Von Marlis Zoschke
When places grow in size, everyone expects greater prosperity. Naturally, in the midst of all the excitement, people fail to see the downsides that can follow. Alongside the many well-behaved holidaymakers in need of a break, there are always criminals, drunkards and troublemakers.
When we were told many years ago that a large holiday resort was to be built in this desert part of the south of Tenerife, it seemed unimaginable. The whole area was barren and desolate, yet you wouldn’t have realised that construction was in full swing. This new resort was to be called „Playa de las Americas“.
The birth of Las Verónicas in Tenerife
One day we learnt that a good restaurant had opened near the beach, called „Verónicas“. We took a taxi there. After all the very simple restaurants in the south, this was quite an experience for us.
We sat on the terrace and marvelled at the beautiful starry sky. But time flies. Just one year later, everything looked completely different. Las Americas had grown, and everything we’d once liked was gone.
But you can’t make money from individualists. Many of our German acquaintances, who also had a flat here, withdrew and shunned this place, which they saw as having become Americanised.
Are holidays in the Canary Islands too cheap?
Basically, the flights are far too cheap as well. That’s the only reason the island is so overcrowded. Because anyone can cater for themselves on a budget.
Right at the start of our time there, it was difficult to get to Tenerife. A scheduled flight cost nearly 1,000 marks and the journey took many hours, sometimes with two stopovers. What’s more, there was only one service, twice a week.
We always booked a cheap hotel in Puerto de la Cruz, which cost between 500 and 600 marks in total. We never actually saw it, as we only needed the flight. Two days before our return flight, the tour operator in Puerto was phoned to check whether we were on the departure list.
There have been occasions when some people have had a run of bad luck and haven’t been able to land at their home airport. Some friends had to go to Berlin and find a hotel there. In our case, the tour operator went bust and we were stranded at the airport. Another company gave us a lift, but only as far as Düsseldorf. A coach took us to Hanover. We eventually made it home.
A completely different era in Canary Islands tourism
In the early days, it was also the era of aeroplane hijackings. Flights could last up to seven hours. Before boarding the aeroplane, everyone had to identify their checked-in luggage, which was standing in front of the aircraft, and carry it onto the plane. Any suitcase that wasn’t handed over in person was left behind. That rarely happened.
Then came the stopovers, where we had to refuel. Each aircraft was only given enough fuel for half the journey. That’s how we got to know so many airports.
We still had a lovely time in Tenerife. It was always an adventure at the start. We met lots of lovely people. And so the memories are mostly good ones. My Las Verónicas from back then is one of them. But it has nothing to do with today:
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