Teneriefe...

This morning, our flight was scheduled for 10:40 am for our short ride over to Teneriefe, the second leg (two weeks here) of our trip has begun. Everyone woke up around 7 am to be at the meeting place at 8:30 for our ride to the airport. We ran in to the buffet and grabbed something to eat…The maitre de was shocked that we didn’t want to sit down…We showed the Europeans the true meaning of to go food. Everyone grabbed a few pieces of fruit and we took off to the airport. We were met by a group of Rotarians who had some coffee waiting as we checked our luggage. Around 9:30, we headed for the gate and told the Lanzarote crowd what a wonderful time we had with them on the island and made them promise to all visit soon. The group on Lanzarote was so good, I wonder how anyone could top what they did for us.
We went through the security check and Chris was searched. Apparently he had packed the gifts that the Cabildo President had given us and they included a letter opener that looked like a knife. Marcos had to speak with the guard to allow Chris to travel with the item in his carry on luggage. Finally, we loaded the plane and were on our way. Most of us took advantage of the flight to catch up on some sleep that we did not have the chance to get the night before and others talked the entire time.
We landed in Teneriefe and immediately we could tell that we were on a completely different island. The locals had told us that each island had a distinct look and feel and we could tell this right away. This island was much greener and had much more color than Lanzarote. We were excited because we had seen mostly lava rock for the past week. It was also not as windy here as the other island. We grabbed our bags and were met at the door by more Rotarians. Carla will be staying with Juan Lanores y Anna. Catherine is staying with Diego. Tong is staying with a Luis and Carmen Luis. Bert is staying with a doctor whom we have not met (he was on call last night and could not meet us at the airport) and Chris and I are staying with Marcos and Merci. We jump in our respective host family’s cars and are told to meet at Juan Lanores’ house around 2 or 3 for lunch. Chris, Bert and I ride with Marcos to La Laguna and arrive at his house where we are greeted by his “welcome committee” (dos perros) and his three children. Adrian is 18, Daniel is 12 (just turned 12 this past week) and Diane is 10. The kids are great and all speak near perfect English. Marcos has been speaking English to them since they were born and they also learn it in school. Adrian did a youth exchange program when he was 16 and lived in Washington State. He will graduate at the end of this month and plans to then go to the University for more studies. We walk around the house and learn that Merci is a painter and has an exhibition coming up soon. Her artwork is everywhere and is incredible. We all ask to buy some for our collections at home. Marcos shows us the rest of the house including the yard where he grows oranges, lemons, avocado, figs, bananas and some kind of fruit that taste like a cross between a peach and nectarine. Beers are served in the kitchen along with mussels and we are told to rest and relax before lunchtime.
Merci answers a ring at the door and is presented with some gorgeous flowers for Mothers Day. She and Marcos are the type of couple that you know sincerely loves each other. She supports him all that he does and he cares for her and his family. It is great to stay with a family that you know genuinely cares about you and are just good people.
We end up at Juan’s house around 3 pm for lunch. Juan and Anna live in a wonderful estate near the center of the city. Their house is fronted by a large park and they have a great view of the mountains. We are the last to arrive and are immediately handed something to drink and a plate for food. The families are so nice and treat us as if we are part of their families. Lunch starts with appetizers including tortilla, anchovies and bread. We enjoy learning about everyone and find out that Juan is a mechanical/industrial engineer and he and Anna have traveled all over the world. Their house is decorated with tons of things that they have collected over the years. The main course is served and is similar to a low country boil but instead of shrimp – they include Canary ribs. The food is wonderful as always ( I don’t think we have had a bad meal so far) and the conversation is even better. After lunch, the guys are treated to cigars and the group is taken on a walk through the park across the street. The park has bike trails for kids, a pond with coy fish and playground areas throughout. We walk around for an hour (Lord knows we need the exercise) and end up back at the house where we find Carla asleep in the hammock (she and Bert left the walk early because they were tired). We get a briefing from Marcos about the events planned for our week here in the North of the island including details on our professional visits this week. Around 7 pm, we are all walking zombies because of the lack of sleep and we head for the door. Tonight, we are to spend time with our host families and rest. This week is slam packed with things to do and we need some rest before we start. Chris and I head back with Marcos and lay around the house and talk with the kids. I take a nap and wake back up around 10:30 pm to try some of the soup that Merci has made for us. She had prepared a soup with carrots and chicken and noodles from scratch and also had washed and folded our clothes. She is a perfect host mother. The soup is a perfect end to a very relaxing day and we head for the bed as we have to be up early in the morning for a tour of the city. Week number two has already began...