Patience is a virtue, especially in Tenerife. The Cabildo (Tenerife government) proudly announced that the revamped Plaza de España in Santa Cruz will finally be ready on March 17. A few days later, the architect of the new look plaza, Virgilio Gutierrez cast doubt on their optimism by saying it would be more like May.

Either way, it shouldn’t be long now and judging by the plans and what I have seen so far of the completed work, it will be excellent and a great new focal point for the capital city. Wells have been sunk into the ground and the sea water in them will feed a central lagoon, trees will line the perimiter and modern fibre optic lighting will set it off a treat.

While digging out the walkway under the square, they found the old battlements of Santa Cruz, and they will be on show as part of the finished project. There is a great website www.plaza-esp.com that shows some of the history of the plaza and how it will look when finished. With the tram system now well established, Santa Cruz is looking the part as a modern capital city.Â