. . . and I’m in Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands of Spain (also the largest in population, with nearly a million). I’m dwelling in a fancy hotel at Puerto de la Cruz.
I didn’t realize that the Canaries are so far south: at the latitude of southern Morocco. No wonder it’s warm here, with lots of palm trees and subtropical vegetation.
The island and my one-day residence in red (our ship leaves tomorrow evening after a city tour):
It was a a rough trip. Thunderstorms delayed our departure from Chicago by about three hours, and I had budgeted a 4-hour layover in Madrid before the flight to Tenerife. It was jammed in Madrid, with multiple health checks, passport controls, baggage security checks, and then a long train ride to the gate area, where the location of the gates wasn’t at all evident. I barely made it, running with a small suitcase and heavey daypack, but got there 5 minutes before they the gate. I was the last person aboard. I was soaked with sweat, too, as I was wearing cold-weather Chicago clothes and of course it’s warm here.
The flight from Chicago to Madrid was about nine hours, and then from Madrid to Tenerife a shade under three hours. I’ve done some traveling, and I’m tired. But now it’s almost time for tea and meeting my fellow passengers. (Movies watched on the plane: “Badlands”, “Erin Brockovitch” (I can’t get enough Julia Roberts) and “Dead Poets Society,” which didn’t excite me much with its predictable ending.
The hotel: here’s my room at the Hotel Botánico. It’s really fancy: perhaps the spiffiest hotel room I’ve inhabited in decades—or ever. The hotel is a five-minute walk to the famous Botanical Gardens, which we visited for a long time this afternoon. I have many pictures of plants, indigenous or otherwise, which I took with my good camera. I’ll show them another time.
These are all iPhone photos embedded at low resolution, as the internet is slow here.
The hotel exterior:
My room, far fancier than I deserve:
My bathroom, with lots of washing goodies and a real rose! There’s also a bidet peeking around the corner.
The view from my balcony—plants and a sweeping vista down to the ocean:
Me, dressed up a bit but totally exhausted (I had not a minute’s sleep since I left Chicago). I need a good meal and some sleep!
Great news!
Hoping for some interesting travelogue entries.
BTW I dig that sweater – might need to up my sweater closet early…
Glad you arrived safely – hope that the rest of the trip goes well.
Madrid is a very confusing airport. I got lost in there once, looking for my Barcelona connection, and ended up outside somehow!
One visit, one confusion. Which isn’t a good ratio. I think I was coming back to the UK from a meeting on Gran Canaria. Didn’t end up outside, but a delayed incoming flight meant running through the crowded airport while trying to decipher the signage.
In that case, you might want to catch the lovely and talented Ms. Roberts in the new limited series Gaslit, in which she stars as Watergate figure Martha Mitchell, opposite Sean Penn as the “Big Enchilada” himself (as he was known around the Nixon White House), disgraced former US attorney general and convicted felon John Mitchell.
Badlands, if it’s the film by that name I’m thinking of, was Terrence Malick’s first feature, the only movie he made before Days of Heaven.
Enjoy your time in Tenerife!
It was Malick’s first movie, which is why I watched it. It was PLENTY weird, as I expect his movies to be. Starred Charlie Sheen and Sissy Spacek. Good, but no “Days of Heaven”!
Yeah, it’s one of the many lovers-cum-killers-on-the-run movies loosely inspired by real-life crime-spree killers Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate — a subgenre that includes Kalifornia, True Romance, and Natural Born Killers.
Also, I think you meant to say Martin Sheen. When Malick made the film in 1973, Charlie (who actually seems to have more in common with Starkweather than his daddy does 🙂 ) was but a tyke.
The view from your balcony is beautiful, and I love the rose in the bathroom. I hope you get something nice to eat and a lot of sleep.
You will hopefully be spoiled by terrific weather by the time you get back. Looks like you could sleep sideways on that bed. LOL. Get some good eats and sleeps.
What a splendid hotel and that view! Your room is so luxurious. I’d love to go somewhere like that one of these years. Have an excellent cruise, Jerry.
Thanks for keeping us posted even in your sleepless state. But it must be relaxing to have the smells from all of those tropical plants after a month of snow and ice and two weeks of urban chicago. The view reminds me of one we used to have a couple of times a year in nassau, bahamas. Just the smell of those tropical plants always relaxed me right away.
What a great hotel — and next to the Botanic Garden. As a Botanic-Garden-phile I’d love to spend a few days there.
Nice that your bathroom has two sinks. How do you decide which one to use, and when? Decisions. Decisions. Have a great trip!
I’d love reports on: 1) food onboard; 2) background of and anecdotes about the U of C alumni; 3) the fascinating stuff you see 4) your daily life and schedule onboard
“I barely made it, running with a small suitcase and heavey daypack, but got there 5 minutes before they shut the gate. I was the last person aboard. I was soaked with sweat, too, as I was wearing cold-weather Chicago clothes and of course it’s warm here.”
You’re now starring in your own movie: the hero struggling to—and just barely making— a much needed flight, is a movie staple.