Teide Redux, Minus the Icicles

#tenerife #islascanarias #familyvacation

For Holy Week, my Mom and Dad flew all the way from Washington DC to Tenerife to visit me in the islands! First stop, Tenerife, the biggest island and Teide, the tallest mountain in Spain!

#seashadow

We stayed in a cute little AirBNB in the south of the island, with a lovely balcony overlooking the sea. The first day, Mom and Dad met me at the ferry (I came on the boat from El Hierro after school :D) and we walked on the beach for a while. First time we've all been together since Christmas!

Later in the afternoon, we walked around near our apartment. There was a lovely black sand beach, an outdoor gym, lots of colorful flowers, and more!

For dinner, we went to a seafood restaurant owned by the wife of our AirBNB host. While I didn't understand most of the fish names, it was super delicious nonetheless! Including grilled fish, shrimp, fried cheese, wine, and more!

The next day, we went to La Laguna, a beautiful old town in the north of the island. We saw some beautiful architecture and some very cool trees. Plus, my dad survived the nightmare parking in the city. :)

Then, we drove up to Teide National Park! It was time to hike the volcano, again. This time, the cable car (teleférico) was open because it was not January and therefore there were no icicles dripping off every corner. So we took the easy ride up--which is absolutely the way to go, te lo digo. :D

Then, we walked down the trail a little ways to the mountain refuge, the refugio where the other girls and I stayed last time we ventured up this volcano. The staff actually remembered me! It was a beautiful sunset (all the more so when you're not scaling the worst hill known to man) and I saw the sea shadow again! A bright blue against a lovely pink sky.

The next morning, we got up bright and early (5am is not my friend) to hike back up, past the cable car station, to summit the peak right before sunrise! It was a brutal ascent, but the beautiful sunrise was very much worth it!

This hike is a real adventure; some of it looks like Utah, but you are up above the clouds the entire time, and the sky fades into the ocean-filled horizon.

A stunning and adventurous start to our trip! Next stop, my tiny home of El Hierro :D