I've been exploring some of the coastal towns to the east of the airport. They are reachable from the TF1 motorway, and the other day, it was the turn of Salida 9 - the exit leading to Candelaria
It's 'Salida 9' according to the maps, but salida 40-something according to the roadsign - still; just follow the sign to Candelaria, which is a sizable town.
And what a nice town it is, too! When walking around, you get a strong impression of history in Candelaria. This makes a nice change from 'everything built after 1960', which can sometimes be the case - especially in the south.
As usual, I went for the coast, and after a little searching, found a parking place. Within a minute, we came across the main town plaza.
Wow! (see 'Plaza Panorama')
There were cafes around the plaza, and we decided on some lunch. Most cafes had a tapas selection, and we chose portions (big!) of paella, crab, chicken wings, carne cabra in herby salsa and achiovies - all with bread rolls and washed down with beer, wine & coffees. Wonderfully cooked, and the service was attentive and bilingual (though I always use the little Spanish I have when visiting)
Makes my mouth water again just to write about it!
The plaza has (I think) seven huge bronze statues on lavarock plinths guarding the seafront. (see pic #1) Walking to the west, the promenade ends with a giant cave (like the one in Playa San Juan)
Walking east takes you along pedestrianised streets, with touristy shops - I suppose it's a kind of ramblas for the town. You end up at the harbour end of town (see pic #2) which is very pretty.
On the way, we saw the agricultuaral market (see pic #3) which is open every day.
Candelaria is the sort of place you could spend a whole day at. It's a lovely town - very pretty and historic. A few tourists there (mainly Spanish & German) but nothing like the Southern towns, and it has the 'Spanish feel' of Guimar.
I'll be coming back for a closer look at Candelaria, after reading up on the history a little more.
Link to Plaza Panorama:
http://www.charcodelvalle.com/webroot/panos/salida09a/ Link to Habour Panorama:
http://www.charcodelvalle.com/webroot/panos/salida09/ (if you browser wants to install the 'quicktime plugin' - just say 'yes')