With a spring-like climate year round, and a setting of rare natural beauty, Santa Cruz de Tenerife was a unexpectedly pleasant discovery for me. I came to visit my friend Hiromi Hayashi, a Japanese food journalist who I co-wrote a book with in 1991. She lives in Santa Cruz de Tenerife half the year - just off the pedestrian street you see above. In no way did I expect to find the lavish attention on greenery in city planning. Not only are most streets lined with trees, bushes and flowers, but even some buildings spill green off their sides, as you see below.
In the crowded center, with its narrow streets, a transformation has come about...there are trees, quality paving stones, planters everywhere, and benches for people to enjoy their beautiful city. My impression is that much of the beautification and greening has occurred in the last decade or so. This is Spain at its best.
A picture of Hiromi on the edge of a plaza near her home.
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