Tenerife

Traveling by cruise ship has both its rewards and its limitations. There is no fussing with your luggage as you move about. At night you sleep with the sway of the ocean while you are transported to the next location. And there is always food available; more than you could possibly eat. On this specific European cruise I am only one of four Americans, the remainder are predominately a lovely mix of French, Dutch, Italian, German, Spanish, and a few British. It's fun to observe the superficial cultural differences that make us unique; while the similarities that lie beneath this transparent surface are inevitably so very obvious. For instance, humans generally either love to be entertained, or they are entertaining. We love to eat, and we enjoy talking about it. Many adore laughing, to balance out those that like complaining. The list never ends, and it's a perfect example of watching folks blendingtogether!

After nearly two weeks together we have become a little mini-society of behavior, schedules, and other predictabilities. Herd mentality invariably prevails. But the jewels are those few that you get to know. Ahhh, we've just had another lovely conversation with our friends from Scotland!

El Teide, TenerifeSo we only received about five hours to explore the island of Tenerife. That's quite comical- and possibly a crime. Five hours to experience the premier Canary Island!?! Tenerife is the most well known of these islands and receives over ten million visitors per year. That's because it has it all. The tallest peak in all of Spain is here, El Teide, towering to over 12,000 feet. It is surrounded by the moonscapes and volcanic colors that we saw on Lanzarote, only grander, plus a cable car that can take you to the very top. Of course it also has a sister Observatory to the ones we found on La Palma.

Tenerife has famous beaches, amazing resorts, shopping, and cities that seem big but have a lived-in feel to them. There are picturesque villages, cliffs, and forests. You can view whales, dolphins, and wind-surf. I could go on and on and eventually loose you, being surrounded by a great big pile of virtual tinker toys... what to do first, what to see first, how to manage it all. Five hours meant we'd have to get out our paring knife and start carving up our options.

HMMM, what is there that is unique to Tenerife? The answer was obvious. The Pyramids of Guimar! Mystery! There is great speculation surrounding their origin and purpose, or even who it was that built them. The Guimar pyramids are six stepped, rectangular and have a flat summit platform suitable for ceremonial activities. Their construction was oriented towards the sunset on the summer solstice, and the sunrise on the winter solstice. They are similarly constructed to those found in Mexico, Peru, and ancient Mesopotamia. Many wonder how this can be possible. Could there be a civilization that pre-dates the Gaunches? How can these pyramids be linked to cultures on continents an ocean away? One of the earliest navigational records of this region reported that the original Canarians were actually a race of tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed people. Could they have possibly been descendants of Atlantis? Answers are not always available through black and white proof, nor is it always linear. I'll leave the rest up to you.

Pyramids of Guimar

After leaving Guimar we drove up to the central ridge of this island for a view of Teide. Today the mountain was bare, but at other times it is covered in snow. Along this ridge drive we were also rewarded with sweeping views, pine forests, and numerous fragrant Eucalyptus trees. We arrived back at the port about fifteen minutes late, alternating between a calm stroll and a brisk trot. The ship was waiting for us, the last to arrive, but it couldn't wait forever. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad on Tenerife!