Hello friends, I'm here with a new travel adventure. I'm heading out to explore Tenerife and this trip has a nostalgic meaning for me because I first came here years ago with my mom and dad. And here I am again. I want to have a great time and tell you about this beautiful island. We're starting our journey from the island's capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. What's interesting is that not only is this the capital of the island. But it also alternates as the capital of the entire Canary islands. The capital status alternates from Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Las Palmas in Gran Canaria. This is quite an interesting situation. The city was founded in 1494 and it was the last island to be conquered by the Spanish. According to sources, the Berber originated Guanche people lived here. As for why they're considered African, geographically the Canary Islands are close to Africa, but they belong to Spain.
We’ve arrived at Spain square. Here there’s a very important area with the island's government buildings. Directly across the square is the Marina, Santa Cruz’s port. Many cruise ships depart from here. The square was redesigned by the famous architects César Manrique and Fernando Higueras. There’s a large fountain in the center, though there’s no water right now. it’s quite impressive when it has water. Below the square you can find the remains of San Cristóbal Castle, one of Santa Cruz’s first defense structures. Among the parking lots you can see some parts of the walls. There's a large building facing the square, the Tenerife Conference Center, designed by Santiago Calatrava. A beautiful feature of the square is the drop-shaped lamps, also designed by Calatrava. There’s also a beautiful monument dedicated to those who died for Spain’s victory.
Of course, all this scenery is mixed with some New Year decorations, markets and lights. It might not look its best right now, but the sunlight and the sky make the whole scene very pleasant. This building the Tenerife Conference Center, is one of my favorite places in Santa Cruz because it’s an incredible structure designed by Santiago Calatrava. It really impresses me and it doesn’t resemble any other building. Some experts even say the shape of the building is similar to a monk’s hood. There’s no official confirmation of this, but it really does evoke something. The first people to arrive on this island were the Conquistadors and this island became part of the Spanish Empire. This project was actually conceived in the 1970s, but it came to life many years later.
Initially an architect was chosen and a location for construction was determined, but later both the location and the architect were changed. Eventually, Santiago Calatrava was invited and construction began in 1997. It was completed in 2003. So this became an especially interesting place for me. Some parts of the structure remind me of the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia.
The exterior of the building is covered with small broken ceramic tiles. And here you can see a unique structure: a single supported arch. It’s made of concrete and inside, part of the surface is also covered with concrete, while the other part is covered with these white ceramic tiles. I really like these tiles, but there can be some issues in certain places. For example, at the Queen Sofia Theatre in Valencia, there are constantly falling pieces and they are still being glued back. Santiago Calatrava’s style always requires a bit more budget for projects and that’s the case with this building too. Initially 32 million euros were allocated, but in the end, 70 million euros were spent, but the result is truly amazing. And the location of this building is very beautiful and I think it’s quite symbolic. It harmonizes with the historic Saint John Baptiste Fortress in the city. This fortress is also on a peninsula and in some way, it competes with or complements the building.
A little further ahead there’s a very interesting place: a large water park used as an outdoor recreation area. It’s currently closed, probably being prepared for the summer season. Also at the top of the mountain, there’s an enormous garden of palm trees. This is a large botanical garden with tropical trees native to Tenerife.
Finally two tall buildings in Santa Cruz also stand out. These buildings are the tallest in the Canary islands and the tallest in all the islands, not just Tenerife. Between 2004 and 2010, they were the tallest residential buildings in Spain. However, over time, some buildings in Barcelona and Madrid broke this record. Still these twin towers are quite impressive and an interesting fact is that they appeared in the 2000 movie MBO: Last Blood. I haven’t seen the movie, but if you have, I’d love to hear your thoughts on whether it’s worth watching. This definitely boosted the prestige of the buildings. The architect of these towers is Julian Valadares. I’m not familiar with his works, but these towers look quite nice.
There are also a few important points about the Tenerife Auditorium. First of all its full name is Auditorio Adán Martín. Adán Martín was the former mayor of Tenerife and he played a major role in bringing this project to life. However, the locals haven’t widely adopted this name and they usually just call it Auditorio. Also this building was inaugurated by the Prince of Asturias, the son of the King of Spain. Another noteworthy piece of information is that Bill Clinton participated in an event here. However, like the Arts Palace in Valencia, this building has also faced some structural issues. Specifically the exterior cladding has been falling off, which led to a legal dispute with the construction company. This dispute resulted in a 2.7 million euro restoration cost, but this doesn’t affect the overall appearance of the building.
The San Sebastián de África Market in Santa Cruz is also quite an interesting structure. Built in 1943 this building was constructed in a modern style, not colonial. Over time the market has faced many challenges, but it now attracts both locals and tourists with its renovated appearance. Here, you can find fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses and sweets, as well as seafood, as Santa Cruz is a port city. In 2018 this market was awarded a gold medal by the island’s government. Each shop in the market has its own restaurant and the food here is really delicious, especially the wine and seafood. Canary Islands wines are very popular and I especially recommend the white wines in Tenerife.
There’s also a very interesting art gallery in Tenerife, a complex called Espacio Cultural. This building includes modern art exhibitions, a cinema and a library. The structure descends underground from the market-facing side and there are very interesting concrete walls. And the lighting design here is impressive. The interior is minimalist, with high-quality lighting. This venue hosts the Binali de Tenerife art exhibition, which features many contemporary artists and various installations. There’s also a sculpture made of paper and processed with sea salt, symbolizing the interaction between the ocean and the islands.
Finally there’s a section displaying works by Oscar Dominguez, one of the most famous artists from the Canary Islands. Dominguez was a surrealist artist who was born in Laguna, a town just 15 minutes away from Tenerife. He became a surrealist like Salvador Dalí, but unfortunately his life ended tragically. He was very ill and his illness affected his appearance and eventually, he committed suicide. In my opinion the installation with ambiguous objects in the white space, created with light and shadow graphics was quite pleasant. Overall this is definitely a place worth visiting, both in terms of architecture and interiors and I would recommend visiting if you’re here, especially if the exhibition suits the visit.
The Church of the Immaculate Birth of Mary is also a significant religious structure. According to sources, it’s unique to the Canary islands because it has five naves. Unfortunately, it’s currently closed, but we can look from the outside and the bell tower is quite impressive. There’s an interesting feature of island architecture here because the exterior is made of volcanic stone. By the way here in Tenerife, there’s Teide Volcano, the highest mountain in Spain, so the stones are taken from here. And this is a common feature in other volcanic-origin islands because, similarly many structures in San Miguel are also made from volcanic stone. Also the wooden balconies are very striking.
There’s an important cultural event in Santa Cruz as well, which is the Carnival held every year. Participation is around one million people, making it a huge event. To promote this event the Carnival House has been built, which can be visited outside the carnival days, where you can learn about the history, costumes and traditions. And it’s a very attractive place in terms of architecture and location. Santa Cruz de Tenerife has many parks and green spaces and each one is very beautiful. These places are like botanical gardens, so there’s no need to visit a botanical garden. Everywhere is a garden on its own. We stopped by García Sanabria Park the largest park in Tenerife. Here there are plants from various climates, beautiful benches and corners and of course, an impressive fountain. García Sanabria was the former mayor of Santa Cruz and his memory is kept alive here. Also another street and park name here, Velera, is named after a general known for his colonial victories and his memory is honored in this way.
When we first arrived in Tenerife, people often skipped going to Santa Cruz, but we decided to visit and now there have been many changes in the city. Along with modern architecture there are impressive examples of colonial architecture. The city is really attractive and I think you should definitely pay a visit. Maybe you could stay a few days and explore.