Tenerife, Canary Islands

I have lived in Tenerife for nigh on 20 years now.  Sometimes I am shocked to realize how much it has changed over that time.  It was a busy tourist destination back then, but the sun-sand-sangria bunch used to confine themselves to the popular resorts, Playa de las Americas mainly.  Lots still do.  They don't know what they're missing. The beauty of this island is striking, the contrasting landscapes in such a small space  are amazing, and the mix of cultures is fascinating.  I suppose those of us who have visited and stayed have added to the mix, though I doubt that recent ex-pats from the UK have contributed much of value.

The climate is almost idyllic.  Talking with travellers, none can tell me about a better one.  We are on the same latitude, almost, as Orlando, Florida, but don't have nearly as much rainfall. For the most part there is a breeze, which stops the temperatures from reaching unpleasant levels - air con is by no means a given here.

This is where I shall be for the next few months.  It is home, in as much as this is where I am, raised my kids, have friends, am part of a community, but I carry this yearning to be elsewhere.  Some say that if you live on an island you have to leave every so often to get back to "reality", but what or where is that?