Back to Back Issues Page
The TIC Newsletter -, Spring, 2016
April 01, 2016

The Magic of Tenerife - issue #40
April 1st, 2016

Hi everybody. A special welcome to the new sign-ups, for whom this is their first newsletter. Okay, let's just do a quick outline of what's happening in Tenerife during April, May and June.

Well, there are two major festivals on the cards. The first is Corpus Cristi. The best place for this is La Orotava, where the world famous street carpets take place. Intricate designs are created on the streets of the town, using both coloured sand from the area around Mount Teide and colourful petals. True, it is, by definition, temporary, but well worth a visit, if you haven't seen it already. This takes place on June 2nd.

A bit later in June, the 24th, we have the Fiesta de San Juan. If you get yourself to Puerto de La Cruz, you'll be able to partake of street food and drink. Many people go in the sea during this event, to "cleanse" themselves. There's also live music and partying. If you're still in the area the following morning, you'll have the pleasure of seeing a load of goats being driven down into the sea for a good wash (even though they don't want to). If you can't get up to the north, there's a smaller event in Los Cristianos.

Right at the end of June, beginning on the 27th, is the Starmus Festival, lasting until the 4th of July. It's not cheap. If you're into astronomy and space, you might think it's reasonable to pay from €500, considering you get to mix with astronauts and Nobel Prize winners. Venues include the Piramide de Arona and the Mare Nostrum Resort. You can go on the website for more information (www.starmus.com).

Spain's Government Shambles

The rest of this newsletter is going to be a bit political, I'm afraid. I don't know how many of you know of the state of the Spanish government at the moment. The recent general election resulted in neither of the main parties gaining a majority, so, at the moment, there's no single party running the country. The prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, is still occupying that position, but things are still pretty volatile. How this will affect holidaymakers or ex-pats will remain to be seen.

"Brexit"

Here's another thing looming in the next couple of months. I know it only affects Brits, so I apologise to non-Brits who have subscribed to this newsletter. The idea of Britain leaving the EU is an extremely contentious affair. People in the UK have become increasingly frustrated with overriding laws laid down by Brussels, which many think are ridiculous. The laughable "health and safety" regulations are mostly down to them. But, there's something to think about, if Britain were no longer part of the EU, once again regarding holidaymakers, ex-pats, or people who own property for rental. For a start, for holidaymakers who enjoy free health care, using the EHIC card - that won't apply any more. Similarly, for retirees in Tenerife, the payment of their UK pensions into a Tenerife bank account won't be as straightforward. Regarding people who own property and rent it out (like my other half, Alison), who knows what will be the consequences? There's also the fact to consider, forecast by financial experts, that, if Britain withdrew, the value of the pound would plummet. So, despite the fact that I would, personally, like us to stop having to answer to Brussels, there are a lot more things to consider.

Ooh. That's a bit of a serious way to end this newsletter. Sorry. Next time (July 1st), the referendum will have happened, so the summer newsletter may prove to be quite interesting. So, until next time...

Back to Back Issues Page