Bumper Botanic Bonanza!
A fine Heliconia Rostrata!
Today we decided to take advantage of the morning sunshine and to visit the Botanic Gardens. For those without any interest in gardens, don’t bother with the gallery below – it’s all plants! For those that have, there are some fantastic plants in the Botanic Gardens. Having hired a car with the specific thought that we might need it to get to places such as the Botanic Gardens, I have realised my error – even I can’t justify driving a car for the whole 100 metres between our hotel and the gardens!! At a cost of €3 entrance fee, this has to be one of the best value excursions anyone can go on. The gardens are full of palms, ficus trees of incredible height, exotic plants and flowers from around the world and some very unusual plants too. There is a research centre attached to the gardens where proper people with real plant knowledge do clever things. It was interesting to see some of the plants that we have seen in other parts of the world, (India, Thailand, Cambodia, etc.), growing in these surroundings.
Medinilla Meryantha – but you knew that!
Following our visit to the gardens, Captain Clarke and I decided to walk, (yes, walk!), into the town of Puerto de la Cruz. What we hadn’t envisaged was that a) it is quite a long way and b) walking down that steep hill is hard work! When we eventually arrived in Puerto de la Cruz, the sky showed distinct signs of leakage. Just as we sat down for a little light lunch, (mine a slice of pizza, Captain Clarke’s a large plate of Penne a la Bolognesa!), we got our next demonstration in Tenerife – how when the sky leaks, it leaks! It slung it down with such force and veracity that the umbrella under which we were sitting couldn’t cope and I got very wet indeed. I made another interesting discovery at this point – the queue of about 20 taxis that had been sitting in the sunshine had magically disappeared now that they were needed! After a short while, Captain Clarke and I did managed to procure a taxi and return to our hotel. As the temperature had also fallen significantly whilst the sky leaked upon us, we took some time the hotel lounge with a cup of coffee, (yes, even Captain Clarke had coffee!), to relax and read a little. Captain Clarke found this so stressful that after a short period he retired to his bed to sleep and rest! I spent a very uneventful hour ‘people watching’ in the lounge.
Billbergia Macrocalyx from Brazil, of course.
One of the people that I was ‘watching’ was a very large lady who was clearly no stranger to the sweet trolley! Sitting just a few feet away from me, she took a telephone call apparently from the police who wanted to visit her. She explained that she was in Tenerife and that they should contact her land line where someone could assist. Having finished this call, she immediately made a new call. Of course, I have no idea what was being said at the other end, (I would never listen intentionally – that is bad manners!), but from her end she was saying, “Oh, don’t worry, he sometimes fits for about 2 days, if he hasn’t stopped by tomorrow lunchtime, maybe you should do something” and “No! Don’t give him diazepam, they can’t do his blood if you give him that” and “Oh, that’s ridiculous, just take his blanket away!”. I came to the conclusion that she must be running a detention centre for wayward delinquents. I decided not to ask – she might consider it rude and I didn’t feel like I would want to be on the receiving end of her wroth after that telephone call!
Crescent Crujete, (a Maracas Tree, of course!)
Another couple of older ladies entered the hotel and ordered tea. When the tea was delivered, they sat and discussed in very loud voices that the tea was hardly to standard and that they shouldn’t have to tell the staff that, they should know. The poor waiter was still stood there and desperately trying to offer to resolve any problems, but they weren’t taking a blind bit of notice of him. What was interesting about these two ladies, (I use the term quite loosely), is that they then spent the next half an hour speaking in incredibly loud voices and, frankly, slagging off just about everyone else on the island! It became very clear that they were ex-pats living in Tenerife and that all they had to do was gossip about everyone else. What was also evident was that, like many Brits who choose to live in Spain, they spoke not one word of Spanish. Something, I have to confess I used to my advantage when I spoke to the waiter a little later. He thought it quite amusing that I had described the two ‘dos palos viejos’ as having nothing but ‘mala leche’, (look it up!).
La Casona
And so, my dear reader, (for I am sure there is only one of you left), we came to dinner. Captain Clarke and I took a taxi from the hotel to the Plaza del Charco and once again had a small libation in the central bar. We again consulted trip advisor and this time chose ‘La Casona’ which had been described as ‘hidden away with an internal garden’. The description wasn’t wrong. It is a wonderful little restaurant with a central garden that is, effectively, indoor. This transpired to be a huge advantage as 2 minutes after we entered the restaurant the skies opened and a torrential downpour that lasted the entire time we were in the restaurant, and for some while afterwards ensued. The food was delicious – I had ‘Conejo con Salmorejo’, (I won’t translate this for the sake of the animal lovers!), which was fantastic, and Captain Clarke had a large lump of beef cooked on a hot marble slab with salt. He said he would choose his dish again, as would I!
Talking of translation, this brings me to a small matter of the hotel news sheet that I have mentioned previously. Now, I hate to be critical but … today I took the English version as asking for a Spanish version seemed to confuse the girl on reception. On the back of the news sheet is, (as those of you that are concentrating will recall), some information on the hotel. Today it has recommendations for three of its restaurants. One offers Rodaballo al estilo del Chef – translated as ‘Turbot Chef’s Style’ – so far, so good. The next offers Cabrito Estofado estilo Hispano-Arabe which it translates as ‘Braised kid goat, Spanish-Moorish style’. This is a reasonable translation, if slightly downplaying what I would describe as a ‘Moorish influenced, flavoursome stew of goat’. (It is quite a well known dish in Spain). But it is the last dish that I wonder if they don’t want to sell, ‘Arroz caldoso con carabineros y langostinos’, which I would describe as ‘Rice cooked in stock with langoustines and prawns’, but they have chosen to describe it as ‘Soggy rice with red giant shrimps and prawns’. Doesn’t quite do it for me!!!
And for those of you asking or more photos of the town …
Please listen – this is your Mother here. I understood that the two of you were going on holiday for YOU to have a rest after all your flying round Europe these last few weeks but instead it seems that Captain Clarke is the one that is always collapsing because of fatigue – or is it the alcohol! You are obviously bored rigid unless you are “doing” but thank you for the lovely botanical photos.
Mother xx