After spending half day in the Loro parque on
the next day I have decided just to take
a walk on the streets of Puerto de la
Cruz even trying to get lost as this has
always been my favorite way to feel the spirit of one place. The main beach of the city - Playa Jardín is black
sanded, designed by César Manrique and runs
from Punta Brava opposite Loro Parque, to Castillo San Felipe at the west end
of the town. It is a good beach with all the facilities needed and often here
you can enjoy watching breathtaking high
and beautiful waves. I didn’t even realize that I have spent two hours just
watching the waves, feeling totally
relaxed. The thing I really regret about
is that I have spent not enough time in the botanical garden on the hillside.
Here you can find tropical and subtropical trees and plants and it is really worth to be visited. The garden is
named Acclimatization Garden of Orotava and Orotava is the place, part of my plan for today. It is
really close to Puerto de la Cruz, only 5 km away and the old historic centre
of the city has it all: architecture, history,
traditions, handcrafts. Shouldn´t be missed
Casa de los Balcones, Cara Lercaro, Casa del Turista and the Church of La Concepcion.
The famous Casa de los Balcones is constructed
as a typical Canarian patio highlighted by a large row of balconies on the top
two floors. It is a splendid manson, completed in 1670 with the participation of the best carpenters
of that time. Inside you can find a nice yard with a lot of shops for
traditional products like wine, honey,
mojo sauces, different handcrafts, tablecloths, traditional costumes. There is a museum accessed after a small
spiral stairway. The museum represents some moments from the life of its first
inhabitants captured as a moments from their daily routine. Another interesting
place is Casa del Turista, built in 1590 by one of the first large land owners
of the area, Francisco de Molina and another Cara Lercaro which combines the
essence of Canarian heritage. There is also a restaurant in the complex.
From the curious things in the shops are the traditional costumes, the ceramic figure of the Tara idol (ceramic figure, found on the island of Gran Canaria, refers to the believes of the Guanches), jewelries made of Olivine (green) and Obsidian (black) volcanic semi precious stones. The craftwork shops are also really curious. La Orotova is not only about history, but also offers some nice and almost never crowded black sand beaches - El Bollullo, Martín Alonso and El Rincón.
