Update: This quote is a hoax. I apologise for spreading it. There’s an interesting quote from Jorge Bergoglio (yup, the new pope) published in the newspaper Telam Argentina on June 4, 2007 flying around the internet in Spanish. “Las mujers son naturalmente ineptas para ejercer cargos politicos.” “El Orden natural y los hechos nos enseñan que el hombre es el ser politico por excelencia; las estricturas nos demuestran que la…
See comet Pan-STARRS through a telescope for free
Update: The activity has been cancelled due to bad weather. Astrotour are offering the chance to see comet Pan-STARRS through a telescope for free. You just have to turn up at Mirador de las Brujas on Saturday 16th at 7pm, but be sure to bring warm clothes (it’s over 4,000 ft) and something to eat. Hot drinks are probably a good idea too. It’s also a good idea to bring…
Comet Pan-STARRS
Comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) was discovered in June 2011. At that time it was a long way from the sun and very faint. Now it’s closer to the sun than the Earth, and it’s bright enough to see with the naked eye. This week you can see comet Panstarrs (C/2011 L4) near the horizon in the west, about 40 minutes after sunset. It’s close to the moon, so the…
A weekend break – part 2
Whenever I’m in El Hierro I tend to wake up early and go for a walk before breakfast, then meet up with my friend later. This time, I was tired enough to wake up late and stagger to meet her at 10 am, although my hip had improved enough that I could walk along the flat at almost normal speed. My friend knew a couple of teenagers who are interested…
The Banana Museum, Tazacorte
When I first heard there was a banana museum in Tazacorte, I laughed. But since about 40% of La Palma’s population works works in the banana industry (growing, packing shipping etc.) it makes sense. Besides, bananas are the 4th most important crop in the world, (after rice, wheat and maize), and this is the only museum about European bananas in the world. The museum contains lots of information panels in…
A weekend break – part 1
La Restinga harbour In January Binter had a special offer – make a booking in January for a flight in March, and get about 40% off. so I booked the flight to visit my friend on El Hierro. It was a little risky, because I couldn’t change the dates at all. But still, 40%. So I booked. And then life got a bit complicated, what with bumping the car, and…