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!

What a Great Sunny Winter!

We're having beautiful weather with sunshine every day since we had that bad storm.
Even the blackbirds think it's time to start singing and building nests.  They are certainly coming to visit me every day.  Or rather my bird feeder.  And there's one persistent dove who must have remembered this feeding tray from last spring.
Here's one of my visiting blackbirds again:

Today I walked downtown to the main plaza.  It only took half an hour and the temperature was just right, at about 23°C (73.4°F),

Down the steps at Calle Iriarte

Tapas in Calle Iriarte

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Waffle stand in Plaza del Charco

And because we are still in the Christmas period here, there is a fairground with a giant ferris wheel set up near the fishermen's harbour.

Tomorrow evening the Three Kings will arrive bearing gifts for the children, with parades through the streets of Spain's cities and towns.  In some places live camels will be used to carry the packages, while in others decorated floats will be used.  So today, the town was still very much in a Christmas mood.

A porcelain Nativity Scene

I stopped at the Columbus Plaza to have a look at the bakery and the Roscones de Reyes, or King's Cakes,

those light and puffy pastry rings topped with candied fruit and a gold crown,  made only for the holiday of the Three Kings, on January 6th.

Here you can see a few crown-topped king cakes in the left display case.

Here below is one from a previous year at our neighbourhood bakery:

Doris holding a Roscon de Reyes or King Cake

So while I was downtown in Columbus Plaza, I decided to have lunch of....yes, roast TURKEY again.

It came in a delicious mushroom gravy with German sautéed potatoes.

Roast turkey in mushroom gravy

Well I'll leave you with thoughts of food today.  Perhaps I'll be able to take some photos of the parade tomorrow.  I hope they will have camels this year.

(If you'd care to see them, there are a few more photos from today's walk  in my slideshow.)

Thanks for dropping by and hasta la vista! 

Downtown

Fishermens' Harbour - Puerto de la Cruz

 Sometimes downtown refers to a beach or shoreline.  So it is here where the activity of the town revolves around the central plaza, Plaza del Charco,  located just a stone's throw from the small fishermens' harbour.  So close that people mingle and stroll from the plaza to the harbour to have a look out to sea, perhaps to see some newly caught specimens of fish, often cleaned and sold right there on the shore. On this day at the end of October the water was calm and the air warm.  Enough for several bathers to sit on the stony beach in the sun and test the waters.

Here the old customs house, now converted into a government  tourism office and handicraft shop.

And here the meeting place of many who love to sit and watch the movement, read a paper, dine, have coffee or a wine and tapa with friends:  Plaza del Charco.

 

And here the central pond and childrens' playground.  There are always plenty of pigeons to feed.

 Nearby streets are crowded with little restaurants with their tables outside on the sidewalk.

This past week there has been a three continent handicraft fair, showing arts and crafts from South American countries, Cuba, Mexico, Africa and Canary Islands.  My next entry will show photos from this event.

Baskets from Peru

So thanks for dropping by and hope to see you again.  Until then, hasta la vista!

Lazy Days of Summer

Minnie Sleeps

It's been too long since I last posted to my journal and I apologize for the long interval. This summer has been very busy with activities that have taken me away from blogging. Reorganizing and painting rooms, a lovely visit from my sister and friend from Canada, touring the island and taking classes and exams, which are now over. Oh and I almost forgot....I had a major disk crash which put me out of action for more than a few days!

So I think I'm now able to continue.
Here is a photo of Plaza del Charco in Puerto de la Cruz, taken in May from an upper floor window.

May: Plaza del Charco - Puerto de la Cruz

For June....what better than a bowl of chilled gazpacho at La Quintana Restaurant in Alvaro's Tennis Club, in La Paz, Puerto de la Cruz.

June: Gazpacho Andaluz

For July...a wander through the shady streets of Santa Cruz, Tenerife.

July: Santa Cruz in Summer

And for August, a bouquet of many roses picked from my garden:

August: Roses from the Garden

I've made a slideshow of summer photos taken when my sister and a friend visited the island. We drove up the volcano Teide, visited Santa Cruz, went out to dine on tapas and visited a couple of beaches. Click here if you would like to follow us on our island tours.

I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer.

Goodbye for now and I promise not to be away for so long next time.

¡Hasta la vista!

75 ~ Tenerife at Christmas

Here it is already December 23 and like many, I don't know how time before Christmas has passed so quickly! This morning I went down to the municipal farmers' market in Puerto de la Cruz to have a look around and pick up some fresh vegetables for the next festive days.

Above is the Christmas tree in the center of the main floor. Here are some images of the bountiful produce, exotic fruits and tempting displays of vegetables that I saw there.

I was so tempted to buy one of these boxes of luscious dates from Medjoul, Tunis. The stall owner gave me a taste and they were so big, soft and sweet! But at 16 Euros a box I didn't buy. Now I wish I had!

Perhaps I'll run back in the morning to buy them. What a Christmas treat - better than chocolate!

And some unusual things as well. I had to look up OCUMO (Xanthosoma Sagittifolium) as I had never seen them before:

And here are Yuccas (background) and in the front are tree tomatoes, called Tamarillo (Solanum Betaceum):

And it wouldn't be a Tenerife market without the delicious local potatoes, called papas here, which have a knobbly appearance and are ancient varieties, some found only in Tenerife and the Andes mountains of Peru and Bolivia.

The best are the papas negras, yema de huevo, dark outside and golden inside with a wonderful flavour. Translated that means...black egg yolk potatoes, referring to both the outer and inner colours. They are the most expensive of all. I bought a large bag of them!

Here is the bag I bought. Sunglasses are for scale.

And the ubiquitous tortilla Española, or Spanish potato and egg omelette is here as well, being sold by the piece. It was making me hungry!

Outside, a few days ago I was wandering around the town and came upon this giant ferris wheel, installed in the area by the harbour where traditionally a Christmas fair with midway appears at this time of the year. Truly the biggest I have ever seen.

Poinsettias are everywhere the municipal gardeners can find a spot to put them. They really do dress up the town and are a treat for visitors who come down from snowy Europe.
Here they are in the Plaza de la Iglesia, the garden by the main church in the town center, near the plaza.

A living statue is seen here, posing without moving a muscle. What a way to earn a few coins, standing still for hours. However when I put a coin in his basket, he moved and thumped his wooden staff, making a gesture of thanks.

The garden of this downtown hotel is always colourful.

The cafes on the main Plaza del Charco are favourite places to stop, have a coffee, read a paper and people watch.

And sitting by the water of the center fountain is another pastime here in this mild climate.

And here to end is the Sussex Carol, one of my favourite Christmas carols. Have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season everyone. May you enjoy the love and warmth of family and friends at this time!

King's College Cambridge 2008, Sussex Carol arr. Philip Ledger: