November usually makes a good time, to leave the bad weather at home and have a trip elsewhere. As such – already back in March – I did go ahead, booking a trip to Svalbard … looking for the experience of all-day twilight, a great mix of outdoor activities and a chance, to get more than a glimpse of the Northern lights.

As it turned out, I was the only one, interested in that experience … the trip never took place – and I ended up looking for other options – ultimately deciding for a trip to the Canary Islands – covering the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera and a bit of Gran Canaria.

And now was the time – it took a flight of four hours, to get to Tenerife – and El Médano, a smallish tourist town with mainly surfers and kite surfers. After moving into my room, I got out, to explore town, walk along the beaches and make my way up two nearby small mountains – Montaña Bocinegro (36m above sea level) and Montaña Roja (171m above sea level) – to get a view of the surrounding area.

The group got together for the usual tour briefing before dinner; dinner was a bit of a disappointment, pretty much a canteen buffet – from here it could only get better (and – spoiler – it did).