Port Day in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, part 1

Third straight port day and the third and last of the Canary Islands we visited was Tenerife. We docked in Santa Cruz town and availed of the free shuttle bus from the port to the main thoroughfare. At the outset we had 2 places we wanted to visit here: the church and the market. Knowing the time limitations we have in this island we knew we could not go very far from the dock.

From where we were dropped off, it was an easy and short walk to the Plaza de Espana, the largest square in the city of Santa Cruz. We stopped for photo ops.











Next, we continued on foot in search of the market. It's not difficult to find one's way around the city. At one point we were unsure if we were going in the right direction, but the locals are friendly and helpful and confirmed that we were indeed on the right track.






Along the way we spotted the bell tower of Iglesia de la Concepcion, the church we wanted to visit. We mentally flagged the location so we can go back and visit it later.

From the dock, it must have been some 20 or so minutes of walking before we reached the market whose full name is Mercado de Nuestra Senora de Africa.





On both sides of the entrance of the market are sculptures. One is a lady carrying some water or milk jugs. But the fishermen pushing a boat takes the attention.





The market comprised of two stories. On the street level are table set-ups for jewelries, leather goods, and other knick-knacks. Also on the same floor are vegetables and fruits, and meats.









Down the steps are wet market, supermarket, and cheese and wine section. The seafood is super fresh, although they were not cheap.








Some of the fish stands have a small area for dining where you select your fish and they will cook it for you. We stopped here some boquerones (anchovy). At the fruit stand, we purchased guavas and a foreign-looking fruit called tomate de arbol or tamarillo. We ask them to show us how to eat the arbol.


Ripe tomate de arbol.


Boquerones and tomate de arbol paired with coffee.

For us, the trip will not be complete if we didn't taste a local dish or in this case a local fruit.

To be continued.......