As mentioned in prior posts, Spain is composed of 17 Autonomous Communities and we’ve set the goal of visiting each of them. Before moving to Bilbao we had spent time in eleven of the seventeen. Over the last two and a half years that number has grown to 15, with trips to Galicia, Menorca [Las Islas Balleares], Navarra, and most recently, Las Islas Canarias, where we spent a week celebrating my 40th birthday.
Las Islas Canarias are located in the Atlantic Ocean, about 100 kilometers [62 miles] off of the coast of Western Sahara and 1,000 kilometers [620 miles] from the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago is composed of seven islands, with Tenerife being the largest and Gran Canaria being the most populous. Due to flight and ferry schedules, these were the two islands that we visited during our weeklong stay.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
The island of Tenerife is most famous for areas outside of its capital, such as the Costa Adeja in the south, home to many resorts, and Mount Teida in the center, which is the highest mountain in Spain. We could not visit these locations for transportation reasons and instead spent the weekend in the capital, Santa Cruz, which we quite enjoyed.
Upon arrival we dropped our bags at the hotel and set out to explore. We noticed that the city had a lot of Latin restaurants, something that we rarely encounter in Bilbao. Our first lunch included both ropa vieja, which may have originated in Las Canarias before becoming a famous Cuban dish, and tostones with jamon y queso. Rather than returning to the hotel for a siesta, we decided to walk off the drowsiness that the meal induced. We encountered a park full of cacti, beautiful street art, historic architecture, and surprising vistas of the nearby mountains. [I clearly had not done enough research about the island’s geography before our arrival!]
The next day was my birthday, which I wanted to celebrate by hiking to a mirador. [This should surprise absolutely no one.] After a hearty breakfast we applied plenty of sunscreen and departed on our journey. [The islands’ proximity to the tropics make the sun’s rays very strong, even when it’s not super warm.] The route uphill was difficult to follow at times and not the most tranquil, but the vistas at the end were worth the trouble. [We even found an unexpected cave!] Fortunately we found a better path for the return trip. It featured stairwells used by residents to access their mountainside houses, a route not dissimilar to those we often use when hiking within Bilbao’s city limits.
While it wasn’t overly warm [the average year-round temperature in Santa Cruz is 70º], we rested by the pool after finishing the hike. That evening we enjoyed a copa of Canarian wine and a gilda, which aren’t easy to find on the islands, before eating dinner at a restaurant that exclusively serves octopus. We enjoyed a variety of different types of pulpo alongside the archipelago’s signature potato dish, papas arrugadas. It was a delicious way to end a milestone birthday!
On our final full day in Santa Cruz we visited Palmetum, a botanical garden built atop a former landfill. The site features tropical plants from a variety of islands, with a focus on different species of palm trees. [First, though, we stopped for lunch at another Latin restaurant. I don’t recall what we ordered, but it was delicious and we again found ourselves completely full!] After exploring Palmetum we continued along the coast to the Auditorio Adán Martín, a concert hall designed by the Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava. [He also designed other locations that we’ve visited in Spain, including Valencia’s Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias, Barcelona’s Torre de Montjuic, and the Bodega Ysios in Rioja Alavesa.]
Tenerife to Gran Canaria via Ferry
We decided to visit Tenerife because it has a direct flight from Bilbao. We were able to expand our itinerary to include Gran Canaria, as the islands are connected by ferry. [And the capital of Las Palmas is also serviced by a direct flight to Bilbao.] After a lovely long weekend in Santa Cruz, we continued to Las Palmas.
The views of Santa Cruz and the surrounding mountains from the ferry were beautiful. We started the journey appreciating them from the boat’s terraza. Unfortunately this left me feeling queasy [I haven’t taken many boat trips] and needing to return to the cabin. But, we appreciated having access to this mode of transportation and being able to appreciate the vistas, if only briefly.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Las Palmas is home to large, beautiful beaches that make it a very popular tourist destination. We didn’t sit on the beach much during our stay, as a weather front with very strong winds passed through that week. Fortunately, we were still able to take a great hike before the storm arrived.
The route started along Playa de Las Canteras before venturing into an area known as La Isleta. We enjoyed views of the ocean before stopping in a town full of colorful homes, appropriately named Las Coloradas. From there we trekked up to the Mirador de la Cruz for some stunning vistas before returning to Mercado del Puerto [where we discovered a pintxo stall serving gilda].
Before our trip I found a cheese tasting event near where we were staying in Las Palmas. I obviously made a reservation immediately, given that cheese is my favorite food. The event was in the early evening, by Spanish standards. We expected we’d try a few cheeses from the archipelago, alongside other visitors, before heading-out for dinner. Our expectations were very far from reality! We were the only guests, as the shop owner only allows one booking per evening. We tried close to ten cheeses, some from Las Canarias, others from different regions in Spain or Europe, and were taught about cheese-making. We enjoyed the platter alongside a bottle of wine from a bodega in Granada, a city that we’ve always loved, and left so full that we couldn’t possibly eat anything else.
We spent our last full day in Las Palmas exploring Vegueta, the city’s oldest neighborhood. We found a local spot that featured a tasty menu del dia. Afterwards we made our way to a mirador for views of more colorful houses before visiting El Museo Canario. [We preferred to learn about the history of those native to the islands, rather than visiting the museum dedicated to Cristopher Columbus.]
We took the bus back to the neighborhood where we were staying and, missing the simple snack that pintxos provide, stopped at a bar for a tapa of some of the richest ham we’ve eaten to date. [Not surprising, given that the bar is named Don jamón!]
On the day of our departure we again wandered along the beach before enjoying another delicious Latin lunch, this time at a Peruvian restaurant. After retrieving our luggage we took public transit to the airport, where we enjoyed pre-flight beers at a unique rooftop bar before returning to Bilbao.
Euskaid is certainly our most beloved Autonomous Community, but we also enjoy being able to explore Spain so deeply.
Up Next
We’re taking our summer vacation early this year and traveling to Asturias in July. [August is the typical month for folks to travel in Euskadi.] This will be our penultimate trip to a new Autonomous Community. I’ll do my best to post about it in a more timely fashion, but I make no promises.