The King and Queen of Spain, Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía, will visit the seven Canary Islands from Wednesday, November 22 to 26, accompanied by the President of the Canary Islands Government, Adán Martín. On their trip to the Archipelago, they will inaugurate works such as the Island Library, the cultural center or the multifunctional center of El Polvorín de Taco, in Tenerife, the Titerroy health center, in Arrecife de Lanzarote; they will ride the Tenerife tram, visit the Cueva Pintada de Gáldar (Gran Canaria), visit the Gran Telescopio de Canarias (Grantecan), which will be inaugurated in 2007, in La Palma and meet with different social groups to learn about the main problems of the Islands.
This was stated today at a press conference by the spokesperson for the Government of the Canary Islands, Miguel Becerra, who recalled that this trip by the King and Queen of Spain to the Islands is due to the commemoration of the centenary of the first royal visit of a monarch to the Canary Islands, King Alfonso XIII, grandfather of Don Juan Carlos.
Becerra, who was accompanied by the head of protocol of the Government of the Canary Islands, Manuel Martínez Fresno, detailed the program of the royal visit in which, he said, "there will be a lot of contact between the King and Queen and the street" and in which the president of the Regional Executive, Adán Martín, will have the opportunity to convey to Their Majesties "the challenges facing the Canary Islands, the achievements that have been made and talk about the spectacular change that has taken place in the Islands in recent years, as well as address the main problems they suffer".
During the five days of their stay in the Archipelago, Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía will learn about the Canary Islands' roots by visiting the Cueva Pintada de Gáldar, touring the streets of La Laguna and the Vegueta neighborhood, in Las Palmas, so they will appreciate the cultural heritage of the Islands, participate in numerous social events: inauguration of health centers, visit to the Taco neighborhood, and they will be informed of the latest developments in environmental matters and new technologies.
Although the King and Queen's journey in the Canary Islands is not yet closed, according to the head of protocol, Their Majesties will also be aware of the economic reality of the Archipelago, inaugurate the Architecture Biennial, talk with social representatives from each island and learn firsthand, through the people who have the most contact with the undocumented immigrants, about the phenomenon of immigration.
Likewise, Becerra pointed out that the Transinsular Network project will be explained to them, and the Canary Islands Government will convey "to the first ambassador of Spain in the world, Don Juan Carlos de Borbón, that the Canary Islands has its own role in the Atlantic as a meeting point for the three continents".
VISIT
The visit will begin on Wednesday, November 22 in Tenerife, where they will arrive at noon and move to the Plaza del Príncipe de Santa Cruz, where honors will be paid to them. Immediately afterwards, they will go to the Parliament of the Canary Islands and then to the headquarters of CajaCanarias to inaugurate the exhibition 'Real Images', organized on the occasion of the Centenary of the visit of His Majesty King Alfonso XIII to the Canary Islands.
On Wednesday afternoon, at 4:30 p.m. they will visit the Multifunctional Space 'El Polvorín' in Taco and ride the Tenerife tram, and then move to the Plaza del Adelantado de La Laguna where they will begin a walk through the old part of the city, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.
Afterwards, the King and Queen will go, together with the president of the Cabildo, Ricardo Melchior, to the old Hospital de Dolores to inaugurate the Island Library and the Cultural Center and then to the Royal Sanctuary of the Santísimo Cristo de La Laguna.
In the evening, after 8:00 p.m., they will receive at the headquarters of the Presidency of the Government in Santa Cruz de Tenerife the representatives of the Institutions, Organizations and entities involved in immigration and will attend a welcome dinner offered by the President of the Government of the Canary Islands.
On Thursday they will travel to El Hierro and La Gomera. They will arrive in El Hierro at 11 in the morning, tour Calle Real and visit the old island Cabildo where the King and Queen will be received by President Tomás Padrón. Afterwards, they will visit an exhibition on communications in the Archipelago, commemorating the connection through the fiber optic cable, which is inaugurated that day, they will move to the Mirador de la Peña and there they will be presented with a model of the future Alternative Energy Plant and receive a representation of the herreña society.
At 1:30 p.m. they will arrive in La Gomera and have lunch at the Parador Nacional 'Condes de La Gomera' with a representation of the society of that island. Immediately afterwards, they will visit the Parque de Colón, in the vicinity of the Torre del Conde, where they will be shown a teaching class of silbo gomero by selected students from different schools on the island and, afterwards, they will move to the Plaza de la Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, tour Calle Real and discover the Bust to Colón, a gift from the Government of the Canary Islands to the island of La Gomera. They will also enjoy the performance of a folk group in the Plaza de Las Américas.
On Thursday night the King and Queen will return to Tenerife and at 8:30 p.m. they will attend a reception with representatives of the Tenerife society in the Recova Vieja of Santa Cruz.
On Friday, Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía will go to La Palma where they will tour the Calle Real de los Llanos de Aridane in the morning to the clock monument, during which they will be explained the works of art exhibited on the facades of the buildings that are part of "The city in the museum". Afterwards they will go to the Casa Massieu Van Dalle in the Caserío de Argüal where they will be received by the president of the Cabildo de La Palma José Luis Perestelo. Immediately afterwards, they will visit the painting exhibition organized by Asprocan "The Banana as Canary Identity" and move to Santa Cruz de La Palma. There they will tour Calle Real and visit in the Palacio Salazar an exhibition on the Centenary of the Visit of S.M. Alfonso XIII.
Next, Francisco Sánchez, Director of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) will present the advanced state of the works of the Gran Telescopio de Canarias (Grantecan), whose inauguration is scheduled for 2007. And at noon they will preside over a military event at the Canary Islands Troop Training Center and have lunch afterwards at the Parador Nacional with representatives of the society of La Palma.
After 3:00 p.m. the King and Queen will travel to Gran Canaria to attend a reception at 8:30 p.m. with representatives of the society of that island at the Hotel Santa Catalina in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
On Saturday the King and Queen of Spain will travel to Fuerteventura where at 12:00 noon they will be received by the president of the Cabildo de Fuerteventura, Mario Cabrera, and will inaugurate the rehabilitation of the building. Their Majesties will also inaugurate the I Biennial of Architecture, Art and Landscape of the Canary Islands and preside over a reception with the majorera society.
Almost at two in the afternoon they will arrive at Lanzarote airport to have lunch at the Hotel Meliá Salinas with the conejera society. In the afternoon, at 5:00 p.m. they will visit and inaugurate the Titerroy Health Center (Santa Coloma), in Arrecife, together with the president of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Inés Rojas. And in the afternoon they will move to Gran Canaria.
A SUNDAY IN GRAN CANARIA
On Sunday, November 26, the last day they will be on the Islands, Their Majesties will go in the morning to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento de Gáldar (Gran Canaria) and on foot they will visit, together with the president of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, José Manuel Soria, the Cueva Pintada site. At noon they will tour Calle Triana where they will be shown the restoration of the rails of the old tram of Las Palmas and then go to Vegueta to see the Plaza de Santa Ana and the Obispado building, the place where S.M. Alfonso XIII stayed during his stay in Las Palmas.
Afterwards, at 1:00 p.m. they will attend a Holy Mass in the Cathedral of Las Palmas and at the end a farewell lunch offered by President Adán Martín. In the afternoon Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía will leave for the capital of Spain.
ACN Press
