Sunday drive to Teide and northern parts of Tenerife. We were early (eh, engine started before 10am) and driving up the mountains together with the sun but temperature going down the higher we drove getting close to zero on the top. We had clothes in the car but it really wasn’t as cold as in Finland as the sun is warming nicely in the thin air. Teide National Park is always an amazingly strange place, like another planet. In fact there has been filmed many of scifi movies but I can’t remember what. Planet of the Apes was filmed in Lanzarote anyway and it’s maybe even more akward environment. We had quite a few stops on the way, listening to the silence, looking at natural miracles and great views over the clouds.

We headed to Puerto del la Cruz planning to visit La Orotava which was mentioned as one of the most beatuful village in the island (Berlitz).  The drive took a lot of time, or maybe the stops as we just had to stop when the shooting inspiration hit.   In one place Jouni was taking photos in clear sun light the clouds being still lower than us while I was looking for pine cones in the forest.  On the way back to the car the clouds were climbing up and we were walking like in a dream through the clouds, the moisture on my face and shivering as the temperature dropped (or it felt like that).

Lunch time almost over when we got to the town, hungry and annoyed, difficulties in finding a restaurant and ending up to the first to show up.  Small terrace by the church (full), even smaller front room (full) but one table for two free in the back.  Spanish tourists around us, NOISY children (probably hungry too) of two families, children sitting in own table and adults concentraiting on conversation on the other.  Decided to go for the secure choice and took the menu of the day.  First sip of beer, admiring the local utensil on the walls and eating, ah.  Locals started to sound interesting and the kids went silent when plates on the table.  Experiences!