Granted, Tenerife is not usually associated with more high brow interests but visitors to the capital, Santa Cruz are in for a treat.
Down on the seafront, the Auditorium, which looks like a mini version of the Sydney Opera House, provides a spectacular venue for local artists as well as touring orchestras, musicians and productions. During our recent shoot we were treated to a tour of the main concert hall and can testify that the acoustics, as you would expect, are amazing.
And now the Auditorium has been joined by the capital's latest cultural attraction, the innovative TEA (Tenerife Espacia de las Artes). The building itself is as much of an attraction as the art and sculpture on display. Created by architects, Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron (the men behind projects such as the Tate Modern in London and 'Birds Nest' Olympic Stadium in Beijing), the interior was designed to stimulate sensations and movement by expanding dynamic spaces towards the exterior. Diagonal components across the floor plan and several slopes allow the outside world to seep into the interior and spread across the outdoor patio. The light-filled interior houses a series of permanent and temporary exhibitions. It is also home to Tenerife's main library - lucky students who get to study here - as well as a shop, cafe area and partially covered Plaza.
These two buildings combined with a visit to the nearby university town and UNESCO listed, La Laguna make for a great day out, easily accessible no matter where you stay on the island.
Turns out Tenerife is full of surprises -
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