It’s official, I’m still in love with Tenerife. I woke up this morning with a mild hangover (crap first line for a blues song) and decided to go hunting with my camera in Granadilla and San Miguel. It was one of those trips where the journey was as uplifting as the destination, and not just because the 45 minute ride was just 1.90 euros on my Bono bus ticket.
The sky was getting clearer and the sun brighter as the 416 Titsa bus rose up through Valle San Lorenzo, the view down to the coast from La Centinela made me smile. My mission was to snap photos of Christmas decorations and San Miguel screamed out with photo opportunities as the bus passed through, that would be a stop off on the way back. Arriving in Granadilla the sun was warm on my face as a crisp, cool breeze whistled up the legs of my shorts. My last few visits to Granadilla had been for football and I had neglected the town, it still looked lovely with the pine covered hills rising above it to Vilaflor and Mount Teide beyond. The vibrant flowers and the bold, imposing church further boosted my good mood and the views of El Medano were hardly stressful.
Sipping a coffee in a little bar by the bus station, even reading the newspaper report of CD Tenerife’s 4-1 defeat at Valladolid failed to put a ripple across my pond. Whilst capturing the charm of the bus station, I noticed an odd structure in an open area down the road and gave into curiosity. An old agricultural engine had pride of place and a closer inspection of the monument next to it gave its origin as Lincoln.
It took just 15 minutes for my bus to drop me in San Miguel. There were plenty of unusual Christmas decorations to photograph and they will appear in a separate Tenerife Holidays blog but it’s such a lovely town at any time. The church tower stands out on the skyline and the surrounding plaza offers more superb views of the coast. At the other end of town the Mirador de La Palmera is another place to survey the land below and it has the sculpture of Salto del Pastor, an ancient way of leaping between rural outcrops of the hillsides.
My final bus back to the south took me over the Barranco de La Orchilla, a high sided ravine where birds wheel away on the air currents. Coming back to La Centinela the patchwork of fields and tracks below made me resolve to hit the walking trails again early in the new year. There’s always something more to see and experience in Tenerife. This is probably my last post before the festive madness flows so I’d like to wish you all a smashing Christmas, New Year, and Reyes, thanks for your continued interest.