Day 7: Monday

This was the first of our 2-day car hire period.

First stops were for shopping and we hit Costa Adeje to start with.  Then we moved on to Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos.

Well, one thing's for sure and that is that Things Ain't What They Used To Be.  There are lots more cars than when we first came, car hire is no longer cheap and petrol is more expensive than it used to be in relation to the price we pay at home.

The other thing is that both at Playa de las Americas and at Los Cristianos, access to the beach fronts have been fully closed off and parking is a nightmare.  There are lots of parking spaces on the streets but not a space to be seen.

We finally found a space outside the Arona Gran Hotel and walked down to the sea front from there.

Lots of the shop units at Costa Adeje have furniture outside them!

Looking at how much development there has been in Los Cristianos since we were there many years ago, I realised I wouldn't have a hope of finding the Chipeque apartments where we stayed in 1993 or so.  And, even though the sea front seemed to have changed little since those days, I had no way of telling where Spot had celebrated his birthday.

I also confidently felt that the Africans accosting tourists who were daring to walk along the prom or eating a meal with their fake Rolex watches would have gone, but no.  Suddenly they seemed to be all around and possibly in greater numbers than before - although it was by now probably their children rather than they themselves who were selling watches and fake Rayban sunglasses!

Ferries to the other islands

Then we responded to the magnetic attraction that is Mount Teide.  This time it was a route up the mountain we've never used before.  The last time we had used a neighbouring route was over Easter and there were those lovely orange poppies everywhere. Not this time, unfortunately.  It's high summer and the environment is even more arid than normally.

Views on the way up

And then we got to the Cañadas plateau.  It's hard to believe that we're 7000 feet up at this point ....

It's hard to believe that people actually go hiking round these parts!  It's just such an unforgiving environment

Spain's highest peak at 3718 metres / 12198 feet

A kind person called Selfie Stick offered to take this photo for us - did quite a good job, methinks

After this we want past the cable car base station and then turned left to go down the Orotavo Valley towards Puerto de la Cruz ....

It was very windy

Puerto de la Cruz is submerged under a sea of cloud

Evening entertainment is described in the brochure as 'low-key', but it has generally been very good. Seats to watch are at a premium, but we can enjoy it pretty well from our balcony.