The Cistercian convent of the Holy Trinity at Buenavista in Breña Alta is surprisingly new. It was founded in 1946, and it’s the only closed order on the island. I was surprised to find out that there are only ten nuns who live there. The convent has a small shop. I first went there about ten years ago, in search of a rosary made of dragon-tree seeds, for a Catholic…
Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I’ve unfriended someone on Facebook. Disagreeing with me is fine. Using phrases like, “Arrogance and superiority in attitude and LOCKSTEP DOGMATISM AND CLOSEMINDEDNESS” is not fine, and I told her so. And she replied, “Too bad you find things that disagree with you to be ‘rude’. I’m sorry you’re also so closeminded.” Which I think rather confirms my point of view. Her…
This is the best YouTube video I’ve seen for a long time. Unfortunately I can’t see the embed link, so you’ll just have to click through. But please – I honestly think it will improve your life to spend a few minutes on this.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUB4j0n2UDU&feature=player_embedded
The heart of La Palma is the Caldera de Taburiente. Caldera is a technical geological term for the crater at the top of a volcano. In fact the term comes from La Palma: all the volcanic calderas in the world were named after ours. So it’s really a pity that, since then, the scientists have found out that the Caldera de Taburiete isn’t a caldera. It was actually formed by…
The Canary Islands are known as the land of eternal spring, but that’s not quite true at 2,396 metres (7,861 ft). Down at sea-level, it’s been raining. Up on the mountain, it’s been snowing. Yesterday the road was only suitable for 4-wheel-drive vehicles, but I gather the road is open again. If you’re on La Palma, this is your chance to make a snowman. But drive carefully, and once you…
The bouncy castles were well appreciated by the youngest people there. And the social club for seniors was packed with dancers. I’d have joined in if there’d been a bit more space. And just as I left, the salsa band left the main stage, to be replaced by a rock band. I much prefer rock ‘n’ roll, so I was quite sad that I had such a long drive ahead…