Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, 2025

Tenerife is the largest and most populated island in the Canary Islands. Incidentally the Canary Island name come from the Latin island of the dog.

Notwithstanding that they are off the west coast of Africa, The Canaries have been part of Spain since the 1400s and look, feel and act as European as other Spanish cities.

We did a walking tour of the two largest cities although the tourists come here mainly for the beaches.

Near our port stands a controversial monument to Spanish dictator Franco funded by 80,000 people in the 1960s. Many want to keep it for historical and artistic reasons. Many others want it torn down saying it is like having a sculpture of Hitler.

San Cristobal de La Laguna was the first non-fortified Spanish colonial town. Its layout provided the model for many colonial towns in the Americas.

Note the straight-line walls of different colors. They were built by regular town folks with a just straight attached wall. Then the colors differentiated the residences.

Churrerias are found all over Spain. They serve yummy churros, basically deep fried batter (sugar donuts).

Cute Storefront.

The unique dragon tree is found all over the island. It can live for hundreds of years. You can the tell the age by counting the branch splits and multiplying by 10 – 12 years.

We visited lovely parks.

Allyn loves her sculpture posing.