Walking To The Plaza

I'd better get these photos from last Sunday up on the blog because it's Sunday again tomorrow and my walking friend and I, a lady from my Pilates class,  intend to walk down to the town again for the last day of carnival here.  Actually we walk for the exercise but it will be an added attraction to see the crowds, the costumes, the food and hear the music, even though it's usually blaring out at so many decibels that it can probably be heard in the next town.

We start with walking down many many stairs.  I was aching a little the next day!
Good exercise for your calf muscles, but maybe not so good for your knees

When nearly at bottom we get a glimpse of the sea and cliffs covered with palms and cactus.

Down in the town we pass by Calle La Hoya, now a pedestrian street, formerly a very congested road where early morning traffic jams and car horns were a cacophony of sound. 
Thankfully it's now a quiet shopping street with no traffic.

As we near the main plaza the crowds become more dense.  There were competitions of childrens' costumes that morning. The air was a little chilly but the sun was out. 

Down in the plaza  people were sitting where they could to have a lunch or drink.  The
outdoor cafes were full and one was lucky to find a free table. Music was blaring from a live band.

We were lucky to find a seat at a little churinguito....a provisional eatery set up for carnival.
There were typical tapas of jamón serrano, cheeses, paella, Spanish olives and hot dishes.

The waiter begins to slice the serrano ham for a tapas plate.
These are the cured hams that are mounted on a frame to hold them while they are being sliced.
Serrano ham is nearly always included in a selection of tapas, along with cheese and olives.

And here are a couple of paellas being prepared and served along with a huge pan of potato with onion, garlic, green & red pepper slices, called Patatas A Lo Pobre , or roughly 'poor man's potatoes', although there's nothing poor about the flavour.  It's one of my favourite dishes, and is seen cooking on the far side of the photo.

Mmmm...here's one paella still cooking to reduce the broth, while the waiter above serves from one which is ready and garnished with lemon slices, shrimp and mussels.

My friend and I manage to find a couple of empty seats at the churinguito.  I had paella and she had baked green peppers. The other sidewalk cafes were also filled with people enjoying the food and carnival atmosphere,  and the music blared on!

Here's a little video I made that day.  I'm afraid I need to practise a lot more at taking videos. But you can get an impression of the atmosphere and a lesson on how to slice the ham!

Thanks for dropping by.  See you soon....¡hasta la vista!

Carnival in Puerto de la Cruz

This year the carnival celebrations of Puerto de la Cruz have 'recycling' as the theme.

And so the poster announcing the festivities, designed by Anoniman, shows a face decorated with random bits of metal objects to demonstrate that even a few screws and loose nuts can be made into a costume for carnival.

and this year the carnival queen of Puerto de la Cruz is Virginia Molina Marrero.

 The first runner up or 1st dama de honor is Carolay Garrido Rodriguez, pictured below:

Credits for these photos go to the photographers of the official carnival websites.

The main parade in Puerto de la Cruz will be on Saturday, February 25 and there will also be another day carnival in the streets on the next day, Sunday February 25 from 10:30 am.

I will probably be down in the plaza to join the crowds.

I'll be back next with my street photos from last Sunday. 
Thanks for dropping by and ¡hasta la vista!

Carnival in Tenerife

We're in the midst of the Tenerife carnival....or carnaval, as it's written in Spanish.
Yesterday the main parade was held in the capital city, Santa Cruz and tonight is
the 'Burial of the Sardine'.

Here are some photos taken from the official carnival website, here on this link.
Credit goes to the unnamed photographer(s) 'Prensa' whose photos appear on that site and here below.

                       Here is the coronation of this year's Reina de Carnaval (Carnival Queen)

And since I love the sounds and rhythms of carnival music, here's one song that's always present...a favourite of Tenerife locals: Chicharrero de Corazon, video from 2009.

      

I'll be back very soon with more of my own photos taken in the streets during this carnival season.Thanks for your visit and ¡hasta la vista!

The Snow Came

Teide Snow on February 17

But it was just a light covering and didn't last long. Today on February 21 it's nothing more than a few white shadows in the crevices of the mountain flanks.  We haven't had rain this winter and to get a good snowfall we need a heavy rain.  Other than that the garden is still looking green, thanks to my helper Teresa who remembers to turn on the sprinkler and water the flower pots.

One of my favourite corners of the front tropical garden.

 The Osteospermum glows in the late afternoon sun.

And that special golden light just before sunset.

And now the Tenerife Carnival is in full swing, so I'd better post a few photos of the festivities.  Coming up next!

Bye for now and thanks for your visit. ¡Hasta la vista!

 

Unexpected Vegetables

 The unexpected tomato

Sometimes things grow when and where you don't expect them, because you haven't planted them and they just pop up by themselves.  Here we are in mid January and I have tomatoes and green peppers sprouting in a large old pot where I was growing basil and thyme.

My compost bowl

I keep a compost bowl in my kitchen beside the sink, where I put the daily scraps of peelings and cuttings from fruit and vegetables, used coffee and tea bags,  all of which goes out every evening to the old composter which has seen better days.  It now needs to be emptied and fitted together properly so there are no open edges.  

But my gardener, being a practical man, has tied a heavy string around the whole thing in an attempt to keep it together until the next time we empty it.  In the meantime the birds are having a feast on the insects or worms which are populating the lower levels, and are scratching out the fine new soil from the cracks.

The old composter

So after I've dumped the day's collection of goodies into the composter, I put the bowl under a tap,  fill it with water, and dump the water into one of my large flower pots on the way back to the kitchen.

Sometimes there are seeds and small bits clinging onto the bowl and I guess in this case there were both pepper and tomato seeds.  They sprouted and have produced fruit that never would have appeared had I planted the seeds deliberately.

The pepper plant

This is the second pepper to appear.  The first one is long gone into one of my salads.

And by the look of it, there are more tomatoes on the way.

And still more:

I shall have to try this throughout the spring and summer.  After all if I can grown tomatoes and peppers outdoors in January without even trying, perhaps I can do mangos and avocados as well later in the year!

The winter has been mild and beautiful so far.  We do need rain though.  I hope we have a wet February and March so the ground has a good soaking and the water reservoirs are filled again.

Bye for now, thanks for your visit and ¡hasta la vista!

Walking Around

It's still high tourist season and the streets of Puerto de la Cruz are full of people from more northern latitudes here for the warmth and sunshine.  Seen last Sunday while out for a stroll:

 Some cafes cater more to German visitors.

Still there is a mixture of European nationalities holidaying here in winter.

The news kiosks are especially busy on weekends.

Several cafes line the seawall overlooking the north coast making it a favourite route.

Misty low hanging clouds obscuring Mount Teide.

I've been told by several people now that the mouse I trapped and released into the wild was in fact a baby rat.  I guess I haven't seen enough of either to tell the difference, however I think he must be the luckiest rat in the area to have been taken away for an early morning ride in my car and let loose, rather than having been killed.

Setting the humane trap again with bait has so far not produced any family members of this little creature so hopefully he was a loner!

Bye for now, ¡hasta la vista!