Day 107 - Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025 – Tenerife, Canary Islands

We got up at 6 o’clock. We did our morning routine. Breakfast came at 8:30. We decided it was easier to eat in the room than to go down to seven and try to be outside by 9:30. This is our second to last excursion. Mary found this one through the guy that had the one we had to cancel. I don’t know if I mentioned this or not, but we were supposed to go to a different Canary Island today. I honestly don’t remember which one. Anyway, we are now on Tenerife. We got off the ship and we quickly met by our tour guide and driver. They have a big van. It’s a little older, but it’ll do the trick.

The tour guard gave us an explanation of the layout of the Canary Islands. Tenerife is the largest. Like so many of these islands we have experienced, there is an old town and a new town - La Laguna. We drove straight into the old town. It says it’s 65° out but I don’t think so. It might be closer to 55. The old town is up a few hundred feet in elevation, so it is cloudy and rainy. We pulled up to a general parking area. The thinking that we would all get out and wander around the old town for an hour or so. I decided I would stay in the van. I would let Mary and the tour guide wander around. As I looked around curb cuts seemed nonexistent. It also seems to be a lot of cobblestones. So, when you add it all up. - cool weather, rain, cobblestones, a few with any curb cuts - it makes sense for me to stay in the car. Mary will take good pictures and explain them to me later.

Mary got an education in home building. They talked about how some of the pieces of the house were made of wood, but then there were other pieces that were made of a lava ash blocks. Then they had decorative tiles which helped make the houses look that much better. Even with that once you understood what an lava ash block looked like you could see them everywhere. I then got to thinking about all the other islands we were on and how prevalent lava ash blocks were there also. I'm sure there was no shortage of lava ash around, so it made the perfect material. I did not ask, but I assume it's still used today. Why wouldn't it be?

Another stop along the way was the cathedral of La Laguna originally it was built as a church but the made of a cathedral in 1818. it was originally built in 1513. Over the year it had deteriorated to the point where it needed to be rebuilt in the 20th century. They could not go inside the cathedral because it required a ticket which they did not have.

They continue to walk for quite a while, admiring the different color houses and structures, including churches. Lastly, they walked into a marketplace where Mary bought refrigerator magnets and postcards. She did not like any of the T-shirts so they would have to be found later. They walked back to the van.

Once we were back in the van, we drove up the hill. The further we went, the more cloudy and foggy it became. Finally, we ended up at a winery that was plugged into the side of the hill. What was different about this tour was the fact that we spent most of the time outside. We spent a lot of time talking about the different types of vines, how they are maintained, etc. In the pictures you'll notice what appears to be a rose Bush at the end of a row of vines. They are not there for decoration. There's a particular fungus that impacts the vines. The same fungus impacts the roses first period so they use the Rose Bush to determine if the fungus is in the area. If the Rose Bush gets the fungus they quickly move to prevent the fungus from impacting the vines. Our tour guide then went on to talk about the different types of soil and climate. This particular winery had areas throughout the entire island so they made all kinds of different wines. Only then did we go inside to discuss some of the fermentation and stuff like that, but it was secondary. We tried 3 or 4 different wines. I don't remember right now, but I'm sure we bought something. It was a nice visit.

After the winery tour, we drove back to the ship. We said our goodbyes. It was a very nice excursion.

Back on the boat, after resting I'm sure, we went to dinner. Mary had salad, coconut soup and chicken. She liked them all. She had sorbet for dessert.

I had Alaskan fish stew, which was good. I had crawfish and smoked salmon, which was OK. And I had tandoor shrimp, which was kind of boring. For my dessert I have chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce. The definition of not boring.

That completes another day. We're getting near the end here. I hope you're keeping up with this. I know I'm terribly behind as far as days go but I'm doing my best to catch up. We only have one more port to visit. Last, but hardly least.