If you are on holiday in Tenerife at the end of August  you will find lots of free beach-related activity and workshops centred round the Los Cristianos area. It’s all to do with the annual Aguaviva Canarias festival which is held to celebrate the sea and drive home the message that the wide blue oceans of the world are full of natural treasures that need to be tended, protected and loved. It is a collaborative effort with input from scientists, government bodies, musicians and entertainers, educators and the public.

There are free events and activites from August 22 and an open air concert on August 29th which requires payment but at only €15 should be worth the entrance fee.  The whole festival comes to a close on 30th of August with the release of turtles which has been co-ordinated by members of the Neotropico Foundation.  There are also volunteer educational projects like the cetacean research project run by Buena Proa.

Saturday 22 August

10:00 hrs – Beach Clean Up at Playa de Las Enojados, Las Galletas (free)

Sunday 23 August

18.30 hrs – Marine Life First Aid Workshop (seabirds, turtles and whales), Playa de las Vistas, Los Cristianos (free)

19.00 hrs – Marine Graffitti Workshop on the seafront of Los Cristianos, Memorial Plaza (free)

Friday 28 August

11.00 – 14.00 hrs and 15.00 – 17.00 horas, Aguaviva Baptisms – Make a spiritual connection with the ocean (free)

Dive into Aguaviva – Playa de Las Vistas. Playa de Las Vistas.

10.30 – 15.00 hrs – Workshops on the beach of Los Cristianos. (free)

18.00 – 20.00 hrs – Workshops on the beach of Los Cristianos. (free)

21:00 hrs Street Parade with CIRCUS JAM -Paseo Marítimo de Los Cristianos – Plaza de Los Caídos (free)

22.00 hrs – CONFABULADOS in concert. – Paseo Marítimo de Los Cristianos – Plaza de Los Caídos (free)

Saturday 29 August

11.00 – 14.00 hours and 15.00 – 17.00 am Aguaviva Baptisms – Get baptised in the ocean (free)
Dive into Aguaviva.- Playa de Las Vistas

10.00 hrs -  Cleaning the Deep Arona in Playa de Las Vistas. (free)
13.00 hrs -  Human Chain of Pollutionfrom the Playa de Las Vistas to the Centro Cultural de Los Cristianos. (free)
19.00 hrs Round Table in Arona in Playa de las Vistas (next to the breakwater of the port).
Panel discussion on the current state of conservation of the seafloor and the coast of the Canary Islands.Various interested groups are invited to attend including scuba divers, fishermen, scientists, researchers at the ULL and the Natural History Museum, conservationists, politicians and hoteliers.
10.30 – 15.00 hrs Workshops on the beach of Los Cristianos.
18.00 – 20.00 hrs Workshops on the beach of Los Cristianos.

21.00 hrs  AguavivaFest Concert

The Zaragoza pop rock band Amaral are the headliners with We Are Standard, Line, Ramon Dominguez and Adjacant and DT Project also in the line up. See clips of Amaral, We Are Standard and Ramon Domingues below for a wee taster of what the night will hold.

Estadio de Los Cristianos, Annex. Advance tickets 15 euros.

Sunday 30 August

11.00 – 14.00 hours and 15.00 – 17.00 am Baptisms Aguaviva. Make direct contact with the underwater world with a free ocean baptism.

Dive into Aguaviva. Playa de Las Vistas.
10.30 – 15.00 pm Workshops on the beach of Los Cristianos.

16:30 hrs - Turtle Release in  Playa de Las Vistas
21.00 hrs – Cinema on the Beach in Arona in Playa de Los Cristianos.

Further to yesterday’s post about revolting neighbours in Costa Del Silencio, today’s Diario de Aviso reports that a spokesperson for the owners at Chayofita contacted them to deny that there was a majority uprising against the planned urbanization works. On the contrary, he said, “the majority is in favor because at the owners’ meeting there were only two votes against.”

Oh what a shame. I was looking forward to a bit of a public mêlée.  Not that two people sat down in front of a small digger would have been much of a spectacle.

Anyway sticking to the whole Costa Del Silencio development story yesterday Costa Del Silencio’s shiny new image was unveiled to the  media and sundry worthy government bods who were proudly shown the finished work at Jose Antonio Tavio and Calle Diana.

Much was made of the broad walkways, gardens and the aesthetically pleasing fence that is set to sweep round the town in a uniting ribbon of metal.

I wonder if anyone  told them that though the broad walkway is complete at Calle Diana the aesthetically pleasing fence has only just been started. You can see the foundations for it behind the original fence which is still standing  up the length of the road from Bella Vista to Maravilla.

Once it has actually been erected the new fence for all its modern chunky poles is pretty useless anyway as I have seen a whole family squeeze between the bars in a shortcut to their apartment in Eureka.

According to the Mayor, Jose Alberto Gonzalez Reveron, there is still plenty of money in the kitty to finish other streets of this town (which I am sure will come as a great relief to the residents of Calle Minerva where works are currently in progress) as well as for a  65,000 square meters park.

There has been talk of a theme park being built in the neighbourhood for years so it will be a significant leap forward for this area should this rumour actually come to pass. The park when completed would be roughly a third the size of the spectacular Siam Park and no doubt shovel tourist money into the area by the coach load.

Diario de Aviso:  Costa Del Silencio Renews its Image

The Tenerife Design Festival (TDF) is dedicated to fusing the ‘current trends of design with the main features of the Canarian identity’ and focusses on the three key concepts of local identity, landscape contrast and tourism.

Expect the unexpected during that week as designers from around the world get together to turn Tenerife into a ’seething mass of creativity and design’.

Oooo er. I’m not so sure about the seething mass bit. Whoever wrote the English blurb on the TDF website has done so in that annoyingly arty-farty nonsensical wittering beloved of those who think design concepts have to be drowned in a bucket of words before the rest of us plebs can get the point (or lack thereof).

Here slighty toned down are the descriptions of the TDF sections taken from the Tenerife Design Festival website.

TDFSigno – designers, industry and craftsmen collaborating on new products and ways of development which involve both fresh  ideas and traditional Canarian concepts.

TDFAtmósfera – ominously threatening to ‘involve the public’, TDFAtmósfera promises to bathe Santa Cruz in a wash of exhibitions and urban interventions. If you venture into large spaces within the city during this week in October such as the TEA, La Recova or the port itself expect to be pounced on by a creative installation or two.

TDFLab – three-day workshops for professionals, students and general participants to experiment with different ways to  generate new objects, graphics and interventions in different spaces with a focus on the interaction between design and the Canarian environment.

TDFAward cunningly sponsored by Turismo de Tenerife proposes Tenerife Design Paradise, an international prize, which encourages designers to work on elements that will make up a dream beach of the future.  Based on the idea “Design Paradise” the aim is the creation of products that may be further developed later by the sponsor to enhance the tourism experience.

TDFSolution brings together different professional approaches to spread and support advances in culture, innovation and design. The Symposium will consist of the presentation of works by businesses, local, national and international designers, stirred into action by a critic or analyst. The point of departure will be TDF’s three central concepts: nature, local identity and tourism.

See the Tenerife Design Festival website for more information including a Programme of Events and a Registration page which showing fabulous international creativity is only available in Spanish. According to the translation it seems registrations will not be open till September:

Inscriptions

To participate in various workshops and activities of TDF, you can simply register by filling out a form. In September the program will be more detailed for you to decide which section is more suited to your interests …

But you should be aware: the seats are limited!

La Guagua del Vino or Wine Bus might sound like something you fall off after missing a couple of meetings with your AA buddy but actually it is a scholarly tour round the vinyards for those who want to learn something and not at all intended as a vehicular version of a booze cruise.

There are various routes all intended to showcase the beauties of the north of Tenerife and its surroundings. The tours last a half day or full day depending on whether you join one which includes lunch and a typical itinerary will see you take in some local scenery and stopping at one or two  vinyards for ‘degustación’ before heading on for a meal or returning to Santa Cruz.

There are also ‘A La Carte’ tours on offer where you can decide on the itinerary that suits you and a ‘Weekend Tour’ that involves two nights accommodation in a rural guest house.

For more information you can visit the Rutas Y Vinos website or contact the Enotourism office:

TACORONTE-ACENTEJO WINE ROUTE:
Casa de la Cultura, Tacaronte

Tel: 922 56 40 66
eMail: info@rutasyvinos.com

Enjoy!

Those tourists with disabilities who visit Tenerife are invited to present themselves at authorised issuing centres and after paying a €15 refundable deposit pick up a Eurokey which will give them access to adapted and protected facilities.

This is part of the greater Eurokey scheme which was launched in Germany with a view to providing guaranteed and secure toilets, emergency telephones and lifts to those mobility or visual disabilities. Eurokey support is now also available in Switzerland, Austria and Spain.

Though there is no mention of emergency telephones according to the Arona ayuntamiento Barriers Free Tourism Guide Book the Eurokey guarantees access to toilets at the following places:

Los Cristianos

Las Americas

Safari and Americas Plaza shopping centres
Las Americas beach Tourist Information Centre (EK required)
Public WC between Playa de Las Vstas and Playa del Camison

Las Galletas
Las Galletas Cultural Centre
Las Galletas beach

The Eurokey scheme seems like an excellent initiative which would guarantee clean and safe facilities to those with mobility or visual impairment. Unfortunately of those listed in the Barrier Free Tourism book by the Arona council only three are marked as requiring the EK and the only facilities that are included are toilets. The other toilets being public access cannot be considered part of the EK scheme and may or may not be safe,  clean and working depending on who was in there before you.

As the council is happy to boast in the book that the area’s 7 km coastal stretch is ‘Europe’s largest Barrier Free Pedestrian Sea Promenade’, and together with SINPROMI have made Playa de Las Vistas completely accessible you would think they would be willing to throw a little more effort into providing Eurokey secured facilities than three measly toilets, would’nt you?

Still, it may well be that more EK facilites have been added since that book went to print. If this is something that may be of interest to you, I think you might be best to contact the Tourist Information Offices for more details about the Eurokey on the email for accessible tourism which is turismoaccesible@arona.travel

We are only weeks away from The Tall Ships Challenge which I first posted about back in February but apparently according to The Royal Gazette there are still places on board for intrepid whipper-snappers:

The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009 still has trainee berths available for persons aged 15-30 wanting to take part in a historic 7,000 nautical mile journey across the North Atlantic.

I’m gob-smacked. I would have thought all the positions would have been snapped up ages ago. Desn’t it seem like a wild and romantic, once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity to you? Setting off across the Atlantic with the wind in your hair and your heart a-pumping. Sigh.

Kate Winslett would have had nothing on me 15 years ago let me tell you.

Should anyone feel the urge to throw caution to the wind and get to grips with some rigging, then Tall Ships Bermuda is the place to apply.

New owners Chris and Andy took over The Globe Bar (in Tre Bol, next to Mr. Booze Sports Bar) with a brilliant opening party. They started as they mean to go on with good food and drinks at good prices and something different going on every night.

Definitely worth a visit. Details below. All I want to know is what is a WII night?

Lager 1.00 euro a pint 1.50 a pint at all other times.
Local wine by the glass 1 euro
Reina Bottles 1.00 euro
Locan spirit and can 2.00 euros.

Sunday Karaoke 9pm
Monday Movie Mania 9pm
Tuesday Pool Night 9pm
Wednesday Quiz Night 9pm
Thursday Karaoke Night 9pm
Friday Disco Night 9pm
Saturday WII Night 9pm

Food available all day everyday!