerife. It was an inspired choice to move the capitals tourism centre to this spacious and iconic setting. Opening hours are Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 9 to 2 pm.

Even at 1,300 metres long and 80 metres wide, Las Teresitas beach gets packed out in the long summer school break. The 30 minute drive from Santa Cruz merely heightens the anticipation of enjoying the imported orange sand and gently shelving ocean behond a series of protective rocky dykes that calm the waves. Las Teresitas was first suggested in 1967 but not completed and opened until 1973.

Planning and building irregularities of adjoining commercial buildings dogged the project for years, finally it was able to add more modern infrastructure and has blossomed into a magnificent leisure area. It was nice to see shelter shaped structures being set up along the border of the beach and back road. These solar power stations will produce the electricity to supply the 8 kiosks and cafes that offer shade and comfort for beach users. Canary Solar of La Laguna were quick to reply to my email with more details. “Photovoltaic isolated systems producing 12 kilowats of power, and victron investors with lithium batteries” The latest in eco friendly tech.

Now there are new choices for the beach crowd, nearer the Tenerife capital. The Valleseco stretch of coast between the old industrial port and the modern cruise liner docks has just unveiled El Bloque bathing zone with dark sand, play areas, and young trees to add future shade. It´s an impressive transformation and work is pressing ahead nearer to the heart of Santa Cruz for a slightly bigger bathing spot. Dredging, terraforming, and wave calming concrete blocks are slotting into the jigsaw. Between the two new additions is an old concrete and metal pier where coal used to arrive from Corey brothers of Cardiff in 1908. It´s nice to see that link to the industrial history of the island preserved. Along with the oil tanks they give an insight into vital link that Santa Cruz played in the opening up of Atlantic trade routes.

Gentle bird song and an explosion of flowers and ferns was a backdrop to the circular road up the 360 metre high recreation zone of Parque Las Mesas (park of the tables). Spread over panoramic views of Tenerifes capital city and port of Santa Cruz, the distant shimmering runways of Tenerife North airport were quite a contrast to natures elevated outpost.

Topped with power pylons and transmitter aerials, it´s an important technical hub as well as a comforing guardian looking down on the land and sea below. It´s revival time for the park, conceived in 1960, closed briefly, and just about to start a major makeover when COVID put plans on hold. With a budget of just under a million euros, the latest completion date is April 2023, but it still showed plenty of style on my visit.

Valleys below boasted clutches of modern housing as I stepped off the 912 TITSA bus (half hourly from outside the glass fronted bus terminus at one end of the tram line.Chugging up the steep twisting modern road, the final stop at Los Campitos revealed a small community clinging to a craggy peak.

A cracked and aged tarmac road threaded away towards the main part of the park as stunning views unlocked a living map of large parts of Tenerife. I was thrilled to get a birds eye view of CD Tenerife´s Heliodoro stadium, just a short glance inland from the iconic Auditorium. Jagged rocks peeked through the surrounding grass and trees as the road carried on for about 30 minutes before the signs for the main park appeared.

Limited parking spaces were available outside one of the admin hubs, and large wheely bins for eco recycling of rubbish were on hand to encourage good manners from visitors. The recreation area unfurled before me with views of the poer at a lower level, as well as the emergence of terracing equipped with sturdy concrete tables for picnics and barbecues – some smoke was already twirling in the gentle breeze.

It´s a work in progress, an abandoned cafe offered further potential once the full upgrade is complete. An old open hard court hinted at athletic activities and all the layouts were well planned to allow personal space for all the gathering families and groups that can wallow in this chunk of nature on high. It was mostly fine touches and cosmetic tweaks that were being awaited for the park, nature supplies the rest.

Parque Las Mesas is a wonderful asset for Santa Cruz and will appeal again to all ages. The fact that it is all so close to the main travel arteries and commercial attractions of the city below, just add to the adventure. The return trip from Los Campitos drop off point is a nice downward walk of about 40 minutes, but it´s good to know the bus is so frequent and picks up at various points on the way back to the big city.

If the cute ancient TITSA bus topped with a snow bubble wasn´t enough to awaken festive interest, opposite the Santa Cruz bus station, the Auditorio was heralding El Guardaespaldas (The Bodyguard) musical, from 17 euros upwards over two days.

Ho Ho Ho was bigging it up all the way up to and beyond Christmas and Kings Day (Reyes – 6 January – the main event) over at the port. The massive stage was reaching completion, adding tweaks to the sound system and seating. Some 5,000 school children will attend on the morning of 21st December, as one of the warm up gigs.

The big annual treat night is on Sunday 25 December from 7.30 pm with a full bill of classical music and festive favourites. Free and cheap tickets may well be sold out in advance but the music will wash over the dockside, hundreds of people will get the majesty of the event from the leisure areas on the town side of the port – its never known for its shyness.

Over the road, the Cabildo (Tenerife government) HQ was draped in a nativity scene with a further belen inside, open to the public for most of the festive season. Nearer to the plaza lake, a Gastro Fest market posted a long menu of music and food driven events for a couple of weeks.

I tend to cram as much festive eye treats in as possible, Plaza del Weyler and Plaza de La Candelaria both pressed their claims for attention. Lots of public buildings throw open the doors as soon as the smell of chestnuts is in the air, I was pleasantly surprised to find the old Gobierno building between Weyler and Parque Garcia Sanabria showing off their belen. This had a strong feel of local history wound in among the more traditional themes, even the wounded Admiral Nelson reclined in injured mode after his failed attempt to lead a British invasion of Santa Cruz.

All this was just scratching the surface and peeking through the red and yellow poinsetia plants lining the green spaces. Santa Cruz is well worth a visit at any time, just an hour by bus or car from the southern resorts, and a further 40 minute tram ride opens up more festive distractions in La Laguna.

Breaking records. Offering hope and help. Walk For Life (Carerra Por La Vida) made a triumphant return with over 5,500 walkers collecting 33,000 euros to further raise awareness about the fight against breast cancer. The recent unpredictable weather could´t keep the throngs of people away from the Siam Mall starting point on Sunday morning, and the skies responded with sunshine.

Some favourite costumes were dusted off after the two years when Covid prevented the big gathering, and many new outfits took a bow. This year the local based pioneers were joined by 21 countries via the combined charities of Think Pink Europe. There are always new questions and new developments to discuss. Walk For Life has always been approachable and supportive through its Pink Room in Adeje and its website, early diagnosis is still the most potent protection in the fight.

Positivity burst forth from the walkers as they started the 3.5 km stroll down to the sea front at Playa de Las Americas, and then on through close to Los Cristianos and its beaches. Carnaval drums and dancers kept up a lively tempo as participants proudly honoured the names of family and friends lost to cancer. For nearly two hours the wave meandered at a pace to suit all ages and even a few pets that joined in.

As the heat increased, free water and bananas fuelled the pink line, and this year there were also free buses to return people to the starting point after they crossed the finish line. Everyone was treated as a winner as the pink and white cascade of paper welcomed walkers to the big stage for the keenest to dance and celebrate.

What a great day, a big thanks to those who make the event so slick and well organised. Thoughts will already be turning to next year, its a hard act to follow but they will rise to the challenge as always.

Stocky, compact but packing a punch, the Spanish patrol ship P42 Rayo chose International Armed Forces Day to make the short crossing from its Las Palmas, Gran Canaria base. Loaded with practical hardware, the 94 metre long  multi purpose ship may have a crew of just 46 but has carried out protection and escort duties in the Atlantic and off flashpoints like Somalia.

It was all welcomes and smiles in Santa Cruz as the captain welcomed the curious up the gangplank to look around. A well stowed helicopter had its own landing pad that minimised down draft and dispersed surplus water. The big Malara gun and the two smaller machine guns added to the firepower if needed. As we toured inside the belly of the beast, there were many small homely touches like the small shrine to the Virgen and a kitchen that stoked the inner fires.

The ship was built in San Fernando in May 2010, the fifth vessel to bear the name. The first Rayo P42 saw action at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, when Horacio Nelson sustained fatal injuries. That was less than 10 years after the famous British admiral had lost his arm in a failed attempt to take Tenerife.

It´s not just full on action these days, the captain reminded us the ships importance in a peace keeping or environmental monitoring missions. They were certainly making friends on the visit, especially among the awe struck younger temporary recruits. There was even a table of merchandise with replica caps and t shirts, but sadly no flowing wine.

Never camera shy, Tenerife is ready for its close up with aliens, gangsters, and even the BBC. Three international productions are swapping millions of euros for Tenerife technical expertise and out of this world locations.

Keeley Hawes (ex Ashes To Ashes) has been busy on both sides of the camera during filming of Crossfire, a three part drama with the BBC, Keeley´s Buddy club Productions, and RTVE (Spanish Channel) combining resources. Barcelo San Blas, between Golf del Sur and Los Abrigos, provides the holiday hotel where ex cop Keeley`s family holiday is interrupted by a revenge seeking gang of armed criminals. RTVE have called upon Spanish TV stars Hugo Silva and Alba Brunet to play the beseiged resort security chiefs, adding to the tense mix.

Up in Tenerife capital, Santa Cruz, Foundation, a sci fi drama based on the stories of Isaac Asimov, has landed just behind the iconic seafront auditorium. The golden palace is taking centre stage as Apple TV build on the preparation of 10 episodes of an hours length, made in 2021 at the Recinto Ferial exhibition hall just over the road. Jared Harris (son of Irish actor Richard) heads the cast that includes locally sourced extras among a 1,000 participants, including 150 technical boffins. A small town of mobile homes has sprung up behind the set for convenience and safety, a Covid screening unit had already proved its worth in the initial filming.

Coming soon, A Town Called Malice is about a crime dynasty that relocates from South London to the Costa del Sol. Lenient tax rates helped to lure the production away from the setting in the Nick Love script, Jason Flemyng (Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels) is among the cast of the Sky Original Drama. Not only will The Jam song of the title revive those 1980 memories, many other anthems of those times will help to make it brutal and compulsive viewing.

Like a huge orange tongue that Gene Simmons of KISS would be envious of, the  protective boom was rolled out across Los Cristianos port to start a Monday morning contamination simulation excercise. A drone hovered over one of the small fishing boats in attendance as a sprinkling of sun bathers settled on the old beach just yards away.

Los Cristianos is a busy port and recent strengthening of the harbour wall showed the ongoing commitment to safety. This was still a working day, the Armas Taburiente ferry slowly glided in just beyond the port building and disgorged its foot and car passengers from the nearest of the Canary Islands. The local TV outlets gathered on the roof of the building but I settled on the terrace of the El Teatro cafe with my coffee.

As the boom spooled out to encircle a large section of the docking area, it left a large yellow cotton reel empty on the dock. The boom was pulled out into position to protect what would be a safety zone. Thankfully there was no danger involved, even the stacked boxes of crisps made it uncrunched onto the Armas ferry. OK it wasn´t exactly Thunderbirds but, practice now will help to ensure perfect arrangements in the unlikely event of a real spill.

The main operation took nearly an hour but I couldn´t help wondering how long it would take to rewind that tongue back onto the spool. It was a different way for me to spend a leisurely hour, but as a regular sea swimmer, it was reassuring to see that all was ship shape.

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.

Just a few days after the UK’s Brexit Treaty Of Withdrawal was presented by Theresa May, the British Ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley addressed some 200 Brits at the Hotel Villa Cortes in Arona. General reassurance of business as usual was well received but when questions were invited from the floor, it became clear that there are still some key areas of concern that need nailing down. The 587 page treaty has to be accepted by the British and European parliaments by March 2019 to become international law, but the ambassador stressed that nothing will change before the December 2020 transition date and the best way for Brits in Spain to protect their interests is still to register with the national police as residents, and on their local authority padron.

The mayor of Arona Jose Julian Mena opened the meeting by talking about the long history of British people living in Tenerife in general, and Arona in particular, over 7,000 are currently registered on the Arona padron. He spoke of the strong partnership between the communities and his hope that those ties would not be broken. Echoing that partnership, the ambassador reminded everyone that ongoing Brexit talks are also vital to ensure that Spanish living in the UK would also keep their current rights. Common ground will be a great help in pulling together some of the outstanding threads. Another key part of the ongoing talks is a determination to allow Brits to vote in local Spanish elections as well as in their own in the UK. This is not guaranteed at the moment in the new treaty.

Eager hands were soon up for open questions, many different circumstances exist among the ex pat population and this became clear in a question about how long part time residents can stay in Spain. This is another thing that is under discussion but cannot change until at least December 2020. Healthcare is always a sensitive issue, particularly who covers costs for treatment, Newcastle for many ex pat Brits. The questioner pointed out that Spanish claiming in the UK tend to be younger and less in need than those who have moved to Spain for a better climate in their later years. The Ambassador confirmed this and said that legislation going through the UK parliament now should allow for any imbalance in funds.

There are clearly a few more hoops to be jumped through but it was good to hear that many points raised were at least already on the minds of the Ambassador,and the British Consulate team which included Charmaine Arbouin (British Consul for Andalucia and the Canary Islands). Employment fitted in that bracket. An employer at a British School in Tenerife asked if there would be problems recruiting new British staff from the UK after Brexit had been fully installed. The Ambassador said he had been asked the same from a school in Madrid, one of 100 British schools in Spain. It was another key thing to be ironed out but again was equally important to the Spanish, there are 12,000 Spanish students in the UK, so plenty of common ground to pull an agreement together. Disinformation and rumours abound over Brexit, the Ambassador and the British Consulate staff were keen to remind people to use the official websites, and social media outlets that post all updates as new information is confirmed. Try Living In Spain  or this specialist Brexit site  Then there is the British Consulate site, or the Healthcare In Spain site.