Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
When Charles Darwin set off on his life-changing voyage on HMS Beagle in 1831, his burning desire had been to land on the island of Tenerife and see a dragon tree, one of the exotic tropical plants he had read about and seen illustrated in Humboldt’s natural history. To his great disappointment, when HMS Beagle arrived in Tenerife, she was quarantined because of cholera outbreak in England and Darwin was not allowed off. We were more fortunate, arriving just after lunch, and departing promptly for our afternoon tours of the island. The looming volcanic peak of Mt Teide at 3718m (12,195 feet) did not fail to impress either Darwin or us as our respective vessels made their approach to the island.
A morning presentation on the European Union had prepared us for a significant gear change. Although the Canary Islands lie just 60 miles west of the African coast and may be considered geologically part of that continent they have been politically integrated into Spain for centuries and are today part of the European Union. Since the EU operates a distributive system, the Canary Islands have benefited over the years from investment in roads, bridges, and harbor facilities from various equalization and regional funds that the EU has at its disposal. The island’s principal town of Santa Cruz is a vibrant regional capital but our island drives through rugged volcanic terrain introduced us to charming old world settlements, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site at La Luguna. The island has remarkably varied vegetation, including the distinctive heathers and ferns of the Anaga Mountains. The elevation of the island provides contrasting plant zones from semi-arid to laurel and pine forest within a remarkably restricted compass. For those wishing to enjoy an afternoon at leisure, a shuttle bus operated to and from Playa de las Teresitas, an artificial beach constructed from imported Saharan sand. With an evening alongside, many guests availed themselves of the opportunity to eat ashore in one or other of the island’s fine restaurants.
