Page 542 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Spain

540  SP AIN ’ S ISLANDS

The Canary
Islands’ Fiestas
Carnival (Feb/Mar), Santa Cruz
de Tenerife. One of Europe’s
biggest carnivals, this grand
street party is a lavish
spectacle of extrava gant
costumes and Latin American
dance music to rival that of
Rio de Janeiro. For years
under the Franco regime,
Carnival was sup pressed for
its irreverent frivolity. It begins
with the election of a queen
of the festivities and builds
up to a climax on Shrove Large ships moored at the busy port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Tues day, when there is a large q Santa Cruz de
procession. The “funeral” of an Other attractions include the
enormous mock sardine takes Tenerife Museo de Bellas Artes, which
place on Ash Wednesday. features old masters as well as
Carnival is also celebrated Santa Cruz de Tenerife. * 220,000. @ modern works, and the TEA –
g n Plaza de España, 922 28 12 87.
on the islands of Lanzarote ( Sun. _ Carnival (Feb/Mar), Día de Tenerife Espacio de las Artes,
and Gran Canaria. which hosts temporary art and
la Cruz (3 May). ∑ webtenerife.com
photography exhibitions.
Contemporary sculptures adorn
Tenerife’s capital city is an the Parque Municipal García
important regional port, Sanabria, a pleasant park with
with a deep-water harbour shady paths, laid out in 1926.
suitable for large ships. At the Mercado de Nuestra
Its most attractive beach, Señora de África, outside stalls
Las Teresitas, lies 7 km sell domestic goods, while
(4 miles) to the north. It was those inside offer an eclectic
created by importing mix of regional produce spices
millions of tonnes and cut flowers. Santa Cruz is
of Saharan sand and especially worth a visit during
building a protective reef its flamboyant carnival.
just off shore. Shaded by
Revellers in Carnival outfits palms, backed by mountains E Museo de la Naturaleza y
on Tenerife and so far devoid of concrete el Hombre
hotel developments, the result Calle Fuentes Morales 1. Tel 922 53
Corpus Christi (May/Jun), improves on anything nature 58 16. Open daily. & 7
La Orotava (Tenerife). The has bestowed on Tenerife.
streets of the town are Santa Cruz boasts many hand- E Museo de Bellas Artes
filled with flower carpets in Calle José Murphy 12.
striking patterns, while the some historic buildings. The hub Tel 922 24 43 58. Open Tue–Sun.
Plaza del Ayuntamiento is of the town is around the Plaza E Tenerife Espacio de las Artes
covered in copies of works de España, near the harbour. Just Avda de San Sebastián 10. Open Tue–
of art, formed from coloured off it is the Calle de Castillo, the Sun. ∑ teatenerife.es
volcanic sands. main shopping street. Its two
La Bajada de la Virgen de most noteworthy churches are
las Nieves (Jul, every five years: the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de
2020, 2025) Santa Cruz de la Concepción, with parts dating
La Palma. from 1500, and Baroque Iglesia
Romería de la Virgen de de San Francisco.
la Candelaria (15 Aug), Particularly interesting is the
Candelaria (Tenerife). Museo de la Naturaleza y el
Pil grims come here in their Hombre, in the Palacio Insular,
thousands to venerate the where Guanche mum mies
Canary Islands’ patroness. grin in glass cases. Inside the
Fiesta del Charco (7–11 Sep), museum you can also see
San Nicolás de Tolen tino
(Gran Canaria). People leap the cannon which is alleged
into a large saltwater pond to to have removed the arm of
catch mullet. the British admiral Nelson
during an unsuccessful raid on The artificial beach of Las Teresitas in
the city in the late 18th century. Santa Cruz
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p575 and pp604–5

540-541_EW_Spain.indd 540 10/11/2017 09:48
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.1)
Date 5th December 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm