We all know that carnival on Tenerife means madness, mayhem and over the top parades. But the carnivals that take place outside of Santa Cruz, Puerto de la Cruz, Los Gigantes and Los Cristianos rarely make it onto visitors’ radar. And yet it’s at these where you can find some of the most unusual ways to celebrate carnival.
Each year Güímar produces one of the most stylish and sexy carnival posters on Tenerife and 2012 is no exception. The poster by Luis Marrero, titled The Transformation, illustrates one of the town’s main celebrations, Las Burras de Güímar.
Mysticism and Güímar, the home of the much debated pyramids, are no strangers. Neither is superstition or tales of witchcraft. So a carnival street event involving satanic dances, witches who transform themselves into donkeys to cause mischief and destroy farmers’ crops and a full on battle between the forces of good and evil seems quite an appropriate way for the young people of the town to let their hair down and have a bit of fun.
Las Burras de Güímar has become one of the highlights of Güímar’s carnival, growing in popularity each year since the first witches took to the street in 1992.
The question in some people’s minds will be ‘do the witches actually ‘dress up’ like the one on the poster?’
You’ll have to go along to Plaza de San Pedro Apóstol de Güímar at 9pm on Friday 24th February to find out for yourself.
Tenerife Magazine’s round up of some of the most interesting news stories of the week in Tenerife.
The Anniversary of Santa Cruz as Capital of the Canary Islands
Ignore the fact that 190 years isn’t exactly a landmark number to celebrate. Ignore the fact that although the anniversary was celebrated on Monday, the date King Fernando VII decreed Santa Cruz de Tenerife to be capital of the Canary Islands was the 27th January 1822. What is really interesting is the politician who is recognised as being the driving force behind it happening – José Murphy. Tenerife increasingly looks to its Guanche past for its pride and character yet it was a son of two Dubliners who was responsible for Santa Cruz achieving status in the eyes of Spain.
Progress at Last for Las Gaviotas Beach
It is welcome news to hear that Santa Cruz council have allocated €400,000 to make the naturist beach of Las Gaviotas safe again for sunbathers. The beach has been closed to the public since December 2010, so the funding allocation is a step in the right direction. Now comes the bureaucracy and contracting process to determine who carries out the work. No dates have been suggested for when it’s expected to re-open but with any luck lets hope that by the summer it’ll be more than just the local fisherman on the rocks who’ll be able to get their tackle out at Las Gaviotas.
Spain Enters a Period of Drought
Those people who know Tenerife well will have registered that there has been a lack of rain so far this winter. There have been only a couple of days when there has been anything close to decent rain with little difference between south and north coasts. Whilst an absence of rain is what we all want when we take a holiday, it is potentially disastrous for the island. Scientists acknowledged this week that the pattern of a dry autumn (30% less rainfall than normal) followed by an equally dry December and January that has occurred across Spain is a rare and worrying combination. The conditions have also resulted in a lack of snow on the mountains; another valued source of water when spring arrives. Mount Teide has been noticeably devoid of the white stuff so far this winter. The situation isn’t critical yet but if the seasonal February/March rains don’t fall it could be. Still, it’s Carnaval in a couple of weeks and we all know what that means… there will definitely be a downpour of monsoon proportions.
Where Does a Prince Spend His Birthday?
On an island that is still experiencing an undersea volcanic eruption apparently. Spain’s Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia spent the Prince’s 44th birthday meeting with the people who were most affected by the eruption off the coast at La Restinga on Tenerife’s neighbour, El Hierro. Thankfully the volcanic eruption behaved itself during Prince Felipe’s visit; this was one birthday party that no-one wanted to go off with a bang.
And finally the TIT (This Is Tenerife) of the week award goes to…The University Hospital of the Canary Islands (HUC)
This week the HUC managed to ‘misplace’ a patient for 11 hours. Worse, not only did they misplace the patient, a woman suffering from mental health problems and a brain tumour, they informed the patient’s relatives that she had actually left the hospital. The woman’s family, being seriously concerned for her safety, reported her disappearance to the police who advised taxis, buses and trams in the area to be on the lookout for a confused woman wearing a hospital gown. Meanwhile the woman’s sister scoured the hospital whilst another family member stood watch at the hospital entrance… but with no success.
Eleven anxious hours later the family received a phone call to inform them that the woman had been found sitting in a wheelchair in Emergencies where, it was claimed, she had been all the time. It’s a claim that the woman’s sister, having searched the hospital’s public areas, disputes. HUC has admitted that there was a mix up in information between different departments in the hospital which led to confusion to her whereabouts although they still insist she was never actually ‘missing’. Could someone let us know the Canarian word for ‘not knowing where someone is’ because it’s clearly very different from the English one.
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Henry Cavill, Freida Pinto
Plot: King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) threatens to send the world spiralling into chaos by setting free an army of Titans to challenge the gods. Unable to use their powers to directly interfere in the destiny of man, the gods give Theseus (Henry Cavill) the task of stopping Hyperion and his muscle-bulging army.
TM Rating: Despite some dodgy scripts and creaky acting, movies involving Greek Mythology have been performing well at the box office – otherwise the critically panned Clash of the Titans wouldn’t have a second instalment coming out at the end of March. Although The Immortals storyline also revolves around Titans, the style and tone of this particular slice of mythological hokum is probably closer to 300 than Clash of the Titans.
It’s another tale of man taking on the gods in super stylish fashion (i.e. cinematography and effects rather than in the clothes sense) and there’s no denying The Immortals is stunning to look at, featuring gore galore as Theseus takes on overwhelming odds in a bid to save the world.
Like the Greek myths it’s based on, The Immortals is suitably epic in scope but unlike Greek mythology, not in substance. However, it’s a decent enough offering of its kind and people who were thrilled by 300 should lap it up as should people who get excited by any film involving that involves lots of gleaming breastplates and flashing blades.
7/10 – The Immortals is diverting enough, exciting and is visually stunning. But in terms of satisfying film fans’ cinematic appetites it’s a snack rather than a slap up meal.
Tenerife Magazine’s round up of some of the most interesting news stories of the week in Tenerife.
Tenerife – One of the Top Five Places to Live in the World
This week Tenerife, or Santa Cruz at least, was chosen by the Guardian Newspaper as one of the five best places to live in the world. Tenerife’s capital was described as being ‘..Tenerife. But not that Tenerife. ‘ and ‘sexily exotic’. The other destinations on the list were Portland, Oregon; St Pauli, Hamburg; Maui, Hawaii and Cihangir in Istanbul.
The travel article was light-hearted but some readers took it too seriously and reacted with quite venomous comments. Santa Cruz escaped lightly with only a few barbed remarks about its inclusion.
“Devoid of real charm, decent food and culture…” wrote one, whilst another classed it as “…a sprawling shanty town overshadowed by a massive CEPSA refinery…”. Interestingly both comments were from people who actually lived in La Laguna, so no bias there. However, the person who commented “…this city is so far away to be in a 5 best places to live…” actually lives in Santa Cruz (clearly time they relocated).
Whether Santa Cruz is one of the five best places in the world to live is purely subjective but it is a great little city with a lot going for it. The article was positive and different from the usual Tenerife stories that normally make it into the UK travel press. But isn’t it strange that all of the detractors actually came from people who live or have lived on Tenerife? With friends like that…
Bruce Springsteen Plays the Canary Islands…Or Not?
There have been reports over the last week about Bruce Springsteen performing on neighbouring Gran Canaria on 15th May. Before anyone books plane tickets to hop across to Las Palmas, it’s worth waiting for the deal to be done and dusted. The Boss’s gig has not been officially confirmed yet according to his publicists. At present there are no dates for the Las Palmas concert on Bruce Springsteen’s official website and there are no tickets on sale. Negotiations are still proceeding for the concert to take place. Watch this space.
Throwing Light on Electricity Bills on Tenerife
After a constant stream of complaints since monthly electricity bills were introduced in Spain in 2008, the new Spanish Government are re-introducing bi-monthly bills in a bid to ensure that consumers ‘pay only what they use’. ‘Only what they use’ – What the hell have we been paying for the last three years? Basically there has been complaint after complaint due to incorrect charges caused by the ‘complexity’ of the monthly billing system – i.e. it was a complete shambles.
Delays on the Ring Road
The controversial ring road linking Costa Adeje with Santiago del Teide is in the news again with latest reports estimating that it will be 2013 before the road is ready; almost three and a half years behind schedule. As it happens the current road up through the mountains is a much nicer drive anyway, so no great hardship for those amongst us who actually enjoy driving on real country roads.
Tenerife Beach to Re-Open
It might not be well known to visitors to Tenerife but the long black sand beach of Playa de la Arena in Tacoronte is a popular R&R spot with locals in the area. Like many beaches backed by cliffs on Tenerife it has been closed because of fear of falling rocks whilst safety measures have been introduced. Playa de la Arena’s closure isn’t as long as some on the island and when it opens again in mid February it will only have been closed for five months.
Something for the Weekend?
This weekend is a big one for Tenerife’s animals with San Abad fiestas in their honour taking place across the north of the island. It’s appropriate that the Neotropico Foundation Rescue Centre has chosen Saturday, 28th January as the date for releasing two rehabilitated loggerhead turtles back into the briny where they belong. The release of the turtles will take place at Playa de la Nea in Radazul at around 11am.
And finally the TIT (This Is Tenerife) of the week award goes to…Police/Politician Relations
Relations between the police and the mayor of Buenavista del Norte are going through a sticky patch after a union official claimed the mayor had suggested on Facebook that four officers who all fell ill over the same weekend may have not been as sick as they claimed. The weekend in question was Tres Reyes (three kings); a holiday period that appears to be such a bad one for sickness that they should name a virus after it – Tres Reyes Syndrome perhaps. Thankfully Tres Reyes Syndrome doesn’t normally last long and clears up completely after Tres Reyes is over.
This breakdown in police/politicians relations isn’t quite as serious as the one between a senior politician from neighbouring La Gomera who, after an ‘altercation’ involving the police outside a nightclub in Madrid was arrested on the charge of assaulting law enforcement officers. The politician has since resigned from his position because of the incident. Probably wise; getting into a scuffle with police in Spain’s capital is probably not the smartest way to act as an ambassador for La Gomera on the mainland.
This rather grand church is arguably one of the most striking on Tenerife, yet most people have probably never set eyes on it.
There’s been a church here since the beginning of the 17th century and although there are a lot of fine churches around Tenerife, this one has the added bonus of a mature drago tree to add to its appealling good looks, something that should act as a clue to help identification…but only if you’ve been here.
This baroque building is located deep in farming country where potatoes and tomatoes are the main crops…but where on Tenerife is it?
Tenerife Magazine’s round up of some of the most interesting news stories of the week in Tenerife.
A Record Breaking Year
Despite newspapers reporting the doom and gloom of a seemingly never-ending economic crisis, The Canary Islands’ airports enjoyed a record-breaking year in terms of passengers passing through them. 35 million people touched down or took off from an airport on one of the islands, the highest figure in the history of air travel in the archipelago. The biggest winner was Fuerteventura which saw an 18.6% increase in passengers with Tenerife South following closely behind with a 17.6% increase. The only Canarian airport that registered a decrease was poor little El Hierro’s…no surprise considering the threat of volcanic eruption. With that situation stabilising, the island should see a significant change this year.
In terms of numbers, Gran Canaria came out top with 10.5 million passengers, although Tenerife Spanish language newspapers were quick to point out that if you added the figures for Tenerife’s two airports together (8.6 million in Tenerife and 4.1 in Tenerife Norte), it came to 12.7 million for Tenerife; much more than Gran Canaria which is clearly the most important piece of news of all.
La Orotava – A Touchy, Feely Town
In a bid to encourage visitors to really get a feel for the town, La Orotava council have produced a small guide whose aim is to encourage visitors to experience ‘los cinco sentidos’ – the five senses. Oddly the guide, which isn’t free but only costs 0.50 cents, has six sections; Mirame (look) which focusses on museums and urban landscapes; Tócame (touch) which concentrates on architecture; Huéleme (smell) about the gofio mills; Escúchame (listen) about churches and religious sites (the listen part is presumably church bells); Saboréame (taste) obviously aimed at wine and gastronomy and the sixth sense (for all those mediums out there), Intúyeme (Intuition?) about discovering the town’s gardens and squares. 50,000 copies of the guide have published – more than enough for the 40,000 visitors to La Orotava’s tourist offices last year. Hold on a minute…50,000 guides for 40,000 visitors? A guide about ‘the five senses’ that actually lists six? Maybe they need to add a new section called ‘count me’.
A Plague in El Médano
The sea at the main beach in El Médano was not the place to be this week as the local council restricted access due to a plague of jellyfish (medusas in Spanish, which is rather mythical). At least seven people had to be treated for stings. If you happen to be in the vicinity when someone is stung by a jellyfish, scientists actually advise against doing what Joey did in Friends all those years ago and urinating on the victim. A) it’s anti-social and B) some scientists claim it might even aggravate the sting. Best course of action is to run to the nearest restaurant, grab a bottle of vinegar and wash the infected area with that.
The North Hospital Nearly Ready to Open
It’s good news, bad news time again on Tenerife. The good news is that the new north hospital near Icod de los Vinos will open on 31st March. The bad news is that it will only be able to provide a restricted emergency service. The potentially worse news is that there are still issues over funding and staffing, with possible trouble brewing after it was suggested that medical staff from other facilities were drafted in to meet the deadline for opening. Robbing Peter to pay Paul simply isn’t a solution.
And finally the TIT (This Is Tenerife) of the week award goes to…Arona
The Blue Flag status of the beaches in one of Tenerife’s main tourist areas, Arona (which includes Playa de las Américas, Los Cristianos, Las Galletas, Costa del Silencio, Palm Mar) could be in jeopardy according to opposition politicians who claim that ‘disastrous management’ on the part of the council has led to the municipality losing its maritime rescue service.
The contract to carry out the role of patrolling the coast, sea rescues and the management of bathing facilities for people with disabilities ended in November…but no action has yet been taken to renegotiate a new contract by the council according to opposition sources who claim this should have been done and dusted by June 2011.
It seems incredible that something as important to tourism in an area that has been one of the most popular with visitors to Tenerife for over 40 years could be simply overlooked. But as our heading says – this is Tenerife.
Starring: Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Rooney Mara
Plot: When political journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is disgraced after losing a libel case, he takes up the offer of helping a rich businessman solve the mystery of a family member who was murdered decades earlier. His investigation pairs him up with the strange and aloof researcher Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), the girl with the dragon tattoo, and together they face danger from thieves, misers and bullies (i.e. the businessman’s family) on their quest to uncover the truth about the murder.
English language films on Tenerife: English speaking film fans are in for a big treat this week. There are three films in Tenerife’s cinemas being screened in their original language. Gran Sur in Costa Adeje has the funny and likeable Puss in Boots, getting his own starring role after stealing the show in the Shrek movies (3.30 and 5.10pm daily). Also at Gran Sur is Drive, a darkly violent and exciting thriller with Ryan Gosling (7.40pm).
But our choice of the week is the film that the Zentral Centre has chosen to re-launch screening film in their original language, the eagerly awaited English language remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
TM Rating: First there was the super successful book, then there was the moody and occasionally shocking film adaptation that was one of those rarities – a movie adaptation that didn’t disappoint and one that uncovered an actress who really was Lisbeth Salander.
So why remake an already successful and critically acclaimed film? Because the original movie was Swedish and like it or not, the great movie going public won’t fork out to see a subtitled film. So we get The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo; the Hollywood version. It was a move that had film fans disliking the movie before it was even released.
But Hollywood’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo comes with strong credentials in a director, David Fincher, who rarely puts a foot wrong with his movies. The main cast – Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer and Stella Starsgard are all actors who don’t normally make poor choices with the roles they pick. It also introduces another strong and faithful characterisation of Lispeth Salander thanks to Rooney Mara this time. Most importantly, the movie doesn’t go all Hollywood and change key elements of the story to suit an American audience reared on the notion of the great American dream.-
Settings, mood and accents (except Daniel Craig) are all uniquely Swedish as this slow burner of a mystery unfolds against icy and unwelcoming landscapes. Like the original film, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo can shock, with content that will make virgins to the series squirm uncomfortably. Also like the original it is an utterly compelling film.
8/10 – If there hadn’t been an almost perfect Swedish version, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo would have been an excellent movie…but there was, so that only makes it a very good movie.
Tenerife Magazine’s round up of some of the most interesting news stories of the week in Tenerife.
A Tenerife Hero
This week Tenerife’s President, Ricardo Melchior and the Mayor of Santa Cruz, José Manuel Bermúdez paid tribute to a Tenerife hero, Lieutenant General Antonio Benavides, by laying a crown of flowers on his tomb at the Iglesia Matriz de la Concepción in Santa Cruz on the 250th anniversary of his death.
Antonio Benavides, born in La Matanza, was a soldier whose story is the stuff of movies and historic fiction. Apart from demonstrating bravery and heroism in a number of battles, he ostensibly saved the life of King Felipe V during a skirmish in Asturias by giving the King his less recognisable war horse, it was a gesture which nearly cost him his own life. As a reward he was made Governor of Florida which, in 1718, seemed more a punishment than a reward. Florida at that time really was the wild, wild west. Benavides found himself battling Native American Indians, English settlers and even pirates in his quest to bring law, order, peace and prosperity to the state. But he managed it and even struck up a treaty with the Appalachian tribes who came to trust Benavides because of the respect he showed to them and their rights as indigenous peoples. He remained governor until 1734 when he was reassigned to Veracruz in Mexico. Despite his distinguished career Antonio Benavides died in poverty back in Tenerife at the age of 85. These few lines only give a taster of the exceptional life of this heroic Tenerife soldier, it’s worth delving deeper into his story. It’s good to see that a Tenerife’s son who helped shape history is still remembered and honoured.
Navidad is Over…Time to Get the Wallet Out
Almost as soon as the Tres Reyes clip-clopped out of town on the backs of their grumpy camels, the fervour started anew with the beginning of the traditional winter sales on Tenerife and the other Canary Islands. From the 7th of January until the 6th March our favourite shops will have rebajas plastered all over their windows and people will be forking out less money for items they don’t really want or need. The sales can be a nightmare for the first few days but after that things calm down. For anyone not on Tenerife during this time, there’s a second chance to pick up some Tenerife bargains as there are also summer sales which will last from 2nd July to 1st September on all the islands except El Hierro where they’ll run from 15th July to 15th September.
Navidad is Over Part 2 – Get Ready for Carnaval
Almost before the last firework has petered out, it’s time to start preparing for Carnaval 2012 on Tenerife. Carnaval die-hards will want to know that tickets for the murga contests and the election of the carnaval queen are now on sale. Tickets for the murgas cost around €10 and €19 for the final (do people really pay that much?) and €10 to €15 for the election of the queen. They are on sale at generaltickets.com
And finally the TIT (This Is Tenerife) of the week award goes to…Santiago del Teide
Sometimes it seems as though Spanish officialdom is hell bent on making life as difficult as possible for small businesses. How else can we explain why, in the middle of an economic crisis when local authorities should be supporting businesses in their community, officials in Santiago del Teide take an opposite stance. Some cafes and restaurants in the town were forced to remove tables and chairs from the pavement even though owners claimed they’d paid the required taxes to have them there. The reason seems to have been a decision to enforce a law that had been more or less ignored since 2005. Laws are laws and have to be complied with, but the gripe in the town is that there was no consultation beforehand, no period of grace to resolve the issue before it became a problem. Even the iconic horse and cart that is a symbol of the town apparently fell foul (foal) of the law.
The perverse aspect to this is that in troubled times a council would take a course of action that makes it less attractive for tourists to stop there. Where’s the horse sense in that?
This week we’re focussing on a breaking news story that could have serious consequences for many of us living on Tenerife.
Tenerife Goes Back to the Peseta & Comes Out of Europe
The shock news for 2012 is that Tenerife will be swapping the euro for the peseta and handing back its European passport in the new year.
With grumblings about the downfall of the euro and Britain’s stubborn stance threatening the EEC, the Canary Island Government has taken the surprising and controversial move of invoking the same law which has allowed Tenerife to enjoy duty free status to withdraw from Europe and re-instate the peseta.
In an ambitious campaign called Keeping Tenerife Canarian the move will improve the financial and employability status of native islanders but will have serious implications for other European nationals currently residing on Tenerife.
The withdrawal from Europe means that other Europeans will no longer have right of residence or be able to own homes on Tenerife. This doesn’t apply to Spanish residents as sources in the government have said that ‘we need to keep Spain sweet so that we can continue to benefit from European funding accessed via mainland Spain’. Some of the main changes to affect European residents are as follows.
As non-Spanish, residents won’t be legally able to own their homes so mortgage payments will become classed as rent payments.
Those who own their home outright will receive a basic monthly allowance from the government until the value of the house (decided by government inspectors) is repaid. It’s thought this could take up to 40 years.
Residents without proof of work status can only stay on Tenerife for periods of up to 3 months. This applies to pensioners who will also find that they are no longer entitled to EU subsidies on prescription charges and medical costs.
Current non-Spanish European residents will lose all rights to discounted travel and free health care.
Similarly Canarian residents will find their status in other European countries affected. But as the spokesperson pointed out, ‘most Canarios only travel to mainland Spain and the other Canary Islands, so it won’t affect them in a negative way.’
It’s claimed Keep Tenerife Canarian will revitalise the local economy at a time when some Ayuntamientos (Town Halls) are struggling to pay their bills even though it will be at the expense of foreign residents, some of whom have lived on the island for decades.
Another aspect to the campaign is that for all businesses employing staff, a minimum of 50% of the workforce must be Canarian born with Canarian parents.
A spokesperson who wished to remain anonymous said that the campaign was devised after statistics about residency on Tenerife shocked the island’s nationalist politicians by revealing that in some areas of south Tenerife up to 75% of residents were non-Canarios. He claimed that the move was partly motivated by pre-empting a scenario where UK residents woke from their political apathy and used their voting power to achieve something that Admiral Nelson couldn’t – to conquer Tenerife.
Eager to set plans in motion, the Keep Tenerife Canarian campaign will be implemented from today, the 28th December 2011.
Plot: Conscientious tower block manager Josh Kovaks (Ben Stiller) discovers his pension fund has evaporated and that the culprit is Wall Street bigwig Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) who just happens to be under house arrest and guarded by FBI agents in the heavily protected penthouse of Kovaks’ tower block. With the aid of fellow disgruntled employees, Kovaks plans a daring heist on Shaw’s apartment to try to steal back what is rightfully theirs.
TM Rating: With a cast headlined by Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, you’ve probably guessed that Tower Heist isn’t going to be a hard-hitting social drama.
The plot involving blue collar good guys turning into bad guys in order to right a wrong and hit back at big business is the stuff of good pantomime and the wonderful Alan Alda is a perfect pantomime villain. Stiller, as usual, is likeable and funny and Eddie Murphy does what Eddie Murphy does best.
But in the end it’s a run of the mill heist movie with plans going wrong, red herrings, twists and double twists, coincidences and unlikely scenarios.
With Stiller, Murphy and Alan Alda involved, Tower Heist was never going to be a Christmas turkey (you might not like Ben Stiller, you might not like Eddie Murphy but everyone likes Hawkeye). It’s fun and funny and, unlike Christmas dinner, you won’t feel stuffed after digesting it.
6/10 – Tower Heist is a decent choice for a week in which many people’s brains have probably been addled by partying. For those who don’t want to have to think too much over the festive season, Tower Heist obliges with a serving of light and bubbly Christmas cheer.
