Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Carnival Main Parade in Santa Cruz 2016
Monday, November 29, 2021
The wineries open for San Andrés in Tenerife
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Wine tasting, Icod de los Vinos, Tenerife. Photo: Viktor Kirilko Some rights reserved |
- Por San Andrés en Tenerife se abren las bodegas
- Esta noche toca correr los cacharros y arrastrar las tablas
- El Puerto de la Cruz está preparado para correr esta noche los cacharros
Tablas de San Andrés are back in the streets of Icod and La Guancha, with limitations
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Arrastre de las tablas in Icod de los Vinos Photo: Revista BienMeSabe Some rights reserved |
Friday, November 26, 2021
Christmas begins in the rain in Santa Cruz
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Christmas lights switch on in Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
Tenerife Sur RallySprint 2021 Suspended
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Thursday, November 25, 2021
Arona launches its Popular Fair during the Christmas holidays in Los Cristianos
Carnival Main Parade in Santa Cruz 2015
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Floods in the Canary Islands in 1968
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Castle and area of San Felipe in Puerto de la Cruz Oliver Abels, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons |
In the floods of 24 November 1968, the most affected islands were those of El Hierro, La Gomera, Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Through the Barranco de Las Goteras, in the east of Gran Canaria, the water ran after 20 years of total inactivity, and in the Guiniguada, the waters reached two meters in height as it passed through Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Likewise, the rains collected on the peaks caused the Caidero La Niña and Parralillo dams to overflow. But the town that suffered the greatest human and material damage was Puerto de la Cruz, in the north of Tenerife, since strong winds that descended down the slope were added to the intense rains, which at times acquired the character of torrential, from the summit towards the La Orotava valley. The flood in Puerto de La Cruz destroyed 40 homes, most of them on the banks of the San Felipe ravine. One person died. There was much damage in northern municipalities, with flooded streets and houses, blocked roads, landslides and power cuts. Access to Punta Brava was cut off, part of the Calzada de Martiánez and the Puerto de la Cruz beaches were under water.
In Gran Canaria, winds of 118 k per hour, a strong swell and a southerly storm were the causes that, on November 25, 1968, two ships anchored in the port broke their moorings and ended up at Las Alcaravaneras. The small boat, Dumbo and her companion Kallipateira, could not escape the fury of the sea on that winter night, where the first ended up on the shore of the capital's beach and the second, of Greek nationality, trapped in the reef.
Efemérides meteorológicas en Canarias del siglo XX y XXI
(The video below shows flooding in the San Felipe ravine in 2009.)
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Festival Mueca 2021 in Puerto de la Cruz
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Festival Mueca 2021 |
The International Festival of Street Art - Mueca - celebrates its 2021 edition between November 25 and 28, organized by the City Council with the support and involvement of collaborating entities and, especially, the public that supports the event every year.
More details from http://www.festivalmueca.com
Monday, November 22, 2021
Both men and women will be able to compete in the galas of the Carnival of Santa Cruz 2023
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A carnival gala in 2020 |
Fabada lagunera (Bean stew, La Laguna style)
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Fabada |
- 250 g of white beans
- 1 carrot
- 1 leek, washed and left whole
- 100 g of chorizo
- 1 blood sausage (morcilla - black pudding)
- 100g bacon
- A ham bone
- 100 g of pig's ear (or tail)
- Peppers
- a pinch of salt
Sunday, November 21, 2021
When will the La Palma volcano stop erupting?
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La Palma lava flows into the sea. European Space Agency, CC BY-SA 2.0 |
What must happen for the eruption to end?
When will the volcano stop erupting? Two months after the start of the eruption of the La Palma volcano, this is the question most people ask. Experts, from the first day, have insisted that Strombolian volcanoes are unpredictable. It is, therefore, impossible to guess when it will end, but there are some parameters that will give us clues when the beginning of the end begins. Our colleague, María Moreno, tells us how many and what they are:
Seismicity, tremor, deformation of the ground, sulphur dioxide emissions … These are the terms that will determine what many are waiting for: the moment when the volcano can be declared 'off'. The geologists of the National Geographic Institute (IGN) Rubén López and Stavros Meletlidis tell us what the process will be like and when we will know that we are in a situation equal to before everything began, on September 19.
Clipper – strawberry soda brand from Gran Canaria, that sells only in Canary islands |
The La Palma volcano is like a soft drink opened two months ago: it is losing gas, but bubbles are still rising. “Below there is still imbalance and it continues to inject magma. What we call 'systemic music'. And while there is music, there will be dancing,” explains López.
When will the volcano go out?
There are several clues that indicate that the volcano is fading. These are the parameters that volcanologists measure every day and one of the most important is seismicity, the earthquakes that wake up almost everyone on the island and now seem to be relaxing.
The tremor is included within the seismicity and is described as the vibration. "There will come a time when no material comes out and we can say that the eruption is ending," says volcanologist Rubén López. The tremor recently reached zero, but it recovered.
Deformation is another parameter that can indicate that the volcano is getting tired. To understand the concept, it is possible to imagine the volcano as a balloon into which the lava enters from below, swells and deforms. And so it can be a long time, as it happened in El Hierro. The crucial thing is not that it loses weight, but that it stops gaining weight. Something that, according to the expert, is being fulfilled: "We are in fairly stabilized parameters."
On the other hand, gases are a good indication to take into account. The volcano not only expels lava, but also sulphur dioxide. Right now up to 20,000 tons a day, but it has to go down to 500 before we can talk about the beginning of the end.
It will not disappear either linearly or progressively. The volcano will have comings and goings until one day the levels stop short. That, currently, is an impossible date to establish.
But something that can be anticipated is that we will not know that it has stopped its activity until much later, maybe even weeks. "It will have to be a consensus among scientists on which day we can determine that the day of extinction was," adds López.
"I'd like to predict the winning number in the Christmas Lottery", shares volcanologist Stavros Meletlidis, in a reflection of the desire of many of the people of La Palma.
¿Cuándo se apagará el volcán de La Palma? | 2021 Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption
Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival 2022 scenery inspired by the orbits of the solar system
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The orbits of a solar system |
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Canary Islands received more than 997,000 international passengers in October, up 580%
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Arrivals board Carlos Fernández Some rights reserved |
Friday, November 19, 2021
Popular Crafts Fair in Santiago del Teide
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Anniversary of the of the Chinyero eruption
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Chinyero volcano with view to Mount Teide on Tenerife dronepicr, CC BY 2.0 |
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Carnival Main Parade in Santa Cruz 2014
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Potaje de espinacas y garbanzos (Spinach and chickpea pottage)
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Potaje de espinacas y garbanzos juantiagues Some rights reserved |
Today we present you a traditional homemade stew, a recipe with chickpeas that is ideal for autumnal weather full of fog, rain and cold.
Ingredients:
- 500 gr of chickpeas
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 large onions
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon of Pimentón De la Vera (smoked paprika)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large tomatoes
- 350 g clean spinach
- Water
Method:
The day before, put the chickpeas in warm water with a teaspoon of bicarbonate or a handful of salt and let them soak overnight, or for at least 12 hours. It is important to wash them afterwards to remove possible impurities. Then drain and set aside.
Chop the onion and garlic into very small pieces so that they dissolve during cooking. The texture of these of the ingredients will be hardly noticeable, but their flavour will be.
Peel and cut the tomatoes.
In a saucepan add a good glug of oil, the onions and the garlic cloves. Sauté for 10 minutes so that the flavours mix well. Add the tomato and the bay leaf and fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add a generous spoonful of Pimentón De la Vera (smoked paprika). Stir with a wooden spoon and add the drained chickpeas. Stir again so that everything comes together.
Cover with cold water (important so that it comes to the boil slowly) until the casserole is almost full. When it starts to boil, lower the heat so that it does not break the legumes.
After half an hour, add salt and pepper to taste. Leave it to cook slowly over a medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Check and adjust cooking time.
In another pan, blanch the spinach to remove some of the bitterness. To blanch, immerse the spinach in boiling water with salt for a few seconds, then remove. On a board, chop the blanched spinach with a large knife and add them in the last 10-15 minutes of cooking the stew, over low heat, testing from time to time in case they do not need more cooking.
Potaje de espinacas y garbanzos
TIP: If you're in the UK, you'll find the tinned chickpeas available in mainstream supermarkets are much harder than their Spanish counterparts and too hard for this purpose (or any, if you ask me), so it's best to cook this from scratch with dried ones. If you do want to save time, use the chickpeas in jars that can be found in international food stores.
Monday, November 15, 2021
Puerto de la Cruz presents the dates of its Carnival and Tenerife Summer Carnival 2022
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Carnival 2022 in Puerto de la Cruz |
Friday, November 12, 2021
Santa Cruz International Marathon
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Maratón de Tenerife |
Taking place on Sunday, 14 November 2021, is the Maratón de Tenerife - or to give it its full title, the Maratón Internacional de Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz International Marathon).
Runners in the marathon and half-marathon start at 08:30 hrs and those in the 8K at 11:30 hrs. With the prizes being handed out in all three categories from 13:00 hrs, everyone can then put their (tired) feet up in the afternoon. It's too late to participate in the race, but some socially-distanced cheering on from the side lines might well be appreciated.
There'll be some disruption to roads, busses and trams for the duration of the event.
Tranvía de Tenerife say that on Sunday from 8:00 am, until around 12:30, they will only operate between Trinidad and La Paz, leaving the stops of the Plaza Weyler, Guimerá Theater, Fundación and the Intercambiador Tenerife (Interchange) OUT OF SERVICE.
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Contestants will race through the streets of the Island's capital city, never roaming far from the sea. (map) |
Thursday, November 11, 2021
Thousands of bees survive 50 days buried under ash from the La Palma volcano
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Bees archive image by PollyDot from Pixabay |
Dulce de Membrillo (Quince Preserve)
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Dulce de Membrillo (Quince Preserve) Ambrose Little from Hamilton, NJ, US, CC BY 2.0 |
- Before you start, wash the quinces well. Place them in a large pan, cover them with water and bring it to a boil, at which point, drop the temperature to medium and leave the quinces to cook for 40—45 minutes, depending on the size of the fruit.
- When the time's up, remove the quinces carefully and allow them to cool until they can be handled safely. Peel and core them and then cut the flesh into small pieces.
- Weigh the quince, as you will need 80% of this weight in sugar. So for every 100g of quince, you'll need 80g of sugar: for a kilo of fruit, 800g of sugar.
- In a large pan, add the quince pulp and all of the sugar. Stir and cook over a low to medium heat. Little by little the sugar will integrate with the fruit. It should take around 10 minutes for the sugar to completely dissolve.
- Blend the mixture with a stick blender or food processor, then continue cooking the mixture for around an hour, depending on the weight. Stir from time to time with a wooden spoon (never metal) so that the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan and cooks evenly. The mixture will become thicker and darker as time passes. When the spoon will stand up by itself in the mixture, then you have the desired texture. At this point, if you require it to be still finer, give it another pulse of the blender.
- Turn the mixture into a suitable plastic container, cover with the lid and leave the paste in the fridge for 24 hours so that it obtains the consistency and texture needed.
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Carnival Main Parade in Santa Cruz 2013
The Coso Apoteosis del Carnaval Tenerife (Carnival Main Parade) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is usually held on Shrove Tuesday, which was Tuesday, February 12th, 2013.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival 2013
Tuesday, November 09, 2021
Plaza Weyler in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Monumental Fountain in the Plaza Weyler in Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
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Plaza Weyler in Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
Monday, November 08, 2021
Exposaldo returns to Santa Cruz de Tenerife
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Exposaldo returns to Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
Friday, November 05, 2021
Carnival 2022: The Queen's gala will be held "with or without Carnival in the streets"
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Carnival in the streets of Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
Councillor for Festivities in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Alfonso Cabello, says, "We have plan A, plan B and plan C that we will activate depending on the evolution of the health situation. For now, I can guarantee that for Carnival 2022 galas and contests will be held".
The councillor pledged to the sponsors to "organise the Carnival at the limit of the conditions that are imposed", and then briefly revealed his three approaches. The first, the celebration of carnival under the format prior to the pandemic; the second, with contests and galas and a parade and group performances in venues with capacity limited, and a third, more restrictive option adapting the number of spectators to the conditions allowed according to the evolution of the health crisis. And, in an attempt to reassure the audience: "we will bring back the [Carnival Queen] gala, with or without [carnival in] the street".
Fiestas is currently working on plans for Los Reyes (January 5) - although it has already been announced that there will be no parade of the Three Kings again next year - "and on that date we will face what can be done on February 25, which is the date marked as the beginning of the carnival in the streets, scheduled for the Opening Parade."
Fiestas garantiza que se celebrará la gala de la reina «con o sin Carnaval de calle»
Icod – La Guancha Hillclimb 2021
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Subida Icod - La Guancha |
Thursday, November 04, 2021
Is palm honey better than bee honey?
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Phoenix canariensis native to the Canary Islands. |
Guarapo, the origin of palm honey
"Every day, a good palm tree can give around twelve litres of guarapo"
The Canary Island palm is famous for its great ability to adapt. Like all living things, the plant cells that make it up need nutrients to grow. Unlike animals, plants have a vascular system, as if they were veins through which the sap is transported. This substance is, roughly, the blood of plants; and it is full of nutrients, sugars, proteins ... The sap of the Canary Island palm contains a remarkable amount of nutrients that are especially concentrated due to its physiology. That same sap is the guarapo.
To be able to collect it, the guaraperos work for days, after as many months of preparation, and cut the new shoots from the palm leaves and the bud. The process leaves the palm tree ready to expel the guarapo, which is collected with a gutter. Every day, a good palm tree can give around twelve litres of guarapo. The less irrigated, the better the quality of the guarapo will be, as the more concentrated the sap will be. The technique used in La Gomera allows the palm trees to be preserved, which are allowed to be recovered later, so that it is not necessary to kill the plant.
Once the guarapo is obtained, which is traditionally collected in the morning, it is boiled almost at the same time, otherwise it begins to ferment due to its rich composition. When it is boiled, the substances it contains are concentrated, especially sugars, so that microorganisms cannot act. This causes the guarapo to become Miel de Palma (palm honey), sweet and rich. To get an idea, for every eight litres of guarapo you get one of honey. Once cooked, you just have to package it.
The nutritional properties of palm honey
"The composition of guarapo is much higher in elements such as calcium, copper, phosphorus, potassium or zinc"
The recent study carried out by the professors of the University of La Laguna, Alberto Castilla and Pedro Abreu González, shows that the nutritional properties of palm honey are even better than those of bee honey. Specifically, this concentration is much higher in elements such as calcium, copper, phosphorus, especially potassium or zinc, which are not found in honey. It is not surprising either, since almost all the analysis showed that cane or plant-based honeys are nutritionally more complete.
Although they are still analysing the amount of proteins and vitamins in palm honey, we can say without too much fear of being wrong that the concentration of these substances will also be higher than in honey. And, as we said, despite the laborious bustle of these insects, the "blood" of plants is even more complex, so they find more nutritious and beneficial substances in it.
Honeys and nutrition
"The WHO recommends not to exceed 5% of the caloric intake in sugars, and in no case to exceed 10%"
But let's answer a question, is palm honey more worth consuming than bee honey? The answer is yes. The WHO recommends not to exceed 5% of the caloric intake in sugars, and in no case to exceed 10%. That means that from the food we eat, the energy it contains should come from the food itself and, at most, between 5 or 10% of added sugars. For this reason, refined sugar, cane sugar or honey are normally superfluous products, only recommended in special cases.
And it is that the nutritional profile of sweeteners does not serve any purpose beyond providing energy. Many times these foods are considered as carriers of "empty calories", due to their lack of nutrition. But in the case of having to choose between refined sugar or honey, honey is a slightly more beneficial choice. And, obviously, between honey and cane or palm honey, vegetable honey is much better.
But do not forget that nutrition is a complex thing. Nutritionists do not recommend sweetening foods unless necessary. Therefore, honeys, in themselves, cannot be considered as something inherently good for health. Now, yes, if we just want to indulge ourselves, palm honey is probably the healthiest way to satisfy our whim. That's without mentioning how delicious it is.
Wednesday, November 03, 2021
Carnival Main Parade in Santa Cruz 2012
The Coso Apoteosis del Carnaval Tenerife (Carnival Main Parade) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is usually held on Shrove Tuesday, which was Tuesday, February 21st, 2012. An avalanche of color, rhythm and joy that people can enjoy for the second time in this Carnival, after the announcing Parade, and that brings together a multitude of people who, in the case of visitors, are ecstatic at the atmosphere that is breathed, since each group offers the best of their dances, their music, their lyrics, their costumes, their imagination and rhythm.
Tuesday, November 02, 2021
Puerto de la Cruz presents the 8th edition of the Agatha Christie International Festival
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International Agatha Christie Festival 2021 |
The eighth edition of the Agatha Christie International Festival, which commemorates the writer's visit to the city in 1927, will take place from November 5 to 14, 2021. The event also serves to celebrate the birthday of the British crime writing genius, when a bouquet of flowers will be placed at the bust to her memory at the viewpoint of La Paz.
The festival organisers, with the involvement of countless entities and educational centres and with the sponsorship of Puerto de la Cruz Council and Tenerife Tourism is, without a doubt, its most participatory edition, with a program full of activities being prepared for all ages and nationalities, which include literature, music, history, photography, painting, mystery, routes, gastronomy and many more.
Dr. Mark Aldridge, professor at Solent University, Southampton, will also join the think tank this year to discuss Poirot and Agatha Christie. His book ′Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World′ is an animated story of the character and his creator based on the author's original research.This fascinating festival is named after the legendary British writer Agatha Christie in honour of the fact that she chose Puerto de la Cruz for its wonderful weather as a place where she could enjoy peace and calm. During the festival, there are film showings based on her novels, theatre plays in Spanish, English and German, as well as exhibitions and discussions. The event is held once every two years.