1. We rise at 5.30 to catch a quick breakfast, fire up our headlamps and venture into the freezing night to conquer the last 500m between us and the summit by sunrise.2. We make it slightly after sunrise which is just as well because it is difficult to stay long at the summit because of hurricane force wind and terrible cold.3. We descend a different route to take the scenic Old Peak in (a huge crater). We get lost a little among the rough terrain and badly marke...

1. We set out to climb the mighty Teide volcano.2. We struggle a little with altitude but finally reach the mountain hut after just 3.5hours of hiking from the highway....3. ...where we find the refuge locked for another hour (opening at 5pm) and freeze out butts off while talking to a super nice Czech couple.4. We cook a nice dinner, marvel at the refuge's coin operated wifi hotspot and exorbitantly priced coffee machines and bond with other hikers over Xmas...

1. We visit the much hyped Loro Park and while I find the orca and dolphin shows quite depressing I gotta say surfing on a dolphin is definitely one of my must-acquire skills plus the meerkats, the sharks and the tigers were pretty f***ing sweet.2. We take a walk in the scenic Cruz del Carmen area, enjoying balmy woods and alpine climate.3. We spend the Xmas eve on the beautiful Teresitas beach and eat dinner in a cosy little restaurant in Puerto de la Cruz. Wine...

1. I make sure dad enjoys the underwater world without getting his feet wet as we board the yellow submarine. Roncadores, barracudas and rays abound as we marvel at the underwater world.2. Straight from there we climb 2000 to find ourselves in a lunar - or Martian - landscape of the Teide national park, awed by the island's iconic Roques de Garcia viewpoint.3. While taking photos at one of the roadside lookouts I fail to notice a huge rock, trip over it and g...

1. I do more diving including one drift dive where I'm close to freaking out (strong current, deco) and one night dive with a million cuttlefish.2. We visit the beautiful cliffs of Los Gigantes at sunset and meet two other Polish couples with Santa hats.3. We experience the relaxed Spanish driving style which vividly reminds me of Belgium - parking is allowed anywhere and turn signals are strictly optional.