REDICOVERING SPAIN AND ENGLAND
Two of Europe’s top tourist destinations offer unique travel experiences that spark joy and wonder
Throughout the past years, Spain and England have consistently been the leading tourist destinations in Europe. A majority of Spain’s visitors formerly arrived due to its mainland cities, but it now attracts greater attention because of its small archipelago—the Canary Islands. On the other hand, England’s capital city of London continues to bring in tourists not only through its old traditions such as Wimbledon but also through its new international food scene ranging from Chinese to Lebanese cuisine.
TENERIFE’S VARIED LANDSCAPES
An archipelago away from mainland Spain, the Canary Islands exhibits a wide and rich variety of landscapes. It includes 7 small islands, the biggest and most populated of which is called Tenerife. Although only a small island, Tenerife visibly stands out for its unique combination of deserts, grasslands, forests, and white and black sand beaches. A local Tinerfeño concisely summed it up as, “visiting 7 continents in one go.”
My family and I spent 3 whole days in the Canary Islands, wherein 2 were spent in Tenerife and the other in Lanzarote. If you ever do visit the archipelago one day, I strongly recommend visiting the island of Lanzarote which is only a 30-minute flight from Tenerife.
Despite its proximity to Tenerife, Lanzarote possesses varied landforms and bodies of water. Moreover, while Tenerife’s major sites can be finished in one afternoon, Lanzarote’s can take either 1 or 2 days. Since we had less than 24 hours in Lanzarote, we had to hurry and cram all the sites before evening. Therefore, I suggest spending 1 night in Lanzarote if you can.
In Tenerife, the drive up to the highest point of Spain, Mount Teide, was a spectacular scenic route that showed off Tenerife’s unique sand dunes, steep cliffs, and of course, its dark chocolate-colored volcanic rocks. If you’re fascinated by geology, then Tenerife is certainly your type of heaven. Initially, the morning fog caused us to worry whether or not we’ll be able to see the view. But when we finally crossed the thick layer of fog, we realized we were actually driving atop the clouds.
The second we crossed the clouds, the unleashed view was vibrantly showered with sunlight. As we spiral up further from the base to the top of Teide, the view changed completely and abruptly from pine trees to cacti, and from thick forests to arid plains. The drive up only takes an hour or maybe more depending on the number of stops you take for pictures. And yes, you’ll surely take plenty of pictures.
THE NATURAL WONDERS OF LANZAROTE
In Lanzarote, the beautiful landscape was filled with multiple volcanoes accumulated on top of fiery red volcanic soil. To quote my father who perfectly described Lanzarote, “this is a piece of Mars on earth.” And he was right, nothing in this world can be compared to the nature found in this tiny, hidden island.
To start the day at Lanzarote, we flew in at around 7 in the morning from Tenerife, rented a car, and instantly drove to the vineyard called La Geria. On the drive towards the vineyards, we were skeptical about how anything can grow out of the dry and solid soil. But to our surprise, the locals have managed to create hundreds of beautiful half-moon rock formations encircling the vines to control for the wind and humidity.
Next, we drove to El Golfo which I much highly recommend. El Golfo includes a stunning bright green body of water alongside the contrasting deep blue Atlantic sea. According to on-site information, the lake was formed in the crater of an old volcano and its green color comes from the type of algae living in the lake. The vivid contrast of both bodies of water makes El Golfo a surprising and essential visit.
After El Golfo, we then rode the camels on the red deserts of Timanfaya National Park. Although the camels were a bit slower than expected, every bit of the red desert view was definitely savored. In the same park, another fascinating destination features a dug-up part of the volcanic ground, which releases high heat coming from the core of the active volcano.
To end our busy one day trip, we drove to our last destination—Gueva de Los Verdes. Again, the view inside the cave was just as surprising as Lanzarote’s other destinations. When the walls of the inner cave are exposed to blue light, the walls reveal a fixating emerald green hue. Just remember to book your tickets to the cave tour online, and to get there before it closes at 6pm.
LONDON’S FASCINATING SCENES
London, being one of the most cosmopolitan areas of Europe, provides a wide array of cuisines due to its total population’s colorful diversity. Therefore, London’s local food scene grew out of its traditional English fish and chips, and gradually became an amalgamation of different international influences and preferences.
Today, London can no longer be defined by merely shepherd’s pies or sausage rolls, but also by Nando’s, Burger and Lobster, Byron, and others. Besides these popular food chains, London is also complete with fine dining restaurants which are awarded with Michelin stars and equipped with molecular gastronomy techniques.
Aside from its vast selection of food, London is adored for its lavish and exciting lifestyle. Harrods, in itself, is a museum for guilty pleasures and senses. Its latest designer fashion, luxurious presents, high teas, and accessories make it the most prominent department store in the world. Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Oxford Street, and more continue to exemplify the meaning of London.
Lastly, but definitely not the least, one cannot speak of London in July without mentioning the most highly esteemed tennis tournament, Wimbledon. Despite the scorching heat and the 6 to 7 hours of queuing for a single ticket, just seeing the Wimbledon grass courts in person was already a dream come true.
LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL FOOD SPOTS
On my first trip to London in 2011, I had thought that local English food was limited to fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, and sausage rolls. This year, I finally found out that I had been completely wrong about what local English food really is. It basically took me 8 full years and a boyfriend who studied in Harrow before I came to this realization. So don’t wait up as I did.
I was glad to find out that local English food was a lot more than I had first expected. Our first agenda on our food trip was a Lebanese restaurant called Maroush,
which we had for dinner since we arrived late at night. Inside the restaurant was the most diverse set of people I’ve seen in a while, and that includes me and my
Filipino family. With only airplane food in our stomachs, we were incredibly excited to experience an authentic Lebanese restaurant for the first time. An hour later, we understood why the restaurant was as packed and as loud as it was. From the first to the last dish, we were perfectly satisfied.
Following Maroush, the other restaurants kept raising the standards higher and higher. So, I very strongly recommend numbers 1 to 5 on my ‘absolutely must-eat’ section for London above. Numbers 6 to 9, on the other hand, are classic food chains in London that frequently show up on its busy streets. If you can’t taste them all, please prioritize numbers 1 to 5. Trust me, your London trip will be incomplete without them.
WATCHING WIMBLEDON LIVE
On our third day in London, my sister, boyfriend, and I woke up at 5 in the morning, took an Uber, and queued for Wimbledon 2019 tickets. It was surprisingly very organized and proper, considering the thousands of people in line on the same grass field. When I got there at around 6am, I was the number 4180th person in line. Writing that number down now makes it seem like I sounded a bit crazy to wait so long for one ticket. However, at that time, all I knew was that I’ll finally be seeing Roger Federer on his home turf in just a few more hours.
Six to seven hours later, I got my ticket. It was an overwhelmingly unbelievable feeling to be sitting and watching my favorite tennis idols since I was a junior tennis player. Seeing some of my childhood inspirations such as Stan the Man, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Serena Williams, and then Roger Federer reminded me of my first love, tennis. Further, watching Roger Federer playing against Lloyd Harris on center court (in the presence of Kate Middleton) was sort of surreal. 6 year old me never would have thought that this day would ever be possible.