The Cathedral of Santa Ana - (Holy Cathedral-Basilica of Canary or Cathedral of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) is a Roman Catholic cathedral. It is the see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Canarias and is situated within the Vegueta neighbourhood, next to the Plaza Mayor of Santa Ana.

The feast of the cathedral's dedication is celebrated every November 26. The structure of Gothic style is considered the most important monument of Canarian religious architecture.

The structure was finished, and the first offices celebrated, on the eve of Corpus Christi, 1570, in the time of the fourteenth Bishop, Fr. Juan de Alzolares. The eighteenth century saw the reconstruction and refurbishment of the cathedral after the Bishop, controlling a large tithe surplus, decided to commence work, overseen by Dean D. Geronimo Roos. The architect of the existing cathedral was Don Diego Nicolas Eduardo. Eduardo's plans were submitted to the St Ferdinand Academy of Madrid, who retained the original drawings, and returned copies for the commencement of the work itself.

Building works began around 1500, but were not completed until almost four centuries later. For this purpose, the intervention of different architects and skilled artists were necessary. The result of this is that there are three architectural styles in the cathedral: Gothic, Renaissance and neoclassical.

Photo taken on 17/11/2023. © Peter Steel 2023.

© All Rights Reserved

Plaza de España is the largest square in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the Canary Islands. The square is located in the centre of of the city, 1.4 km north of the Auditorio de Tenerife. It is considered one of the "main squares" of the island of Tenerife, together with the Plaza del Cristo de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, and the Plaza de la Patrona de Canarias, Candelaria. It hosts an artificial lake fountain(Seen here), which is a work of Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron.

This photo was taken on 16/11/2023. © Peter Steel 2023.

© All Rights Reserved

On this side of this large column is a plaque with the sculpted face of Santiago García Sanabria, and on the opposite side, there is a woman who is a tribute to fertility. This monument was made in 1938 by the sculptor Francisco Borges Salas. It was designed by the architect Marrero Regalado.

Parque García Sanabria is a public urban park in the heart of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It was inaugurated in 1926. It is a large garden area, combined with fountains and architectural groups. The park is listed as a site of cultural interest in the Government of the Canary Islands.

Its name derives from the Mayor Garcia Sanabria, who approved its construction. It is the largest urban park in the Canary Islands. It has an area of 67,230 square metres (723,700 sq ft). In 1973 an international sculptural exposition took place there. Some sculptures, thirteen or so, were displayed on that occasion to adorn all corners and walks in the park.

This park was a lovely park that I found when going on a bit of a wander. A must visit next time for me.

Photo taken on 16/11/2023. © Peter Steel 2023.

© All Rights Reserved

Fillet cooked medium. With Tiger Prawns in a Garlic Butter, Fondant Potato, Savoy Cabbage, Truffle Emulsion, Carrots, Fine Green Beans, and a Glossy Lobster Butter Jus. Also very nice indeed. Just how I like my fillet. This was from a Celebration Night(Black Tie) menu.

Aqua Restaurant is on the port side towards the aft end.

MS Iona was making steady progress, at a speed of around 12 knots having departed from the Ocean Cruise Terminal, Southampton. in the early evening of the 11/11/2023. Now off the coast off Portugal.

MS Iona was completed on 09/10/2020 by Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany. She was laid down on 29/05/2019, launched on 18/02/2020 and Christened by Dame Irene Hays(Hays Travel), on 16/05/2021 with her maiden voyage on the 07/08/2021. She is from the Excellence Class of cruise ships and is British registered in Southampton. She has a GTW of 184,089, has nineteen decks of which eighteen are passenger accessible, eleven of those with cabins, giving a maximum passenger capacity of 5,206 and 1,762 crew. She is powered by Wärtsilä LNG engines giving a total installed power of 67.1MW(82,700hp) giving a service speed of around 17 knots.

This photo was taken on 13/11/2023 when on a 14-night cruise to the Canary Islands, Portugal and Spain. First stop; Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, on 16/11/2023.

The itinerary was: Southampton - Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain - Arrecife, Lanzarote, Spain - Funchal, Madeira, Portugal - Lisbon, Portugal - A Coruña, Spain - Southampton. This itinerary was a change from the original scheduled one to a maritime pilots strike in Portugal. It should have been Funchal first then the other three islands in order then Cadiz, Spain and an overnight stay in Lisbon. © Peter Steel 2023.

© All Rights Reserved

My starter: Served with Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes and Crispy Chorizo. Very Nice. Price £4.00.

The Glass House is a nice contemporary and cover charge restaurant headed up by award-winning wine expert and passionate foodie, Olly Smith. Olly was actually on this cruise doing hosted talks and dinners. On Iona, and sister ship Arvia, The Glass House is part of the main atrium.

This photo was taken on 11/11/2023, looking aft on the port side, not long after entering the English Channel after departure from Southampton for a 14-night cruise to the Canary Islands, Portugal and Spain onboard P&O Cruises MS Iona - IMO: 9826548.

MS Iona was completed on 09/10/2020 by Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany. She was laid down on 29/05/2019, launched on 18/02/2020 and Christened by Dame Irene Hays(Hays Travel), on 16/05/2021 with her maiden voyage on the 07/08/2021. She is from the Excellence Class of cruise ships and is British registered in Southampton. She has a GTW of 184,089, has nineteen decks of which eighteen are passenger accessible, eleven of those with cabins, giving a maximum passenger capacity of 5,206 and 1,762 crew. She is powered by Wärtsilä LNG engines giving a total installed power of 67.1MW(82,700hp) giving a service speed of around 17 knots.

The itinerary was: Southampton - Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain - Arrecife, Lanzarote, Spain - Funchal, Madeira, Portugal - Lisbon, Portugal - A Coruña, Spain - Southampton. This itinerary was a change from the original scheduled one to a maritime pilots strike in Portugal. It should have been Funchal first then the other three islands in order then Cadiz, Spain and an overnight stay in Lisbon. © Peter Steel 2023.

© All Rights Reserved