Wightwick Manor

We also spent the day at Wighwick in the gardens. I love the house there but it was shut so we wondered around the gardens and had a picnic. Picnics seem to be the key to this summer.

The kitchen garden is great there. I would love to be able to grow veg like that. And they had seem lovely photos. I got some good bug and flower shots. (Dad got me flash gun and is going to teach me macro-photography. So I am practicing.)

Bee butt. 

Observing at La Palma

I spent Monday night "observing" which turned out, thanks to the weather, to mean playing on my laptop all night. But we did get to go and have a look around some of the other telescopes beforehand. First was the William Herschel Telescope.

Outside the WHT

The primary/biggest mirror is 4.2m. The little mirror at the top is 1m across. The photos really need a little person for scale.

William Herschel telescope.

The telescope weights 79513 kg and the mounting for it weighs 186,250 kg. Not light things. And it is mounted on top of a 3 story building. I tried not looking down.

Not for those with vertigo.

You have to be careful where you go! Because the telescope rotates, there are regular gates that don't lead to anything but a long fall if you aren't careful.

gate to no where

And who said astronomy had cutting edge, state of the art technology? It might have done in the 80s. But we still use it. Waste not, want not.

Some of the equipment is very high tech

They all have a kitchen (which is very appreciated) and often a sitting area and library. This was hanging in the WHT library. They are very proud of it.

Brain May likes it here.

Super exciting reading to keep you awake all night.

Next we went to  look around the Gran Telescopio Canarias where we were observing later that night.

Gran Telescopio Canarias. (GranTeCan)

It's actually much bigger than WHT. The GTC mirror is 36 segments making up a 10.4m (410in) mirror. I only really realized the size when I found one of the segments (it was taller than me). This things is massive. The whole thing weighs 400 tonnes!

Inside

Huge!

Looking up at some of the mirrors

We took a walk up to the caldera (photos in another post) and had dinner back down at the accommodation. We also picked up our Super Snacks for the night. (Seriously, that's what they call them.) I may have over estimated a bit but I was glad I did as Dario underestimated and ended up eating some of mine. None of it was wasted or left at the end of the night.

Super Snack

I am not sure what most people think observing is like but I bet it isn't like this.

Real life of an astronomer.

We basically sit in a room where we can't even see the telescope and look at computer screens. It's a very impressive set up but when you see a movie where people actually look through the telescope, you know they have not done their homework. 

There is one screen which is very important and that tells you the weather. We want the seeing to be under one. (Seeing is basically how much a star twinkles. We want it not to twinkle! And it is caused by movement in the atmosphere, usually wind.) As you can see by the image below, 'TNG = 3.122" ' is not good! I have never actually see it above 2" before. It was very windy! 

Though the picture is cool. The stripe across the circle is the milky way. Unfortunately given the weather I couldn't face going outside to look. It was way too  cold.

Not great wether readings.

So for most of the night, we didn't do much. I got some work done before my brain gave up at 1am. And then played on my laptop to stay awake. We began at about 2am though who knows what the data will be like? Of course it cleared up at about 4.30am just when we were thinking about giving up for the night and going to (a much dreamed about) bed. So we ended up staying until 7.30am. 

One thing about the mountain is the bugs. Who seem to love being near me. Some of the ants were ... the size of some dogs. We put a euro coin (same roughly as a pound or quarter) next to it for scale. So you can truly understand my "Ewwwww!". I kept an eye on it all night (yes, it was in the control room) but thankfully it seemed asleep.

Ant, with euro coin ()

My room was very nice, but in the bathroom I found 2 cockroaches (I can't get away from them) which were promptly killed with the glass and then after observing, a very large beetle. I put the glass on it, intending on just leaving it. But I kept hearing this voice. 

"I don't understand. There is some invisible barrier. What's going on?!?! I was just walking home and Bam!"

(I was punchy and sleep deprived at this point. Just go with it.) I ended up feeling extremely guilty so I had to put it out. Which required some interesting maneuvering as the doors are very heavy and lock behind you. But I managed not to lock myself out. And passed out for a few hours.

Dog sized beetle.

On Tuesday we had to leave at about 4pm (I didn't wake up until 12.30pm), so after breakfast (or lunch depending on how you look at it), we lounged around before heading back. The drive is not for the faint hearted or those that get travel sick. (I let Dario sit in front as I have never been travel sick yet.)
The flight back was uneventful and we landed in typical La Laguna weather: cloud. I mean literally we were in a cloud that was just sitting on the mountain. Very similar to English drizzle only much more fun. 

La Laguna

I moved back into Roachville (its new nickname) on Thursday. I have found a few dead ones and ones half dead which was quickly helped to the fully dead stage. The landlord apparently said they didn't see any. More likely they decided to say that to appease the freaked out English girl. Still, I think I have it under control. I have multiple traps set up in each room (and a lot in my bedroom). And I spray twice a day. Nothing is going to live in here. Though I have to be careful. Because no you do not get high on bug spray (or I would have been floating all week). You just get a head ache. Still preferably to bugs.

Today I went in to La Laguna, which is only a few stops on the tram. I found an amazing shop where I foresee spending a fair bit of money. But only got a new hat (which I am sure will be seen in later photos) and a few notebooks this time. Most things were shut so I get lunch and found a new favorite restaurant. I had a very nice though huge salad. And because they split a teaspoon size amount of my drink they gave another one on the house. And then I gave up my table for a couple (its a English thing, but when someone is just sitting and not eating/drinking, and you need a table, rude!). So they gave my my barroquito on the house too!

BTW, barroquito is my new addiction. It's coffee with normal milk and condensed milk. So good. The proper ones also have a dash of brandy so I want to try one of those. But I am happy with the nonalcoholic ones. I am taking a barroquito consensus in La Laguna! :)

Anyway, here are some photos of La Laguna. I want to go inside the 2 huge churches but I have get to figure out when they are not having mass. Apparently they really like mass!

Colorful streets 

The most beautiful tourist information centre ever! 

For the kids.

Fountain outside my last hotel

A lot of places have these trees growing out of their roofs. 

Little church

More color in the streets

Church de la concepcion.  (I think)

More colorful houses

Apparently hot dogs are a huge deal here.

Statue to the Pope.

Typical street.

Other church

Moving again and Roaches

On Saturday I moved into my new apartment in La Laguna, very near the Institute. On Monday morning, I moved out again in a hotel for a few nights.
Sunday was ok. Rodrigo, who I will be sharing the flat with, flew to Scotland early in the morning and I had the place to myself. I didn't see anything nastier than a little spider.

Then I woke up Monday morning and nearly stepped on a cockroach in the kitchen. I had bare feet. There was a LOT of screaming and jumping about before dropping a very heavy chopping board on it. And then I found a second. The screaming and killing was repeated. At that point I grabbed some things and ran! Really fast!
I can deal with most bugs. But there is just something so gross about cockroaches. And they move really fast. Hate them!!!! I sometimes really hate living alone. You have to deal with everything yourself. I have to meet the landlord (lots more charades I guess) this afternoon.

I have moved to a hotel for a few nights until they exterminate the bugs and I decided whether I can face going back or try to find somewhere new to stay. The hotel is nice, though the shower seems to periodically shoot jets of boiling water. I guess a few minor burns are a small price to pay for sleeping cockroach free. But the hotel also has a spa so I have booked a welcome massage (great discount) and hopefully I can use the pool and sauna. Also my tub in my room has jets!!! I see a night in with wine and a book happening.

But the good news is I finally have everything (paperwork-wise) sorted to work here until Christmas. I still have to do a medical checkup (which is going to be interesting given the language barrier) but I think all the important stuff is done. Including the travel certificate so hopefully I will be able to go observing next week. :)

N.B: I have just meet the landlords and they are going to set off an industrial bug bomb in the apartment. Death to the Cockroaches!!!!!!

Santa Cruz

Today I had a slow day. I explored Santa Cruz a bit this morning and worked this afternoon (after a long nap!). I think I have made the right choice moving to La Laguna in 10 days time. Though Santa Cruz is very nice (and I think the weather may be better here), it's very similar to La Laguna and doesn't have a real sea front/harbor/beach which would be it's greatest selling point to me. So I have just saved myself the 1hr round trip every day.

I do love the buildings here. They are so colorful. (You can expect to see many more photos of lovely old buildings in the next few months I am sure!)

Colorful

:)

The first thing I did was go down the the water front. Unfortunately it is basically an industrial commercial port. Not the nicest place to be. I was hoping at least for a nice marina with restaurants but it seems the prettier parts are the small streets.

The water front

View along the "harbor"

Not very pretty. :(

I have been very surprised by the amount of graffiti everywhere. I don't ind it if it is artistic. But most seems to be gang style tags - not pretty and very unimaginative. However there are some which really are art and well done. 

I ended up stumbling on the museum of Tenerife. It was cheap and cool (both literally and figuratively) and had a cafe. So I walked around (after a coffee) and pretended to understand it. The lady at the front desk said there were English translations (at least I think she did) but I couldn't find them. So I probably didn't get the most out of the trip but it was fun all the same. They had some interesting exhibits (even without the language). I found out there are scorpions in Tenerife. Just when I think I have moved somewhere where things won't try to kill me!

Giant scorpion (in case you missed the point)

My hotel is uncomfortably near one of those dots.

They also had an amazing fossil collection. Yes. I geeked out. But seriously, some of these were the best I have ever seen. I think anyone in their right mind would geek out. (And I wasn't the only one there doing so. OK, so the others were kids, but still...)

Plants

Tiny dinosaur maybe

Lizard.

Mineral collection

There was a section on the ocean wildlife around the Canary Islands. I am not sure if they were all to scale (the dolphins seemed extremely big) but maybe. I loved the shark and fish heads. Which sounds weird. I think they were trying to show the teeth (it all got lost in translation) but I just liked the expressions. :)

Happy shark (or fish)

Shocked!

I finally went out to eat tonight. I am always slightly amazed and often disappointed by the attitudes of restaurants to people (or women - not sure which) dining alone. I have found this particularly in Spanish countries, but Europe in general. Tonight I thought it might be because of me not speaking great/much Spanish, but the couple next to be didn't even try! At least I gave it a go.
I get a lot less courtesy and attention than couples and often have to repeat multiple times that yes, it's just for one person. Yes a person can be single and still go out and enjoy herself. Sorry. It really irritates. But guess I am going to have to get used to it. Because I have to eat. Sigh!