Title: CD Tenerife v Mallorca
Location: Heliodoro Stadium, Santa Cruz
Description: The pre season presentation game. Mallorca finished fifth in La Liga and should prove a tough test for the new look CD Tenerife. Kick off at 9pm.
Date: 2010-08-20

Summer beats spring all ends up to football fans, forget all that stuff about new buds and frisky lambs. Summer is the great leveller, the old season is forgotten and all teams start off with the same possibilities. As for CD Tenerife fans we couldn’t wait for the new fixtures to come out, the heartbreak of relegation from La Primera had eased and at least there was the local derby with Las Palmas of Gran Canaria to get the blood pumping.
There were some recriminations that money wasn’t spent to bolster the squad after getting back into Spain’s top league and that disquiet threatened to boil over when the Santa Cruz club announced that long serving coach Jose Luis Oltra wouldn’t have his contract extended – he was out. Several players expressed doubts about staying without their popular leader and the vultures were circling waiting to pick off Tenerife’s best players. Goal machine Nino and captain Bertran seemed a long way from penning new contract deals.

Good news was needed and it came with the appointment of Gonzalo Arconada (above) as the new coach on a one year deal after leaving Numancia. The 49 year old brother of Spain’s legendary goalkeeper arrived with a good record of winning promotion for unfancied teams and a lot of respect for his tactical knowledge and no nonsense approach. With a few old favourites like Ayoze, Hector and Culebras leaving the Heliodoro we scanned the papers and websites for news of possible new arrivals.

The first signing was a popular one, the return of midfielder Antonio Hidalgo from Malaga after five years away. Natalio (above) an attack minded midfielder was next. He managed nine goals as Murcia slid out of the Segunda, on loan from Almeria but in a winning team he is capable of much more. Normally the signing of a Las Palmas player would be met with a little resistance but French left back Gregory Beranger’s decision to switch his loan from owners Sevilla really upset The Pios. Well that’s music to our ears.
The biggest signing of all was quite a coup. Julio Alvarez (below) was tempted away from Mallorca, fifth in La Liga last season. A real class midfield act, his capture sent out positive signals for the campaign ahead. The latest addition is central defender David Prieto, on loan from Sevilla. In the midst of this activity Icod born winger Iriome returned from Huesca with a mission to re-discover the form that had Liverpool bidding 2 million euros for him before he had clocked up 10 senior games.

Still we were sweating on Nino, would he stay. Since arriving from Levante in 2007 he has scored 62 goals in 120 games and is a terrace legend. Finally the good news came, our goal machine was signing an extension to his contract to keep him here for four more seasons.
Changes were coming in other areas too, this season play offs will be introduced, the two top teams going up automatically and the next four playing off for the remaining slot. CD Tenerife are determined to look good this season and with a new kit supplier, all eyes were on the three new strips that were unveiled on the Heliodoro pitch. They should prove popular and this season fans can order them and other CD Tenerife merchandise on line. The British based Armada Sur peña (fan club) will as always be adding a multi national devotion to Santa Cruz games and popping up at many away matches.

Since the fixtures came out we have shared a dream of the ultimate climax to the new season, winning the last league game at Las Palmas to clinch promotion. Harsh reality has taught us that we cannot guarantee that destination but it’s as much about the journey and the pride, passion and loyalty of supporting CD Tenerife.

CD Tenerife Fixtures 2010-2011

29/08 Girona – Tenerife
05/09 Tenerife – Salamanca
12/09 Rayo Vallecano – Tenerife
19/09 Tenerife – Celta
26/09 Xerez – Tenerife
03/10 Tenerife – Cartagena
10/10 Barcelona b – Tenerife
17/10 Tenerife – Numancia
24/10 Cordoba – Tenerife
31/10 Tenerife – Elche
07/11 Tenerife – Gimnastic
14/11 Huesca – Tenerife
21/11 Tenerife – Alcorcon
28/11 Villarreal b – Tenerife
05/12 Tenerife – Granada
12/12 Recreativo – Tenerife
19/12 Tenerife – Real Betis
02/01 Real Valladolid – Tenerife
09/01 Tenerife – Albacete
16/01 Ponferradina – Tenerife
23/01 Tenerife – Las Palmas
30/01 Tenerife – Girona
06/02 Salamanca – Tenerife
13/02 Tenerife – Rayo Vallecano
20/02 Celta Vigo- Tenerife
27/02 Tenerife – Xerez
02/03 Cartagena – Tenerife
06/03 Tenerife – Barcelona b
13/03 Numancia – Tenerife
20/03 Tenerife – Cordoba
27/03 Elche – Tenerife
03/04 Gimnastic – Tenerife
10/04 Tenerife – Huesca
17/04 Alcorcon – Tenerife
24/04 Tenerife – Villarreal b
01/05 Granada – Tenerife
08/05 Tenerife – Recreativo
11/05 Real Betis – Tenerife
15/05 Tenerife – Real Valladolid
22/05 Albacete – Tenerife
29/05 Tenerife – Ponferradina
05/06 Las Palmas – Tenerife

He came, he saw, albeit with one eye, but never conquered. Admiral Horacio Nelson suffered the loss of his right arm and 226 of his men but is still held in high esteem in Tenerife despite his intention to seize the island.
It was 25th July 1797, the British Navy was mighty and Tenerife was a strategic trading post so it should have been a pushover for Nelson’s three frigates and a cutter as they descended on Santa Cruz just after midnight. They didn’t reckon on the fighting spirit of the locals who had spotted the ships the day before. Nelson was stepping out of a landing boat when he was caught by musket fire which shattered his right arm just as the cutter was sunk by the Tigre canon. So much for invading.

The term stiff upper lip could have been invented for the pint-sized Admiral. His boat took him back to a surviving ship and although he was in excruciating pain he still talked a good fight.

“I have yet my legs left and one arm, tell the surgeon to make haste and get his instruments. I know I must lose my right arm, so the sooner it is off the better.”

Back in Santa Cruz, Captain Troubridge marched into town with what was left of the landing force but realising they were beaten he threatened to burn the town down if his terms of surrender weren’t met. From that point it all became bizarrely civilised. The Spanish Governor, Juan Antonio Gutierrez, a great admirer of the reputation of the British Navy and in particularly Nelson, arranged for the British injured to be ferried back to their ships and sent some fine Canarian wine. Nelson now minus his arm sent the governer a barrel of beer and later wrote in his journal.

“It is right that we should notice the noble and generous conduct of Don Juan Antonio Gutierrez.”

The mutual respect didn’t end there. Up in the La Paz district of Santa Cruz you can still find Calle Horacio Nelson and down at the dockside, looking dirty and neglected these days, there is a monument to the two leaders. Los Amigos de la Tertulia had the glass case built in July 1998 containing sculpted heads of the two leaders and the scroll with the terms of surrender. The Tigre canon is now housed in the Military Museum just off Avenida de Anaga, just a salty breeze away from the Atlantic.

The anniversary of the Tenerife stand is commemorated each year to varying degrees. The last big march and re-enactment, shown in these photos, was in 2008. The redevelopment of the port road and the recession look to have scuppered any big events this year but if there are any late changes, TM will let you know. Maybe on 25th July I will raise a toast to the sea and these two men of honour that were united by a common indomitable spirit.

Nelson quotes from The Life Of Nelson by Robert Southey.

LATE NEWS – Santa Cruz council bails out Nelson celebrations
Honour will be satisfied, a late injection of 40,000 euros from Santa Cruz council has ensured a programme of events leading to the 25 July anniversary of Nelson’s defeat. That’s half of last years budget and 6 times cheaper than the big 2008 bash. Here are the main events.
Fri 23 July – from 6pm – Canarian forces march from Plaza Weyler to Plaza Candelaria.
Sat 24 July – Noon to 2pm Re-enactment of first troops landing at Castillo Negra (near Auditorium)
8pm – British surrender at Plaza Isla de Madera
9.45pm – Procession to Iglesia de la Concepcion
Sun 25 July – Noon – Formal surrender to Spanish governer at Plaza Candelaria .

Title: The Smiths Tribute Night
Location: Honky Tonk Bar , Avenida de Anaga, Santa Cruz
Description: The Queen Is Dead fiesta should interest all fans of The Smiths and Morrisey. This large bar is opposite the ferry port in the capital.
Starts at 8pm with a documantary film Inside The Smiths
At 9pm Morrissey Live in Dallas
From 10pm music with DJ In A Coma and Hank the DJ-
Date: 2010-07-31

Well they said it would be the hottest weekend of the year, temperatures were in the mid thirties, but Gran Hotel Bahia del Duque and Santa Cruz port were sizzling for another reason. Six Tenerife models were wowing the cameras for the prestigious Peroni calendar for 2011. Two shoots took place in Gran Canaria last week but they saved the best till last, as The Beach Boys might have said  I Wish They All Could Be Tenerife Girls.

Arriving at the 5 star Bahia del Duque in Costa Adeje on Friday morning, the first three models were being groomed and prepared in the Salon Arquayo for a hard day’s work. Loud rock music belted out from the gym above, clothes and hair dryers masked the salon walls and there were enough shoes lined up to make Imelda Marcos feel under dressed.

Juan Casteneda, their make up guru, added deft touches, but to my eyes they already looked pretty special. Vanesa Cabeza, who counts acting and presenting among her talents, is a familiar face to many Canarians through the Cuatro channel, but how ever early they tuned in, they won’t have seen her in the curlers that were doing nothing to hide her natural beauty.

Laura  Martin, the face of Tenerife Pearl, and Natalia Farina, a regular attraction in Fama and Showroom mag, were already trying out their outfits designed, along with the other calendar clothes, by Nuria Diaz. Completing the array of Tenerife talent, Alfonso Bravo the calendar photographer was loosening up his range of cameras ready for the task ahead.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro has its own connection to Tenerife as Compania Cervecera Canarias, brewers of our beloved Dorada, also distribute Italy’s famous bottled beer. A suitably cooled bottle of the blonde nectar followed Vanesa Cabeza and the crew up to a pagoda perched on a mound looking down on the resort and the beach below. Alfonso coaxed and encouraged his model and with added lighting to dispel any unwanted shadows he started to work his magic. Sun worshipers on the beach were later treated to the other girls getting some sand between their toes as they worked through the day’s demanding schedule.

There was a change of scene and models for the Saturday shoot in Santa Cruz. The old jet foil station in Avenida de Anaga is home to the Middlesborough built steam ship La Palma, currently being lovingly restored to its former glory. This proud ship and a classic Alfa Romeo were to be key props for the remaining three month’s pages. Each location brings its own challenges, the sun was fiercer than ever and the small dirty beach next door was heaving with swimmers, a few of the younger ones came to enjoy the unexpected floor show. Alicia Medina looked elegance itself as she posed on board ship, but those high heels made the gang plank and rough wooden deck into a challenge that she rose above with great poise.

Juliane Brandmayer, originally from Germany, tried to grab some shade for herself and her canine companion as she prepared for her later role. Leticia Sarda already had her engine running as she slipped in behind the wheel of the Alfa Romeo. It’s not always easy looking cool and sultry, especially when a local fisherman is just slipping off his dirty vest for a quick swill out of a bucket and a rusty tanker is sneaking out of port past a luxury cruise liner, but Leticia was parked in the moment that the shot demanded.

The whole process is quite drawn out and repetitive as they strive for the perfect look. The trick is to ooze style and sophistication, all six models I saw managed that with ease. Their efforts will only be seen by a select few, 400 copies of the calendar go out to valued associates of Peroni. I left full of admiration for their dedication and with a burning desire to have a nice cold beer.

Title: Chicago – The Musical
Location: Santa Cruz Auditorium
Link out: Click here
Description: You don’t need panto (oh no you don’t) when there is a top music show like Chicago in town. This festive season experience a top Spanish cast in this world travelled show. Carlos Lozano, Maria Blanco, and Marta Ribera are the stars but they will be backed by an all singing all dancing crew.
Tickets range from 30 euros to 50 euros and the shows start at 8.30pm. You can call at the box office 10am to 3pm Monday to Friday or 10am to 2pm Saturday, phone 902317327 from 10am to 7pm Monday to Saturday, or book at www.generaltickets.com/cajacanarias
No show on 1st January.
Start Date: 2010-12-26
End Date: 2011-01-02

Title: Salsa del Atlantico
Location: Parque Maritimo, Santa Cruz
Description: Get your dancing shoes on and head for the car park next to the Auditorium. Top acts will be performing to get you gyrating, these include DLG, Grupo Niche, Marlon and many more. Starts at 10pm and all tickets are 15 euros.
Date: 2010-07-03

My nose was twitching right off the scale, even at the early morning preparation stage, the kitchen at Hotel Escuela in Santa Cruz was alive with warm spicy aromas. Indian chef Ramamoorthy Swaminathan was a picture of calmness, well when you have cooked for 300 world economic leaders in Switzerland; looked after 300 international gourmets in Singapore and tried to satisfy hundreds of irate grounded flyers from Heathrow, seven nights cooking in the Canary Islands is almost relaxing.

Ramamoorthy is the latest in a series of guest chefs from around the world to cook and teach in Santa Cruz from 21 to 24 July and then at the Hotel Escuela in Santa Brigada, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria for another three nights. These are popular four star hotels that offer courses in all aspects of hotel and catering. At any time Hotel Escuela teaches around 350 mainly local students; they currently have 29 from Dresden and are just expecting five from a college in Senegal.

Curiosity led Ramamoorthy into the family kitchen at home in Madurai in south India at a young age and his love of food and cooking grew during big family gatherings, through a diploma from the Indian Institute of Hotel Direction, and into hotel work in Hyderabad, Bombay and Cochin. So what is Indian cuisine? “It’s so much more than curry and hot dishes” said Ramamoorthy. “It’s about flavours and the huge range that comes from the different areas of India. Chillies change as you travel every 80 kms, and you can learn to recognise them and their origin.”

Ramamoorthy built up his experience at the World Gourmet 2000 event in Shangrilla in Singapore. “We spent a month serving 700 meals a day to leading names from the gourmet world, that gave me a lot of confidence.” The economic leaders’ forum in Switzerland was another important learning experience and a trip to a London festival gave Ramamoorthy a taste for the mixed cultures and cuisine of the city and he joined the Marriott Group at the Renaissance Hotel near Heathrow where seven years later he is the sous chef.

“It’s a big place, 649 rooms, 28 meeting rooms and banqueting suites, we can serve up to 1,300 meals a day.” The closeness to a major international airport can bring its own challenges. “During the recent lava cloud crisis we had to cope with hundreds of passengers being stranded with us at short notice, keeping them happy was a tough order.”

There are two full menus to prepare at Hotel Escuela, one vegetarian and one conventional. Pointing out a couple of notable menu items Ramamoorthy starts with Kuzhi Paniyaram on the first menu. He is a vegetarian himself in line with his religion. “This uses a special mix of rices and a batter that is marinaded overnight producing a light tasty dumpling. On the other menu Machili-kasandi tikka involves fish cooked in a tandoor oven with a west Bengal sauce.”

Leaving the master to his craft, I was given a tour of the hotel by Director Lucia Garcia Canino. “We have up to eight courses running at a time and our students can gain practical experience in all areas of the hotel; catering, management, bar work etc. There are also special study rooms with computers and work areas and it’s great to see so many of our past students go on to do well in the hotel business.”

The four star rooms look out onto the Barranco Santos and across Santa Cruz and there’s a nice homely feel helped by the paintings and sculptures from local artists. It’s a strange experience for me, after 9 seasons of supporting CD Tenerife it’s the first time I have gone through the hotel entrance just opposite my usual turnstile. Next season as I try to chomp through a rock hard roll at half time, my thoughts and taste buds will be yearning for some of Ramamoorthy’s  Indian cooking.

“In the silence I can hear their breaking hearts…”

Robert Cray, one of the greatest guitar players on the planet, closed his eyes, and let his fingers do their magic on his Fender Stratocaster. His eyes were tightly shut and his lips silently mouthed along with the electrifying and heartfelt lament despatched from the guitar in his hands. The sound cleaved a path through the still night and sent a delicious tingle down my spine.
This was my nirvana; a hot sultry evening beneath shocking red and perfectly named flamboyant trees listening to blues so cool they could have created their own dry ice effects.

You can keep your big stadiums and the likes of Elton John, Rod Stewart and Simply Red. Listening to a musician such as Robert Cray hypnotise an intimate audience underneath the tower of the Iglesia de la Concepción in Santa Cruz is the real deal as far as I’m concerned. If there was only one music festival I could attend in Tenerife during the year it would Santa Blues.

Santa Blues is held each June in one of the most picturesque urban spots on Tenerife, the Noria district in Santa Cruz. ‘La Noria’ is an enchanting mix of cobbled streets bordered by old townhouses and chic bars and restaurants buzzing with the capital’s beautiful people. It’s fitting that one of the trendiest nocturnal scenes on Tenerife should be the venue for something as cool as a blues festival.

Yet Santa Blues doesn’t attract the crowds that it should. The area around the festival might be buzzing, trying to grab a beer in one of the bars near the plaza where the festival is held requires patience and no little skill in the art of attracting the barman’s attention. But the crowd which congregates to watch the musicians perform usually consists only of a few hundred people.

The low attendance seems crazy considering the calibre of artists who have played at the festival (Ike Turner, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy) especially considering that the whole damn shebang is free. However, in a way I’m glad. I like the small and intimate atmosphere; it feels more in the spirit of what a blues session should be. It might not be a dark, hot and smoky blues club in downtown Chicago, but close your eyes and it might as well be.

Although I enjoy being seduced by the blues, I’m no aficionado and therefore not familiar with any of the names headlining Santa Blues 2010 (Larry McCray, Sandra Hall & Kenny Neal). But then I hadn’t heard Irish up and coming band, The Deans or The Vargas Blues Band before last year’s festival and both blew me away with a barrage of R’n'B guitar riffs and soulful energy.

So I’ll be there again this year soaking up the blues but, given my poor ‘grabbing the barman’s attention’ skills, probably not the beer.

Santa Blues Factfile: The Festival runs from 24th to 26th June, starting at 9pm each night.  See Tenerife Magazine’s ‘Happenings’ for more details.

CHECK OUT PHOTOS FROM SANTA BLUES 2010 HERE

Well what would you expect from a major cosmopolitan city, of course Santa Cruz, capital of Tenerife and home to CD Tenerife, is  embracing the 2010 World Cup. The vast choice of multi national bars will spoil you for choice but if you want an open air feast of football, they can manage that too.

For the duration of the 2010 games there will be giant 4 x 3 metre LED screens for FREE viewing at Plaza del Chicharro and in nearby Calle Imeldo Seris.  Sneak off from the shopping and grab a slice of the action for all the games. If you want to combine food with footie then how about Hotel Atlantida Silken in Avenida Tres de Mayo. They will be showing re runs of all the games in their Piano Bar, Cafe Atlantida, and Restaurante Jacarinde Tacoronte, and all three will be offering a specail menu with tapas from 2 euros from a special menu featuring food from all the World Cup countries – I wonder if England is pie and mash?