Homeward Bound

Aah, now that's what we expect from a Tenerife holiday - plenty of blue sky and warmth. (Of course, it was too hot in the Sun 🙄)

Beautiful bougainvillea 

CLICK HERE IF YOU JUST WANT TO SEE MORE PHOTOS without me twaddling on. I’ve attempted to name the plants, but don’t quote me!

Pickerel weed

The huge amounts of rain that the island experienced in Spring - as did we - has clearly been appreciated by the plants. Here are just a few of the lovely, unusual and colourful plants we came across - some along pathways, some in the Puerto de la Cruz Botanic Garden and others in the Sitio Litre Orchid Garden.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen flowers this amazing turquoise colour before. It was a really impressive plant and so tall that I couldn’t get a close-up.

Turquoise Puya flowers

These dazzling rubbery flowers were growing as ground cover between the trees in the botanic garden.

Billbergia pyramidalis

This beautiful shrub was scrambling over the wall from a private garden but the large shrubs are planted in communal parks too. Covered in multi-coloured blooms.

Lantana Camara

This spike was over 6 feet tall growing from the centre of some sort of bromeliad that we're more used to seeing as houseplants in Britain. The Botanic Garden really is like a land of the giants!

There was a whole forest of them surrounding the impossibly huge alien of a tree - a type of fig, but it looks like a monstrous rubber plant.

Ficus Macrophylla

This is such a beautiful colour, creeping over fences and walls around the town.

Thunbergia

And this is another stunner in the Botanic Gardens.

Mexican Butterfly Weed

The Orchid Garden is a peaceful little garden near our apartments. It’s the garden of a beautiful colonial style house where Agatha Christie stayed whilst in Puerto de la Cruz. The orchid displays are very pretty and the general gardens are lovely to stroll or sit.

Plus there’s a nice little cafe, koi pond and two friendly cats 😊

We arrived in Tenerife for the Canarias Day celebrations - a fun evening listening to a Canarian folk band and seeing the locals in their traditional dress. Then walking back to the apartment through the lively night-time streets.

After so many years we finally visited Loro Parque, where we spent the day for Jamie's birthday. 

Tourists

It was a good day though the areas for the larger animals (especially the gorillas) were a bit sad. We didn't attend any of the animal 'shows' but enjoyed seeing the penguins, fish, coral and giant tortoises as well as the cute golden tamarins. 

When we returned to the apartment we enjoyed a free birthday bottle of Cava at the bar.

Cheers!

Our lovely holiday is almost over and we're leaving the day the Pope arrives - he’s not having our apartment 🤭 he’s visiting La Laguna which is a nearby town before going to the capital. 

We bought this interesting tea - it's very nice; haven't found a bindweed tea yet though! We’re looking forward to seeing what else is growing on the allotment  - wondering if our sweetcorn and sunflowers have emerged yet. It seems there has been a lot of rain at home but looks like the weather may cheer up for our return - yay!  

Enjoy the song by Simon & Garfunkel.