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Santa Lucia de Tirajana AKA Juicy Lucy
It was my first visit to Santa Lucia de Tirajana. My pal José, whose wife Reyes hails from the village, had told me to try the local brew Mejunje de Ventura. Except the owner of the bar I’d walked into had just loaded the dishwasher up with all their glasses. So I was handed a mug of the stuff.
Brekky you can drink with a straw
Mejunje de Ventura is a heady mix of white rum, honey, brown sugar, lemon, lemongrass, cinnamon, and coffee. I felt like one of the old boys I see in Las Palmas cafes of a morning, having a boozy breakfast. Later, upon leaving this Santa Lucia de Tirajana bar, I was sure this actual Mejunje included magic shrooms.
Capturing the castle
For before my very eyes I was seeing, then snapping, a castle, and not any plain fortress at that. It turned out to be the Castillo de la Fortaleza. One of Santa Lucia de Tirajana’s odder draws. And away from the southern resorts, one more off than on the tourist map.
Yakety yak
Witty chat show host Clive Anderson ripped into Jeffrey Archer with the classic dig: “Oh, you’re a critic as well, there’s no beginning to your talents?” If he’d ever had the architect of the Castillo de la Fortaleza on, one Vicente Sanchez Araña, Clive would have been more pro than con.
Web of deceit
For Señor Araña, aka Mr Spider, was an, in alphabetical order, archaelogist, artist, collector, and writer. His mini-me version of a medieval castle, where he actually lived, dates back to the mid-20th century. Now a museum, the artillery, art gallery, and botany collection make for some great browsing. See it before drinking Mejunje to believe it, though.