Family Winery at Mount Etna in Italy

 At the Island Wines Summit in Tenerife, the Canary Islands, i saw several dormant and active volcanoes.

I met a young man from, Italy, second generation of a vineyard family. He had the word ETNA tattooed on his wrist.

I asked him, 'is it an active volcano?'

''Yes.'

I gasped, 'Aren't you afraid of an active volcano?'

He shook his head and smiled. 'No, I am not afraid of an active volcano. I'm more afraid of people.'

His family winery is in my husband's book about island wines, Isle Drink, by Trevor Sharot. Which you can buy online from Amazon.

His name is Andrea Foti, and the winery is I Vigneri.

Website www.ivigneri.it

He is one of the up and coming new generation of winemakers. He was a panellist who spoke at the conference.

He gave me a tee-shirt in lovely blue.

The message is minus meaning less arrogance. And plus, more of the local grape.

Sunsets In Tenerife and Singapore and Su

 

Sunset from the balcony of a junior suite in the Gran Taoro Hotel, Tenerife, Canary Islands. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Sunset in Tenerife. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Sunset in Tenerife. Photo by zAngela Lansbury.

Trevor Sharot, author of Isle Drink, in Tenerife.

Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Angela Lansbury, author of books on travel, wedding etiquette, wedding speeches and toasts, quotations, poetry and writing poetry

Enjoying Spanish Cava and sunset in Tenerife. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Sunset seen in the opposite direction. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Sunset at 9.27 pm in Tenerife. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Sunset at 9.44 pm in Tenerife. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

TENERIFE Sunset at 9.48.

Sunset down by the swimmimg pools of hotel Gran Taoro.

Tenerife, Canary Islands

Singapore Sunset

I remember in Singapore where I was a Permanent Resident for 30 years, sunseet was 7 pm all year. Many of my online Toastmasters International speakers' clubs met at 7 pm, or went online at 7 pm for a start at 7.30 prompt. When the light faded outside the windows and balconies I knew it was time to switch on my computer. Like in the days before watches. In the tropical country I could tell the time of day and night accurately by the sun.

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Packing Precautions - Spare Pills

 

Spare pills packed. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

1 always travel with an extra week's supply of pills. I used to take one extra day, so that I had a spare pill the morning after a midnight flight, even if I thought I would be home before mid-day. 

Now, aftter several experiences of changed plans, I am even more cautious about having a plenntiful supply of prescription only pills.

Why? I might be unlucky and have a cancelled flight. 

I might be lucky and get inited to a weekend party, or wedding and stay on longer. 

On my last trip, my husband was invited to a conference. We briefly considered whether he should stay on and I should go home. But our car was at the airport. Besides, I was happy to extend the holiday.

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Hotels helping the handicapped

In Tenerife, the largest of the Spanish Canary islands in the Atlantic on your map west of the North west African coast  I stayed at the Gran Hotel Taoro, named after the local area.

Gran Hotel Taori, Tenerife,  poolside restaurant menu.

The five star hotel has a slope into the swimming pool. What is it for?

A guest told me, "Most people in wheelchairs have difficulty standing. But once in water in a swimming pool they are supported by water, even better by sea water, or can swim or float with their arms, or a buoyancy aid.'

Slopes lead down to the pool area.

I had previously stayed at another hotel on Tenerife which had good slopes. It was was the El Mirador. 

El Mirador

The only niggle was a small change in level in the bedroom, and into the bedroom shower, and the bedroom toilet area. 

Wheelchair Access

You could use the ground floor wheelchair accessible toilet beside the main buffet breakfast restaurant.

The bedroom toilet of the junior suite had a bidet. 

The public ground floor toilet instead had the usual arrangement of the toilet and wasbasin in one area. 

The wrapped combs and toothbrushes were handy for making you look and feel good.

I had had an accident falling downstairs at a previous hotel, a parador on another Canary Island, La Palma. So the first day at El Mirador, on Tenerife, I was in the acute phase of pain. I struggled with the heavy door of the El Miador downstairs public toilet. However, a day or two later as I got better, the door was no problem.

In addition to the slopes, at the Mirador the staff were helpful with valet parking, luggage trolleys providing a wheelchair with footrests, and wheeling thevwheelchsir.

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More Museums of Illusions

 I went to Absurfia in Tenerife.

 The owner has another similar entertainment in the Czech Republic.

 If you are an addict looking for more, or want to try your first nearer your destination, you will find others in London, Belgium and elsewhere.

London 

Twist Museum

Brussels, Belgium.

Useful Websites

https://illusionbrussels.be/en

Find my iphone - finds lost phone owners

 

Where are my keys and my phone? Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Find my phone

Soetime your phone is missing when you are about to leave home. Is it already in your bag or coat? Left in the car last night? Beside the bed? On the breakfast table,? In the bathroom? We find it by calling from another phone.

However, before 8 a.m. only alarms will ring because it is in sleep mode.

Maybe the answer is using Find my phone.

What other uses has find my phone?

Finding Missing People

I read about three people who went missing on Tenerife. One friend of a missing person commented that having find my phone could help trace somebody. So, especially if you know an elderly or vulnerable person living overseas, or alone, or at home, consider asking them to buy it, or offer to buy it for them.

Finding Luggage

Cellphone trackers can be added to your suitcases. So if the luggage disappears, you know where it has gone.

The tracker also speeds up finding luggage at the airport. It could be sitting beside another carousel, or with large items. 

FIND Room Numbers and keys

Forgotten your room number? Left your room key in a bag or jacket?

Finding Missing Pets

You can also buy tags for dogs. In the UK identifiers have been issued for free.

Find my Car

You could also use it to find your car, your rental car.  

We once had a voice responsive key finder. The problem was, it played tunes constantly every time you spoke.

Now I wish we still had one and programmed it to redpond quietly or only to certain words such as find lost spouse, find lost child, find lost suitcase, key, pet.

Useful Websites

https://www.top10.com/parental-control/comparison?bkw=cell%20phone%20tracker

https://www.template.net/id-cards/dog

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Wine ànd sex in Tenerife at Monje Bodegas winery.

 

Monje Bodegas Winery Entrance. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

A great place to stop any day or evening in Tenerife is the Monje Bodegas Winery. Bodega is Spanish for winery. Monje is the family name. It means monk, but if there were any monks in the family they are long forgotten. You can see a picture of the current owner and his father.

The Shop's Attractive Gifts

I was entranced by the red and yellow ceramic jewellery. I bought a necklace, bracelet and ring, all in similar vivid colours. The bright colours is one of the things you notice about Tenerife. 

Their shop sells wonderful wines, tee-shirts, and jewellery. You can also buy wine tours in English and Spanish.

The Restaurant

Indoors and on the terrace, is a reasonably priced terrace restaurant with a panoramic view of the ocean and coastal beach panorama far below. 

Angela Lansbury at the winery in Tenerife.

The Shop

They sell Vinotinte long silk scarves tinted with wine two sizes at 49 euros, and 59.90. Also hairbands like scrunchies for ponytails at 15 euros.

The wine tinted scarves and scrunchies at Monje Bodegas winery shop. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Evening Events Wine and Sex- 

The wonderful restaurant is closed Mondays and all of August.

The Evening Events In The Wine Club cellar

This holds wine and sex dinner shows four times a year with a different theme each season. 

Dracula in 2025, Kleopatra in 2026. You can also hire the cellar for weddings, birthdays or events.