Читать книгу Walking on Tenerife. 45 walks including El Teide and GR131 онлайн

20 страница из 49

Language

Castilian Spanish is spoken throughout the Canary Islands, though in most resorts and large hotels there are English and German speakers. Those who travel to remote rural parts will need at least a few basic phrases of Spanish. Anyone with any proficiency in Spanish will quickly realise that the Canarios have their own accent and colloquialisms. For instance, the letter ‘s’ often vanishes from the middle or end of words, to be replaced by a gentle ‘h’, or even a completely soundless gap. ‘Los Cristianos’, for example, becomes ‘Loh Cri-tiano’. A bus is referred to as an autobus in Spain, but as a guagua throughout the Canary Islands. Some natives may seize the opportunity to practise their English with you, while others may be puzzled by your command of Spanish. No matter how bad you think you sound, you will not be the worst they’ve heard!

Money

The Euro is the currency of the Canary Islands. Large denomination Euro notes are difficult to use for small purchases, so avoid the €500 and €200 notes altogether, and avoid the €100 notes if you can. The rest are fine: €50, €20, €10 and €5. Coins come in €2 and €1. Small denomination coins come in values of 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c, 2c and 1c. Banks and ATMs are mentioned where they occur, if cash is needed. Many accommodation providers accept major credit and debit cards, as will large supermarkets, but small bars, shops and cafés deal only in cash.