Travel La Gomera looks like a giant lemon juicer. The high pointed part is Garajonay National Park on the central plateau. Deep ravines radiate down from it like the grooves on a juicer. Our bus stopped at a lookout, east of San Sebastian. As we gazed out over clumps of canary-yellow sow thistle flowers into the mist-shrouded ravine, our guide explained that the Canary cloud forest in Garajonay has survived for millions of years from the Tertiary era. “These are the only evergreen laurels remaining from the forest that once covered the Mediterranean region,” said Meike. In 1986, UNESCOmade this botanical relic aWorld Heritage Site. A paved road serpentines down from the park to the terraced sides of Valle Gran Rey. Avocado, mango and thousands of palm trees grow in the ravine. “La Gomera has more than 150,000 palm trees, more than all of the other islands combined,” said Meike. She recommended that we try the palm honey sold in La Gomera’s shops. “Even though it is called honey, it’s more like maple syrup in consistency, but the taste is different. It’s delicious on ice cream.” Whistling language Because it was difficult for early inhabitants to communicate across the steep ravines, they developed a unique whistling language called Silbo Gomero. “It’s an actual language, not coded words,” said Meike. “The whistles imitate spoken words, using different pitches and spacing for vowels and consonants. Depending on the wind, the sound can travel up to four kilometres.” She demonstrated using her bent middle finger between her lips to create piercing whistles. With modern communications, the language was in danger of extinction. Some seniors remembered it, but few middle-aged people learned it. In July 1999, the Canary Islands government added whistling language classes to school curriculums to teach younger generations. Back on the ship, we dined on Spanish paella and cruised overnight to Santa Cruz in northeast Tenerife. During a Variety Cruises walking tour with our guide Natalia, we followed a blue line on a red brick walkway from the cruise terminal to the city centre. A pedestrian shopping street joins the main square to the tree-enclosed Plaza del General Weyler. Its outdoor café is a good place to stop for hot chocolate andchurros (traditional Spanish donuts). At Plaza del Chicharro, Natalia showed us a bronze sculpture of a chicharro. “It’s a fish that we eat, similar to a sardine,” she explained. “When Santa Cruz was a fishing port, fishermen caught them here. As a result, people used to call residents of Santa Cruz chicharreros. I’m proud to be a chicharrero!” Amagnificent dragon tree grows behind the monument. “To calculate the age of a dragon tree, count the branches and multiply by seven years,” said Natalia. “This tree is about 200 years old.” At the market, we joined visitors and residents shopping for fresh produce, flowers, fish, cheese, meat, cakes and cookies. From here, our shore excursion continued by bus to the newest part of Santa Cruz. A giant white wave of concrete arched over the opera house which houses the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra. The modern emblem of Santa Cruz contrasts in colour and architectural style with the Black Castle behind it. Surrounded by palms and dragon trees and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, it was built in 1641. Ancestral forest View of Valle Gran Rey and terraces Opera house (above) and Black Castle in Santa Cruz Blue line on red brick walkway joins cruise terminal to the city centre of Santa Cruz Bronze sculpture of a chicharro in front of dragon tree in Santa Cruz CSANews | SUMMER 2016 | 21
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