Garachico – A picturesque suburb of Tenerife

Each time I come to Tenerife, this quaint little town, Garachico fascinates me.

I have blogged about this town several times.

Last year I made a general comment on castle ‘San Miguel Castle’

“Garachico was once a port where ships anchored but this port was completely destroyed during the volcanic eruption. However the castle with the stone doorway of ‘San Miguel Castle’ still stands there at the end of the promenade. This is the finest building, a 16^th century stronghold belonging to the Count of Gomera’ that survived a volcanic eruption in 1706 unscathed.”

Last week, I visited again and decided to walk inside the castle (which is now a small museum) to see the interiors of this stone structure. It was like entering a cave. It has windows on all sides. A big iron canon (with a thick layer of rust) stands in one corner, with its mouth jutting out of the tiny window. I could imagine the guards protecting their village in that era. There was a winding stoned steps leading up to the terrace of the castle. The view from the top was spectacular. Clean fresh breeze blowing over the vast sea and natural pools at the shores. On the other side of the castle lay a flowered lined motorway leading towards the by-lanes of the village.

I walked to the town square. People were in festive mood celebrating the annual festival ‘San Roque’. Every August, during the second week of the month, this village is glittered with music, dance and street market. There is no place to park. There were many people walking instead, their hips swaying slightly as they walk in a rhythm to the loud street music played at every food stall. The fragrance of freshly baked bread, pastries, cheese and roasted meat fill the air.

Farmers and artists display their products and handicraft stuff in their balconies and windows facing the road. There is procession during this festival, where people are dressed in their traditional clothes. They sing traditional songs, play the music on guitar and ‘Timple’. They bring along their farm products and their animals too and the prayers are offered to their deities.

What is interesting about is this village is the main square- ‘Plaza Juan Gonzalez de la Torre’. Numerous small red fishes swim in the small pond surrounding the fountain at the center of the plaza. There are wooden benches scattered all over the place where people gather in the evening for a friendly chitchat.

A big iron gate on one side of the plaza caught my attention. On the side of this huge gate is a plaque. I went up to read the plaque placed on a barbed gate

Behind the gate, there are stone steps leading down to the beautiful botanical garden called ‘Parque de la Puerta de Tierra’

The valley has been converted into a beautiful garden with neatly manicured trees. I wish they had installed some railings for support during climbing up the stairs. There were too many steps to climb and one needs stamina to enjoy solitude of this place. But it was very peaceful and picturesque.

I am never tired of visiting this place. There is so much to do, if nothing else, just go fishing? Yes, I blogged about that too…

“First thing that caught my attention were the rows and rows of boats parked side by side at ferry wharf. Creatively painted with bright colors and designs, they were a welcomed distraction.”

Modern civilization has not yet touched this rural suburb. There are no tall buildings or any fancy malls. This is a beautiful village with cobbled streets, centuries old stone buildings, tradition and culture retained and some of those quaint houses with beautiful patios, now converted into rural hotels. Here people can spend few days, away from hustle and bustle of the society, close to the nature, transported into the 18^th century…..

At Garachico Port in Tenerife

Sunday.. a day of rest, a day to do something different, to break the bones of routine. Some spend the day lazing around, sleeping or watching sports on TV, some go shopping or movies and some go outdoors in the open air to high seas to sweet talk with fishes and trap them into their nets. .

This Sunday I spend an evening at ferry wharf to watch the time breeze through some moments of bliss...

First thing that caught my attention were the rows and rows of boats parked side by side at ferry wharf. Creatively painted with bright colors and designs, they were a welcomed distraction. Lovingly covered with cloth or plastic, silently they rested at the end of the day..

Sundays are the days when they are used by the natives to go for a ride out in the sea, to some remote island close by, to find a quiet spot where they park their boat and do some fishing.

The boats are a luxury possessions, as expensive as buying a car. There is parking space on the big concrete space too that surrounds the pocket beach.

There is also this vast open space for recreational activities. This is ample space to walk freely and to rest on the wooden benches to rest the knees. There are children with their pets, running and falling, young people skating from one end to another, people walking in groups, sharing their stories after their ride on the seas.

Although water looked calm and serene, it was a bit oily beneath, probably due to   motor used for the rides and the fishes that swam as far as the shore struggle to breathe.

Not all park their boats at the shore. There are some, who dismantle their boats, separating the machine from the body and towing away their boats in their car.

We wait till the sun reflects its bright golden rays on the hills facing the pocket of beaches. The hill blushes, bathing in different shades spreading its positive energies.

Visit to the Coastal town of Garachico

Some evenings when I need some fresh air, I like to go for a drive to the picturesque town of Garachico.

As soon as I see the big rock in the middle of the sea and a long promenade along the seashore, I get ready for my niece to stop the engine and walk with me on the promenade..

Further down the path are the amazing natural pools carved out through the rocks (which resulted after the volcanic eruptions in 1706), making it a safe place to swim with tropical fishes.

There is even a mini children’s park where kids can play after the swim.

Garachico was once a port where ships anchored but this port was completely destroyed during the volcanic eruption. However the castle with the stone doorway of ‘San Miguel Castle’ still stands there at the end of the promenade. This is the finest building, a 16^th century stronghold belonging to the Count of Gomera’ that survived a volcanic eruption in 1706 unscathed.

Further up, there is a natural beach with black sand and more rocks where people can swim and fish too.

Garachico is a beautiful quaint town with rustic houses. It is very Spanish in Character with narrow, cobbled streets with cars parked on the one side of the road. It is still arguably the least spoilt coastal area of Tenerife.

During festivals, the balconies are dressed with a certain theme, for example you will find them dressed up promoting products of the village

There is a plaza in the center of the town where people can enjoy the traditional cuisine with the glass of local wine or with the tiny cup of Cortado (strong coffee)

After a short drive I come back to Icod de Los Vinos, to sit at my brother's store at 'Teban S.L.'  at Calle Sabastian, also known as 'Bazar Hindu', My brother has lots of tourist visiting our store to buy souvenirs and electronic products to take back home. I love too talking English with the tourists, which is a welcome change from speaking Spanish all day with other local clients.

Visit to Garachico

I normally avoid walking, especially if I am injured. Had a minor accident, broke my bones, was hospitalised for a day and now in plaster on my right hand for one month. But no problem, I can manage with my left hand….. I asked my brother to take me for a drive and we drove up north towards Garachico, which is about 20 minutes from my house in Buen Paso. After a drive through a sixty-seconds long snake-like tunnel that had large circular window facing the sea, we reached the town of Garachico In the fertile lowlands of Tenerife’s North West tip, Garachico is officially one of the unluckiest towns on the planet. In its short history Garachico has endured Bubonic plague, floods, storms, fires, plagues of locusts and volcanic eruptions, the worst of which in 1706 destroyed a large part of the town and the source of its wealth; the harbour. What remains is one of Tenerife’s prettiest destinations with cobbled streets, beautifully restored churches, coastal sea water swimming pools hewn from volcanic rock and a steadfastly traditional Canarian character. Even though, I was just perched in the car, I could still enjoy the cool air of the sea, playing against my hair, tickling my face. There were many people walking in a festive mood. There was a stage put up near the shore, in the plaza de Libertad, where music and folk songs were being performed. Further up, in the church compound, there were couples dressed in traditional Mago clothes, dancing to the Spanish music. There were mobile stall selling hot dogs and Churro de chocolate. On our way back, we stopped by a restaurant and packed a dinner of carne de cordero (lamb meat, which is very tender and was cooked in sauce), papas arrugada(small potatoes boiled with their skin in salty water) and salchitas (fried sausages). This is a typical Canarias cuisine that has no spices nor any chillies and is yet too tasty…….