Our tour today was one that we planned through Spain Day Tours.  We had to meet at 8:15 on the way out of the port.  (Apparently they don’t let in private tour companies in the morning next to the ship.) There were only 15 people in our group, but we had a pretty big bus.  Our guide spoke the best English out of all the tour guides we have had so far.  She didn’t even mix up some common words that sound like English words, but do not translate the same, as the other tour guides did.  

First we were headed to the National Park of Teide.  Teide is the biggest mountain/volcano on the island.  We first had to wind our way through the pine forest.  It was very beautiful. Our first stop was a view of Teide and the surrounding valley.  We could see views of the cloud cover and the hazy outline of the island of Gran Canaria, so we also had a quick stop for a picture.  Then there was a bathroom/coffee break in which the guide told us about a local coffee that had coffee, milk, condensed milk, liquor, cinnamon, and lemon zest.  I decided to try it without the cinnamon and lemon.  She said it was sweet, but it was terrible. It just tasted like rubbing alcohol.

Our next stop was at an area that looked like the surface of Mars.  They have filmed quite a few movies and tv shows in this area of the park.  We walked all over taking pictures.  It was really neat. 

We then drove to Garcia Rocks.  It was crazy how many people were there!  The guide said that November was their busiest month. All the cars parked in the bus area so we were dropped off to wander around.  This area had specific trails.  The guide told us that you couldn’t see much hiking up the steps, so we found another viewpoint that showed the same area.  

The bus turned around and headed back toward the city.  It was quite hot on the way back.  I’m not sure what happened to the air conditioning, but the heat combined with the winding road really triggered my motion sickness.  It was a rough hour and fifteen minutes for me!  

We stopped in the town of Laguna and got a quick walking tour.  The guide showed us an old convent and pointed out an area above where the nuns could get some fresh air (they were not allowed out of the building).  She also pointed out the pine wood decorations that adorned most houses.  

We were given an hour and fifteen minutes of free time to eat something and wander around town. I really enjoy that part of the Spain Day Tours. They always give you time to eat and shop.  I had some tapas and a coffee and we sat outside.  My husband found a croissant at a bakery.  We looked at some shops and took pictures of buildings and churches.  It was a quiet peaceful time.