Tenerife for the New Year. Warm New Year under the sun of the Canary Islands. What to expect from your New Year's holiday in Tenerife? Reviews from tourists

Well, now I’m ready to start describing our New Year’s trip.

We started thinking about the New Year around October, remembering the difficulty with which we managed to book a cottage in Finke at the end of last October.
The option with Finland was too banal and remained as a last resort if nothing else could be thought of or found.
Then an option arose with skiing and the Alps (options Austria, France, Switzerland). Austria was the most preferable for various reasons, and it could have worked out quite well on a budget if it had worked out, but it didn’t work out :).

But then one of my friends suddenly mentioned that Tenerife is the best place in winter, and quite affordable. Photos of the island with its beauty, as well as the summer sun and ocean in winter, immediately gave this option many points ahead of Austria with its snowy resorts. We began to work on this idea. We studied the map of the island, attractions, climate, nature, weather, prices, options on how to get there, who to go with, and after about 2 weeks we booked apartments and plane tickets.

The process, I must say, was quite nervous and exciting :).
Nervous - because there was a New Year's excitement, despite the crisis, and, remembering last year, how cottages were snapped up in Finland, I did not want to be left without the New Year holidays.
Well, it was exciting, because looking at the places where you might live for a couple of weeks was extremely exciting :).

Something turns out to be a lot of bookoffs. I’ll break it up with a photo so it’s not boring :).
Actually, welcome to the Tenerife journey :).

After reading information about the Canaries, we decided that we should go to Tenerife.
First of all, the most big Island in the archipelago, and, secondly, it has the most developed infrastructure, both residential and tourist. Therefore, if you start somewhere, then it is with him.

The second fundamental question that stood was what part of the island to live in. It was decided in parallel with where exactly to live: a hotel, apartment, villa or something else. For 4 people, a 2-bedroom apartment was the most interesting option. First of all, together. Secondly, it has its own kitchen. Thirdly, there is a living room where you can hang out. Yes, and in general, the apartments won in all respects, including money. Moreover, a lot. (I’ll tell you later how much all the fun cost us).

We searched on different sites, in different places, as a result of several days of hectic searches, we found several interesting apartment options that met a number of parameters: 2 bedrooms, dishwasher, washing machine, swimming pool, beach within walking distance, free parking. But everyone was in different parts of the island. It remains to decide where it is geographically.

This is a satellite photo of the Canary Islands from Google Maps. It shows that the island of Tenerife is like a triangle, the northern side of which is greener than the western and southern. This is explained by the fact that in the north the climate is more humid and the weather is more unstable and often rainy, while in the west and south it is almost always warm and sunny, and the temperature between the south and north can differ by five degrees, despite the distance of 40-50 km . Therefore, Tenerife was nicknamed “the island with two faces.” This climate has developed due to the high mountain range with a volcano, dividing the island into 2 parts, does not allow cold trade winds from the northeast to the west and south.

Tenerife is also called "the island eternal spring"due to very flat weather. The temperature in winter and summer differs by a maximum of 7 degrees. The hottest month is August – 28°C and the coldest month is February – 21°C. Looking ahead, I will say that the daily temperature was 25 degrees, the ocean was about 19-20, and we were “pleased” with rain once - on the day of departure :). Well, there was also one cloudy day without rain at the beginning of the holiday, and we dedicated this day to global shopping so that it wouldn’t be too offensive.

So, which part of the island should you choose?
The torment of choice was due to the fact that one of the apartments that we liked (I must say, the choice fell on it on the very first day of the search) was located in the west, almost on the very border with the northern part. Here.

Appearance, furniture, kitchen stuffed with appliances, view from the window, cost, accessibility to the ocean and a completely new apartment - all this was decisive for the choice.

Living room.

One bedroom.

Another bedroom. (I immediately liked this bedroom more than the other, but upon arrival we played a game about who would live in which - after all, 2 single beds instead of one. You can’t argue with fate. We “won” this particular bedroom. :) Beds, however, had to tie the legs with ropes so that they don’t move apart :)).

Kitchen.

View from the window onto a closed area.

Well, since the complex has 2 courtyards, there is a view of the second closed area from the flight of stairs.

Satellite view :)

The apartments in this complex are typical. We looked at two more apartments: one in blue tones, the other in beige and brown.
Other furnishing options and views from the windows of the same complex.

One apartment:

Another apartment:

But frightened by the promise regarding the difference in climatic zones and the possibility of lower temperatures (after all, closer to the north than to the south), we began to look for more southern options. And, to be honest, we couldn’t find anything more attractive. In addition, the landlady also began to write back so that they could make a decision faster, because... she still has people interested for the same dates. And our decision was also tied to the availability of plane tickets for specific dates. I didn’t want to book an apartment without having a plane reservation in hand. Because after studying the housing proposals, it became clear that some option could be found for anyone. The question is that I didn’t want “some kind” :). I must say that when we later arrived at the place, we were so pleased with the complex in which our apartment was located that we talked with the managers and looked at other offers there. I must say, there is plenty to choose from :). Therefore, if suddenly someone has a desire to visit Tenerife, and the question is where to live, write, I will connect you directly with the owners. Or if someone suddenly doesn’t know the language, we’ll also help :) Because really, scouring sites in search of something is still a pleasure... And it’s unknown what will turn out in the end, because the overall picture is still not completely clear... Maybe even on a recommendation and it will be cheaper than the official price. :)

A short digression about the epic with airplanes :)
When we saw the price of housing in Tenerife, we were delighted. It turned out almost cheaper than Finland. About 900 euros for four for 2 weeks.

When we saw the price of planes, we were upset... paying forty dollars for a flight was not part of our plans. We started thinking about charters. There were also some crazy price tags. Tour operators also could not offer more clear and cheaper options, both direct flights and with transfers. We decided to go a different route. Look for the docking point yourself.

At first we thought of flying through Finka - it was cheaper in every way. Through momondo.com we found an option for 17 thousand round trip per person, I don’t remember how much. But I remember that there were as many as 2 landings. This is too cruel for one day. Then we sat down, thought about it, and decided that what the heck with Finland - there is a very high probability of getting stuck at the border during the holidays and being late. Yes, there’s also time to lose on the journey to Helsinki. We started looking at options from St. Petersburg. We chose Dusseldorf as our transfer point because we had friends in the Dussel suburb of Bochum. We looked at tickets on airline websites. It turned out that you can fly to Dussel with Blue Wings, and from Dussel to Tenerife with Air-Berlin. It was possible to purchase an option for 21 thousand. But the departure date was 10, not 9, as we needed. Therefore, the tickets we needed cost us about 25 thousand. Which, I must say, compared to the proposed charters and other options for 40, is very budget-friendly :).

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Well, everything with the tickets had already been decided, but either we were waiting for the passport details of the other couple, or something else was postponed, and the owner of an apartment in Tenerife wrote letters to us from France asking us to decide in the next few hours, or the apartment would go to someone else. But we made it. We booked our tickets and immediately booked our apartment. Ugh. You can breathe out and wait for the New Year :).
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We should also dwell on the housing reservation scheme, because this was the first time we encountered such an option and were tense for some time.

Surely many St. Petersburg residents ordered cottages in Finland using the site http://www.lomarengas.fi. For those who don’t know, I’ll describe the armor scheme. You go to the website, select the dates you need, choose the cottage you like, and if the date is more than a week away, then book your home using a credit card on the website. Usually, if the date is less than a week away, then the owner has to either call or write personal letters. Payment, however, is by card through Lorengas. About the same booking scheme works on booking.com. Here you need to contact the owner and find out in a personal conversation what and where to transfer. Usually this is the owner's personal account. Of course, at first we tensed up - it was somehow strange to transfer money to someone unknown and where. It was required to transfer 25% immediately to confirm that you will not jump off, and the remaining 75% a month before your arrival date.

I must say that the owner of the apartment turned out to be a rather sociable woman; she answered letters quickly and verbosely. She didn't run away with the money. :).

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I’ll also tell you about one interesting point – car reservation.
Well, so that you don’t fall asleep, here’s another picture with the view from the terrace :).

The main summary is that you need to book a car from home in advance. Otherwise, you risk being left without transport during your vacation. And you need to ride around Tenerife. Moreover, actively :).

Since we got tickets to the northern airport of Tenerife, and we were going to live in the west, it took about 110 km to get to our destination from the airport. By default, in any normal country there are several branches of different rental car companies at the airport - when you arrive, you pick up your car, when you fly away, you return your car.

Originally posted on http://www.cicar.com/. On their website it is written that this is a Canary office. And she also had good discounts :). You could rent an aster for 315 euros for 2 weeks. But for some reason they didn’t write anything about the size of the engine... This was also a fundamental point - I somehow didn’t want to crawl along serpentines with a 1.2 engine and 90 horses. And this could happen.

Therefore, we decided not to reinvent the wheel, but to turn to the familiar http://www.europcar.com. I liked the option - a diesel table-top golf course for 390 euros for 2 weeks. But in a Eurocar, you essentially order not a specific car, but a car of this class. Therefore, what they give you as a result may be quite different from what is shown in the picture :) In general, that’s how it happened. They gave us a 120 horsepower turbocharged petrol Fiat Bravo. At first we were upset :). But after driving the first half hour, it became clear that the car was very good.

And more from recommendations for car rental in Tenerife.
The cost of 390 euros turned out to be the cost with a deductible of 690. For a zero deductible they offered 15 euros for each day. There could only be one driver. For each additional driver another 67 euros.

In general, we were greedy to pay for additional drivers and for a zero deductible. We regretted the franchise. There are practically no damaged cars in Tenerife. Moreover, the most common are scratches and dents on the sides and folded mirrors. We soon realized why :). In the capital, for example, the streets are so narrow that driving through them without hitting a parked car is practically an art. On the other side there are plastic limiting posts. In the mountains there are rocks hanging and protruding over the roadway. Numerous bump stops. In general, we did scratch Fiat. Somewhere the front bumper got caught in the front. And someone seemed to have touched his fender when he was parking out of the parking lot... Total minus 219 euros. Although, if we took a zero deductible it would be 195. Not a big difference :).

In general, this turned out to be a rather large introduction.
In the next parts, I promise there will be many more photos :).
But I think the information described will be useful for many.

Flight time from Dusseldorf to Tenerife is about 5 hours. I slept almost the entire flight, but didn’t miss the landing.

Approaching Tenerife.

At first we didn’t understand what these white spots were at the bottom. It turned out that this is how bananas are grown. By the way, Canary bananas are small and very tasty, but for some reason they are not particularly popular for export.

The landing itself turned out to be quick due to the altitude difference.

And here we are in summer.
Of course, we immediately changed our shoes and stuffed our winter jackets as far as possible.
All that remains is to get a car and drive to the place of check-in.
As I already wrote in the introductory part, the car had to be booked in advance. We convinced ourselves of this by walking through the available rental car dealerships. No one was ready to give a car without prior reservation. So we got the keys to the Fiat Brava and went looking for it in the airport parking lot.
Very comfortably. Each office has its own color, each place with a car has the name of the company that owns the car.
And here is ours.

In the background is a supermarket with a funny name :).

There are 2 airports in Tenerife. South and North. We arrived in the northern one. It was possible to drive to Los Gigantos, where we would live, both along the upper road and along the lower one. The upper one was shorter, but the lower one was a normal route without serpentines, and yes, the owner of the apartment recommended that we use it.

The manager met us, gave us 2 pairs of keys to the apartment, a key fob for the door to the underground parking, showed us everything, said, if anything, please contact us, we live in the same building opposite. They didn't bother us anymore.

We park the car.

We bought some food at the supermarket that was in our house and quickly made breakfast. We always had breakfast, lunch and dinner on the 25-meter terrace - the temperature outside was always acceptable, even late at night.

Lafa :).

Well, after eating and putting ourselves in order, we went to explore the nearby territory.
We crawled out to the pool on the patio. The water is cold:).

View of the complex.

And then we went for a walk further.

This is pretty much how they park here...

We go out to the embankment. On the left is a sign for the Barco de Nino restaurant. I advise you to remember, I’ll tell you about it later. About 6-7 episodes later :).

Cactus flower bed. There will be many of them here.

The stairs down were closed. Too much excitement.

Of course, we climbed from the other side, where there are no obstacles :).

There, huge crabs crawled along the stones washed ashore by the surf.

From the walking path along the embankment we saw the ocean pool. The pool was built near the shore, and when high waves, they roll straight into the pool. It turned out to be a fun attraction.

Of course, people started swimming; the water was far from the ideal temperature.

On the way to the pool.

Just like that, the first day came to an end.
Well, and finally, a couple of Tenerife cats happy with life :).

Due to the fact that we went to bed quite early, we got up too, and considering the time difference of 3 hours, it turned out quite early :).

In the first days there was an inner desire to do everything at once, probably this feeling visits many people who come for the first time to some new unknown place. When you realize in your head that there are still almost 2 weeks of rest ahead, but, nevertheless, you cannot get rid of the desire to plan as much as possible at once. There is a risk in this: instead of stopping and stopping “running” in every sense, even during a vacation, you will drive yourself completely, forgetting to relax. Well, and also watch everything in the first couple of days, not getting any pleasure from it, and sit and smoke bamboo for the remaining days :).
But, nevertheless, in the first days it was difficult to get rid of this feeling. A lot was planned at once. However, in the morning we went to explore the surrounding area further and look for the beach, because we had not reached it the previous day. We also planned a trip to the village of Maska.

A small note.
Los Gigantos, where we lived, has essentially merged with Puerto Santiago, and they can safely be considered one locality, because it’s completely calm when doing walking you can walk through both towns at a leisurely pace in about an hour. There are 3 beaches in total, one of which we tried to get to. This is the beach next to the steep cliffs of Los Gigantos - Ghios Beach.

It must be said that the island has a gigantic number of flower beds in which... cacti grow. Various sizes, types, configurations, etc. In our country, such cacti are sold for several thousand, there they feel quite at ease and, it seems, are like weeds, absolutely unpretentious, with which they plant everything they can. People like to leave notes on them like “Vasya was here” :).

To be honest, I don’t remember whether we reached the beach that day... We reached the marina - this is a port for yachts and small ships. By the way, not a single seller of jet skis or other entertainment items was seen on the beaches. All offers are collected here, and if you suddenly want to go on a water trip, starting with fishing and ending with a several-hour trip on jet skis, then it all starts from here. By the way, on the way to the marina, you will come across countless different tourist shops along the way, which, in essence, offer the same thing, but for very different prices. For example, we first found a three-hour boat trip for 35 euros, and were even upset because everything was sold out, but in the next place we found an offer for 28, including food and wine with beer without restrictions. :). So you shouldn’t rush to the first one you come across, it’s better to study all the offers. They won't run away from you. And about boat trip I'll tell you more :).

On the way to the beach.

And here, in fact, is the port itself.

Right next to the shore, right next to the yachts, there are teeming fish. If you want, catch it directly with one hand :).

In general, we were looking for sellers of fresh, just caught fish.
Some of the natives hanging out near the port advised us of a store opposite Arena Beach in Puerto Santiago (a couple of kilometers from where we were). They promised that they sold fish there that were even still moving.

Along the port and in the immediate area there are many different cute souvenir shops and cafes.
After a walk there, we went home, and on the way we spotted this offer.

Nobody wants an apartment in the Canaries?
By the way, a 3-room apartment with 2 bathrooms, identical to the one where we lived, is sold for about 185 kiloeuro including furniture.

We returned home, had lunch and went to the village of Maska.

I must say that it is very advisable to take navigators with you; they will warn you in advance where the dangerous turn is. However, in Tenerife, roads are built at a high pace, so there are very often cases when the navigator strongly recommends turning straight into a cliff or into the wall of the nearest house. But, nevertheless, they help.

So, Mask.
Maski is only about 35 km from our place of residence, but along a serpentine road. The road is scary at first glance, but to our driver, after traveling around Norway, the serpentine road did not seem anything unusual. But, looking ahead, I will say that we found a serpentine road on which it was really scary.
This is the path below.

And this is the island of La Gomera, the closest neighbor of Tenerife, which is 40 km away. Here he seems to be practically hanging in the air. To be honest, the spectacle was mesmerizing.

We reached Maska. The parking situation was bad... But we still got stuck somewhere. Considering that we climbed a little into the mountains and that the weather itself had also deteriorated, it was not hot outside... Therefore, we ran through the village itself quite quickly.

Typical old houses look like Ukrainian mud huts :).

Despite the strong “tourism” of the place, the aborigines live here and dry their panties right against the backdrop of historically noteworthy views.

Yard dogs hang out in cacti.

And tourists are offered all kinds of drinks, including under the suspicious name Lumumba...

Apparently, the weather did its job - I was not impressed with the mask.
Yes, it's beautiful, but somehow boring.
There is also the option of walking – going down to the ocean. But the difference in height is ... meters, so somehow we were not particularly keen to go admire the okiyan. :).

In a local souvenir store, where I ran to warm up, they found funny T-shirts with erotic content :).

On the way home, we got off in the town of Tamaimo to explore the nearby church.

Not far from the church stood a man in a thong.

The interior of the church itself is unusual - there are too many bright details.

Well, after all, it was Christmas recently :).

Unnoticed, the second day was coming to an end. We went to the store that was recommended to us. We stocked up on fish there. Called Perca.
In fact, an ordinary perch. True from Tanzania.

I won’t describe in detail what dish we made from it here - not everyone will be interested. I will describe it separately in the “section” “collection of recipes” :).

And they found wine at some ridiculous prices...

To be honest, we didn’t dare buy it at 0.79, but the wine at 1.5 turned out to be quite good. True, having tried different types, eventually settled on varieties from the village of VillaFlor, which sold for about 4.5-5.5 euros. The wine is amazing. How we found it is a different story. I'll tell you in the next parts :).

And after dinner we decided to take a walk along the nearby streets.
We found pensioners dancing in one of the restaurants :).
And a Christmas tree made of light bulbs, hidden between palm trees...

The approach of the New Year was not felt at all, and the fake Christmas trees looked like a mockery of the holiday, which should be accompanied by snow and temperatures at least close to zero. Preferably on the reverse side. Actually, it wasn't upsetting at all :)

Actually, we were planning to go to Teide - it’s a volcano in the center of the island, or to go for a walk somewhere... But when we woke up, we realized that the weather left much to be desired - it was cloudy and it was going to rain. This was extremely strange, because Tenerife is an island where it rains 2 days a year :). In general, we were lucky :).
On the other hand, this did not mean that the weather on the other side of the island was exactly the same, but we decided not to risk it and go shopping, since we also planned the day for this.
The guidebooks recommended going to the capital for shopping, and in fact, we went there.

On the way we stopped at the port of Los Cristianos. Ferries run from it to Tenerife's closest neighbor, the island of La Gomera.
At first we saw an advertisement on the wall - 3 people and a car - 99 euros. We were delighted. They began to find out, it turns out, this is the price tag for the natives. For foreigners - please, the same thing but in the 360 ​​area... Unfair...
Finally, I took a photo of the cloudy ferry in the port. Apparently, we are not destined to come here again.

We crawled out of the store when it was already getting dark. I must say that the weather did not improve much. We walked around the new Concert Hall for a bit. The building, I must say, is grandiose. Both the design itself and the feeling of its perception are striking. From different sides it is completely different, from every angle there is a new vision. Plus, when the lights were turned on, the surface concert hall sparkled with light reflections. It is lined with white shiny mosaic, so from a huge snow-white helmet, the structure suddenly turned into a giant iceberg.
Well, these are my personal associations :).

In general, it was built according to the design of neither more nor less than Leonardo da Vinci himself and, according to the plan, represents the head of a cobra.

We took a walk and went home. After all, we still have to drive 100 km to get home.

To be continued.

By the sea, and from the article you will learn more about how the cherished night takes place on the island of Tenerife.

The first argument for the “island of eternal spring” is, of course, good weather and the Velvet season, which lasts all winter. Like in a fairy tale, you can change winter for summer, snow-covered asphalt for a beach with black sand, high-rise buildings for palm trees, and an apartment for a beautiful house covered with flowering plants. There are plenty of such houses for rent to tourists here. As for the weather, on the coast, in the resort area, 21-23 °C and no precipitation are expected in December. Compared to Asian countries, there is no hard-to-bear tropical humidity here; you can only feel the freshness that the ocean breeze brings. Ocean water in winter is slightly colder than usual, about 19 °C. By the way, no European capital is so warm in winter. For example, the average December temperature in Madrid is approximately 10-15 °C, sometimes snowing, in Barcelona - 16-18 °C. Sunlight always brings joy, so you are already in a good mood!

The second pleasant circumstance is the natural landscapes of the island. Even in December, everything is in bloom in Tenerife: colorful bougainvilleas are colorful in every courtyard, aloes are reaching for the sun, hibiscus are blooming uncontrollably, exotic tajinaste beckon with their aroma. Every corner of the island is special: there are picturesque beaches, like from a postcard, there are completely wild and deserted places, gorges and rocks, pine forests and vineyards with a special shade of green, there are cosmic landscapes scorched by eruptions, the so-called “Martian” landscapes. The feeling of walking along the edge of a volcano’s lava that solidified millions of years ago is a great gift to yourself. New Year. Whether you are making your way through the dense greenery of the forest or sunbathing on the hot black sand, you will see the snow-capped top of the volcano from any point. It is not for nothing that the name “Teide” translated from the Guanche language means “snow mountain”.

The third thing that will please the sophisticated tourist in Tenerife is the prices. The Canary Islands as a whole are 20-30% cheaper than mainland Spain, especially in such pleasures as good alcohol, cigars, clothing and jewelry, bags, as well as gasoline needed for car trips around the island. The vacation turns out to be quite budget-friendly, and also healthy. It has long been noted that it is the air of Tenerife that cures respiratory diseases.

The fourth advantage of the island of Tenerife as a New Year's destination is its developed infrastructure. On south coast everything possible for a comfortable stay is concentrated: hotels, villas and townhouses overlooking the ocean, the best beaches, 24-hour bars, restaurants and karaoke, a theater with one of the best flamenco shows in all of Spain, zoos and water parks, karting and paragliding, diving and surfing – everything is nearby, in the departments of Costa Adeje and Arona (the cities of Las Americas and Los Cristianos). Many services are provided in Russian.

Well, the most important thing is the festive atmosphere. Even if they don’t decorate the Christmas tree here and Santa Claus doesn’t bring gifts, nevertheless the air is filled with joy and happiness. The Spaniards know a lot about fun and delicious food, so the New Year in Tenerife will perhaps be the most colorful in your life and will be remembered for a long time. From year to year, with a constant explosion of creativity, in New Year's Eve Artists and musicians in carnival costumes take to the streets. With songs, dances and comic performances, the carnival moves towards the coast and ends with a massive fireworks display for everyone, regardless of privilege, nationality, age and income.

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Friends!

Today's story will be about winter holidays, which are celebrated on the island of Tenerife in the Canary archipelago of the Kingdom of Spain. As you know, the main state religion in Spain is Christian Catholicism, therefore the calendar of national Spanish celebrations is tied to the church calendar. Of course, holiday traditions in each region can vary quite a bit depending on regional traditions.

First I'll mention a couple of fall festivals, because... divisions into seasons holiday traditions do not exist, and was done by me personally to reduce the information in this article. Official Internet statistics claim that users do not have time to read articles with more than 1 thousand printed characters. And although, in my opinion, it is quite possible for an interested person to spend another 10 minutes studying a more complete review, I still try not to write articles of more than 1000 words, in case you really only have 8 minutes for my article.

October 31 mystical holiday Halloween. Official power and Catholic Church, of course, oppose the controversial mystical celebration, but the Canarians, and especially the children, on this night happily dress up in carnival costumes and go to scare the neighbors, who bravely pay off various evil spirits with the help of sweets, cookies and candies.

November 01 The official day off is the Catholic holiday All Saints' Day (Dia de Todos Los Santos). As is known in Catholicism, there are quite a few saints, for the veneration of which there is no rigidly fixed in the church calendar holiday. Therefore, back in the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced a day of veneration of all saints, known and unknown, into the calendar of Catholic holidays.

29th of November - Feast of San Andres (day of St. Andrew the Apostle). On this day, winemakers open barrels of freshly harvested wine, so celebrations take place throughout the island of Tenerife. (As you already know from my previous articles, there are entire registered wine production areas in Tenerife.)

In every municipality there are street fun with children's hooliganism, children gather in groups, tie empty cans to strings and walk around the cities scaring away “evil spirits”. Adults also have fun, gather in the square, set tables with traditional Canarian pork dishes, treat themselves to chestnuts roasted over a fire, and watch performances of folk groups.

The most spectacular festival is held in the northwestern municipality of the island of Buenovista, in the city of Icod de Los Vinos, where a competition is held among young people in downhill skiing on boards. This slightly crazy fun is reminiscent of ancient Russian sledding down a snowy mountain. The differences in the procedure are caused by the climate; there is no snow in the Canaries, so they ride on boards greased with tar.

Of course, snow falls on the top of the Teide volcano several times a year; Tenerifeans are very happy about every such surprise. But, usually after a few days, the snow melts, and remains only in numerous photographs and in the memories of those who during these days climbed to the foot of the volcano and brought a small snowman down on the hood of a car.

Several thousand young people from all over the island (in the municipality's report there was a figure that 14 thousand boards had been prepared!) gather on this day on a narrow street and quickly descend down towards Atlantic Ocean. And in the evening there will be festive fireworks on the coast.

November 30th - the day when stores begin the pre-Christmas sales period, in trading circles it is called " black Friday" Colorful catalogs appear in mailboxes with descriptions of goods and promotions specially prepared for the upcoming Navidad (Christmas) holiday. Throughout December, many shops that are usually closed on Sundays open their doors to customers. Christmas sweets are appearing in grocery stores that are difficult to even find in other months.

Colorful decorations appear on the streets, and advertisements appear in stores stating that the product you like can be reserved for a gift. It is also a tradition that on Navidad (Christmas) the shops will be open and on behalf of Papa Noel (Father Christmas) will distribute reserved goods to the lucky ones.

December 6 The official day off is Constitution Day (Día de la Constitución). Although the country is still called the "Kingdom of Spain", the role of the King in government is reduced to a minimum, as in most other parliamentary kingdoms in Europe. In 1978, a national referendum was held in Spain, which adopted the Constitution that is still in force to this day. It is in this law that the rights of the Canary Autonomy are spelled out. On this day, anyone who wishes can visit the current legislative body, for example the Lower House of Parliament.

December 20-22 On the last school day of the first trimester, preliminary celebrations are held in schools and other public institutions in honor of the approaching Nativity of Christ. Traditional wishes for a happy weekend (Bien fin de semana - a good end to the week) are replaced by wishes for a Merry Christmas and a successful New Year (Feliz Navidad and Prospero Nuevo Anjos).

December 22 a traditional national lottery is held, and although the ticket price of 20 euros is quite a considerable amount (with this money you can go to a restaurant and feed 4 people), the Spaniards participate in the event with great passion and enthusiasm every year. This year, the largest win in Tenerife was a resident of Granadilla de Abona in the amount of 750 thousand euros.

However, as in any other country, significant taxes still need to be paid on this amount, so the municipality of Granadya benefited perhaps even more.

December 24 Nochebuena (Christmas Eve, the night before Christmas). On this night, most Spaniards go to visit relatives and have a family feast with cooking traditional dishes and singing Christmas songs. In Tenerife, seafood, rabbit, turkey, or even goat are often prepared for the festive table, it all depends on the composition of the participants and their preferences.

December 25 official day off, Navidad holiday (Catholic Nativity). The entire Christian world celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, with the exception of Orthodox Christians (in Catholic countries we are called Orthodox), who celebrate all church holidays two weeks later, and Christmas, respectively, on January 7th. Everyone goes to the shops for prepared gifts, traditionally given by Papa Noel (analogous to the Russian Father Frost and Santa Claus)

December 28th holiday Day of the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem. However, most Spaniards on this day try to joke with each other more, this day is very reminiscent of the Russian April 1st, everyone who fell for the prank is called innocent (inocente) babies until the end of the day.

1st of January official day off, traditional celebrations in honor of the onset of Nuevo Años (New Year).

5 January The day of the Reyes Magos (in Russian these are the Kings of the Magi, who brought gifts to the newborn Jesus) is the most anticipated holiday of the year for all Canarian children; it is the Reyes Magos who bring the most “rich” gifts. On the streets of cities there are costumed carnival processions - Cavalcades, fairs are held with the participation of artists and musicians, with the use of fireworks and fireworks. Often animals and birds take part in the cavalcades, such as goats, sheep, chickens, geese, and the kings themselves traditionally arrive on camels.

Although in 2014 the Kings will arrive in the municipality of Adeje by helicopter, scientific and technological progress cannot be stopped.

For the festive procession, special sweet pies are baked - Roskon. In the north of the island in La Orotava, a giant pie over a hundred meters long will be baked, and everyone will be able to taste the magical Roscon and wash it down with a cup of hot chocolate for a symbolic sum of one euro. The organizers of the event will donate the collected funds to the Red Cross fund to help all those in need.

5 January 2014 His Majesty King Juan Carlos I de Bourbon of Spain will turn 76 years old. He has ruled the modern Kingdom of Spain since 1975, and it was he who turned Spain into Democratic state. Now, due to the financial crisis and major corruption scandals surrounding the Royal Family, the authority of the monarchy is declining, and many Spaniards are in favor of changing the government system to a republic.

6th January a “children’s” round of the national lottery is held, when Spaniards buy tickets not for themselves, but for the younger generation.

6th January official day off, holiday of Catholic Epiphany.

School holidays last until January 7th; the 2nd trimester of school begins on the 8th.

After all 12 days have passed New Year's holidays, in numerous shops on the island of Tenerife the 1st Rebakha begins, i.e. For goods not sold out after the past holidays, the price is reduced by 25%. A little later, from February 1, there will be a 2nd rebakha - 50%, and from February 25, the 3rd - 70% discount. Therefore, it is most profitable to come to La Laguna for winter collections at the end of February.

P My regular readers already know that at this time a grandiose and unique spectacle will take place in the capital of Tenerife, Santa Cruz. Preparatory and qualifying rounds Carnival 2014 will take place from January 31 to February 27. The word Carnival comes from the religious tradition of fasting: “Carne” means meat in Spanish, and “Vale” means okay, come on, goodbye. Therefore, the traditions of the spring carnival holidays are similar to our traditions of celebrating Maslenitsa; at the end of the Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the sardine burial festival takes place, when a huge stuffed fish is stuffed with firecrackers and fireworks and joyfully burned, which almost completely coincides with Russian Maslenitsa traditions.

Therefore, there is another reason to think about the veracity of the theory of the famous scientist Thor Heyerdahl, who created a unique museum on the island of Tenerife“”, and in 2014, for the 100th anniversary of his birth, interesting events will probably be prepared. For example, filmmakers all over the world are already selling the anniversary film “Kon Tiki”, based on the biographical data of T. Heyerdahl.

Until we meet again, friends. GOOD to you!

Z,Y, Please feel free to express your opinions in the comments, they are located at the very bottom of the page.

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Since the 90s of the last century, the Canary Islands have served as a symbol of the successful life of an accomplished Russian person. Today, the Spanish archipelago off the Western coast is one of the most popular tourist destinations for those who prefer relaxing holiday without wild exoticism against the backdrop of magnificent natural landscapes. The archipelago is often called the islands of eternal spring, and many Russian travelers arrive for the New Year, deciding to celebrate their favorite holiday in warmth and comfort.

Let's take a look at the map

The islands are located in latitudes characterized by a tropical climate, but surrounded on all sides by the sea, they are exposed to special winds and ocean currents. Northern Isles look greener and cooler, while the southern ones look deserted and dry. IN the winter vacation it’s worth choosing tours to, because this island is suitable for beach holiday in any season:

• The only European resort where even at the height of the Christmas holidays the thermometer does not drop below +22°C, Tenerife owes such warm weather ocean currents. Thanks to them, the air does not cool down even in the midst of calendar winter. In the evening and at night you will need a light sweater or jacket, as the air temperature drops to +17°C.
• The water temperature on the beaches of the resorts of the island of Tenerife in December-January is +19°C and even slightly higher. A bit breezy, but you can swim throughout the winter holidays.

By the way, winter in the Canaries is considered a low season and the cost of tours, hotels and restaurateur services is significantly reduced. But during Christmas and New Year, the Canary Islands come to life and become extremely popular, so it is advisable to take care of booking your trip in advance.

How to celebrate New Year in the Canaries

The festive marathon starts on the archipelago on December 25, when Catholic Christmas begins in the country. However, preparations for the holidays begin long before the cherished date. Already in the last days of November, festive illumination appears on city streets, Christmas fairs and bazaars open, and housewives begin to think about what dishes to include in the Christmas and New Year menus.
Typically, the main celebrations occur at Christmas, when the whole family gathers around the table and pays tribute to the elders and the hostess, who prepared a roast duck, turkey or rabbit for the occasion. Young people usually don’t set the New Year’s table, as they prefer to celebrate the holiday in a restaurant, bar or nightclub. The older generation can get together over a glass of wine at someone’s house and fulfill an ancient custom, without which the New Year does not begin in the Canaries. The essence of the ceremony is that everyone must eat 12 grapes along with the chime of the clock and make a dozen wishes. Their execution depends entirely on the Spaniard's ability to quickly swallow the berries. After the chimes announced the coming of the next year, festive fireworks begin in squares and streets, often thundering until the morning.

• If you decide to book a table in a restaurant in Tenerife or on other islands and celebrate the New Year in the company of like-minded people, be prepared for the fact that the cost of a festive dinner starts from 100 euros. The price includes several holiday dishes, entertainment, and a minimum of drinks, which can always be ordered additionally.

During the Christmas and New Year holidays, the Canaries host many theatrical performances and processions in which tourists can also take part. Costume shows are usually dedicated to some topical topic.

• If you like the islands so much that you decide to stay there for a month or two, you will have a chance to wait for the carnival in Tenerife. It is held on the eve of Lent and is considered the second largest and most spectacular in the world, after the famous Brazilian one.

You can spend the rest of the New Year holidays on exciting excursions and trips. Popular entertainment on the islands are flamenco shows, tastings of famous Spanish wines, adventures in water parks, and the most active tourists You will appreciate the opportunities for paragliding, surfing and diving.

Useful information for travelers

Aeroflot will help you get to the Canary Islands with direct flights, and there are many connecting flights European airlines:

• Aeroflot is traditionally expensive and the cost of round-trip tickets for the New Year holidays in Tenerife will be at least 800 euros. Travel time is about 7 hours, departures are carried out from the capital's Sheremetyevo Airport.
• Connections to and can be reached with Iberia flights. The price is about 600 euros, you will have to spend about 7.5 hours in the sky.
• The cheapest option is a transfer with two connections. For example, Turkish Airlines, in cooperation with Air Europa, they deliver passengers with transfers in and Madrid for 400 euros round trip.

Long connections in Istanbul can be made in sightseeing tour around town. Turkish Airlines willingly help their passengers organize their acquaintance with Istanbul completely free of charge. Details are available at the airline's information desk in Istanbul. international airport.
Booking your flight tickets early can help you significantly reduce your travel costs. About discounts, special offers It’s convenient to find out about promotions by subscribing to the email newsletter on the websites of the air carriers you are interested in.
Bring enough funds with you to have a useful and enjoyable shopping experience. In the Canaries on New Year's you will see the most low prices for clothes and Spanish wines, cheeses and jamon, perfumes and jewelry.

• On January 6, Spain and the Canary Islands celebrate Three Kings Day. On January 5, most stores in the country are usually closed.
• Sales in honor Catholic Christmas start at shopping centers archipelago already on December 26th. Some stores announce the start of discounts only after Three Kings Day.

The Russian diaspora living on the island of Tenerife organizes a real New Year tree for children, where tourists can also attend if they wish.