Tenerife Magazine’s round up of some of the most interesting news stories of the week in Tenerife.
The theme for La Oratava’s Corpus Christi sand tapestry
The theme for the 2011 sand tapestry in La Orotava on 30th June will be ‘Dios nos entrega a su hijo Jesús` which loosely translated means ‘God gives us his son Jesus”. The incredible tapestry made from soil and sand from Las Cañadas del Teide traditionally features a religious theme but usually includes a contemporary slant which often delivers a surprisingly emotional impact. La Orotava council are applying to UNESCO for World Heritage status which, as anyone who has witnessed this very special celebration, is an accolade that is long overdue.
A busy summer scene for Tenerife
It’s just as well that Tenerife is blessed with numerous beaches of all shapes and sizes as space on them could be at a premium this summer. There are an estimated 400,000 more airline seats heading our way during the sizzling summer months than last year.
Parque MarÃtimo in Santa Cruz to reopen
Great news at last for the troubled renovation of Parque MarÃtimo in Santa Cruz. It looks like all systems are go and the swimming pool complex will reopen to the public in all its full glory on the 1st of June. It’s also good news for those sun-seeking cruise passengers arriving at the port who once again will be able to bask in the capital’s sunny weather without having to spend precious time catching a bus or taxi to Playa las Teresitas.
Keeping cosy in La Laguna bus station
La Laguna isn’t exactly the warmest place on Tenerife to begin with and waiting for the guagua at the bus station is like braving the Siberian wastelands in winter wearing shorts and a T-shirt. That might sound like an exaggeration until you know that Manuel Ortega, general co-ordinator of Tenerife’s transport department, suggested that it was easier to catch flu inside the station than outside it and that waiting there could be fatal for children and old people (admittedly he might have meant the Spanish meaning rather than it was likely to kill you…but who knows). Apparently the culprits are the electronic doors which are positioned in such a place that every time they open (every other second) icy blasts of cold air grab the opportunity to rush in and harass travellers. To rectify the problem which has had passengers up in goose-pimpled arms, the offending doors will be replaced by swivel doors to keep the cool winds at bay.
The wrath of Ben Magec
The filming of Wrath of the Titans, the follow up to Clash of the Titans, has come in for criticism from Canarian ecologist group Ben Magec for potentially disrupting the breeding patterns of the endangered fish eagle (aka osprey and guincho). Filming is currently taking place in the Teno region of Tenerife where the island’s few eagles live and breed. Apparently “Many’ people have asked Tenerife’s Government and the film production company not to go ahead with shooting scenes in that area and an online petition has been set up to call a halt to the titans in Teno. It may be an admirable cause but Ben Magec’s site is missing the sort of detail that helps readers make an informed decision about how real the threat is. For all we know it might come from the fact that Mrs Eagle is too busy watching Sam Worthington in a leather skirt to get involved in a bit of love action with Mr Eagle.
The warmest April since 1950
Spanish Meteorological Agency AEMET have said that April 2011 was the warmest since 1950; a fact that might surprise some visitors to the south of Tenerife during that month. However, although the weather was warmer (by 4C in Spain, but only 1C in the Canary Islands) and rainfall was close to average figures, in actuality rainfall in southern parts was substantially higher than average (up to three times as much in the Canary Islands) whilst in northern areas it was lower.
Santa Cruz Tourist Bus
The Canarian Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs aren’t happy with the route that the city’s new tourist bus follows as it doesn’t stop at enough shopping areas. They want the route to be changed so that it includes more commercial areas. Maybe we’re missing the point here but we thought the idea of the tourist bus was to show visitors the cultural and scenic highlights of Santa Cruz and not the best place to pick up a little black number for the dinner dance on board their cruise.
And finally the TIT (This Is Tenerife) of the week award goes to…Icod de los Vino and environmentally friendly concrete.
Icod de los Vinos claims that it will have the most ecologically friendly avenue in the Canary Islands…by covering Avenida Chincanayros in concrete. However, apparently this is special concrete called Ecogranic which also goes by the name ‘green concrete’ because it possesses ‘special qualities” that neutralises pollutants and emissions from cars by up to 56%.
Incredibly one of the selling points pushed by the company that created Ecogranic is that if you covered a football ground with this concrete it would eliminate the contaminates produced by 4000 cars over the course of a year. It’s a horrifying thought but Ecogranic sounds as though it really could give politicians licence to pave paradise and put up a parking lot. Here’s another suggestion for a green and ecologically friendly avenue ““ pedestrianise and use more grass and trees.
