Alpine A110 London to Tenerife, and back
Discussion
Shnozz said:
Great trip Croyde. Slightly baffled as a long time PHer and perhaps I missed a lottery win as seem to recall longstanding posts of your woes of struggling to heat your flat and now its Euro trips in an A110 but happy to read it regardless! Life is for living.
Car looks great and the road trip even better. Enjoy in good health. I have my Exige down in Spain for winter and the road opportunities make me realise just how pants the opportunities are in the UK to enjoy that car to the full.
Let's just say that the ex marital home was sold for a quick sale at well under market value.Car looks great and the road trip even better. Enjoy in good health. I have my Exige down in Spain for winter and the road opportunities make me realise just how pants the opportunities are in the UK to enjoy that car to the full.
She got most of the money and I got enough for a sports car
Interested in how you keep your car in Spain. Did you import it? is it easy to insure.
I'd like to do the same with my Alpine as driving it in the SE of England is no fun.
croyde said:
Let's just say that the ex marital home was sold for a quick sale at well under market value.
She got most of the money and I got enough for a sports car
Interested in how you keep your car in Spain. Did you import it? is it easy to insure.
I'd like to do the same with my Alpine as driving it in the SE of England is no fun.
Good news! Pleased for you and IIRC you had a child issue so hope that is all sorted also.She got most of the money and I got enough for a sports car
Interested in how you keep your car in Spain. Did you import it? is it easy to insure.
I'd like to do the same with my Alpine as driving it in the SE of England is no fun.
Not imported mine so has to be repatriated but makes for 2 nicely spaced out road trips and also the chance to use a sports car over the winter months when it would simply be miserable in the UK.
So Day 2 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Got myself a haircut, very good, and only £12 in quite a posh looking place in the middle of the new part of the city then walked about 2 miles to the outskirts to find a Lotto shop in order to buy tickets for the upcoming Saturday. Tenerife Club Deportivo vs Cordoba at the 25,000 seater stadium that I could see from the apartment.
At the ticket shop the chap running it showed me a map of the stadium and I pointed to the seats at the front near the tunnel. 'NO, no!' he kept saying, 'Too expensive! you are tourist, sit at the back, much cheaper'
I insisted and got the most expensive tickets, apart from the boxes. £22 each
Youngest son was flying over to join me and he's football mad. In the afternoon I drove to Tenerife South airport to pick him up. Always nice to watch the drunk Brits arriving and heading off to Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos, Playa de las Americas etc
So we had a fine time of more spirited drives, walks and plenty of bars where he could satiate his football needs
The Saturday we made our way to the stadium early to walk around the area and find a bar. The one we ended up in was packed with supporters of both teams. All very friendly with the added bonus that a beer and a glass of wine was £2.
It was a good match apart from the home team losing 2 - 3. Great atmosphere with the singing, flag waving and drummimg.
We did move seats at half time because we were surrounded by too many kids. We wanted to be with the Ultras instead we got good views of the corners, of which there were a few.
Great atmosphere afterwards as the crowds headed for the centre of the city to either find food, bars or their coaches to hotels or airports. We ended up in a Chinese Restaurant. Booze and big portions all for £18.
Another week of football in bars, drives and a nice little golf club outside Puerto de la Cruz. Sylvester Stallone played there during a break whilst shooting Last Blood. Santa Cruz standing in for a South American city. One of the Fast and Furious films was shot there too.
One day we woke up to rain and high winds, so we drove south to El Medano. 25 minutes and we were back in the sunshine. The winds had the kite surfers out, there were loads of them. I just wonder how they don't get tangled up in each other's lines
I then decided to show my son the wonders of Costa Adeje and had a walk around. Big Brit holiday hotspot and it was where I had my first taste of Tenerife back in 2019. Each to their own but I am so glad that I spend my time on the island in the North.
After my son had bought a very realistic football shirt off a street seller we headed for lunch in a proper local's bar in Santiago del Teide. Again so cheap for a beer, a coke and a couple of huge boccadillos. He's the one having the beer, I'm driving
So now we were committed to a circuit of the island and headed for Icod de los Vinos. Another road up in the treeline that I know well, but not as well as one particular local
I was having a fine time dispatching hire cars that were no more than moving chicanes and was making good progress. Another look in my rear view and surprise, surprise! there's a car stuck on my rear bumper. Something I never saw for the rest of my 3,500 mile trip.
I could not shake him. I'd lose him on the straights but not wanting to commit to corners as most were blind, he'd catch up. I let him pass and followed, as I presumed that he knew the road, or was completely bonkers.
A vivid green, looked hand painted, knackered old Opal Corsa with white plastic hubcaps. Young driver with one hand on the wheel and a fag in the other. I kept up with him out of interest but he wasn't slowing for the few villages where the road narrowed to one lane width.
I let him go, but caught up with him when he was stuck behind two slow moving cars, he then barreled off up a very steep side road. Either he lived up there or knew a shortcut.
We headed down into Icod so I could show my lad where I first stayed Christmas 2023, in order to immerse myself in a Spanish town for a month. The town looked really rough, which I remembered from before but I grew to like the place back then, but now I had become a bit stuck up, having moved to the 29th floor of a tower in the capital city
From here we made our way back across to Santa Cruz. A complete circuit of the island done.
Got myself a haircut, very good, and only £12 in quite a posh looking place in the middle of the new part of the city then walked about 2 miles to the outskirts to find a Lotto shop in order to buy tickets for the upcoming Saturday. Tenerife Club Deportivo vs Cordoba at the 25,000 seater stadium that I could see from the apartment.
At the ticket shop the chap running it showed me a map of the stadium and I pointed to the seats at the front near the tunnel. 'NO, no!' he kept saying, 'Too expensive! you are tourist, sit at the back, much cheaper'
I insisted and got the most expensive tickets, apart from the boxes. £22 each
Youngest son was flying over to join me and he's football mad. In the afternoon I drove to Tenerife South airport to pick him up. Always nice to watch the drunk Brits arriving and heading off to Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos, Playa de las Americas etc
So we had a fine time of more spirited drives, walks and plenty of bars where he could satiate his football needs
The Saturday we made our way to the stadium early to walk around the area and find a bar. The one we ended up in was packed with supporters of both teams. All very friendly with the added bonus that a beer and a glass of wine was £2.
It was a good match apart from the home team losing 2 - 3. Great atmosphere with the singing, flag waving and drummimg.
We did move seats at half time because we were surrounded by too many kids. We wanted to be with the Ultras
instead we got good views of the corners, of which there were a few.Great atmosphere afterwards as the crowds headed for the centre of the city to either find food, bars or their coaches to hotels or airports. We ended up in a Chinese Restaurant. Booze and big portions all for £18.
Another week of football in bars, drives and a nice little golf club outside Puerto de la Cruz. Sylvester Stallone played there during a break whilst shooting Last Blood. Santa Cruz standing in for a South American city. One of the Fast and Furious films was shot there too.
One day we woke up to rain and high winds, so we drove south to El Medano. 25 minutes and we were back in the sunshine. The winds had the kite surfers out, there were loads of them. I just wonder how they don't get tangled up in each other's lines
I then decided to show my son the wonders of Costa Adeje and had a walk around. Big Brit holiday hotspot and it was where I had my first taste of Tenerife back in 2019. Each to their own but I am so glad that I spend my time on the island in the North.
After my son had bought a very realistic football shirt off a street seller we headed for lunch in a proper local's bar in Santiago del Teide. Again so cheap for a beer, a coke and a couple of huge boccadillos. He's the one having the beer, I'm driving
So now we were committed to a circuit of the island and headed for Icod de los Vinos. Another road up in the treeline that I know well, but not as well as one particular local
I was having a fine time dispatching hire cars that were no more than moving chicanes and was making good progress. Another look in my rear view and surprise, surprise! there's a car stuck on my rear bumper. Something I never saw for the rest of my 3,500 mile trip.
I could not shake him. I'd lose him on the straights but not wanting to commit to corners as most were blind, he'd catch up. I let him pass and followed, as I presumed that he knew the road, or was completely bonkers.
A vivid green, looked hand painted, knackered old Opal Corsa with white plastic hubcaps. Young driver with one hand on the wheel and a fag in the other. I kept up with him out of interest but he wasn't slowing for the few villages where the road narrowed to one lane width.
I let him go, but caught up with him when he was stuck behind two slow moving cars, he then barreled off up a very steep side road. Either he lived up there or knew a shortcut.
We headed down into Icod so I could show my lad where I first stayed Christmas 2023, in order to immerse myself in a Spanish town for a month. The town looked really rough, which I remembered from before but I grew to like the place back then, but now I had become a bit stuck up, having moved to the 29th floor of a tower in the capital city
From here we made our way back across to Santa Cruz. A complete circuit of the island done.
Edited by croyde on Thursday 20th March 12:08
Night views from the apartment.
Good view of the TF-5 Autopista that virtually dumps us at the entrance of the parking garage.
My Spanish ability is thanks to 3 years of Duolingo, some classroom stuff and a bit of time online with a tutor in Malaga. I seem to be good at writing it and reading. Not books but signs, ingredients and instructions. I really have to think before speaking, very slowly and understanding is difficult unless I can get the speaker to slow down. Mas despacio por favor!
I don't know how to do accents on this keyboard at work
I'm seriously considering moving to Tenerife so my old bones can bask in the warmth and it's so cheap compared to London and most of the UK. I don't pop into a pub over here whilst out on a walk. A snack and a beer can easily be £14 or more, I just can't justify that.
My only real worry is the language. Here in England, it's easy to strike up a short conversation with a stranger and most importantly, make someone laugh with just a daft comment.
In Spain, I tended to keep myself to myself, worried that if I did make a comment, it would turn very difficult due to me not being able to continue with the chat.
A good example was in a lift at the apartment. They were very slow so a long time to share a small space in silence. One day I got in and a lady about my age joined me. The elevator muzak was really loud so I turned to her and said 'La musica......muy fuerte!'
She smiled, then raised her eyeballs and replied in Spanish 'Yes! the music is always very loud' and then launched into a machine gun barrage of words
Great! she thinks I'm Spanish
But I couldn't follow what she was saying. I kept nodding, smiling and threw in the odd 'Si'.
She started to look puzzled and then I picked up her next sentence. 'You don't understand a word that I am saying'.
'Si!' I said again. Then she said 'Ingleesh?' Turned out she was one of the rare people that I had come across that spoke my language
The chap that ran the golf club was English. I asked him how long it had taken him to speak Spanish.
He said that for the first 5 years he didn't bother but he married a Spanish lady and he said that she would only speak to him in Spanish. Now she won't speak to him at all..........Boom, boom!
It's these little daft exchanges that make my day in England. I'd miss that if I moved to Spain.
Good view of the TF-5 Autopista that virtually dumps us at the entrance of the parking garage.
My Spanish ability is thanks to 3 years of Duolingo, some classroom stuff and a bit of time online with a tutor in Malaga. I seem to be good at writing it and reading. Not books but signs, ingredients and instructions. I really have to think before speaking, very slowly and understanding is difficult unless I can get the speaker to slow down. Mas despacio por favor!
I don't know how to do accents on this keyboard at work
I'm seriously considering moving to Tenerife so my old bones can bask in the warmth and it's so cheap compared to London and most of the UK. I don't pop into a pub over here whilst out on a walk. A snack and a beer can easily be £14 or more, I just can't justify that.
My only real worry is the language. Here in England, it's easy to strike up a short conversation with a stranger and most importantly, make someone laugh with just a daft comment.
In Spain, I tended to keep myself to myself, worried that if I did make a comment, it would turn very difficult due to me not being able to continue with the chat.
A good example was in a lift at the apartment. They were very slow so a long time to share a small space in silence. One day I got in and a lady about my age joined me. The elevator muzak was really loud so I turned to her and said 'La musica......muy fuerte!'
She smiled, then raised her eyeballs and replied in Spanish 'Yes! the music is always very loud' and then launched into a machine gun barrage of words
Great! she thinks I'm Spanish
But I couldn't follow what she was saying. I kept nodding, smiling and threw in the odd 'Si'.
She started to look puzzled and then I picked up her next sentence. 'You don't understand a word that I am saying'.
'Si!' I said again. Then she said 'Ingleesh?' Turned out she was one of the rare people that I had come across that spoke my language
The chap that ran the golf club was English. I asked him how long it had taken him to speak Spanish.
He said that for the first 5 years he didn't bother but he married a Spanish lady and he said that she would only speak to him in Spanish. Now she won't speak to him at all..........Boom, boom!
It's these little daft exchanges that make my day in England. I'd miss that if I moved to Spain.
Edited by croyde on Thursday 20th March 18:35
You could of course do what the majority of the "expats"/immigrants do and move to a predominantly expat area....
Whilst my Spanish is of a decent standard, I ashamedly admit that I do enjoy both time in my local fully Spanish town but also enjoy heading to my local town the other direction whereby its pretty much little-England but in the sun...my Spanish would no doubt improve if I spent more time in the former, but I don't begrudge myself a night watching the Premiership in an Irish bar where no Spaniard has probably ever set foot.
Embarrassing to admit, but having a bit of banter etc is still not easy with my Spanish not being fluent. The odd joke here and there at a push but its still very much conversational rather than at a level to have in depth conversations or properly take the pee.
Funny reading your posts here as nodding as I do so. I "save" a haircut for when I am at the Spanish house, same with non-emergency dental work. We go out less in the UK knowing half the time we are in Spain and can go out there for 1/4 of the price. Winter months we save £500 PCM on the electric bill being Spain side rather than the UK. My council tax equivalent in Spain is 2 months worth in the UK.
Food shopping negligible difference, until you get to the booze aisle.
The only thing eye-wateringly expensive are cars. This being PH, that is quite an issue.
Whilst my Spanish is of a decent standard, I ashamedly admit that I do enjoy both time in my local fully Spanish town but also enjoy heading to my local town the other direction whereby its pretty much little-England but in the sun...my Spanish would no doubt improve if I spent more time in the former, but I don't begrudge myself a night watching the Premiership in an Irish bar where no Spaniard has probably ever set foot.
Embarrassing to admit, but having a bit of banter etc is still not easy with my Spanish not being fluent. The odd joke here and there at a push but its still very much conversational rather than at a level to have in depth conversations or properly take the pee.
Funny reading your posts here as nodding as I do so. I "save" a haircut for when I am at the Spanish house, same with non-emergency dental work. We go out less in the UK knowing half the time we are in Spain and can go out there for 1/4 of the price. Winter months we save £500 PCM on the electric bill being Spain side rather than the UK. My council tax equivalent in Spain is 2 months worth in the UK.
Food shopping negligible difference, until you get to the booze aisle.
The only thing eye-wateringly expensive are cars. This being PH, that is quite an issue.
Absolutely amazing write up, thanks so much for the time taken to do this.
Going through a difficult time, this has really inspired me to take the car for a European road trip having done Argyll a couple of months ago. I’ve got a month off between contracts so it may just be the perfect opportunity…
Going through a difficult time, this has really inspired me to take the car for a European road trip having done Argyll a couple of months ago. I’ve got a month off between contracts so it may just be the perfect opportunity…
Stablinski said:
Absolutely amazing write up, thanks so much for the time taken to do this.
Going through a difficult time, this has really inspired me to take the car for a European road trip having done Argyll a couple of months ago. I’ve got a month off between contracts so it may just be the perfect opportunity…
If you have time off, do it mate. I drove for a living in the 80s, and looking back, they were my happiest of times. This trip brought that all back Going through a difficult time, this has really inspired me to take the car for a European road trip having done Argyll a couple of months ago. I’ve got a month off between contracts so it may just be the perfect opportunity…
croyde said:
If you have time off, do it mate. I drove for a living in the 80s, and looking back, they were my happiest of times. This trip brought that all back
Me, my Alpine and some time on my own. Sounds like heaven. I definitely need something positive right now. I need to start planning!
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