We were back to higher ground today, making our way to San Cristóbal de La Laguna (or just La Laguna in short). We kicked things off with a quest for cheese, wine, bread and vegetables at the municipal market – preparing for a picnic lunch later on.

With the shopping done and safely stored in the trunk of the bus, we moved to exploring the historic center of town with its nicely renovated buildings, a good portion of which dating back to the 16th century.

Obviously the stars of the walk around town were the religious buildings – Santa Clara convent, the cathedral to San Cristobal de La Laguna (the one with the big Christmas bauble in front), the former convent of St. Agustín – and of course the church of conception (and that better be an immaculate one) with its bell tower and great views from the top. We also passed by Casa Salazar, a building from the 17th century and today the seat of the bishop.

The city had gotten full by now – with more (and bigger) tourist groups coming in (well – to be expected, with two big cruise ships in Santa Cruz). We resorted to have a coffee, to then get back on the bus, away from the crowd and to the Merendero Pedro Alvarez forest recreation area for a quiet and deserved picnic lunch.