Winter Runaway

A few snaps from our recent 'last of the summer sun' get away to Tenerife. Our way to avoid the winter blues for as long as possible.

The view from our hotel when we had first arrived.

We had such a wonderful week soaking up the sun, feeling sand between our toes and eating such lush fruit and veg, the kind we can only dream about over here. Was just what we needed before coming back to cold, windy winter days and dark, wet nights. Seems like so long ago now, but its nice to be looking at the pictures again. We stayed in a wonderful little touristy place called Los Cristianos - highly recommend it - not too remote, but not too touristy either, just right. A short walk to the beach staying in a wonderful hotel! We got it for a bargain price online a few months ago - splashed out and stayed in 4*! Totally exceeded our expectations.

My first 'blog pose', kindly suggested by my lovely photographer and manshape :)

I bought this dress last spring, but it was too long to wear - a problem I have with maxi dresses (I'm just little) - so I took it up a few inches, but by the time I did the weather had turned cold.

I don't normally have much luck with sandals, but these ones from Schuh are great - I wore them loads to work in the summer, my feet felt fine after walking and standing all day.

My feet look wrong in this, its difficult to tell because of the length, but I've put my left behind my right, it kind of looks like they've been swapped over. My feet are quite normal, honest, just weird in this photo. It was the first 'posed' photo I did for the blog so it was a bit of trial and error. I know not to stand like that now though.

This was another of the hotels many pools. It was great, empty, deep, long! We went exploring on the first day so didn't take a dip till later in the week but it was so tempting just to jump in. Calm water like that just makes me want to disrupt it... its like it calls to me. A bit like fresh snow too (but that was no where in my mind at that point). You can see the roof top solarium just above the red tiled roofed villas - they were part of the hotel complex too... it was HUGE!

My dress was ideal. I'm glad I took it with me, it was just the right weight to wear on the cloudy but hot day we had that first day - ideal for a walk into town for cocktails and nibbles and a much anticipated walk along the beach. 
It was a really pleasant trip to town, a little further than I'd thought looking on Google Earth, but it was lovely just to be in the warmth again. It's a heat we just can't seem to get in Scotland, where the whole atmosphere is warm and just being in it makes you happy and lifts your spirits. 
The place was so busy too. I don't think Tenerife has a quiet season, I think it's just busy all year round. It was full of.... lets say...the older generations :P and why not! It's ideal. The streets are well cared for, the promenade is flat and smooth, ideal for for the fancy wee motor chairs they use, and they all looked so happy and content in the wonderful heat.... IN NOVEMBER! Amazing! Downside though - lots of flesh on show.... lots!

                                                                     

Just as we reached the promenade, that traveled round to the first beach, we stopped to see these amazing sand sculptures. The building is amazing, he even put a wee water feature in. We wondered if the waves destroyed them at night and he had to rebuild each day, but it didn't. Instead he put wee candles in some of the towers and windows. It looked really magical at night, but I've no photos (my wee point and shoot doesn't like dark levels very much). I think he added to it each day too, but either way they are totally awesome! I love the wee walk way along the beach made out of pebbles too. Nice touch.

Stopped for more posing before walking on. We walked passed this fountain everyday and realised about half way through the holiday that it was actually full of wee turtles and terrapins. Again, I'm not sure what I'm doing with my feet here, really need to work on my posing.

The first appearance of my ever supportive manshape :) yay! Happy holiday times!

Because it was pretty overcast that first day (although still very warm, the photos just don't do it justice!), the beach and promenade was pretty empty. I think the majority of tourists were in the bars instead. But it meant we more or less had the beach all to ourselves :) Just like back home, except your toes don't go numb when you paddle in the waves.

Calm waves, black sand beach and tropical coloured water. It was a very good day. Again, the clouds didn't do the sea colours any justice. There were so many variations of blue! Lovely! The day we landed it was almost clear, it was the most beautiful descent I've ever had (but I've no photos! Major regret!). Tenerife is made up of lots of volcanos, with one central one right in the middle, there were only wispy clouds over the golden sea and around the island. It was really difficult to tell where the land ended and the sea began, you could see other islands in the distance too. And around the main volcano was a ring of cloud. It was like something from 'Noah's Island' (did anyone watch that when they were younger? I LOVED it. "Oiski Poisky"). I love landing in a hot climate, you leave Scotland in the relative cold (especially when we left, brrr!) and you arrive to a warm breeze and exotic smells. I love the smell of the warmth too, does anyone get that too? It's the difference between cold sniffs of home, but so perfumed with pine trees and hearty foods, and the warm sniffs of palm trees, dust, cacti and tasty fruit and veg. It might just be me :-P

Empty beaches filled with our footprints. And happy feet in the Atlantic :) and a very wet dress by the end of it.... refreshing!

I already look quite red here - after only a day of sun - the curse of fair skin.

Dress: Dorothy Perkins

Glasses: Primark

Sandals: Schuh

Necklace: Edinburgh fair trade market 

Rings: Accessorize

Bead strand bracelet: Amsterdam fair trade market

One last pose in the heat of the day. We got shouted at by a street touter (a very common thing there) who won us over with "You look like you've just arrived!". He was right, but I didn't think it had been that obvious. 

But we followed him in anyway. I had a cocktail and a toasty and my Mr and a refreshing pint. It was dirt cheap too - cheaper than what the tout had loured us in with... strange... also - notice the sign behind me 'Vodka and Red Bull - pint for 3 euros!' WOWZERS! Apparently you get a cheaper price for food and drink if you get escorted in by a street touter. But some of the calls they give are just strange - we got a lot of "Oi Dell Boy", or "English?" but the strangest has to be by one who really wanted us - we'd just eaten and didn't want to have anything else, but he carried on shouting, long after we had passed his pup and several others. His last, and most obscure, shout was: "We have soft toilet paper". Bizarre!

But overall it was it was a really wonderful 1st day of exploring and finding our Canarian feet. Home just in time to take dusk shots - the lower end of what my camera can tolerate. Brilliant first day :) More days to come soon.