Title: CD Tenerife v Albacete
Location: Heliodoro Stadium, Santa Cruz
Link out: Click here
Description: A “six pointer” as CD Tenerife try to get back into the top four play off places. Kick off at noon.
Date: 2012-02-05

Scampering up one of the 200 foot masts of the sailing brig Stavros S Niarchos, second officer Ben Wheatley made it look easy. Having climbed the rope ladder, and worked along one of the slats holding the sails, Ben was just below the 12 metre high Up And Over platform, one of the initial challenges to crew members signing on for a Tall Ships Adventure to build character and team work.

Santa Cruz and Portsmouth, the home ports of Stavros, are forever linked in history by a certain Horatio Nelson but these days there’s no need for press gangs. Up to 48 raw crew members of all ages pay to join the ship for week long voyages from its three month base in Tenerife. There are also 10 volunteer crew in key positions and six permanent paid crew who have worked their way up to Captains and Skippers.

I caught Stavros between a Sea Shanty and a Wildlife Watch week as Ben explained. “We had two professional musicians on board to teach traditional sea shanty’s, when we came back into Santa Cruz from our tour around the Canary Islands we entertained a bar full of people. On the wildlife trip we have an expert to educate the crew about the animals we see.”

It’s not all music and mammals, Happy Hour is a jolly name for scrubbing the decks to music. There are also long watches to keep the ship manned around the clock, maintenance, steering, and hauling the sails. “Climbing the masts to set the sails is a small part of the job, they are controlled by hauling on ropes that are coiled on deck. We have a motor but like to use wind power for as much of the voyages as possible. On a good week the sails are our sole source of power for two thirds of the trip.”

Topside the ship looks and creaks like a well worn eighteenth century rig but down in the modern hull the maker’s plate gives the true version, built in Appledore, Devon in 2000. The mess has a modern stainless steel kitchen, not a ship’s biscuit in sight, but the table area is cramped and the six cabins, each with eight bunks are best described as cosy. Sailors’ possessions are limited to a locker and a small box. Ages on the voyages range from 18 to 75 and each work team (watch) is a mixed bag of ages and both sexes. No sailing experience is required for the adventures, it’s a big learning curve that includes map reading, course plotting, and lots of team work.

Ben has been riding the waves since dipping his toe as a raw crew member but seven years on he is dedicated and very happy with a routine of five weeks on and two weeks off. “We tell our new recruits you will learn a little about sailing but a lot about yourselves.”

If anyone fancies a nautical challenge there’s more information at www.tallships.org

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.

Title: George Harrison – Living In The Material World
Location: TEA – Tenerife Espacio de Las artes
Link out: Click here
Description: Here’s a little gem for you. this Martin Scorsese film looks at the life of the Beatle with contributions from his friends and musical colleagues. Showing at 7pm and 9.30pm in the TEA Cinema, entry is 4 euros. Shown in English with Spanish sub titles.
Start Date: 2012-01-27
End Date: 2012-01-29

Title: CD Tenerife v Sporting B
Location: Heliodoro Stadium, Santa Cruz
Link out: Click here
Description: Back to home action after a months gap and a few inspiring displays are owed to the fans. Kick off noon.
Date: 2012-01-22

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.

Photographing The Firm
What does a photo documentary by Jocelyn Bain Hogg illustrating scenes from the lives of people involved with the British organised crime scene have to do with Tenerife? Some of these ‘gritty’ images were shot (maybe not the best phrase to use) in Tenerife.

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?

Tenerife Magazine’s round up of some of the most interesting news stories of the week in Tenerife.

Tenerife is First Choice for Holiday Adverts
Following Thomson Holidays’ TV advert, First Choice is the latest tour operator to use Tenerife as the location for their first new TV advert since 2009. Due to be aired during the Who Wants to be a Millionaire Christmas Special, the advert, like Thomsons’, doesn’t actually mention Tenerife. In fact, unless you know the First Choice Holiday Village on Tenerife where it was filmed, there are even less clues about the location than there were in the Thomsons’ advert. Still, as the advert is aimed at all-inclusive holidays they probably don’t want to promote the great island that lies outside the hotel anyway.

No Happy New Year in La Laguna
The economic crisis is biting deeply when a traditional fiesta has to be cancelled on Tenerife. For years the New Year has been welcomed in with a party at Plaza de la Concepción in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of La Laguna. But not this year. The big bash has been cancelled to the annoyance and sadness of locals. Also cancelled is the tradition of handing out cakes and chocolate by the area’s fiesta committee. There might not be any sweets in La Laguna’s streets at New Year, but there’s plenty of humbug.

Tenerife Quote of the Week
Comes from former darts champion Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor who, when telling The Metro about his preparations to regain his title at the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship came out with this classic – ‘I did some warm-weather training at my villa in Tenerife…’
Darts players using Tenerife as a winter training camp? The report didn’t mention whether he was smiling at the time.

Christmas Fairs on Tenerife
Whilst there’s no party at Plaza de la Concepción, there is some good cheer about this Christmas. The Tenerife Government has organised three Christmas craft fairs in Santa Cruz, La Laguna and Puerto de la Cruz. But unless you celebrate Tres Reyes, the La Laguna (Plaza del Adelantado) and Santa Cruz  (Plaza del Príncipe) fairs are no use for last minute presents as they run from 2nd to 5th January. But don’t panic, the Puerto de la Cruz Christmas fair is open from 21st to 23rd December. The fairs will feature goods from local artisans and will be open from 11am to 10pm except for the 5th when they’ll be open until the early hours of the 6th January for those real last-minuters like Gaspar, Balthasar, and Melchior.

Outnumbered in Tenerife
Apparently the Christmas special of the British sit-com Outnumbered sees the Brockman family planning to fly out to Tenerife for a festive break in the sun on Christmas morning. This will no doubt mean something to somebody out there.

And finally the TIT (This Is Tenerife) of the week award goes to…Attitudes toward the law in Tenerife
We regularly quip that legislation is often viewed more as guidelines on Tenerife. But many a true word spoken in jest and all that.
When promoters of a proposed event at the Parque Marítimo in Santa Cruz were refused permission to hold a party at the swimming pool complex last weekend, they ignored the ruling and went ahead with the event anyway.
Their disobedience earned them an appearance in court which threw up another little Tenerife gem relating to the case. According to reports, their lawyer claimed that the party had been attended by the Mayor of Santa Cruz, José Bermúdez and that his presence overruled the decision that had been made by people further down the political chain.
However, official sources insist that the mayor didn’t attend the illegal party.

There’s an easy way to prove it one way or another. People at parties take photographs and there’s no way the mayor of Santa Cruz would be at an event and no-one would take his photo. So no photo…no mayor…no defence.

Title: Pinocchio Musical
Location: Teatro Guimera, Santa Cruz
Description: A very modern musical version of the classic family tale using multi media for a visual treat. There are 8 shows, Tues 3 & Weds 4 Jan – 6pm & 8pm, Fri 6 jan – 6pm, Sun 8 Jan noon, 5pm & 7pm.Tickets 8, 10 & 12 euros from the box office or www.generaltickets.com/cajacanarias
Start Date: 2012-01-03
End Date: 2012-01-08

Tenerife Magazine’s round up of some of the most interesting news stories of the week in Tenerife.

Strange Lights in Tenerife’s Sky
According to scientific reports, a recent experiment conducted between the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on La Palma and the Observatorio del Teide here on Tenerife may have looked to onlookers as though the two Canary Islands were involved in an epic Jedi battle. Over the course of two weeks,  luminescent green lasers were beamed across the 144 kilometres between the two islands as part of an experiment into using ultra-modern technology to track greenhouse gasses in order to better understand the Earth’s atmosphere.
The two observatories were chosen by scientists from Graz in Austria, York and Manchester because there are very few places on Earth where there are two peaks of sufficient height with the necessary facilities and with no obstructions in between.

Reports suggest the green lasers in the sky looked like scenes from Star Wars. However, despite having clear views of the sky between Tenerife and La Palma, the experiment went…well, you could say over our heads.

Ghostly La Laguna & the British Mediums
English speaking mediums seem to be in vogue in Spain at the moment. The bizarre Spanish TV programme Más Allá de la Vida features British medium Anne Germain conveying messages on air from the dead to members of their family. She does this in English which is translated into Spanish by the presenter. Presumably English is not only the business language of the world but also the universal language of the dead as well.

A British medium on Tenerife, Angie Freeland caused a bit of a stir this week by describing in detail the death of Catalina Justiniani at the Casa Lercaro Museum of History and Anthropology in La Laguna. In the 16th century, the young Catalina took her own life after being forced to marry against her will. Because she committed suicide, the Church refused her a burial and she was placed in a well inside the house where her unhappy ghostly figure still wanders the corridors. Allegedly without prior knowledge, Tenerife’s medium Angie Freeland described not only how Catalina died, but also where her body was laid to rest. The first you can easily find out by ‘Googling’, the second is only known to a few people – spooky.

Getting Back to Nature
Nice to hear that in the last year 1200 Cory’s Shearwaters were nursed back to health and returned to the wild thanks to the efforts of the Tenerife Government’s La Tahinilla wildlife recovery centre near La Esperanza. Anyone who spots injured birds on their travels around Tenerife should call 922 445 777 or even 112.

And finally the TIT (This Is Tenerife) of the week award goes to…The Case of the Tres Reyes
You can put postal prices up and tell the people that prices have gone down, you can even ban smoking in bars and the result might be a few grumbles before subservience is resumed…but what you can’t do is mess with the Tres Reyes (the Three Kings) on Tenerife.

This week the Tenerife Government announced that due to the economic crisis, the Tres Reyes would not be arriving, as has been the tradition for years, at CD Tenerife’s Heliodoro football stadium in Santa Cruz. They might as well have lit the blue touch paper and stood back.

Outrage and uproar ensued in the capital and even the promise that some of the money saved (around €40,000) would be put to a new Christmas event, a lavish parade full of surprises, was not enough to quell the discontent.

What followed was a few days of emergency meetings before it was announced on Monday that the necessary financial support had been found and the children (whatever their age) of Santa Cruz would not be denied their traditional Christmas treat.

They won’t arrive by helicopter and it’s unclear whether the entrance fee will still be 1 Euro but the chicharreros can worry about that closer to the time – all that’s important for now is that the Tres Reyes gig at the Heliodoro is back on. Christmas in the capital has not been cancelled.

Forget the fact that Tenerife is a subtropical island off the coast of Africa. Forget the fact that the sun is shining, there are palm trees and you’re wearing T-shirt and shorts. There’s plenty of festive fun to be had during Christmas on Tenerife.

If you happen to be on holiday on Tenerife you can escape the frantic Christmas crowds at home but still enjoy a magical Christmas atmosphere. Here are our top 10 things to do at Christmas on Tenerife.

Pig out on Turrón
This scrumptious cake borne from a grand romantic gesture is only found on supermarket shelves on Tenerife at Christmas (well…until stocks run out). It is sinfully good especially when paired with a cup of coffee. There are oodles of different varieties to choose from, but the original almond, sugar, honey and egg yema tostada is still the best.

Slip on some Sexy Red Underwear
Apparently it’s good luck to see in the New Year wearing red underwear (it doesn’t say anywhere it has to be sexy, but ‘slip on some plain red underwear’ just doesn’t sound the same). Two conditions for guaranteeing good luck for the coming year is that the red underwear has to be new and also that it’s a present. Who knows how many people follow this tradition; it’s a difficult one to research – ‘excuse me, what colour is your underwear?’ is more likely to result in a slap than an answer.

Enjoy a Sparkling Christmas
The Christmas street decorations in some of Tenerife’s towns make a visit after dark an enchanting experience. Some of the resorts put on decent displays but to walk the cobbled historic streets in la Laguna and La Orotava after dark evokes warm and fuzzy memories of childhood Christmases.

Singalong-a-Christmas
There’s usually a popular musical at the Tenerife Auditorium Adán Martín and this year it’s The Sound of Music. Actually it’s the Spanish version Sonrisas y Lagrimas, so the music might sound familiar but the words might not; somehow ‘Doh a cierva’ just wouldn’t seem right. Possibly a better option is the free open air Christmas Day classical concert in Santa Cruz.

Eat Early on Christmas Eve
This applies more if you’re in a traditional town on Tenerife where every Canarian restaurant shuts early on Christmas Eve so that families can enjoy their big Christmas dinner together.
Of course if you’re one of those people who eat their dinner in the middle of the afternoon (around 6pm) then it won’t be a problem.

Forget Santa Claus and Cheer on the Three Kings
There’s no big portly guy squeezing down chimneys here. Tenerife’s version, like the rest of Spain, is the Tres Reyes (Three Kings) who pay a visit to Tenerife’s towns on the evening of the 5th January to bestow gifts on the children. Lots of towns on Tenerife have Tres Reyes parades, in some the kings arrive on camels. The tradition makes a lot more sense than the whole Santa Claus deal.

Let Them Eat Cake
It’s traditional to eat Roscón de Reyes (the Kings’ Cake) on Tres Reyes (6th January) but you can buy these throughout the Christmas period on Tenerife. Riscón de Reyes is a wreath shaped bready cake topped by candied fruit. It used to be traditional to put a dried bean and a figurine in the cake mix. Whoever got the figure was made honorary king for the day and the person who got the bean had to fork out for the cake (approx €8). Last time I tried Roscón de Reyes I got the bean, so I haven’t bothered since (you can take the boy out of Scotland but…).

Build a Snowman
Honestly, this is a popular local tradition if we get enough of the white stuff on Mount Teide. But on Tenerife there’s a bit of a difference. You build the snowman on the bonnet of your car and then try to make it to the coast before the snowman completely melts…and without crashing because you can’t see as you’ve got a snowman on your bonnet.

Check out the Beléns
These nativity scenes found everywhere on Tenerife (town halls, shop windows, hotels) can be incredibly detailed with intricate moving parts. Adults and children love them, especially when they spot el caganer – the guy who always gets ‘caught short’ out in the open.

Sunbathe on Christmas Day
If you haven’t done it before, there’s something bizarre about lounging about on the beach in your swimwear on Christmas Day, especially if there’s snow on Mount Teide and it’s a white Christmas on Tenerife.

¡Feliz Navidad a Todos!