Today was Los Indianos, which is usually my favourite night of Carnival. It’s the night when people dress up in white, maybe have a suitcase full of Monopoly money, and for some reason throw vast quantities of talc at each other. By vast, I mean tons. Literally tons. My son spent last night with my friends on Franceses. The plan was for them to bring him home this afternoon, then…
The Ambassador’s Parade
Last night we had a diplomatic procession through Santa Cruz, where the representatives of any nation you care to mention graced us with their presence. And I missed it. (We had a family birthday party at midday, and I still couldn’t drive that evening.) So here are some photos from 2006.
Money
As most people know, the local currency is Euros, just like the rest of Spain and most of Europe. Here’s a jigsaw of 200 euros. Just click on it to play.
Carnival
Spain celebrates Carnival in the week before the season of Lent. I always say people are making sure they have something really juicey to repent, but these days most people just regard it as a darn good excuse for a party. It wasn’t always that way. Franco banned Carnival. It’s always been a time when people could say and do things they wouldn’t normally get away with, and perhaps he…
A Small Rock in the Atlantic
For some time now, I’ve felt that this blog is a right dog’s breakfast. So I’ve created a new blog about the island of La Palma. The rest of the dog’s breakfast is staying here, for those who like dog’s breakfasts. Dogs, presumably. Well maybe serendipity would be a better word.
Where the heck is La Palma anyway?
I originally came to La Palma to work at the astronomical observatory here. Almost as soon as I heard I’d got the job, my parents went to a travel agent to find out how much it would cost to visit. The girl at the desk said, “Las Palmas de Gran Canaris? Certainly Sir. I’ll just look it up for you.” “No,” explained my father. “The island of La Palma. My…